Chemical & Metallurgical Engineering, Vol. 47, No. 2

F E B R U A R Y , 1 9 4 O

S. I). K IR K PA T R IC K , E ditor

Clashing Philosophies of Government and Trade

O

T h is contention is str o n g ly o p p o sed by a seco n d and v ery v o c a l gro u p o f our c it i­

zens. T h ey call us b lin d iso la tio n is ts. T h e y claim that our tariff p o lic ie s are d irectly r e sp o n sib le for the p resent E uropean w ar— that the F ordney-M cC um ber and H aw ley- S m oot A cts started a w ave o f eco n o m ic r e ta lia tio n s and rep risa ls that sp read th ro u g h o u t the en tire world. I f th at be true, th e w orld h a s g o n e far ahead o f the teach er in se ttin g up trade barriers— ra n g in g all the w ay fr o m d ictated q u ota sy stem s and p referen tia l treatm ents to a b so lu te em b argoes. Each n a tio n m akes its d e c isio n reg a rd in g trade w h ich its g o v ern in g u n it thinks d esirab le from its ow n p o litica l p o in t o f v iew . E ven in the U n ited States, the m ak in g o f tariff d ecisio n s is a p o litica l, n o t an eco n o m ic a c tio n . S o cia l con sid eration s determ in e th e d e c is io n s; b u t th e effects are eco n o m ic.

T hese c la s h in g p h ilo so p h ies o f g o v ern m en ta l attitu d e tow ard in tern a tio n a l trade are n ow b ein g aired in the co n g ressio n a l h e a r in g s on th e b ill to exten d the T ra d e A greem en t A ct, w hich o th erw ise e x p ires on Ju n e 12, 1 9 4 0 . W hether Secretary H u ll sh all have the authority to co n tin u e n eg o tia tio n o f trade a g reem en ts b y the cu ttin g o f tariff rates is a matter o f b a sic im p o rta n ce to agricu ltu re, m in in g , fo restry and m an u factu re.

The exten t to w h ich ch em ical in d u stry is in volved in th is d eb ate can b e sh ow n b y a fe w sig n ifica n t figures. A b o u t o n e-fou rth ( 2 3 per c e n t) o f a ll im p orts o f “ C hem icals, O ils and P a in ts” have been su b ject to r ed u ced rates as a resu lt o f th e 2 4 trad e a g ree­

m ents, m ade sin ce 1 9 3 4 . T h e eq u iv a len t ad valorem rates on these im p orts w ere reduced alm ost a third (3 1 per c en t) or fro m an a v e r a g e o f 3 2 to 22 per cen t. M ost d rastic red u ction s (a v e r a g in g a p p ro x im a tely 5 0 p e r c en t) w ere on d istilled sp irits, paper, sugar and acetic acid , a lth o u g h co a l-ta r d yes and other sy n th etic o r g a n ic ch em ica ls have suffered a lm o st as m uch. F o r g o o d r e a so n , th erefo re, th e S y n th etic O rgan ic C hem ical M an u factu rers’ A sso c ia tio n o f th e U n ited S ta te s h a s filed a v ig o r o u s b r ie f w ith C hairm an D ou gh ton o f th e H ou se W a y s and M ean s C om m ittee, u r g in g th at n o fu rth er red u ctio n s b e m ad e w ith o u t S en ate ratifica tio n and th a t red u ctio n s a lrea d y effected s h o u ld b e

V\

CHfcMICAL

C M C T A l l U R C I C A l

ENGINEERING

E S T A B L I S H E D 1 9 0 2

su b jected to stu d y u n der the flexib le ta r iff p r o v is io n s o f the A ct o f 1 9 3 0 . T h e A sso c ia tio n p o in ts o u t q u ite a p tly that flex ib ility is m ore n eeded n o w than ever b efo re in order to m eet q u ick ly the c h a n g in g c o n d itio n s o f w orld trade.

M ost o f the fo r th c o m in g debate and d isc u ssio n in W ash in gton on tariff and trade agreem en ts w ill p r o b ­ ab ly center arou n d argu m en ts o ver th e b a sic p h i­

lo s o p h ie s o f n a tio n a lism and in tern a tio n a lism . B u t fro m the practical v ie w p o in t o f ch em ica l in d u stry, it seem s to us that tw o v ery p ra ctica l q u estio n s are in v o lv e d :

( 1 ) S h o u ld the U n ited S tates co n tin u e its tra d itio n a l tariff p o lic ie s and p ro ced u res, or sh o u ld it u se the tariff as a m ean s o f e n la r g in g its fo r e ig n trad e even in the fact o f the d icta to ria l sy stem s o f trad e reg u la tio n w h ich p rev a il in o th er im p o rta n t in d u stria l c o u n tries?

( 2 ) F or su ch ch a n g es in ta riff rates as m a y b e req u ired for the g o o d o f A m erica a n d /o r the w orld , sh a ll the d ecisio n b e m ade b y C on gress (a d m itted ly w ith p o li­

tical lo g -r o llin g ) or b y a s in g le c a b in e t m em b er (th e S ecretary o f S ta te) or is there so m e q u a si-ju d icia l system o f scien tific ta riff-m a k in g th a t can b e m a d e as w orkable as it is d e sir a b le ?

It is n ot in the p ro v in ce o f ch e m ic a l in d u stry or the ch em ica l en g in e e r in g p r o fe s sio n to an sw er th ese q u es­

tio n s to e v ery b o d y ’s sa tisfa c tio n . E ach o f u s can , h o w ­ ever, an alyze them w ith in tellectu al h o n e sty . W e can d iscu ss them a m o n g o u rselv es and w ith our official rep resen ta tiv es in W a sh in g to n . W e can a p p ly a little in te llig e n c e and co n stru ctiv e th in k in g as at le a st a p a rtia l co rrectiv e for th e p artisan p o litic s th a t m ust u ltim a tely d ecid e these b a sic ec o n o m ic and so c ia l q u estion s.

