130

T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D C S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING C H E M I S T R Y

so t h a t e v e n t u a l l y t h e m a j o r portion of t h e a g i t a t i n g
a r e a b e c a m e filled u p with solids a n d t h e a g i t a t i o n
t o o k place only i n a small cylinder in t h e center. It
was also f o u n d necessary t o give a m u c h more violent
a g i t a t i o n t h a n t h e chemical t r e a t m e n t of t h e o r e required i n order t o keep t h e p u l p i n suspension as m u c h
as possible. T h e D o r r a g i t a t o r , b y t h e use of mechanical a r m s with t h e thickener plows o n , which p r e v e n t s settling of solids a n d brings t h e m a t e r i a l f r o m
t h e b o t t o m t o t h e c e n t r a l uplift pipe, allows t h e
regulation of t h e i n t e n s i t y of t h e a g i t a t i o n given t o
s u i t t h e chemical need of t h e ore a n d n o t t h e necessity
for keeping eT7erything i n suspension.
EmICIExcT-The
value of a n a g i t a t o r d e p e n d s o n
t h e cost of m a k i n g t h e m a x i m u m economic e x t r a c t i o n
b y i t s use. T h i s will be d e t e r m i n e d b y i t s cost of
a g i t a t i o n per t o n per h o u r a n d t h e t i m e required t o
o b t a i n dissolution. All t h e d a t a I ha\-e been able
t o o b t a i n indicates t h a t t h e cost of a g i t a t i o n per h o u r
is extremely low. E x t r a c t i o n t e s t s t h a t h a v e been
m a d e i n d i c a t e t h a t t h e r a t e of dissolution on b o t h gold
a n d silver ores i n D o r r a g i t a t o r s , with a uniform
a l t h o u g h less violent a g i t a t i o n , is a t least as r a p i d as i n
a n y o t h e r a g i t a t o r s with which t h e y h a v e been c o m p a r e d .
T h e m o s t f a v o r a b l e conditions for t h e dissolution
of gold a n d silver i n c y a n i d e solution v a r y w i t h each
ore t r e a t e d . T h e m a i n t e n a n c e of a n excess of dissolved oxygen t h r o u g h o u t t h e whole mass of p u l p
a n d t h e free m o v e m e n t of all particles of solids i n t h e
liquid i m m e d i a t e l y a d j a c e n t seem t o be t h e only
conditions t h a t c a n be generally specified.
Definite work b o t h i n milling a n d t h e l a b o r a t o r y
i n d i c a t e t h a t m a n y ores will give a more r a p i d ext r a c t i o n a n d allow t h e use of a weaker solution when
a g i t a t e d as a dilute p u l p of 3 t o I or 4 t o I , a n d also
cause less chemical c o n s u m p t i o n of cyanide.
T h e D o r r a g i t a t o r with i t s c o m b i n a t i o n of air a n d
mechanical a g i t a t i o n gives a flexibility t h a t is a p p a r e n t a n d it insures keeping all t h e solids i n suspension all t h e t i m e w h e t h e r t h e p u l p is s u b j e c t e d t o a
gentle or a violent m o v e m e n t . T h i s is essential
especially in continuous a g i t a t i o n .
S E L E C T I V E AGITATION-The
question Of selective
a g i t a t i o n was discussed b y M a r k R. L a m b i n t h e
T r a n s a c t i o n s of t h e A m e r i c a n Institute of -Mi?zi?zg
Engirzeevs I 1 ( r g o g ) , 7 7 3 .
As used here t h e expressiqn is t a k e n t o m e a n c o n t i n u o u s a g i t a t i o n u n d e r
conditions which cause t h e coarser particles of t h e o r e
t o r e m a i n i n t h e a g i t a t o r longer t h a n t h e average t i m e
of t r e a t m e n t a n d t h u s give t h e m t h e longer exposure
t h e y m a y require t o o b t a i n t h e best e x t r a c t i o n .
T h i s c a n be accomplished readily with t h e D o r r
a g i t a t o r b y a g i t a t i n g a t a dilution which allows t h e
coarser m a t e r i a l t o classify o u t a n d discharging t h e
raised p u l p n e a r t h e center while t h e outflow is t a k e n
f r o m n e a r t h e periphery. It will be seen t h a t if a segregat i o n t a k e s place a n d t h e a g i t a t o r is fed a p u l p carrying IO
per c e n t plus I O O mesh, t h e discharge m a y be only j p e r
c e n t plus I O O mesh a t first. W i t h twice as m u c h inflow
a s outflow of Ioo-mesh m a t e r i a l i t will c o n c e n t r a t e i n t h e
a g i t a t o r while g r a d u a l l y increasing i n t h e outflow u n t i l a n
equilibrium m a y be reached i n which t h e feed a n d dis-

