OCR Text |
Show BIRTH OF AN INDUSTRY Potash salts were produced in the United States in 1915 to the value of $342,000, according to the United States Geological Survey. Though this figure is of interest as showing a small beginning be-ginning in the domestic potash indus' ry, it becomes of little importance if the total needs of the country are considered, consider-ed, for it represents a quality consumed in less than a week under normal con ditions. The imports of refined potash salts in 1915 were 76,141 long tons, or slightly more than 25 per cent of those in 1913, the latest normal year ot importation. Imports of the potash fertilizers, kai-nite, kai-nite, manure saltf and double manure salts, amounted to 20,427 long tons, or about 3 per cent of those in 1913. Taking Tak-ing all the potash salts together, the imports in 1915 were about one-tenth of those under normal conditions. In the Survey report on the subject, W. C. Phalen states that potash was recovered within the United States as a by-product from the manufacture of Portland cement at Riverside, Cal. By product potash from this source has yielded a considerable revenue, owing to the abnormally high price for these salts, and in obtaining it two other purposes have been subserved first the saving of additional material to be converted into cement, and second, the elimination of the dust nuisance. At Riverside a discharge of 100 tons of dust a day over the surrounding orange groves has been prevented. Potassium sulphate from alunite was first placed on the market late in October, Octo-ber, 1915, by the Mineral Products Corporation, Cor-poration, at Marysvale, Utah. The production has not been large so far, owing to the incidents connected with a pioneer enterprise of this character. Though certain foreign deposits of alunite have been worked for potash alum, this is the first recorded yield of potash salts as such from alunite. The product is of high grade. The plant ot the Potash Products Co., of Omaha, NeLr., was established in the spring of 19i5 at Hoffland, in the northwestern part of the State. During about half of the year the com- I pany obtained potash sa'ts from the : brine of an alkaline lake in this region. In addition to output from the above sources, potash was mark ted in 1915 from kelp obtained along the Pacific coast. Experimental work on the production of potash-salts from different sources was activeduring the year, and in places this activity has been succeeded by the construction of plants. Operations are in progress at Searles Lake and at Keeler on the shores of Owens Lake, Cal. It is reported that one company com-pany is erecting a plant near Great Salt Lake and that another will soon be started at the south end of the lake. The by-product bittern at solar evaporation evap-oration plants on San Francisco Bay has also received some attention. Another plant has been planned for the extraction of potash salts nnd alumina alumi-na from alunite at Marysvale, Utah. Manufacturers of Portland cement, having had their attention directed to a possible revenue from by-product potash, pot-ash, will not be slow in thoroughly investigating in-vestigating their raw material. Already Al-ready tne Security Cement & Lime Co., near Hagerstown, Mi, is reported to be installing a plant for the recovery of potash salts. Great activity has b en manifested in experiments for the recovery of potash from the silicate rcks, such as feldspar and leucite, from the mica sericite, and from greensand. The expense nvlved in obtainiug potash salts from these sources, together wi:h the uncertainties uncertain-ties with which manufacturers will be confronted and the keen German competition com-petition likely to be met at the close of the war in Europe, have tended to discourage dis-courage chj.nical engineers and capitalists. capita-lists. However, in many laboratories researches have been in progress, some of which, according to reports, c, prospects of profitable commercial . velopment.if feldspars and other p-ash-rich rocks in sufficient qua!i;y ; purity can be found and madeavaiv A small quantity of potash salts ; prooably produced from these si!; , rocks and minerals during 1915 found its way into mixed fern;;-, without intermediate refinement. |