Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-01-03
Progress Reported in Effort
to Establish Fixation Plants
for Commercial Purposes,
Germany in Lead

Georgia agricultural officials are
interested in the fight scientists are
making to recover free nitrogen
from the atmosphere, where this ele-
ment is found in unlimited quanti-
ties. and to fix it in some chemical
combination in which it can be han
die commercially for use as fertil1-
ger, or for other purposes.
The progress which has been made
in recent years in developing pro-
cesses for nitrogen fixation is re-
counted in the annual report made
by the director of the fixed nitrogen
research laboratory to the secretary
of agriculture, a resume of which
has just been received here.
THE entrance of the United States
into the World war;" says the re-
sumo, brought forcibly to the at
tention Of this government its serious
unpreparedness in the matter of nj
trogen, particularly for explosives.
Other countries, with the exception
of the central powers, had found
themselves in a similar situation, and
the universal rush to erect and place
in opera ton plans for the fiXation
of atmos pheric nitrogen is now a
familiar story.
The years following the war have
added chapter of no less interest,
for they have seen the nations Of
the earth awakening to a realiza-
ton that their peace time require
ments of nitrogen must come in
increasingly greater proportion from
sources other than natural deposits.
Thus the year past has seen Ger
many operating fiXation plants, the
output Of which has rendered her
almost entirely Independent of out
side resources, and it is predicted
that in the next few years she
will be exporting large quantities of
heterogeneous fertilizers. The growth
of this industry in Germany can
best be appreciated when it is point
ed out that in 1919, Germany i'm
ported over sixty-five per cent Of the
nitrogen she consumed.
Other Countries Progressive
although Germany has by far
outstripped other countries in PRO-
ducing fixed nitrogen, many of the
latter are making progress. This is
in 1920 more than thirty-six per
cent of the worlds production of
nitrogen was supplied in plants in
which nitrogen was taken from the
atmosphere. Ten years before, but
slightly over one per cent Of the nj
trogen produced was obtained from
the atmosphere.
Our own country has taken very
little part in the peace-time develop
nitrogen fiXatiOn. Less than one per
cent Of our present requirements are
being supplied as yet by the fixa-
ton of atmospheric nitrogen within
our borders Meanwhile the rapid
growth in the use of fertilizers in
the United States is repeating what
has taken place in Europe. As the
population increa @s, larger yields
per acre are becoming necessary.
One way of accomplishing this is
by the use Of commercial fertilizers,
and nitrogen is required for these
fertilizers.
The present consumption of nj
trogen in fertilizers in the United
States is about 200 900 tons per an
mum. Our requirements for nitrogen
are ever increasing. and there is no
large reorganization industry ex-
listing in this country today.
The government plant at Muscle
Shoals is now idle 1t has a ca
pacity Of 10000 tons per annum.
If the price of fertilizer were