1-01, 7 , S o .

charge will b o t h be I O per cent a n d t h e average p u l p i n

t h e t a n k 20 p e r c e n t , so t h a t t h e exposure of coarse s a n d
would be a p p r o x i m a t e l y double t h e average. While t h i s
is theoretical, enough work h a s been done t o i n d i c a t e
t h a t t h e idea c a n be p u t t o practical use.
L l y a g i t a t o r s h a v e been installed i n t a n k s of 7-arious
sizes, t h e largest being those in use a t t h e Desert 11ill a t
T o n o p a h , S e v a d a , i n t a n k s 36 f t . i n diameter b y 2 0 f t .
deep. T h e C o m p a n y e s t i m a t e t h a t t h e t o t a l power rcquired t o o p e r a t e one of these large machines including
mechanical horse power a n d t h e air required for m a i n t a i n ing a g i t a t i o n , is n o t o r e r j H. P . , so you will see t h a t it is
extremely small. A recent m e a s u r e m e n t i n a 2 0 ft. b y I 2
ft. a g i t a t o r showed t h a t only I O c u . ft. of free air at
I j lbs. pressure were needed.
T h e application of D o r r
a g i t a t o r s i n t h e chemical i n d u s t r y h a s n o t been investigated t o a n y e x t e n t , b u t i t would seem t h a t with
finely divided materials f r o m which i t is desired t o dissolve one c o n s t i t u e n t t h e y should perform as useful a
f u n c t i o n as t h e y a r e now doing in metallurgy.
A C I D- P R 0 0 F M A C HI NE R Y

As all t h e s u b m e r g e d portions of classifiers, thickeners

a n d a g i t a t o r s h a v e n o reciprocal motion, i t h a s n o t been
f o u n d difficult t o m a n u f a c t u r e t h e m so as t o resist ord i n a r y acid liquors, a n d acid-proof machines of all t h r e e
k i n d s a r e now i n use.
30

CHURCH STREET, h-EW Y O R K

A SIMPLE FAT EXTRACTION TUBE

By C A. BUTT
Received December 22, 1914

T h e cost of f a t e x t r a c t i o n t u b e s h a s long been a source

of m u c h expense t o laboratories doing work r e q u i r i n g
t h e use of Soxhlets a p p a r a t u s ,
owing t o their fragileness a n d
t h e necessity of i m p o r t i n g t h e m .
It occurred t o me t h a t i n place
of t h e r a t h e r e l a b o r a t e t u b e now
in general use, one c o n s t r u c t e d
similar t o t h e o r d i n a r y filter t u b e ,
with t h e s t e m enlarged so t h a t t h e
v a p o r s f r o m t h e solvent m a y pass
upward, permitting a t t h e same
t i m e t h e d o w n w a r d flow of t h e
con dens a t e, wou1 d answer
the
purpose.
Accordingly, I h a v e h a d some of
these t u b e s made a n d t h e y have
p r o v e d i n se.iera.1 t e s t s , using c o t t o n seed meal a n d e x t r a c t i n g with
l
petrolic e t h e r , t o be e v e n more
e
efficient t h a n t h e usual f o r m . T h e
K
R
results of t h e s e t e s t s will be f o u n d
,
o n t h e following page.
I t will be noticed t h a t t h e new
t u b e shows a more r a p i d e x t r a c t i o n
t h a n t h e Smalley t u b e .
T h e i l l u s t r a t i o n shows t h e approxim a t e dimensions of t h e t u b e s we now
h a v e i n use.
T h e vapors from t h e
solvent pass f r o m flask A t h r o u g h t h e s m a l l
p a r t of t u b e B a n d a r o u n d t h i m b l e

