Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1916-11-03
NITROGEN FROM
AIR TOO COSTLY
Or. H. 0. Porter Asserts United
States Can Produce enough
From Coal.
CASE NOT LIKE GERMANTS
Chemist Believes There Will Be No
Dearth Of 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 al
Grand Central palace, was one by Or.
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
deaTth of nitrogen here in the event
of war, such as was threatened In Ger
many when her sources of outside sup
ply were cut off in the present war.
THE fixation of nitrogen from the
atmosphere for application in agricul-
ture and the arts is an Industrial de-
velopment now thoroughly well es-
tablished in several foreign countries.
In Better Shape Than Germany.
whether in America, in the emer-
gency of a great war and the shutting
off of our foreign supply of nitrate, we
should be obliged TO meet the situation
in the same way as Germany has done
is very doubtful. Atmospheric nitro
gen fixation will without question even
tually be established In this country.
This will be when its costs, including
capital charges, shall have become 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.
AT present, however, owing to o n
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 for atmospheric
nitrogen hxation. AS to prices Of
fixed nitrogen to the farmer in times
of peace, the producers prices Of coal
by-product nitrogen are on a par with
those in foreign countries and with
those of other forms of fertilizer nj
trogen in 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 /:
being produced in rapidly increasing
/ quantities. The cruz of Americas sit
; uation as compared to Germany's II
that we are not called upon to reserve
| our entire by-prOduct ammonia sup
ply for agriculture ample food crop
l for domestic consumption in time o
war are assured us without the use o
fertilizer, while Germany, on the 9th
er hand, is absolutely dependent Of
such use, especially Of heterogeneous fer
r t%llizer, and has had even to increas
= her use Of ammonium sulphate in thl
t way since the beginning of the wal
Government Plant insufficient.
'The by-product coking and coal go
industries of the United States hav
today a capacity Of making 10000 ton
/ of ammonia per year. Within eightee
months they will increase this capacit
to 10000 tons. From 80 per cent I
: 40 per cent of this capacity is for an
&c monia in the form of liquor, and, wit
&c slight adjustment of those plants ma
III ing sulphate, this capacity for liquC
u can be increased to 50 per cent {
l. more, that is, to 10000 tons of al
W monia. The recent appropriation
congress Of $20,O00,OO0 for a COVER
" ment nitrate plant will, If devoted
u a water-power-cyanamide process /
~ ~ s~tallation, yield not over 10000 tol
~ of ammonia per year, and the prObab
needs of the government in the eve
:" of war have been estimated at 1SI
o. 600 tons Of nitric acid, correspondil
" to about 10000 tons Of ammonia.
Germany makes all of her coke
the by-product process and thereto
III is unable to increase her ammonia OF
nut from coke ovens without increa
TO In coke production; America, no
ever, by turning still more from b'
hive to by-product coking, a me
than uOuDie ueI minimum pAOuuNtl
cd without an increase of coke. Furth
,ls more, the production and use Of CO
40 in America have every prospect Of n
RI. terial increase, giving still larger a
Mt monia production.
TO- "The nitrogen reserves In the m
On able coal OF the United States mot
of Guiding peat) amount to 3O,OO0,OC
In. 600 tons. The amount recoverable
present Industrial methods Of carb
tor ization in ovens or Classifying in
product producers is at least 6,OOOi
,ly tons. From the bituminous coal mil
In the United States In 1915, 1000,
tons of nitrogen were thus recOV
80 able, II all such coal had been col
or gasl6ed.
,rI- 'The apparatus and processes
~ recovery Of fixed nitrogen from c
are NOT complicated, expensive, or
practical. Publication OF the
monla to any degree is practicable
- .maNNw 10