The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-03-01
SOURCES OF NITROGEN
NO FEAR OF SHORTAGE
COAL AFFORDS SOURCE THAT is
PRACTICALLY iNExHAUST.
iBLE-lS CHEAP.

DR. Horace q. Porter, a we'll known
industrial chemist of Pttsburs, Pa,
read paper upon the production of
nitrogen in the United States at the
cal society, held at the Grand Central
palace, New York city. which is of
particular interest at this time. The
question of extracting nitrogen from
sideration for the past two years, but
Dr. Porter points out that there are
other sources in this country from
which ii can be produced much more
eheaply than from the air and in such
large quantities that there is no dan
ger of dearth of nitrogen here un-
der any eventualties He has the
following to say upon the subject:
"rhe tixation of nitrogen from the
atmosphere for application in agrieul-
ture and the arts is an industrial de-
velopment now thoroughly we'll es-
tablished in several foreign countries.
In Better Shape Than Germany.
Whether in America, in the ener
gency Of great war and the shutting
off of our foreign supply of nitrate we
should be obliged to meet the situa-
ton in the same way as Germany has
done is very doubtful. Atmospheric
nitrogen tixaton will without question
eventually be established in this coun
try. This will be when its costs, in
Guiding capital charges, shall have be
able expansion of the industry. 1t
will be welcome as an additional and
unlimited source of fixed nitrogen in
dependent of the uncertainties of for
eign importation.
AT persent, however, owing to con-
ditions affecting the cost of power in
mercially be had more cheaply from
coal If the supply, therefore, is ade-
q,iate from the latter source for an
of war, there is no need of
nitrogen fixation AS to prices Of fixed
nitrogen to the farmer in times of
peace, the producers prices of Goa
byproduct nitrogen are on par with
those in foreign countries and with
those OF other forms of fertilizer nj
trogen in this or other countries.
1.-The available supply of fixed nj
trogen from coal is adequate to this
country's military needs in any reas.
enable contingency. Byproduct am
monia is being produced in rapidly
increasing quantities. The crux of
Americas situation as compared to
Germanys is that we are not called
upon to reserve our entire byproduct
ammonia supply for agriculture; am
pie food crops for domestic consump-
ton in time of war are assured MS
without the use of fertilizer, while
Germany, on the other hand, is abso-
lutcly dependent on such use, eSpe-
cialy OF heterogeneous fertilizer and
has had even to increase her Use Of
ammonium sulphate in this way since
the beginning Of the war,
Government Plant insufficient.
THE byproduct col<ing and coal gas
industries of the United States have
today capacity of making 10000 tons
of ammonia per year. Within IL
months they viii increase this capac-
ity to 10000 tons. From 80 per cen
to 40 per cent of this capacity is for
ammonia in the form of liquor, and
with slight adjustment of those plants
making sulphate, this capacity for
liquor can be increased to 55 per cent
or more. that is, to $4,000 tons of am
monia. The recent appropriation by
congress of $2O,O0O,OO0 for a govern
ment nitrate plant will, if devoted to
a water power cyanamde process in
stalation, yield not over 10000 tons OF
ammonia per year, and the probable
needs of the government in the event
of war have been estimated at 10000
tons of nitric acid, corresponding to
atOllt loIlS vi dlilIiioiIu'
Germany makes all of her coke by
the byproduct process and therefore is
unable to increase her ammonia out
put from coke ovens without increase
in coke production, America, however,
by turning sstill more from bee hive to
byprOduct coking, can more sthan
double her ammonia production with
out an increase of coke. Furthermore,
the production and use of coke in AM
erica have every prospect of material
increase, giving still larger ammonia
production.
1.-The nitrogen reserves in the min
able coal of the United States (not in
GLIDING peat) amount to 10000, 100000
tons. The amount recoverable by the
present Industrial methods Of carbon
ization in ovens or Classifying in by
product producers Is at least 100000
tons. From the bituminous coal min
ed in the United States in 1915, L.
00O,O 900 tons of nitrogen We've thus re-
coverahle. if all such coal had been
cooked or gasified.