L-Ci I

c,

TEI E J O LTR N A L O F I iV D U S T R I A L ,4 N D E S G I S E E R I A G C I I E M I S T R Y

Feb., I g I ;
Sample of
cottonseed
meal
Iio. Tube
1 New
2
.3

Percentage of oil
extracted in varying lengths of time
7--

30

45

60

90

120

135

180
niin.

.....................

.......................
6.57 . . . . 6.64 . . . .
5 . 9 2 . . . . 6.63 . . . .
7 . 4 2 7 . 4 8 i . 5 2 . . . . . . . . M a d e t o pass 6 0 7 . 14 7 . 4 8 7 . 5 4 . . . . . . . .
mesh screen

Piew
. . . . . . .
Smalley . . . . . . .
hTem
5.68 . . .
Sniallev 3 . 7 6 . . .
h-ew
. . . . i .ti0
S n ~ a l l e ) ~. . . 7 . 3 0

....

i ,i 8 . . . . 7 . 8 5 . . . . Good mechanical
. . . i.78 . . . . 7 . 8 5 . . . .
condition

which is raised by t h e use of n wire coil, s p r i n g

o r g a u z e D : t o allolv free passage of v a p o r s t o
t h e condenser tube E.! T h e y have p r o v e d sntisf a c t o r y f o r t h e e x t r a c t i o n of hulls as well as m e a l ;
t h e y a r e m a d e of t h i c k glass. :md a r e , therefore, v e r y
durable.
LABOR.4TOKY

INTERNhTIOX.JhL X G R I C C L T C R A L C O R P O R . \ T I O N

EASTPOIKT,GEORGIA

ADDRESSES
THE WAR AND THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY
B y WM. H.

NICHOLS

Philadelphia was the cradle of Chemistry in this country.

\That wv:is possibly the first Chemical Society in the world was
founded here in 1792. B few years later one of its members
addressing the Society said: The only true basis on which
the independence of our country can rest is agriculture and
manufactures. To the promotion of these, nothing tends in
a higher degree than Chemistry. I t is this science which teaches
man how to correct the bad qualities of the land he cultivates
by a proper application of the various species of manure, and it
is by means of a knowledge of this science that he is enabled to
pursue the metals through the various forms they put on in the
earth, separate them from substances which render them useless,
and a t length manufacture them into various forms for use and
ornament as we see them. If such are the effects of Chemistry,
how much should the wish for its promotion be excited in the
heart of every American! It is to a general diffusion of knowledge
of this science, nest to the virtue of our countrymen, that we
are to look for the firm establishment of our independence.
And may your endeavors, gentlemen, in this cause, entitle you
to the gratitude of your fellow citizens! Considering the time
when these words were spoken, we must marvel a t the vision
of the future which must have illumined the mind of the speaker.
If in the last clause quoted he had said ladies and gentlemen
it would have been complete.
But Philadelphia w:ts also the cradle of the chemical industry
in this country, and up to the present day occupies a very
important part of that field. Some of the pleasantest recollections of my earlier life are associated with those fine men then
prominent here, but now mostly passed on, who made this city
respected wherever chemical products were concerned, and
no insignificant part of my youthful enthusiasm was imbibed
from them.
Therefore, when I was asked to talk to you on the subject
of the war and the chemical industry, I accepted with the hope
that I might add something to the general knowledge on the
subject and, in a modest way, pay a portion of an old debt.
I n the interval which has elapsed, however, the ground has
been covered by many men on many occasions, and I find myself in the position of talking to you on a subject as well understood by most of you as it is by myself. There may be certain
phases, however, which will repay further thought, and possibly
there may be deductions worth considering. I shall, therefore,
ask your indulgence if I ramble somewhat, and talk largely about
what we have not done, avoiding dry statistics as far as possible.
Some of us may be old enough to remember our own Civil
Any
War. Most of us remember the so-called Spanish
knowledge or experience gained from these wars, intimate as
the former was, gives no data on which to base any calculation
as to the world-wide results of the present devastating struggle.
Even our imaginations are unable to satisfy our judgments,
which are more or less consciously or unconsciously influenced
by our point of view. It is simply impossible to forecast the
1 Address before t h e American Association for t h e Advancement of
Science, Philadelphia, December 30, 1914.