R E C O G N IT IO N A N D A W A R D

O n Fe b r u a r y 2 7, in c o n n ectio n w ith th e 15 0 th a n n i­

versary o f the A m erican p a ten t sy stem , n in eteen n a tio n a l aw ards w ill b e p resented by the N a tio n a l A sso c ia tio n o f M an u factu rers to “ M odern P io n e e r s on th e F ro n tier s o f In d u stry .” T h e recip ien ts w ill be research sc ie n tists, e n g in eers and ex ecu tiv es w h ose ach iev em en ts h a v e resu lted in th e creation o f n ew in d u stries and n ew jo b s. P r io r to that tim e, lo ca l d in n ers w ill h o n o r sev era l hundred other lea d ers in te c h n o lo g y . A g o o d ly rep re­

sen tation o f th e ch em ica l and e n g in e e r in g p r o fe ssio n s w ill certain ly b e fo u n d in both grou p s. W e lo o k forw ard w ith keen in terest to th e d e c isio n s o f th e A w ard C om ­ m ittee o f six em in en t sc ie n tists, h ea d ed b y D r. K arl T . C om pton o f M .I / I . H ere w ill b e an ex cellen t o p p o r ­ tu n ity to p resen t co n v in c in g p r o o f th a t the p u b lic g o o d has been g en ero u sly served as th e A m erica n p aten t system h a s stim u lated p rivate en terp rise th ro u g h the d isc lo su r e and a p p lica tio n o f sc ie n tific a d van ces and in v en tio n s.

W A R CA SUA LTY?

I'OR t h e f i r s t t i m e in m an y y ea rs our an n u al review and sta tistica l num ber ap p ears th is m on th w ith o u t the

\a lu a b le sta tistics on the w o rld n itro g en in d u stry w h ich are c o m p ile d and m ad e a v a ila b le each y ear b y the B ritish S u lp h ate o f A m m o n ia F ed era tio n , Ltd. A ll on the F ed era tio n ’s m a ilin g list, w ith the ex cep tio n o f its m em bers, h a v e received co u rteo u s n o tes ex p r e ssin g w ith regret th e o rg a n iza tio n ’s in a b ility to co n tin u e

the usual statistical su rveys b u t p r o m isin g prom p t c o o p e r a tio n as s o o t ari su ch in te r n a tio n a l a c tiv itie s can b e resu m ed . Herc, then is a n o th er rea so n w h y w e can w ish fo r p ro m p t and p erm a n en t p eace “ o ver th ere.

P A T E N T S A N D F E R T IL IZ E R S

Mo d e r n f e r t i l i z e r p r a c t i c e h a s b een im p ro v ed b y ch e m ic a l e n g in e e r in g d e v e lo p m e n ts th a t h a v e b een all too little n o ted th r o u g h o u t th e p ro cess in d u str ie s.

C o n v ersely , an a r tic le in th is issu e sp o tlig h ts on e im p o rta n t fa cto r to o o ften o v e r lo o k e d in th e fe r tiliz e r b u sin e ss itse lf, n a m e ly the so rt o f resea rch w h ic h m a y lea d to p aten ted p r o c e sse s and p ro d u cts. T o o little m o n e y h a s b een sp e n t on n ew d ev elo p m en ts o f a fu n d a m en ta l n atu re b y th e fe r tiliz e r in d u str y . D esp ite the fact that it is o n e o f th e la r g e st a m o n g th e ch em ica l p r o c e ss in d u stries, its research sp e n d in g s h a v e been a lm o st n e g lig ib le .

V e r y little a d v a n ta g e h a s b een taken o f the fa c t that n ew th in g s w h ic h are r e a lly g o o d can b e p a ten ted a n d th erefo re p ro tected fo r the p r o fit o f th e s p o n s o r in g c o m p a n y . W ith o u t that so rt o f p r o tectio n it is d o u b tfu l w h eth er an y m a n a g em en t in th is h ig h ly c o m p e titiv e d iv isio n o f in d u stry ca n afford to g o ahead and sp en d h u n d red s o f th o u sa n d s o f d o lla rs on new and p r o m is­

in g m eth o d s or in v e st th e n e c e ss a r ily la r g e r su m s fo r p lan ts an d eq u ip m en t.

C h em ical e n g in e e r in g h a s co n trib u ted v e r y g rea tly to th e p ro d u ctio n o f ch ea p er fe r tiliz e r c h e m ic a ls. It can co n tr ib u te m o re. R esea rch to th at en d d eserves su p p o r t o f in d iv id u a l c o m p a n ie s and o f th e in d u stry as a w h o le .

M O B IL IZ IN G T R A F F IC PL A N S

Th e r a i l r o a d s o f the co u n try m u st b e the b a ck b o n e o f eith er p ea ce-tim e or em erg en cy tra n sp o rta tio n . R a il ex e c u tiv e s h a v e, th erefo re, b een r e stu d y in g the le s so n s o f the W orld W ar an d tr y in g to fig u re o u t w h a t th ey w ill do i f an oth er em erg en cy sh o u ld threaten b u rd en so m e c o n ­ g e stio n . T h e y h a v e rea ch ed so m e c o n c lu s io n s w h ic h are q u ite sig n ific a n t fro m the sta n d p o in t o f th e traffic p lan s o f p ro cess in d u stries.

P erh a p s m o s t im p o r ta n t o f all these rela tes to the lim ita tio n on lo a d in g o f fr e ig h t ca rs. It is p ro p o sed th at an em p ty car w ill n o t b e fu r n ish e d to a n y u ser u n til it is d em on strated th at th e ca r ca n b e u n lo a d e d p rom p tly at th e d e stin a tio n , i f sh ip p e d . R e c a llin g th e e x te n siv e u se o f ca rs fo r sto r a g e p u rp o ses, an d th e d e la y s in u n ­ lo a d in g at sea p o rt d e stin a tio n s, th ey are r ig h tly c o n te m ­ p la tin g so m e su ch r e g u la tio n .

P r o c e ss in d u stries m u st tak e a c c o u n t o f th is situ a tio n . T h ey m u st u n d erstan d th at a b o a rd in W a sh in g to n m a y b e v ery h a rd b o iled on car a ssig n m e n ts, r e str ic tin g car u sa g e fo r a n y one o f sev era l rea so n s. P la n n in g fo r p roper tra n sp o rt o f g o o d s in a n d o u t o f w o rk s m u st, th erefo re, tak e a cco u n t o f th e se p o te n tia l d ifficu lties. A t the o u tset, th e reg u la to ry sc h e m e w ill b e n ew and c u m ­ b erso m e. I t m a y b e ev en m o r e restr ic tiv e th an w o u ld b e a se r io u s c o n g e stio n on th e ra ils.

