The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1915-06-19

Il OpCiotVu W SnooiihC ChSiAAS
on a flat decked barge. The frame
work supporting the cutting machin-
cry is lowered into the water to a
depth of about four feet. 1t carries
and endless belt consisting of coarse
fish net stretched over chains. A
motor launch propels the latter
through the kelp beds at the rate Of
four miles per hour.
On the barge the kelp is discharg-
ed from the endless belt into a hop
per and passes through a set of re-
volving knives. which cut it into
small pieces about six inches long.
From this chopper the kelp is dis
charged into an open barge, which
is towed ashore and unloaded at the
factory. Such a device harvests over
25 ton of kelp per hour and seems
to have satisfactorily solved the
problem of economic gathering IF the
raw material. The entire cos- Per
ton of wet kelp landed at factories
is now less than 20 cents.
Direct Use Of Kelp
Wet kelp contains on an average
4 per cen of potassium chloride. 1t
can be advantageously used AS
a fertilizer. and Is so used to an In
creasing extent along the Pacific
littoral.
Air dried kelp contains about i"
per cent of potash (K2O), , rer
cent of nitrogen. and Is e cent OF
nhosphoric acid. 1t is readily pulver-
lied and is of equal value as 4 fer
tilizer with equivalent amounts ~
potash in the customary forms OF
chloride and sulphate. Taking all
factors into consideration. cost OF
production. cost of handling, and
physical properties. dried powdered
klein seems to be the form in which a
substantial commercial demand can
be quickly secured. IT will rapidly
appeal to the manufacturer of mixed
fertilizers.
There is as yet no standard
method for extracting the potassium
chloride of kelp on an indus.rially
profitable scale. The American Pot
ash company which has a plant OF
some size at Long Beach. uses a
secret process by which it expects to
place upon the market iodine and
various other byproducts, as we'll as
technically pure potassium chloride.
In kelp potassium chloride and So
dunn chloride are present usually in
the proportions Of 8 to 2. They
constitute the bulk of the mineral
constituents, but are accompanied by
small amounts of calcium and mag
nesium salts and of iodides. Thu
separation of the two chlorides from
the organic residue constitutes the
chief difficulty to be overcome.
Filtration methods applied to
green kelp have not been successful,
as the absence of fiber permits much
of the organic matter to pass through
the filter medium, causing the latter
to be quickly clogged. Diffusion
methods similar to those used so sat
isfactorily in sugar manufacture,
have been tried. Thus far they give
no promise of industrial application.
More uccess is indicated by ex-
periments now in progress to coagu-
late the organic tissues of kelp, and
thus permit easy filtration.
1t is worthy of note in this con
nection that a process recently pat
ented in Great Britain offers a
new methods Of overcoming tn. diff
ficulty mentioned above. According
to the British patent No. 1,76G of
1915, issued to Beborg, Testrup and
Techno Chemical laboratory, kelp is
reduced to pulp. and then forced by
pressure through a heater at u tenn
perature sufficiently high to destroy
the Shiny water binding constituents.
The pulp is then cooled and pressed.
In the effluent water are found near
ly all of the potassium and sodium,
salts originally present in the kelr
rs well as the iodides.
Once removed from the plant, the
separation of potassium chloride
from sodium chloride is compare
lively easy. 1t is based upon the
io'I tHdt tIC DOtdoSiuIu SAIL Is uluCI
more soluble in boiling water than
is the sodium salt, while the reverse
is the case at ordinary temperatures
Alternate Capitalization of saturated
'O'utions. first in a hot vat and then
in a cool vat, would result in the ac-
emulation of potassium chloride in
the latter and of sodium chloride in
the former. Concentrated mother Ii,
quors could be treated for the re-
covery of iodine.
Assuming a satisfactory solution
Of the coagulation problem. this
combined industry would produce
nrre potassium chloride. pure So
dunn chloride (table salt, potassium
iodide and a cattle food from the
residual kelp, containing As per
rent nitrogen.
Extent of Kelp Supply
The area of tie kelp beds along