Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-01-21
CHEAPER FERTILIZER
Agricultural Department Announces
Revolutionary Discovery.

Revolutionary Discovery.
What may prove to be Il revolution
ary devclopcnnt in the fertilizer in
dustry of tho world has been reached
by the Bureau Of Soils, United States
Department Of Agriculture, which has
just solved the problem Of extracting
phosphoric acid from phosphate rock
by heating mixtures OF this mineral,
sand and coke TO smelling. tempera-
ture in il fucl-fed furnace. The new
process has been worked out on an
approximately commercial basis at the
departments experimental plant at
Arlington, Va.
The phosphate used Cor fertilizer i'll
the deposits of rock in Florida. There
are also large deposits in Tennessee
and Il number of beds in South Caro-
lima where the rock was first exploit
method for producing soluable phos-
phate has consisted in treating the
rock with sulphuric acid. In practice,
a quantity Of sulphuric equal to the
quantity Of rock is used, and the re-
sulting product which is known as
acid phosphate contains only one-half
the percentage ofaphosphoric acid con-
tanned in the rock from which it was
derived. Commercial acid phosphate,
for instance made from 81 per cent.
rock contains only 1G per cent. of the
phosphoric acid. The elaborate wasll-
ing and screening process now used
in preparing phosphate rock for trea.-
ment with sulphuric acid often results
in the loss Of two thirds Of the rock,
land it was with view to saving this
immense waste of phosphate that the
new process was evolved.
The practical value of the new de-
velopment Is indicated by the fact
that, in the experimental runs at Ar
lington the department chemists were
able to recover q Ga per cent. phos-
phoric acid (47 per cent. r. o. as
against the 1G per cent. product ordi-
narily obtained by the sulpturic acid
process. BY passing ammonia gas iii
to this phosphorc acid solid ammon-
ium phosphate, a very concentrated
material containing two valuable ferti-
lizer ingredients, results. This ma
terial can stand heavy transportation
and handling charges. 1t Is also
practicable TO mix the phosphoric acid
with phosphate rock in such propor-
tions as to give q product containing
SO per cent. of soluable phosphoric
acid. This product is similar in it's
properties to ordinary 16 per cent.
acid phosphate. is convenient to ham
die, and may be used by an intelligent
farmer who has the technical knowl-
edge to reduce the quantity placed up
on the soil, and to guard against direct
contact with seed. 1t also will permit
a material saving in freight to central
plants where the product may be di-
luted or mixed with other ingredients
for shorten hauls. The. difference be-
tween Il 30 per cent. product and IA Is
per cent. product means an immense
saving in the freight charges. and the
release Of large quantities of rolling
stock and vessel tonnage now engaged
in the transportation Of phosphate and
phosphate rock.
While the actual cost Of the new
process in IL large industrial plant is
difficult to estimate with accuracy. in
the work thus far done, even on a
small scale, it was found that the fuel
consumption was only about Is per
cent. of the value Of the product, while
with the sulphuric- process the
cost Of the acid used seldom runs be-
low 22 per cent. This factor. together
with the reduction Of freight charges,
justiGcs the assumption that the new
process will be of the utmost import
ancc TO the fertilizer industry and to
the farmers who are compelled to use
d constantly increasing amount OF
commercial fertilizer.