A ll th is m ean s m o r e n eed fo r reserve sto ck s o f raw m a teria l and fo r am p le sp a ce to sto r e g o o d s in p ro cess an d g o o d s rea d y fo r sh ip m en t. T h e ch e m ic a l e n g in e e r o f each u n it o f p ro cess in d u stry m ig h t a s w ell fa c e th is fact a n d do a little p la n n in g on h is ow n , n o w .

6f>

VOL. 47 • CHEMICAL & METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING * N o. 2 F E B R U A R Y 1 9 4 0

,ail¡8gi3¡SH¡Bagi2a BBlM^ ^

S E R I E S b N U M B E R 2

C HE M. & MET. R E P O R T O N

C H E M I C A L RAW M A T E R I A L S

T O

C H E M I C A L E X' ECU T I V E S AND C H E M I C A L E N G I N E E R ^

W i

today in E urope brings into bold relief an ever-present problem of the process industries. N ations, deprived of vital raw m aterials, w ill first seek substitutes— then, in desperation, seize neighboring resources through the age-old form ula of aggression. Industries, even in times of peace, fight for their supplies of essential raw m aterials. Com petition between commodities becomes especially keen as new and unusual factors affect the m arkets for m aterials, disturb the norm al channels of trade, unbalance the established price structures fo r goods and services. W ar is such a factor and even though we sit on the side­

lines we cannot escape its influence.

Because these raw m aterial problem s a re pressing for im m e­

diate attention by all who are concerned with production in the chem ical process industries, this 17th A nnual Review and S ta­

tistical Section of C hem ical & M etallurgical Engineering is p re ­ sented as a factual report to chem ical executives. In it the editors have attem pted to evaluate the m ajor factors, national and inter­

national, that affect the com m odity situation in the U nited States

today. Its facts and figures a re presented not so m uch as a review

of w hat happened last year but as a w orking basis fo r projecting

plans and production program s fo r fu tu re plan t operations.

Ev e r y c h e m i c a l e x e c u t i v e, every ch em ical engineer concerned w ith production or distribu tion , faces a variety of problem s having to do w ith basic chem ical raw m aterials. H e asks h im self such qu estion s as th ese: W hat is m y assurance of continued and adequate su p p lies? W hat is lik e ly to happen to prices, esp ecially if and w hen war dem ands com e in earnest? W hat sh ou ld be m y com pany’s p o lic ie s on in ven tories in tim es lik e these? Isn’t it tim e to investigate or re-ap- p ia ise the value of substitutes and com p etitive m aterials and processes? What

I N T R O D U C T I O N

T h is report has been prepared p rim arily to help Client. & M et. readers in reaching the right solu tion s to these very problem s. T here im m ed iately follow s a b rief syn opsis of im portant recom m en dations that are based on th e m ore general consideration s o u tlin ed in the three su cceed in g pages. N ex t com e the critical com m od ity review s citing in text, tables and charts the detailed figures that m ust be stu d ied in ten tly because there are essential differences in each com ­ m odity situation. T h e plan , therefore, is first to o u tlin e the need for broad review and careful plan ning and then to su p p ly th e specific data that are n eces­

sary to carry such plans to com p letion .

S Y N O P S I S --- 1. In contrast with most other coun­

tries, the United States has (w ith a few exceptions) sufficient mineral and agri­

cultural resources to take care of prac­

tically any normal demands for chem i­

cal production. However, tnese are not normal times. Some potential supplies are undeveloped; others are of marginal quality or can be obtained only at higher costs. Hence present and future sources must be carefully studied not alone as to availability in emergency, but also as to quality and prices. If you use any strategic or critical materials of foreign origin, make doubly sure that you will not be deprived of necessary supplies.

2. Because of advances in modern technology, today few if any chemicals are absolutely irreplaceable. Competi­

tion between commodities or between alternative manufacturing processes var­

ies with changing economic conditions.

You will do well to investigate substi­

tutes for as many as possible of your basic raw materials. Also determine the present feasibility of competing pro­

cesses and types of equipment required.

3. So far, most chemical raw material prices have not risen markedly, although any active bidding on the part of the belligerents would likely be reflected quite promptly. In the meantime, execu­

tives in the process industries are well advised in their efforts to maintain stable prices. If they fail, the govern­

ment is ready to step in. Raw material purchases withheld too long because of current weakening in commodity prices may result in quick upturn this Spring, especially if more intensive hostilities bring on a new wave of war orders. War is inevitably an inflational influence on prices. (S ee chart on following page.)

4. Conservative inventory policy right now calls for slightly unconservative action. More liberal supplies of raw materials must be kept on hand than has been the case during the past few years.

To drop again to the inventory levels of last Summer would be extremely dan­

gerous— especially if supply might be threatened by labor, transportation or

war disturbances. Those industries now' operating at high levels w ill do well to replenish the supplies as used in order that adequate stocks can be m aintained at all times.

5. Possibilities for expanding markets, both domestic and foreign, now warrant increased attention by chemical execu­

tives. Profitable business can often be handled without over-expansion of manu­

facturing or distribution facilities.

Market research and sales development work are needed more than ever in a period where m istakes may be both frequent and costly.

6. Inter-relationship of so many other influences affect chemical costs that the manufacturer is well advised to review his cost finding methods, to make cer­

tain that the relative importance and w eighting of all factors are definitely known and appreciated. Changes in the costs of materials, labor, transportation or taxes may or may not be offset by market fluctuations. This is no time for guess­

work by the accounting department.

64 VOL. 47 • CHEMICAL & M ETALLURGICAL ENGINEERING • N o . 2

F E B R U A R Y 1 9 4 0

Availability of Supplies

T h e Un i t e d St a t e s is m ore n early self-su fficien t than any other nation in the w orld. Our ag r ic u ltu r a l and m in eral raw m aterial resou rces are an u n p a r a lleled n a tio n a l asset. Our ch em ica l and p rocess in d u str ies, b u ilt on su ch a firm fou n d ation , h ave as y e t suffered very little a s a resu lt o f the p resent E u rop ean conflicts. T h ose few th at arc d ep e n d en t upon su p p lies n o rm a lly b rou gh t from abroad have n o t b een se rio u sly in co n v en ien ced , b u t it is e v id en t that as our govern ­ m ent, as w e ll a s th ose o f foreign co u n tries, con tin u e la rg e -sc a le pu r­

c h a se s o f so -c a lled “ str a teg ic ” and

“c ritic a l” co m m od ities, w e m ay e x p ect sh o rta g e s and m ark et strin g e n cies.

