Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1916-01-22
SECURITY PLANT MAY
MANUFACTURE POTASH
Method in Handling This Valuable
Product From Cement Manu-
facture Explained


faoture Explained
Vice-President and General Man.
ager J. J. Porter, of the Security Ce-
ment and Lime Co, who short time
agowent to California to investigate
the plant of a portland cement com
pany there engaged in utilizing the
potash contents Of the rock used in
making cement. reported his findings
to the officers of the company. Tho
potash comes largely from the dust
OF the plants which can he gathered
and conserved, and in addition to
rendering the surrounding neighbor
hood free from dust nuisance the
company is also enabled to secure
by-product of considerable value,
and especially now as potash Is now
selling for about $500 per ton. Pot
ash always was very high, although
is now many times its former cost.
II is most important constituent
| Of farm fertilizers and intimes OF war
is largely in demand ror munition
manufacture
1t is stated the rock used at the Sc.
curity Plant is rich in potash, and it
| IL further estimated that probably as
| high as $4,000 worth Of this salt ia
lost on some days. To build a plant
to care for this by-product, It is stated
would cost $4,000. or more. The
whole plan will be laid before the
| directors today for action.
| The method of securing potash by
cement plants is explained by a gov
eminent official. This official says
| The possibilities of securing potash
from the new source is made all the
more interesting by the fact that the
substance has been gotten in cement
| plants as result of efforts to avoid
harming orchards and crops in the
! vicinity, and by the additional fact
that the apparatus by. which the re.
coyery is effected is the invention of
f. G Cottrell, now engaged in chem
ical Investigations for the bureau OF
mines.
Thousands of tons OF dust are driv-
EN- into the air from the stacks of
cement plants all over the country,
and, settling on vegetation, cause
numerous complaints and lawsuits
To avoid trouble and payment of dam
ages large cement plant in the west
brought up nearly a million dollars
worth of adjacent land and found that
its discharged dust still fioated be-
yond it's property limits and continued
to cause damage. II then installed
apparatus which captures the dust
PARTICLES by electrical attraction, and
now piles up in bins each day approx
imately 100 tons OF material that for
merly was spread over the country
side.
In catching the ordinary clay aud
lime dust that goes into the manu-
lecture of cement the electrical cur
rent also catches the valuable pot
ash that has been unlocked from tho
raw materials by heat. The potash
forms such substantial part Of the
dust that the whole mixture. where
the electrical recovery process has
been installed, sells readily as it IS
caught for fertilizer uses for almost
as good price as the finished CO.
ment When the dust Is relocated IN
special kiln and the electrical fin.
gers again snatch all that they can
from the passing gases. high con
centrate OF the potash is secured,
which is still more valuable. How
soon the chief producers of cement
can be depended on to save the pot
ash they are now sending up their
chimneys is question that govern.
meut metallufgists and chemists can
not answer; but an idea OF what such
saving, would mean to the United
States in national production OF pot
ash, now produced here in only neg,
ligible quantities Ss given by the fg
ures Of the geological survey, WHICH
place the American output o. pert