Scientific American Supplement, No. 611, September 17, 1887Various
Science
Scientific American Supplement, No. 611, September 17, 1887
Various
Science -- Periodicals
It now only remains to see how it is proposed to deal with the
sulphureted hydrogen gas which represents the sulphur recovered from
the waste. It can be burnt direct to sulphurous acid and utilized for
the production of vitriol perfectly pure and free from arsenic,
commanding a special price. But Messrs. Parnell & Simpson state that
by a method of restricted combustion they are able to obtain nearly
all the sulphur as such, and put it on the market on equal terms with
the best Sicilian sulphur. We did not gather that this has yet been
done on the working scale, however.
It will be seen that it is proposed that a Leblanc alkali maker shall
continue to produce a portion of his make by the old process, but
shall erect plant to enable him to make another portion by the Parnell
& Simpson method, using his Leblanc "waste" in place of the caustic
lime now employed by the ammonia soda people. He is thus to have the
benefit of the cheaper process for, say, half his make, while he
further cheapens the ammonia method by saving the cost of lime and by
recovering the sulphur otherwise lost in his waste.
The saving in lime is stated to be one ton for each ton of sodium
carbonate produced, or in cash value about 10s. per ton at Widnes,
while the sulphur saved is estimated to be 6 cwt. per ton of sodium
carbonate. We reproduce these figures with all reserve, not being
ourselves sufficiently specialists to judge of them. But we were
assured that they represent the minimum expected, and reasons were
given to us to show that they would probably be exceeded.
Another gain for the Leblanc maker would be that he will escape the
cost of removal and disposal of a portion of his refuse or waste.
The plant now erected was calculated for a yield of one hundred tons
carbonate of sodium and about thirty-five tons of sulphur per week,
but it now appears likely that this will be exceeded; while the
carbonic acid plant was supposed to be equal to a yield of 6 tons of
pure gas per day, and is now found capable of doing twice as much.
A few weeks will now bring this new combination process into the
active and crucial test of the markets. Chemists and chemical
engineers have all along taken a keen interest in the ingenious ideas
of Parnell & Simpson. Commercial men are no less interested in the
financial result of the experiment about to be tried at the expense of
a few gentlemen of Liverpool and district. So far as we can learn,
opinions are to some extent divided, though many good judges are very
hopefully inclined. For our own part, speaking with diffidence, as
being a little off our regular track of work, we will only say that we
were favorably impressed with what we saw and heard; and we certainly
wish the venture that full success which its cleverness and its pluck,
as well as its great importance at this crisis, deserve for
it.--_Engineering_.
* * * * *
TEMPERATURE OF GAS DISTILLATION.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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