R u bb er, o f w h ich th is cou n try u ses abou t a b illio n p ou n d s ea ch yea r, is th e b e st kn ow n ex a m p le o f a stra teg ic m aterial. C hrom ium , ferro-m anganese, m ercury, n ic k e l and tu n g sten are others. E very c h em ica l m anu factu rer sh o u ld be fa m ilia r w ith th ese lists.

(F o r definition and c o m p lete lists, s e e C h em . & M e t. D ec. 1939, pp.

7 5 4 - 6 ) .

T h e se lis ts w ou ld be very m uch lo n g er w ere it n ot for the fact that w ith in the p ast tw en ty y ea rs, the c h e m ic a l p ro cess in d u stries have pre­

pared th em se lv es to take ca re o f m ost A m erican n eed s, eith er in p eace or w ar tim e, w ith o u t th e aid o f im p orts.

T h a t effort h a s n ot com e from any iso la tio n ist p o licy , se e k in g b lin d ly for n a tio n a l self-su fficien cy. R ath er it h as b een th e resu lt o f creative resea rch and en g in e er in g d ev e lo p ­ m en t d irected tow ard lo w er c o sts and a m ore profitable econ om y. T hat, rather than a r tificial su b sid y, sh ou ld be the b a s is on w h ich our fu tu re su p ­ p lies m u st b e d ev elo p ed —-whether from sy n th etic sou rces or as a resu lt o f im proved te ch n o lo g y o f extraction and u tilization .

P la s tic s arc tailored c h e m ic a lly to fit the p attern s o f a m u ltitu d e o f req u ire­

m ents.

R e c e n tly a grou p o f w ell-in form ed ch em ists and e n g in e er s w ere gath ered for an in form al sessio n . S om eon e a sk ed this group o f ab ou t tw enty m en to n am e on e sin g le irr ep la ce a b le ch em ica l w h ich is o f in d u stria l im ­ portan ce in th e U n ited S ta tes. T h e group tried v a lia n tly . It did n ot su c­

ceed in n a m in g any com m od ity for w h ich m odern resea rch and technol-

N ote the price peaks reached during previous periods of national emer-

W h at A b o u t Prices?

T h e lon g-term p rice trend for c h e m ic a ls h a s b een dow nw ard for a l­

m o st tw en ty y ea rs, la rg e ly a s a resu lt o f d ev elo p m en ts w ith in th e in d u stry—- n e w p ro cesses, n ew p rod u cts, im ­ proved tech n o lo g y , m ore efficient m an agem en t. L ast S e p tem b er that dow nw ard tren d w as at lea s t tem por-

ogy co u ld n ot d evise a sa tisfactory su b stitu te for m any, if not m ost, o f its p resen t a p p lic a tio n s. C h em ical e n g in eers have lo n g reco g n ized th ese facts, for th ey are p art o f an y sound stu d y o f p rod u ct and p r o cess fea si­

b ility . In tim es lik e th ese w hen esta b lish ed su p p lie s and p rice rela ­ tion s m ay be d r a stica lly affected, every c h e m ic a l m an u factu rer can w ell afford to in v estig a te and re-ap p raise the c om m ercial p o s sib ilities o f su b ­ stitu te raw m a ter ia ls or p ro cesses.

Span.A m er: 15? World 2 ^ W o rld

W ar War W ar

gency. Chem ical prices have been low er after each succeeding peak.

a rily reversed fo llo w in g th e outb reak o f th e w ar in E u rop e. T h e upw ard p rice m ovem ent, a s far as c h e m ic a ls are con cern ed , h as n o t been drastic—

in fa ct there have alrea d y b een a few m inor r e c essio n s; but the co n d i­

tio n s w h ich b rough t abou t the re­

versal are still in effect. A n y c o n ­ sid eration o f p rice s over a lo n g p eriod m u st b e fa ced on th ese exist- o i o o m o i n o u i o i f l o i o o i n o

o o N N i O i O - i ^ i / l i n i û U i h .C0<0«0t0 i 0 c 0 c 0 < 0 < 0 c 0 < 0 c 0 0 c 0

O 10 O 10 o

•—r *—• ' ’ » ’ i»/ i '• 'a •<» u; «*» i - i ’ w/ in v u v,> — — C S c \|K )tO * t"

Ç O i C c0 ® « ( 0 c0 |f l c0 c0 c0 |0 c0 t 0 <0 c0 c0 c0 0 ' m ^ 0 i 0 ' 0 > 0 ' 0' 0)

o in o io o cO oo O' O' o

No Monopolies

In m ost areas o f ch em ica l activity effectiv e m on op oly is im p o ssib le. To b e su re, a sin g le com p an y m ay co n ­ trol th e ou tp u t o f on e ch em ic a l— in fact it o ften d o es— but that is not effective m on o p o ly . It d o e s not p re­

c lu d e the p o ssib ility o f su b stitu tin g a su b sta n tia lly eq u iv a len t com m od ity.

It d o es n o t stop th at k in d o f co m p eti­

tion betw een co m m o d ities and b e ­ tw een altern ative p ro cesses w h ich is so p revalen t in c h e m ic a l in d u stries.

A h a lf dozen rubb er su b stitu tes are a v a ila b le for sp ec ia liz e d a p p lic a tio n s.

Factors F avoring H igh er P rices

1. Higher production costs are resulting from rising costs for raw materials, transportation, taxes, labor, etc.

2. Increase of export orders, not only for chemicals but for goods in which chemicals are used.

3. Spot and export sales are being made generally at higher than contract prices.

4. Scarcity of spot stocks for immediate delivery.

5. War demands resulting from increased intensity of activities.

6. Experience in case of previous wars (See Chart).

F actors F avoring S table or L ow er Prices

1. Continued improvements in technology and the use of substitute commodities tend to offset advancing costs.

2. Policy of reserving production for domestic requirements without seek­

ing export accounts.

3. Many 1940 contracts were renewed at prices unchanged from those of 1939.

4. More liberal policy on inventories in hands of consumers.

5. Conservative attitude of most chemical producers toward ,:war business.”

VOL. 47 • CHEMICAL & METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING • N o. 2 F E B R U A R Y 1 9 4 0

65

4 0

1929 1930

restocking greatly stim ulated many lines of business and relatively high levels of industrial activity were m ain­

tained rather generally during the last quarter of 1939. A s goods were used, most plants replenished their stocks in order to make sure that they w ould not be caught short in the event of a sudden rise in business activity.

