Mohave County miner., 1916-08-19
MARKED INCREASE IN
 BENzOL PRODUCTION
 IN THE UNITED STATES

products from American coke manu-
 facture made big advances in 1915 and
 has now attained the proportions of an
 important industry. The value of
 these by-products last year was near ly $3O,OOO,OOO, a large increase over the previous high-water mark of S17,-
 500, 1000 in 1914. Although. there were
 material increases in the output and value of gas, tar, and ammonia, which was to be expected with a greater
 output by by-product cok, the in i crease in benzol products was remark
 able and presented the most interest
 ing feature of the year in the coke
 industry. The value of these products rose from less than S1,00O,000 in 1914
 to more than S7,760,0O0 in 1915, ac- cording to C. F.. Lesher, of the United
 States Geological Survey, Department of the Interior Benzol has been re- covered in this country from coke
 oven gas for a number of years, but
 prior to 1915 the market was small and the prices low.
 The awakening of the American people to the need for a dye industry and to a realization that such an in dustry can not spring full-grown from nothing, but must be fostered and de- veloped is now a well-known story. Few are aware, however, of the pro- gress that has been made within a year in laying the foundations for future progress in that industry. Ul- der the spur of almost fabulous prices for benzol products, retort coke-Oven plants throughout the country quick | ly installed elaborate benzol-recovery systems and now save the valuable oils that not very long ago were being buried or wasted, or, if saved, were ] begging for a market.
 1 In 1914 there were IA benZol plants J in the United States, but they were all controlled by one company, and therefore it is not feasible to pub fish the statistics of their production i for that or previous years. Last year | Is additional coke plants were equip ped with benzol apparatus, and the | output was very greatly increased. i The incentive for putting in this equipment was, of course, the oppor- tunity to contract at war prices for benzol and other similar materials for use in making explosives for the Eu- ropean countries. When the demand | from that source shall have ceased, ! the United States will be in possession of large supply of the raw materials from which dyes and chemicals are made and will be able, if trade con ditions are right, to enter into the manufacture of these essential mate rials on an ever-increasing scale. The prompt and successful manner in which, in 1915, under favorable con- ditions, the producers increased the benzol supply and entered the field of dye manufacturing on a larger scale than ever before demonstrates the fact that in this country technical ability and business courage are not lacking and promises well for the fu- ture progress of the industry.
 The benzol products obtained in 1915 amounted to 16,60O,657 gallons. More than 13,OOO,OOO gallons of the total output was reported as crude light oil and had an average value of 33 cents. Some of the plants have their own stills and refneries, and the pure ben zol reported from those sources amounted to 2,516,483 gallons, with an average value of nearly 57 cents, at least three times the value of crude benzol before the war, and 623,506 gallons of toluol, with an average value of s2.45 a gallon. Crude ben zol, which in 1914 was used to some extent for motor fuel, contained the toluol, which is now separated out and sold at fancy prices.
 More than 13S,000,000 gallons of tar was obtained from coke ovens and sold for $3,568, 1884 in 1915.
 The ammonia, of which nearly 100,- 900 tons was reported as sulphate and the remainder as liquor (10,626,612 | gallons) and anhydrous ammonia l (30,002,196 pounds), brought a total | of $9,867, ,475 to the producers. Sur plus gas to the extent of 84,356,0OO,- 900 cubic feet, valued at S,625,00O, | was sold or used Of that quantity 17,196, 100000 feet was used as illum- mating gas, 27,591, 100000 feet as domestic fuel, and 39,569, 100000 feet as fuel for steam raising, open-hearth furnaces, gas engines. and other in- dustrial purposes. These by-products, which had a total value of s29,824, 579, were obtained by the carboniza- ton of 19,5OO,OOO tons of coal, from which was also obtained 100000 tons of coke, valued at 4S,500,OO0. The total value of the coke and by. products was more than S78,300.0 GOO.