The Washington herald., 1921-07-18
The Herald
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MONDAY, JULY IS, IszI
AGRICULTURAL DEPaRTMENT
STUDIES NITROGEN USES.

The Fixed Nitrogen Research
Laboratory at American University.
established for war purposes in
1913, has been transferred from the
War Department 10 the Department
OF agriculture, by order Of the
President. This action will assure
the continuation OF the investiga-
I tional work being done there TO
Improve and perfect methods Of FIX
, ing the nitrogen Of the air and
making IL available for use By the
farmers and the chemical industries
of the country.
a personnel OF Ilo 90 100, includ-
ing so OF the best trained experts
in the world in nitrogen hNation
and the application OF the product.
have been transferred with the la
Doratcry' with the assurance that
this carefully selected Rroup Of
workers will be kept together in
stead Of drifting into private occu-
/ patton.
Dr. II. G. Tolman. director Of fixed
nitrogen research, will remain in
the same position. The method OF
control OF the research work under
! the Department OF Agriculture has
not been worked out in detail TIE
/ sum Of $500. 900 made availab,e
from funds in the control Of the
President is transferred for the
maintenance Of the work for the
next two years.
The laboratory is located on the
grounds Of the American Cniyersit,
and makes use Of buildings and
equipment formerly used bv the Re
search Division Of the Chemical
Warfare Service.
tn" main work OF the Laboratory
I has been TO study tho 6xatiop or
nitrogen by the cyanamide. the IA
/ bcr and the arc processes, and 20
, study tho methods Of TRANSFORMING
tn" various forms Of nitroren-con-
tanning products so as to make
them most available for military,
agricultural or industrial use.
tn" cyanamide process is tho one
4 designed 10 be used at the Muscle
shoals plant in Alabama. which IS
expected to produce 22O.O tons OF
,"Nanamidc a year. The Haber pro-
. cess is used in the smaller Sheffield
plant IN the same State Tho arc
process is regarded as one Of the
most important processes Of nitro
Sen hNauon from a military point
OF Wow. since IL can be- most rap
IDLY installed in case Of war, and
sine" II provides nitrogen at once
in the nitrate form without the NO.
"cssity Of any oxidation from tho
ammonia form. The government
owns no arc plant and for this
reason less attention has so far
been given to this process than TO
the others
The Cyanamide process is one of
the best known and best established
methods Of fixing nitrogen. and
the laboratory has completed more
p work in connection with this pro-
cess than with the other methods
q OF nitrogen hNation. The Cynamide
process is at present the only pro-
cess by which nitrogen can be fixed
in America in case Of emergency.
! The laboratory has already COL
lected an enormous amount Of in
formation as to the various COM
pounds which can be prepared fromI
cynamide. Experts in the labora-
tory believe that the cyanamide pro-
cess will remain an important
method OF fixing nitrogen for many
years TO come.
The Hsber process. which under
certain industrial conditions can
displace the cysnamide process. has
never been commercially operated
outside OF Germany. IL has very
/ great inherent difficulties connected
with handling large quantities Of
inhammable gas at high pressure
and high temperatures.
res z rFh=
was established under the War p.-
partment and with particular
view to working out explosives
problems. the necessity Of obtaining
a nitrogen supply FOR agricultural
purposes has been kept constantly
an mind Pot and field tests have
been carried on IN cooperation
with the Bureau Of Plant Industry
OF the Department OF Agriculture
and at two Alabama plants. whore
twenty acres wDre gwen uy,r 10
agricultural tests IN 1929 The
closest cooperation has been main
tined between the two depa ~. nts
in his WORK. and pr. q. r. ~.
Scientist in charge Of Soil ThysiS
Investigations Of tho Bureau ~
Soils. has b,'n assigned Tor some
rtime 10 cooperate with the work
at the laboratory
Nitrogen Is on, ~ the throc great
elements necessary in fertilizers Tor
plants. tho others hoinc phosphoric
acid and potash. Nitrogen 70. ms
an essential constituent of cNpsos-
lives. uf fcrtIIiz'rs. of dystuaS ana
mauy other substances uSed "a th.
|artS In time Of war the nrG.--1ty
of importing Chilean aaltpcter. Win
It's attendant uncertainties and IT, IN
of rarryinE capacity. was very seri-
: Gus In time Of peace the use Of
nitrogen m fertilizers is limited
only by the supply and. il ava liable.
: larger quantities would be used for
b increasing the food and other crops
necessary for the country's welfare.
: Il has been estimated by high au-
, thority that the total loss Of nitro
gen from the arabic land under cul-
tivation in the United States IL
equivalent to $4,000. .OO0 TO 10000 900
tons Of ammonium sulphste a year.
representing a material worth in
The neighborhood Of 81 600 600 600.