The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-06-11

Of being able TO really meet the whole
or large part of our national demand
for potash are the manufacture OF
hydraulic cennents and iron smelling.
While the recovery of potash from
cement manufacts no Is in itself so
new a development that Its wide
reaching significance. not only to
agriculture but possibly even to the
building trade themselves Is not yet
generally appreciated. still It has gone
far enough to arouse thoroughly the
cement manufacturers Of the country
to its Importance. and the character
and local distribution Of this industry
is such as to insure pretty well a quite
general adoption Of the potash by
product feature wherever feasible and
advantageous. 1t also seems probable
that in the location Of now cement
mills the matter Of the potash con-
tent OF the raw materials will como to
be one of the normal determining
factors.
with regard to potash from the
iron-blast furnaces much less pro-
gress has yet been made. The bureaus
metallurgists believe there are pos
sibilities there quite comparable to
those in the cement mills and have
been urging upon those in authority in
only careful examination OF blast
furnace dust and gases for potash, but
likewise systematic lstudies on the
effect on operation conditions Of the
same, with the object of obtaining
the maximum possible yield of potash.
There is, as far as I know. but one
company in the United States pro-
ducing potach from blast furnace
gases in commercial quantities. Even
this at present is on a relatively small
scale and the company seems to be a.
yet rather reticient on the subject.
The Bureau of Mines has 90 far re-
Trained from attempting to publish
actual estimates OF what might be
produced in this way, since potash
has been so generally ignored in the
chemical work Of the iron industry
and a review OF the whole field would
be necessary before one could safely
draw definite conclusions. Further
more. the question Of Just how much
of the potash recoverable appears a.
cyanide and how much az carbonate
sulphate or other compound ID an i'm
portant one to be determined expert
mentally under varying conditions az
this will have a very direct bearing
on Its adaptahility for agricultural or
other uses. The Bureau OF Soils has
called particular attention to the fact
that potash from new sources should
not be Unfortunately used as q ferti-
uzer- until after careful Investigation
OF It's availability for this purpose and
freedom from injurious substances.
The Bureau of Mines has been at
tempting to follow up this subject
and collect the necessary information
wherever possible, but the limited
funds at its disposal for such work
make the process necessarily slower
than could be desired. For this reason
1t Is all the more earnestly desired to
obtain the cordial cooperation of all
those In position TO aid in the accu-
mutation OF data, and. particularly, in
the study OF effec Of variation OF
operating conditions on potash elini-
nation. However. the country is max
ing much progress in solving the prob
lens that have been put up to II by
the Inconvenience of the great war.
and II now looks as II we will In the
future be able TO make for ourselves
all OF those products for which we
have had to depend on foreign coun.
tries l am told that the by-product
coke ovens now under construction
will be capable OF an output OF 200.-
600 tons of coke month. What this
means In by-products Ia OF immense
i'm portanoe to the country Industrial
ly."