The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1916-12-08

Dr. n. O. Porter Asserts unltod
States Can Produce Enough
From Coal
CASE NOT Ike eElnlAllrs

C00UnoOS 0OuuOV0O 0O6V WIN - ~
Dearth o. Product In This Country
In Case Of War-Ammonla
Production.
New York.-Among the papers pre-
pared by well-knOwn chemists and
read at the sessions Of the American
Chemical society during Its annual
meeting for 1916, held during the sec
ond annual chemical exposition at
Grand Central palace, was one by DR..
Horace o. Porter, an industrial chem
list of Pittsburgh, in which he predict
ed that nitrogen would be extracted
from the atmosphere in this country.
Doctor Porter, however, told of other
sources from which nitrogen could be
produced in the United States at the
present time. more cheaply than from
the atmosphere, in such large quantities
that there would be no danger Of a
dearth of nitrogen here in the event
Of war, such as was threatened in Ger
many when her sources of outside sup
ply were cut on in the present war.
1.-THE fixatiOn Of nitrogen from the
atmosphere for\application in agricul-
tire and the an It's Is an Industrial de-
velopment now thoroughly well es-
tablished In SEVERAL foreign countries.
In Better Shhpe Than Germany.
whether in America, in the emer-
gency of gryat war and the shutting
off Of our fofeign supply Of nitrate, we
should be obliged to meet the situation
in the samA way as Germany has done
Is very doubtful. Atmospheric nitro
gen fixation WY without question even
tually be established in this country
This will be when its Gusts, including
capital charges, shall havebecome low
enough to admit of profitable expan-
sion of the industry. 1t will be well
come as an additional and unlimited
source Of fixed nitrogen Independent
of the uncertainties of foreign i'm
portation.
lat present, however, owing to con-
ditionS affecting the cost of power in
this country, fixed nitrogen can COM
mercially be had more cheaply from
coal. If the supply, therefore. is ade-
Quate from the latter source for an
emergency of war, there is no need of
government subsidy fer atmospheric
nitrogen tiXatiOn. As to prices Of
fixed nitrogen to the farmer in times
of peace, the producers prices of coal
by-prOduct nitrogen are on par with
those in foreign countries and with
nf % ri
trOgen ia this or other countries.
The available supply Of fixed nitro
gen from coal is adequate to this coun-
try's military needs in any reasonable
contingency. By-product ammonia is
being produced in rapidly increasing
quantities. The crux of Americas sit
uation as compared to Gerlnany's is
that We are not called upon to reserve
| our entire byproIuct ammonia sup
ply for agriculture; ample food crops
for domestic consumption in time of
war are assured us without the use of
fertilizer, while Germany, ON the 9TH
er hand, is absolutely dependent on
such use, especially of heterogeneous fer
I tilizer, and has had even to increase
/ her use of amEloniuE. Sulphate in this
way since the beginning of the war.
Government Plant insufficient.
The oy-product coking and coal gas
industries of the United States have
today capacity of making 10000 tons
of ammonia per year. Within eighteen
months they will Increase this capacity
to 10000 tons. From 35 per cent to
40 per cent of this capacity is for am
monia in the form of liquor, and, with
slight adjustment of those plants max
ing Sulphate, this capacity for liquor
can be increased to 30 per cent OF
more, that is, to 60,0GO tons of am
monia. The recent appropriation by
congress of S20.o00,0OO for a govern
ment nitrate plant will, if devoted tC
water-p ower-cyanamide process in
stallation, yield Lot over 10000 tons
of ammonia per year, and the probable
needs of the government in the event
of war have been estimated at $50,
600 tons of nitric acid, corresponding
to about GO.On9 tens of ammonia.
Germany makes all of her coke by
the by-proGuct process and therefor.
is unable to increase her ammonia out
put FROM coke ovens without increaS.
in coke productions; America, how
ever, by turning still more from bee
hive to by-product coking. can NOR,
than double her ammonia production
without an increase of coke. Further
more, the production and use of cox
in America have every prospect of ma
terial Increase, giving still larger am
monia production.
The nitrogen reserves in the min
able coal Of the United States (not ia
Guiding Ieat) amount to 30.0OO,OOO
OO0 tons The amount recoverable h