Hungry Horse news. [volume] (Columbia Falls, Mont.) 1948-current, 1955-09-30
New Aluminium Plant

SOmetnlng ike per cent OF the earthS surface
contains aluminium compounds There is lot of alum
mum in the back yard especially if the dirt is clay
Yet for 66 years has depended solely one alum
mum compound, bauxite as the source of the metals
core
In 1889 the German chemist, Karl Josef Bayer dis
covered the bauxite process. The name comes from
the French province of Baux where the first
discovered
Indication of how dependent aluminium production
is on bauxite is the flat statement in World Book En-
cyclopedia: But aluminium ore may be extracted
easily and cheaply only from bauxite."
Bauxte is found in Germany France, Italy, Hun
gary, Yugoslavia, Dutch Guiana, the African Gold
Coast Tennessee, Arkansas and more recently, JAM
aca
Dependence principally on Dutch Guiana bauxte
saw American aluminium producers especially during
World War II experiment with pilot plants to see if
Pacific Northwest clays for example could provide the
raw material for aluminium The pilot plants apparently
worked, but costs were not competitive.
Anaconda, newest aluminium producer, made in
teresting headlines in Saturday newspapers serving
this area.
The Spokesman-Revew story was as follows
Clays which the Anaconda Aluminium company
plans to use in producing alumna at the plant to be
built in the Spokane are abundant in the Inland
Empire, a company geologist said yesterday.
C. Jay Parkinson, Salt Lake City attorney for An
aconda, yesterday told the federal power commission
his company is ready to build the plant to make alu-
nina from domestic clays.
He reported the company has developed a pro-
cess to the domestic cays. 1t is now dependent
upon foreign bauxite for alunina production.
Francis Holdereed, Anaconda research engineer,
said eastern Washington, northern Idaho and western
Montana areas have been surveyed for suitable clayS
The cayS are believed to be abundant near Mos
COW, Idaho and Mica and Clayton, Wash.
Alunina is the powder extracted from bauxite
from which aluminium is made. Most of the bauxite
ore mined outside the iron curtain comes from
South America, Caribbean islands and the Gold Coast
of Africa.
Parkinson said the next step likely will require the
construction of pilot plant to further test the pro-
cess with the eventual construction of large plant
to produce alumina on commercial scale.
If alumina can be produced from clays at a price
competitive with imported bauxite ore may hold the
solution to the American aluminium shortage.
ParknSOn's testimony offered at a hearing
by the FPC proposal by Pacific Northwest Pipe
line corporation to import 600 cubic feet of Can
adam gas daily into the OregonW ashingtonIdaho
The proposed aumina plant would require larg
supply of natural gas, estimated at up to 100000
cubic feet day.
Naturally the Fathead is interested, and in Mon
tana we want that plant in this state possible Thu
product from the Spokane area plant would be prn
cipally used lat this e) to supply the Columbia Fall
operation.
Furthermore, the Flathead has number of pros
poets for natural gas. There is the Morning Gu
flelQ developing between browning ana East Ildcc
Park extension of the Montana Power Co. line
Missoula and desire of that company to have circl
route that would include the Flathead. We would ais
be on any gas line that from the Cut Bank are
to Spokane.
Soldering fact is that the new aumina processin
from Pacific Northwest clays found in Idaho and Wash
ngton requires huge quantities of natural gas
This gas is partially for the purpose of removin
water from the aluminium cays.
Processing in the Flathead of Idaho and Wasl
ington clays shipping clay with its water her
by rail- That apparently would make the process to
expensive
The Flathead to have this new plant that is schet
ued for the Spokane area needs to find clay wit
high aluminium content in western Montana and ma
ural gas. We've such clays, but not good enough.
Actually, construction of any plant to utilize Pa
ific Northwest cays for aluminium does not seem clos
N