Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-10-17

LETTER
COAL AND IT'S BY-PRoDUoTs
BY Frederic j. HasIin

dred years. The earliest records oil
the United states Geological Sur
vey show that so far as is known
officially only $4,000 tons OF coal
were produced in the years from
1907 to 1920. Four-fifths of this
pitifully small tonnage was hard
coal, mined in Pennsylvania. The
other 5000 tons Of bituminous coal
was produced in Maryland.
Anthracite coal production contin-
ued to lead for many years. In 1887
the first year when American coal
output passed the million ton mark,
Pennsylvania produced 1,071, 151
tons of hard coal. This year ac-
cording to the Geological Survey
records soft coal was mined in Ken
lucky, Ohio. Illinois and Virginia
only. The total output reaching only
1S2,500 tons.
What are today the principal coal
producing states of the country did
not, begin to show any production
until the year 1884, when the total
100000 tons. This was double the
production of twenty five years be-
fore at about the time of the begin
ming of the Civil War.
Sixteen years later, at the begin
ming OF the present century Amer
lean coal production had more than
doubled again, the official total be-
ing 269,684,027 tons. About four
fifths of this tonnage was of bitum-
inous coal.
When the sudden wartime de-
mand for fuel came in 1918 the soft
coal mines produced and shipped
597.0O0.000 tons that year. The pres
ent demand for bituminous coal for
industrial and domestic uses run
from 500,000,000 to 550,000.0o0 tons
each year.
Coke produced from "by-product'
soft coal is another extensively
used domestic fuel, and is indispen
sable to certain branches of the
steel industry. Coke was made in
the Connellsville region of Pennsyl-
vania as far back as 1880 when $4-
100000 worth was produced but the
industry did not become an extens-
i've one until the beginning of the
present century. Today the value of
the coke output In the Connelsville
region alone is more than 100000
600 annually.
The old method of producing coke
permitted all of the other valuable
by-products of bituminous coal to
float away from the tops of the coke
ovens i'm smoke. Millions and mil
lions of dollars worth of valua bic
chemicals were lost forever through
the old fashioned ovens. Even to-
day when the by-product coke oven
saves these derivatives of coal, thous
ands of "bee-hiye coke ovens are
still in use, all of the coal products
being lost except the coke made
from it. The extent of the coke
making industry is seen from gov
ernment records showing that more
than 100000 tons of soft coal
were treated in coke ovens during
1920, yielding about 20 per cent of
this weight in coke.
Coke is of three kinds-soft or
gas house coke for domestic and
general fuel purposes, metallurgical
COX for blast furnaces, smelters
and foundries and coke breeze, from
which coke briquets are made.
Until a quarter of a century ago
the other by-products of soft coal
were thrown away in the making of
coke. These additional by-products,
savei through the use OF the by
product oven, the government valued
at s9S.626,000 in 1920.
u0 COkiflS DIpCeSS pTl1SS OuI,
besides coke ammonia liquor, raw
gas. graphite and raw tar. From
these hundreds of refined by-pro-
ducts are secured. some merely
through refining processes. others
by additional combination with other
ingredients. The expanding chem
ical industry of America is making
use OF these derivatives to the.fullest
extent.
Ammonia liquor is the base for
ammonia ammonium suphate and
acid.
Raw gas, simply refined or its re-
fined elements combined with other
ingredients, produces cynogen,
sulpho cyanide, potassium cynanide
potassium ferro cyanide and prus-
sian blue. Highly useful benzol is
derivative of raw gas. it's
derivatives and its refinements in
cluding flourescein, phenol-enterins
into many medicinal preparation
tonic reorcine, photograph devel-
oper called pyrotechine, nytro ben
zol over a hundred varieties of red
blue and black cotton dyes Bismarck
brown, other cotton dyes of many
sorts and aniline salt.
This last by-product of raw gas
aniline SALTS itself the basis for
aniline black, aniline blue, aniline
violet, yellow. orange and red dyes
for wool and cotton, methyl violet,
blue, methyl orange. anti
febrine, anti-pyrine, fuschine explo-
slve and mauve dye.
Raw tar another of the principal
by-products of soft coal, is the ba-
sis for fuel tar, lamp black, refined
tar. prepared tar, pipe drip. first
running" hair tonic, hard and soft
uitch, heavy. middle and light oil,
toluol and enthracene oil.
These principal derivatives of raw
tar themselves have many important
refinements. Tarred felt roofing.
roofing mineral material and satur-
ated felt are made from soft pitch
The derivatives of light oil include
xylol, hammel oil, phonceaus dyes.
solvent naptha and muck.
Toluol goes into the makeup of
toluene. sacharrine, matol, totuol
chloride and nitro toluoI the latter
probably being the best known of
iarized the public with explosives.
Nitro toluol is not only used in ex-
plosives but enters into the making
OF certain red orange and yellow
dyes for silk and wool. Another
derivative of toluol is benzaldehyde,
from which is made cinnamon oil,
benzoic acid. indigo. certain per-
fumes, benzyl alcohol, jasmine oil.
Patent" blue and malachite green.
From anthracene oil there is made
aizarene, certain blue.
green and black dyes anthra quiz
none and napthalene washes. Chino
NJ. 10 1iI
Is the basis of many special dyes for
Photographic work and In making