S ince the first of the year there has been a more cautious attitude toward business expansion but the N ational A ssociation of Purchasing A gents, in its most recent bulletin, (Jan. 31, 1940) reports an entire absence of any apprehension about the situation during the next few months. It states that w hile inventories “are apt to show som e reduction during the next couple o f m onths, it is more than lik ely that more liberal su p p lies of m aterials w ill be kept on hand than was the case during the p ast few years... W ith inventories on hand far from burdensom e and the im m ediate future uncertain, most buyers are follow ing a conservative policy and w atching developm ents.”

U nder such circum stances each man w ill w rite his own definition of “con­

servative policy” . It m ay w ell be conservative to be sligh tly unconserva­

tive in carrying considerably more goods in inventory than would be the case under more normal conditions.

T he N ational Industrial C onference Board reports that the value of inven­

tories at the end of Decem ber, based on reports of about five hundred repre­

sentative com panies, w as 3.3 per cent greater than a month earlier, which com pared with an increase of 5.3 per cent from October to Novem ber. Since the end of A ugust, inventories in ­ creased 13 per cent, to stand at the highest level since March, 1938. M ost recent data from the Conference Board appear in the follow ing table.

B U S I N E S S W E E K ’S W E E K L Y

in g conditions. First is the uncer­

tainty as to the duration of the war.

The defeat of Germany or of the A llies w ithin a relatively short time seem s scarcely tenable. W ithout com ­ plete capitulation, peace proposals are equally hopeless. Therefore any forecast of prices m ust rest on the assum ption that the war w ill con­

tinue.

On this prem ise w e may lin e up the influences w hich favor higher prices and balance them against those which may stabilize or revive the downward trend. (S ee table on p. 65.)

Most of these factors are self-ex­

planatory and subject to fairly de­

finite evaluation. More difficult to appraise, but nevertheless quite im­

portant, is the attitude of the dom es­

tic producers. It is a m atter of record that most of them have attem pted to supply their regular custom ers at the old prices. T hey have refused to take export business except where there were surplus stocks. They have confined transactions to direct d ea l­

ings betw een producer and consum er, thereby reducing speculative trading

to a m inimum . Had they not follow ed this course, prices of chem icals m ight have soared to the levels reached in the first W orld War.

C onclusion: The w eight of evi­

dence is on the side o f higher prices but the desire of producers to hold advances in check and to control su p p lies in the hands o f non-users is a guarantee against a runaway market ju st as long as the producers m aintain that attitude toward their business.

W h a t a bout In ve n to rie s?

A pparently w hat the country needs most is a good, accurate m easure of stocks of goods held by both pro­

ducers and consum ers. T he problem is esp ecially acute in chem ical indus­

tries w here even the current produc­

tion statistics are not available for most com m odities. It is general know ledge, however, that inventories were extrem ely low last sum mer and that one of the first consequences of the war abroad w as a wave o f buying in this country— partly to restock depleted inventories. T his process of

Chem ical consum ption m ore c losely duction o f non-durable goods than approxim ates the trend in the pro- that for the heavy industries

1931

D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J

1932 1933 19

^ / (Federal

W —

D u r a b le g o o d s ---

1938

66 VOL. 47 • CHEMICAL & METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING • N o. 2

F E B R U A R Y 1 9 4 0

N ational Industrial Conference Board Indexes of Value of M anufacturers’

Inventories, N ew Orders and Shipm ents 1936 = 100 (Seasonally A djusted)

Period (Annual) 1929...

193 0 ...

193 1...

193 2 ...

193 3 ...

193 4 ...

193 5 ...

193 6 ...

193 7 ...

193 8 ...

(M onthly) 1939

J a n u a ry ...

F e b ru a ry ...

M a rc h ...

A p ril...

M a y ...

J u n e ...

J u l y ...

A u g u st...

S ep tem b er...

O cto b er...

N o v em b er...

D ecem ber...

r R evised. p Prelim inary.

E x p a n d in g M a rk e ts

Much has been written about the results of research in the chem ical industries and the consequent flow of new products. From a market stand­

point, corresponding importance must be given to the expanding outlets for chem icals afforded by the develop­

ment of new products within the con­

sum ing industries. N ew synthetic fibers, glass blocks for buildings, glass wool for insulation, new types of lacquers and finishes, solvent extrac­

tion and other chem ical processes for petroleum refining, new detergents, new plastics, w idening of kraft pulp and paper production through im ­ proved bleaching processes— these are typical developm ents which explain why the market for chem icals is ex­

panding more rapidly than the natural growth in population and industry.

In 1939, consumption of chem icals

Inventories

(end of period) New Orders Shipm ents

127 134 134

125 99 105

100 66 71

78 41 46

70 47 51

87 61 65

90 74 79

100 100 100

133 100 118

118 79 85

113 93 97

112 88 97

112 87 97

111 84 87

111 90 92

110 86 94

111 90 91

110 96 100

111 164 111

114 148 115

120 r 128 r 124 '

124 * 113 p 128 v

was the second largest in the history of the industry and for some branches new records were made both for pro­

duction and consum ption. Consider­

ing the moderate position of general industry for the first h alf o f last year, it is evident that second-half opera­

tions must have been at an unusually high rate. W ith some moderation in activities, the new year opened with prospects far more favorable than those which existed at the beginning of 1939. Producers of rayon yarn made a new record last year even though some of present capacity was not in existence until the latter part of the year. Furthermore stocks of yarn on hand at the end of the year were very sm all as contrasted with stocks o f 39,500,000 lb. at the begin­

ning of the year. Automotive and building estim ates generally forecast a rise in these industries for the

present year. A gricultural and insecti­

cide chem icals are expected to benefit from the rise in prices for farm products.

R ecently published estim ates by the Shippers Advisory Boards of the United States forecast a 10.4 per cent increase in the railroad shipments of chem icals and explosives for the first quarter o f 1940 as compared with the same period of 1939.

In addition to the improvement in position of consum ing industries at the beginning of this year in compar­

ison with twelve months ago, demand for chem icals w ill be stim ulated by increased buying for export. If the figures for exports of chem icals in the final months of last year may be taken as a criterion, the volum e of ex­

port shipments this year will be large enough to warrant some expansion in current plant capacities especially when it is considered that shipments in recent months have been restricted partly because production was re­

served for domestic buyers with little or no surplus for export and partly by the fact that export trading had been held back because terms and credit accomm odations had not been worked out satisfactorily.

