The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-09-13
DR.. Frederick E. Cottrell, Smelter Smoke
Wizard; Abate Nuisance, Create Millions

Create Millions
or fine particles in the form of smoke
and sulphur dioxide gas, invisible to
the eye, given off from the stacks OF
the smelter, had swept the neighboring
country bare of vegetation for miles
1t was a case of either a shutdown
or suppression of these destructive
discharges, and after other expedients
had failed the company decided to
make a test Of electrical precipitation
After some preliminary experiments
1t was determined in March, 1910, 10
provide a full sized plant of the Cot
trell type. The volume of the gases
treated averaged between 100000 and
100000 cubic feet per minute and
during the filtration tests made Of the
gases throughout a period Of nine
months it was found that the cleo
trical precipitator recovered between
80 and 80 per cent of the suspended
matter. In the later stages of it's OPP
lprovements in detail of construction,
| the efficiency was raised well up into
the nineties. 1t Is of interest to recall
that this gas treating plant as a whole
up to the time it was first put In
operation, cost little less than $780,
900, and the copper company concern
ed thought it was getting off at a
modest price in view of the results
obtained.
How Corporation Has Grown.
Since the creation of the Research
corporation a laboratory was estab.
lished by that organization and experts
employed to study the workings of the
precipitation processes. Starting with
a cash capital of a trifle over 10000,
the corporation is now spending that
service a staff of forty-five engineers
and others engaged in field and office
work. installations of electrical pre-
cipitators have been made in twenty
plants, most of them large industries.
In July of 1914, after active work
covering about eighteen months, the
treasury of the corporation contained
only $1,000 and there were outstanding
many monthly expenses. This was the
low water mark, for the tide soon
turned and payments began to come In
for the permanent use of the patents
and in royalties. On December /,
1914, there was $4,000 in the treas
ury besides 100000 in approved notes.
The assets of the corporation In Feb
the Research corporation is now able
to go a step further in carrying out
DR.. Cottrell's original intention and to
offer a fellowship of the annual value
of $4,000 to encourage scientific re-
search directed to the development of
the industrial arts.
The foregoing figures are the best
evidence of the usefulness of the Cot
trell patents and an index of a source
of riches in the past very largely neg
lected. The general public has only
the faintest notion of the wastage rep
resented in the fumes and smoke from
belching stacks quite apart from the
benefcient economies following from
their abatement where the nature of
these outpourings is harmful to man
and vegetation. In the smelling of
lead the fume contains anywhere from
9 to 10 per cent Of volatized metal
in the form of lead oxide and lead SUI
phide, with compounds of arsenic and
antimony This percentage is well
worth recovering. The bureau of
mines is the authority for the follow
ing statement of substances found in
fumes which, if not collected. would
be lost during the smelling and refin-
ing of various ore, etc.:
Metallic gold and metallic silver,
quartz and silicates or potassa and
soda, slicates of alumina, lime and
ferrous oxide, zinc oxide, normal zinc
sulphate, basic zinc sulphate, cadmium
oxide, acrimonious oxide, acrimonious
sulphide, lead oxide, lead sulphide, lead
sulphate, supric oxide, cuprous oxide
elemental arsenic, arsenious sulphide
arsenious oxide. elemental tellurium
tellurous oxide, elemental sulphur, SUI
phur trioxide, free sulphuric acid, ele-
mental selenium, selenium oxide, thai
lium oxide, soda and potassa.''
At Great Falls, Mont, there was al
one time a daily loss IN dust from the
stacks of the Anaconda company's
smelter of 3.775 pounds OF copper, LOT
ounces of silver and OIL ounces OF
gold. BY an adequate provision fol-
dust recovery, the company was able
to save in the course OF single year
metallic values amounting to $13oz83
To bring the matter nearer home, ar
electrical precipitator was installed al
the Raritan Copper works at PERTH
Amboy, N. j., where the gases from
furnaces smelling high grade residues
or shines from electroYytic copper con
tain valuable by-products in the form
of gold and silver as we'll as tellurium
selenium and lead. In the first twelve
months following the use of ting pre-
cipitator the metals so recovered were
worth 100000.
| 1t. do