I31

results, industrial, geographical or moral. The \yorld has ne\-er

seen anything like it before, and, therefore, reasoning from
analogy is entirely out of the question. l y e know this, however,
that where such an enormous number of men arc. withdrawn
from ordinary pursuits, many never to return, and ,such incalculable damage i? done to property, the world niust feel for
many years to come the effects which this impowri4iment must
produce. \Ve might just as well accustom oursel\-ci to the thought
that before us lie years of painful toil arid reconitruction, so
that prudence, that great virtue of our forebears, may become
more and more a part of us, and drive out the \,ice of extraragatice
which has become such a prominent characteristic of our people.
Judging from Khat T w read in the pagers, we might conclude
that the chemical industry in the U. S.is in an infantile condition, and hardly worthy of serious coniideration. Those not
acquainted with the subject are ready to admit without argument that almost any European country is far and away ahead of
us in volume and ability to produce economically. A glance
a t the 13th U. S. census will dispel a t least some of these views,
and is well worth taking. It includes under the heading Chemicals and Allied Products nine principal diTVisions, and gives the
value of the output of each.
Value
1-Paint a n d v a r n i s h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sl25,000,000
2-Chemicals
(general), . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
117,000,000
3-Fertilizers, . . , , , , , , , , , . , , , . , , , . . , , . . , , , , 104,000,000
40,000,000
4-Explosives, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5-Dyestuffs and e x t r a c t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
16,000,000
$-Sulfuric,
nitric a n d mixed acids. . , . , , . . , . ,
10,000,000
10,000,000
/-Wood
(except rosin and t u r p e n t i n e ) , , . . , . ,
2,000,000
8-Essential oils. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
9--Bone, carbon a n d lampblack.. , , , , , , , , , . , .
2,000,000

The above values were produced by 2,140 establishments,

having a capital of $483,ooo,ooo,
and employing 88,000 persons.
The census does not state, however, what is probably the fact,
that the U. S. produces more sulfuric acid by catalysis than any
other country in the world, and possibly- more than all other
countries combined. This fact has a bearing on what will be
alluded to later, namely, the possible manufacture of coal-tar
dyes and other products, for which fuming sulfuric acid is often
an absolute necessity.
The census furthermore shows that the return on capital invested in the chemical and allied industries is not so great as
in other branches of manufacturing endeavor. This is due to
the high initial cost of plant, frequent alterations and reconstructions made necessary by the advance of knowledge, and I imagine
by a somewhat senseless competition, which has seemed to affect
chemical manufacturers for as long as I can remember.
Owing to the enormous territory covered, the conditions
governing the industry are quite different from those existing
in other countries. Like all industries, the greatest economies
can be practiced in the largest units, but this fact of extensive
territory which is served makes numerous small units necessary.
The products usually are bulky and lorn-priced, and railroad
freights play an important part in the problem. This fact must
be borne in mind constantly when comparing the industry in
this country with that in any other.
We Americans are apt to pride ourselves on the progresc: which
we have made along manufacturing lines, and take to ourselves