A graphic presentation of chem ical progress during the past decade w ill be found in the editorial supplem ent that accom panies this February issue of Chem. & M et. W eighted indexes of chem ical consum ption and prices are charted by years and months and space has been provided for contin­

uing these curves through 1940 as the current data become available.

Such a record should prove helpful to all who are concerned with produc­

tion trends during the interesting and critical months that are ahead.

VOL. 47 • CHEMICAL & METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING • N o. 2 F E B R U A R Y 1 9 4 0

67

C H E M . & M E T . R E P O R T

O N C H E M I C A L R A W M A T E R I A L S

on ienis

M in e ra l A cid s and S u lp h u r ... 68

A lk a lis and C h lo rin e ... 70

F e rtiliz e rs an d M a te r ia ls ... 72

P igm en ts ... 76

S y n th etic F ib e rs ... 77

P l a s t i c s ... 7g S y n th etic O rgan ic C h e m ic a ls... 80

G as and C oal P ro d u c ts ... 82

A lc o h o l and S o lv e n ts... 8 4 S a lt C ak e ... O ils and F a t s ... gy T u rp e n tin e and R o s in ... 9^

F o reig n T ra d e ...

g

M I N E R A L A C I D S A N D S U L P H U R

SUM M ARY: Su lph u ric a cid ex p eri­

en ced a g o o d yea r in 1939, w ith both pro d u ctio n and con su m p tio n at a rate ex ceed ed o n ly in 1929 an d 1937. C on­

su m ption is estim a ted at 8,181,000 sh ort tons on a 50 deg. Bé. basis an d p ro ­ du ction at 8,351,000 sh ort tons. S u l­

ph u r p ro d u ctio n f e ll c o n sid era b ly b e ­ lo w 1938, bu t b o th d o m e s tic sh ip m e n ts and exports c o n sid e ra b ly ex ce ed e d that year. O th er m in eral acids are b e lie v e d to h ave been su b sta n tia lly b e tte r than in 1938, w ith p ro d u ctio n o n ly abou t 5 per cen t b e lo w 1937.

E

for sulphuric acid showed a sub­

stantial gain in 1939 compared with 1938, and few of them were much below the high level attained in 1937.

Several consum ing groups, in fact, exceeded 1937 by sm all percentages, l o t a l consum ption, estimated at 8,181,000 short tons of acid, reduced to a 50 deg. Be. basis, was 22.5 per cent above the 6,678,000 tons esti-

mated for 1938, and only 4.3 per cent below the record year o f 1937. The earlier peak year o f 1929 exceeded 1939 by only 1.6 per cent. Sim ilarly, production for the year w as at a high level estim ated at about 8.351,000 short tons, w hich was 23.2 per cent above 1938 and close to that o f 1929.

A m ong the various consum ing groups, the greatest increase over the preceding year was registered in the

iron and steel industry w hich con­

sum ed som e 66 per cent more acid than in 1938 and only about 11 per cent below the 1937 peak. It should be noted that the figures given in our distribution tables this year for con­

sum ption in iron and steel are not directly com parable with those in earlier A nnual R eview num bers. It is felt that our consum ption figures in earlier years w ere considerably too low for pickling operations, and by use of trade estim ates, and figures se ­ cured in an investigation recently conducted by the A m erican Iron and Steel Institute, the data for 1937-39 have been brought more nearly in line w ith the facts.

Other m etallurgical operations shared the activity of the steel indus­

try, utilizing increased acid to the e x ­ tent of som e 63 per cent. C ontinuing increase in titanium dioxide produc­

tion accounted for the use of nearly 40 per cent more acid in the paint and pigm ent field. A lthough a com ­ paratively sm all user o f sulphuric acid on account of recovery processes, the explosives industry is estim ated to have required over 35 per cen t more acid in 1939 than in 1938. Inciden­

tally, the allocation made o f acid usage to this industry has been re­

vised downward this year, as com ­ pared w ith earlier estim ates.

Another relatively sm all use, in the textile industry, accounted for som e 29 per cent more acid than in the earlier year, ow ing to a high level of activity in w ool carbonizing. Production o f sulphate of am m onia in coal products operations to som e extent reflected the activity of the steel industry, show ing increased acid use of 26.5 per cent.

V iscose products established a new record in 1939 and so required nearly 26 per cent more acid than in 1938 (and 5.5 per cent more than in the previous peak year o f 1 9 3 7 ). V iscose filament yarns did not quite equal 1937, but the increase in staple and transparent w rapping films more than offset this sm all decrease. T he chem ­ ica l group closely reflected the change in o u r 'c h e m ic a l consum ption index from 1938 to 1939 and established an increased acid use of som e 22 per cent, w hile m iscellaneous sm all uses o f the acid required an average o f 11 per cent more than in 1938.

The sm allest increases w ere re­

flected in the two largest using groups, fertilizers and petroleum refining.

The latter show ed an approxim ate 10 per cent increase over the tw o pre­

ceding years, w hile fertilizer m anu­

facture required slig h tly under 10 per cent more than in 1938, and 6 per cent less than in 1937.

68 VOL. 47

CHEMICAL & METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING F E B R U A R Y 1 9 4 0

N o. 2

Production

Consum ption Stocks

Shipments to other than fertilizer manufacturers f

Received V y V — ^ _ from other than fertilizer mfrs.

1 1 .1, 1 „ 1 1 i i i I i \ i i ! i 1 :

In our review o f 1938 (February, 250 1939) it was pointed out that new catalytic refining processes in the p e­

troleum industry gave promise o f re- d.200 versing the long-tim e trend toward reduction in acid requirem ents per unit of run-to-stills. This situation is S 150 now som ewhat clearer, although still in doubt regarding the eventual effect,

owing to the w idely varying require- _ 100 m ents for different charging stocks,

and because of the fact that the d is­

charged acid can either be recovered = 50 in considerable part, or used in place of new acid for other acid-treating operations in the refinery. The su l­

phuric acid alkylation process for high octane aviation fuels now ap­

pears to be firmly entrenched in the United States with plants totaling about 11,500 bbl. per day of aviation alkylate either com pleted, under con­

struction, or being considered. Assum ­ ing an average acid make-up require­

ment of 63 lb. per bbl., these plants would need som e 130,000 tons per year of 96-100 per cent acid. If re­

covered with a loss of some 20 per cent, 26,000 tons per year of new 98 per cent acid would be needed, but it is probable that a considerable part

Estim ated D istribution of Sulphuric Acid Consumed in the U nited States

(Basis, 50 deg. B6.)

