Evening star., 1922-07-30
NEW PROCESS. TO SAVE
COALcMININC WASTES
Also 1t May Help Make Up Fuel Shortage
in Washington and Elsewhere
This Winter.


Many successful tests have been
made on most of the low-grade Goals
from South America. from fields
which up to the present have not
been workable. For example, the coal
from Bolivia goes 5S per cent ash.
The greatest test of amalgam for use
in the manufacture of water gas is
now being made in the Lancaster Gas
Works by the Bertron-Griscom Com
pany. managing engineers and bank
ers. in eight-foot water gas sets.
The local concern, the Trent ANAL
gam Company. which is operating the
first commercial plant in Alexandria
has acquired rights to the amalgam
process in the zone which includes
New York. New Jersey. Pennsylvania,
Delaware. Maryland. Virginia, West
Virginia, the District of Columbia
and North Carolina. 1t will be OBJ
served that this corporations terri
tory covers the biggest coal fields in
the United States-approximat 81
per cent of the entire coal productioL
of the United States. with 75 per cent
of it's value. 1t will also be noted
that it includes the big iron and steel
centers where the coking process
removing the oils and tars more val
usble than the fuel itself before it
goes under the boilers and to the
blast furnaces-can be employed to
the very best advantage
Raymond T. Baker. former director
<.<
dent of the local concern. Joseph P.
Tumulty, secretary to former Presi-
dent Wilson. is vice president. Wal
ter E. Trent. inventor of the process.
is consulting engineer and operating
director. ]. w. Hutchison. general
manager of the Goldfield Consolidated
mine. which turned out over s89,-
100000 and was considered the great
est gold mine in the world. is coming
here next week to be manager of
production in the Alexandria plant.
The local concern has acquired wharf
age at the foot of South Capitol street
from which to deliver to consumers
in the capital. 1t has tug and a
deck scow with 500-ton capacity at
the amalgam by water to the Wash
| ington water front.
Comparison of Prices.
How about the price of amalgam?
1t can be delivered in Washington
today at SO a ton. 1t was sold in
Alexandria last winter for $3.50 a ton.
Reduction in transportation costs
will largely regulate the price The
Alexandria plant is now using mine
screenings, which cost IS cents ton
f. O. b. the mines, and which cost $500
more to haul to the plant The over
head cost of treatment is very smell.
The finished product is 20 per cent
fuel oil. which is now costing $1.6Q for
forty-two gallon barrel. These
costs can all be reduced by cfeMper
transportation in quantity. ,-aatrpe,
How is amalgam made? Simply
by taking the mine slack, stirring ii
up in big tank Of water. sending
il through pulverizing machine.
shooting it into a big cylinder, where
the pulverized coal, water and of are
kept in a state of agitation and where
| the carbon and oil grab together with
| a natural affinity-then throwing the
! mudlike substance off on a travelling
screen, which allows the water and
| impurities to leak Off and dumps the
amalgam into freight car ready for
delivery. The entire process occupies
! only ten minutes.
! Tests have shown that this process
can make a complete recovery of the
Is to 33 per cent of precious carbon
particles from the ashes in railroad
! yards and from industrial and city
/ ash dumps. The ash content OF
amalgam has been reduced to less
| than per cent. There is slight dam
i ger of an amalgam plant suffering
from shortage of coal supply. it is
pointed out, because 1t uses the
| waste that no one else wants. The
| fuel oil tnat IS mixed with tnIs waste
, from the coal mines is. the rough stun
| left after gasoline. benzine, Kerosene
and other refined products have all
been removed. The amalgam burns
/ without clinker because all the silica.
slate. iron and other clinker-form-
/ iHs impurities IN tne coal nave Deen
extracted.
No Deterioration i'm Storage.
! Amalgam does not depreciate in
storage. 1t can be left out in the
rain and snow all winter. In fact,
the best possible storage for ANAL
| gam is under water. The removal of
the water is the last step in the
] process.
! Experts point out that it's coking
qualities are probably its biggest fu-
ture. The amalgam process makes
cokable Goals that are now uncoky
able. Since bureau of mines author
tiles say that coke is to be the fuel
of the future" this is vastly Inn
portant. In ordinary ovens it takes
twelve to thirty-six hours to turn
the coal Into coke. The amalgam
plant has a special coke pot. of very
simple structure, which makes the
coke In six hours In this cokins
process all the valuable coal tar and
oil by-products are reclaimed and
| clinker and practically no ash.
Walter E. Trent, inventor Of the
process, worked 1t out Immediately
following the war. when he was en-
ployed in a laboratory at the bu-
reau OF standards secured through
the cooperation of the invention sec
ton of the. War Department.