Millions from WasteTalbot, Frederick Arthur Ambrose
Philosophy
Millions from Waste
Talbot, Frederick Arthur Ambrose
Salvage (Waste, etc.); Waste products
But the exploitation of the foregoing materials by no means exhausts
our possibilities in this field. There are other substances, of a
refuse character, possessing undoubted virtues for paper-making. Among
these may be mentioned potato haulm. There is every indication that
our output of the potato will record a decided increase owing to the
development of industrial science in other fields. Consequently it is
only logical to expect increased accumulations of the bine. At the
present moment the vegetation in question is regarded more or less
as useless. It should be turned back into the ground to assist in
feeding the soil, but many farmers are disinclined to follow such a
practice for the reason that the bine is apt to foul the plough, and
thus delay the ground-breaking task. Its fertilizer content, or rather
the phosphoric acid and potash constituents, are generally reclaimed
by burning the bine and turning in the ash, but this process is to be
deprecated inasmuch as the whole of the valuable nitrogen content is
lost.
The haulm, owing to the nature of its fibres, is held to be an
excellent material for the production of brown paper where strength is
the essential requirement. So a British inventor devised what may be
described as a kind of decorticating machine to rend the tough fibre
to pieces upon the spot. The machine is simple, free from liability
to easy derangement, and ingenious. It is suggested that it should
be acquired by the farmer to permit the treatment of this waste as
recovered during the lifting season. It is held to make especial
appeal to the agriculturist possessing a motor-tractor, the requisite
energy being drawn therefrom through belt and pulley. It is estimated
that the manufacture of the machine, upon a sufficiently large scale,
will enable it to be sold at about £100--$500. The shredded stalk or
fibre should be able to command from £4 10s. to £5 10s.--$22.50 to
$27.50--per ton at the mill and should appeal to the paper-maker owing
to its high yield efficiency, which is in the neighbourhood of 65 per
cent. Of course, the suggestion that this waste should be recovered for
the production of paper is one that can only be entertained by the
large grower, but it is computed that at least 1,000 machines would be
necessary to cope with the country’s annual output of this refuse.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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