1938 1939

U .S. B u r e a u o f C en su s

Sulphuric acid in fertilizer plants of the requirem ents w ill be met by using the diluted alkylation acid in ­ stead of new acid for treating naph­

thas and light fuel oils.

A n accom panying table presents the situation in sulphur production and use, and in acid m anufacture for the years 1937 to 1939, as nearly as it

can be gaged from trade and Chem. &

M et. estim ates, and U. S. Bureau of M ines figures. Sulphur m ining, ex­

ports, shipm ents and stocks at mines, and pyrites imports and domestic py­

rites consum ption for 1937 and 1938 are Bureau of M ines figures. A ll others are estimates.

Including a sm all production of su l­

phur mined in California and Utah, primary sulphur production in the U nited States in 1939 was about 2,092,000 lon g tons, or less than 1937 production by 23.7 per cent, and 1938, by 12.6 per cent. However, dom estic shipments from the m ines fell but 11 per cent below 1937 and exceeded 1938 shipments by nearly 52 per cent.

Exports of sulphur also increased.

There w as also a sm all amount of byproduct elem ental sulphur used dur­

ing the year. About 11,000 tons of sulphur recovered from sm elter gases at Trail, B. C., was imported by the northwestern pulp industry, w hile 5,000-6,000 tons of elem ental sulphur recovered in wet fuel gas purification

1037 1938 1939

Sh o rt Short Short

Tons Tons Tons

C onsum ing In d u stries (Revised) (Revised)

F e rtilize rs... 2 ,2 3 0 ,0 0 0 1,9 2 0 ,0 0 0 2 , 100,000 P etro leu m refining... 1 , 100.000 1 , 100,000 1, 210,000 C hem icals... 1 , 020,000 800,000 975,000 Coal p ro d u c ts ... 805,000 585,000 740,000 Iron and s te e l... 1 , 100,000 590,000 980,000 O th er m etallu rg ical... 625,000 350,000 570,000 P a in ts and p ig m en ts... 525,000 430,000 500,000 E xplosives... 180,000 140,000 190,000 R ay o n an d cellulose film . . 380,000 318,000 400,000 T e x tile s... 112,000 90,000 116,000 M iscellaneous... 450,000 355,000 400,000 T o t a ls ... 8 ,5 8 7 ,0 0 0 6 ,6 7 8 ,0 0 0 8 ,1 8 1 ,0 0 0

Data and Estim ates on U. S. Sulphur A ctivity and Sulphuric A cid Production, 1937-1939

(S ulphur a n d py rites in long to n s; acid in sh o rt tons, 50 deg. B 6.)

1937 1938 1939

Su lp h u r m in ed ... 2 ,7 4 1 ,9 7 0 2 ,3 9 3 ,4 0 3 2 ,0 9 2 ,0 0 0 Sulphur e x p o rts... 675,297 575,957 635,000 D om estic sh ip m e n ts... 1 ,7 9 1 ,2 1 5 1,0 5 2 ,8 9 0 1,5 9 5 ,0 0 0 * Approx. m ine stocks a t end of y e a r 3 ,4 0 0 ,0 0 0 4 ,2 0 0 ,0 0 0 4 ,0 6 0 ,0 0 0 Non-acid uses of su lp h u r... 564,000 350,000 495,000 Sulphur available for a c id ... 1 ,2 2 7 ,0 0 0 703,000 1,1 0 0 ,0 0 0 Change in consum er sto c k s ... + 1 3 5 ,0 0 0 - 50,000 + 1 0 0 ,0 0 0 Acid from su lp h u r... 5 ,6 9 0 ,0 0 0 3 ,9 3 0 ,0 0 0 5 ,2 0 8 ,0 0 0 P y rite s im p o rts ... 524,430 334,234 490,000 Change in consum er sto ck s ... + 100,000 ? + 9 0 ,0 0 0 D om estic p y rite s ... 584,166 555,629 530,000 Acid from p y rite s ... 2 .2 6 0 ,0 0 0 1 ,9 9 0 ,0 0 0 2 ,0 7 6 ,0 0 0 Acid from sm elters... 1 ,0 5 0 ,0 0 0 860,000 984,000 Acid from hydrogen su lp h id e ... t t 83,000 T o tal sulphuric acid m a d e... 9 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 £ 6 ,7 8 0 ,0 0 0 8 ,3 5 1 ,0 0 0

♦ D o e s n o t include im p o rts of ab o u t 11,000 tons from T rail, B. C., nor shipm ents of ab o u t 6,000 tons of b y p ro d u ct elem ental su lp h u r from fuel gases. B o th used fo r purposes o th e r th a n acid; n o t included above in " non-acid uses,”

t Possibly 20,000 tons in 1937 a n d 40,000 in 1938; n o t included in to ta l,

t U. S. B ureau of Census gives revised figure of 7,946.695 tons, which we believe incom plete.

S U L P H U R I C ACID D I S T R I B U T I O N - 1 9 3 9 (Chem. Sc Met. Estímales)

VOL. 47 • CHEMICAL & METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING • N o. 2 F E B R U A R Y 1 9 4 0

69

operations w ent into spray, insecticide and sim ilar uses.

In addition to recovered elem ental sulphur, recovered II2S from petro­

leum gases is beginning to play a larger part. A . R. P ow ell (Ind. Eng.

Chem ., p. 796, 1939) estim ated that H :S equivalent to 35,000 tons of su l­

phur was removed from such gases by Koppers phenolate, S h ell phos­

phate and Gerbotol processes in 1939 and that 40,000 tons annually soon w ill be removed. However, a consid­

erable part of this ILS is at present burned and probably not over about 22.000 tons of sulphur equivalent is at present available to sulphuric acid plants. Current estim ates place the ac­

tual 1939 usage at not over about 16.000 tons equivalent sulphur.

N ot all of the dom estically avail­

able sulphur went to acid, however, for in addition to the byproduct e le ­ mental sulphur m entioned, in the neighborhood of 495,000 lon g tons was em ployed for non-acid uses. Further­

more trade authorities believe that approxim ately 100,000 tons w ent to increase users’ stocks. This leaves a production of acid from sulnhur in the neighborhood of 5.208,000 short tons on a 50 deg. Be. basis. It w ill be noted that there is an apparent continuing increase in both sulphur and pyrites stocks in users’ bands.

This is one of the reasons why it has

SUM M ARY: A lk a lis e x p erien ced a g o o d yea r in 1939, p a rticu la rly in the last qu arter w h ich pu sh ed ash p ro d u c­

tion to above capacity rates. B o th soda ash and caustic soda pro d u ctio n and consu m ption reached lev els on ly s lig h tly b elow the p reviou s pea k year o f 1937 and w e ll a b o v e 1929. Caustic

A y e a r of considerably improved

business as compared with 1938, and nearly at the level of 1937, was experienced by the alkali industry in 1939. Caustic soda production was estimated to be only about 4 per cent below the record level of 1937, w hile soda ash production was believed to have come within 2 i per cent of the peak attained by that part of the industry, also in 1937. Production of ammonia soda during the last quarter of the year was, in fact, greater than rated capacity. Although the pressure of excessive chlorine demands was relieved in 1938 and neither that year

been found im possible in recent years to calculate an acid make as low as apparent consum ption, and why wre cannot ju stify our estim ated produc­

tion (or consum ption) w ith the 1937 Census figure, even in its recently re­

vised form.

B ased on 11 m onths’ figures, pyrites im ports appear to have been at least 490.000 long tons w hile an estim ated consum ption of 530,000 long tons of dom estic pyrites also took place. A l­

low ing for increase in pyrites stocks, an acid production of 2,076,000 short tons appears to be lik ely from this source, with 984,000 tons from w aste gases at copper and zinc sm elters and 83.000 tons from w aste II2S. T hus it seem s probable that acid production totaled close to 8,351,000 short tons, or about 2.1 per cent more than we have been able to allocate to con ­ sum ption.

A relatively sm all amount o f acid plant construction w as com pleted or com m enced in 1939, roughly 250 tons daily capacity on a 100 per cent acid basis. Included in the total w as one enlargem ent and one slu d ge conver­

sion plant. There w as also a relatively sm all increase in nitric acid capacity, all based on amm onia oxidation.

Some further investigation of the gyp­

sum process for sulphuric acid was reported, apparently w ithout favor­

able conclusions having been reached.

soda pro d u cers in particu la r had rea­

son to be w e ll plea sed , sin ce th e re ­ m ains of the sto ck su rplu ses o f pre-1937 w ere la rg ely exhausted. C h lo rin e p ro ­ d u ction , alth ough no lo n g er fo rc ed b y sh a rp ly risin g dem an d, ap p a re n tly reached a new reco rd slig h tly a b o ve th e 1937 level.

nor 1939 was an exciting one for chlorine, still the indications are that production of this gas sligh tly ex­

ceeded its previous high point in 1937, probably by about 2 per cent.

This was accom plished without forc­

ing electrolytic caustic soda produc­

tion and the caustic industry in 1938 and 1939 was, therefore, able to clean its w arehouses of the accum u­

lated surplus stocks w hich had proved so troublesome during the period of pyram iding chlorine dem ands cu l­

minated in 1937.

Soda-ash production, estim ated to have totaled approxim ately 2,960,000

short tons in 1939, w as believed to be m ade up of about 2,850,000 tons of amm onia soda ash, 103,000 tons of natural soda, and 7,000 tons of elec­

trolytic soda produced at pulp m ills.

T his com pares w ith our correspond­

ing 1938 estim ate of 2,500,000 tons total, 2,400,000 tons of amm onia soda ash and 100,000 tons o f natural and electrolytic soda; and with the 1937 Census figures of 3,037,421 tons total, 2,918,668 tons of amm onia soda ash and 118,753 tons of natural and elec­

trolytic soda.

D istribution of soda ash production exhibited practically the sam e varia­

tions am ong the several years as pro­

duction, according to our estim ates as indicated by one of the tabulations on the follow ing page. S ales of soda ash as such, however, increased by an even higher percentage over 1938.

T otal sales for 1939 are estim ated at 2,249,000 tons or 21.8 per cent above the 1,849,000 tons estim ated for 1938, and 3.6 per cent below the 2,- 323,759 tons o f ash sales shown by the Census for 1937. Soda ash sales, of course, differ from production by the amount of the change in stocks plus the ash consum ed by the m anu­

facturers in lim e-soda caustic and refined bicarbonate of soda produc­

tion.

In past annual reviews, our esti­

m ates of soda ash and caustic soda distribution have been based only on that part of the total production that w as sold by the primary producer.

H ence they were incom plete to the extent that these m aterials were con­

sum ed witjiin the m anufacturing plants. W ith an average of about 28 per cent of the total ash produc­

tion so consum ed, and som e 5 to 10 per cent of the total caustic made converted to other chem icals in the original plant, our distribution esti-

Procluction of Caustic Soda in the U n ited States

(S h o rt Tons) Lim e- E lectro -

Y ear* Soda ly tic T o tal

1921... 163,0-14 75,5 4 7 238,591 1923... 314,195 122,424 436.619 19 2 5... 355,783 141,478 497,261 1927... 387,235 186,182 573,417 1 9 2 9 ... 524,985 236,807 761,792 1 9 3 1 ... 455 ,8 3 2 203,057 658,887 1933... 439 ,3 6 3 247,620 686,983 1935... 436 ,9 8 0 322,401 759,381 1937 (rev ise d ). . . . 4 8 8 ,S07 479,919 968,726 1938 (rev ise d ). . . . 420,000 415,000 835,000 1939 (e stim a ted ).. 465,000 465,000 930,000

♦ F ig u re s for 1921-1937 are from th e U . S.

B u reau of th e C ensus. E lec tro ly tic caustic soda figures do n o t include t h a t m ade a n d consum ed a t wood-pulp m ills, estim ated a t a b o u t 30 000 tons in 1927 an d 1929, a t a b o u t 24,000 tons in 1931, 21.000 to n s in 1933, 20,000 tons in 1934, 17,000 to n s in 1935, 19,000 tons in 1936 a n d 1937, 18.000 tons in 1938, an d 19.000 tons in 1939.

A L K A L I S A N D C H L O R I N E

70 VOL. 47 • CHEMICAL & METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING • N o. 2

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