Millions from Waste — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Millions from Waste
John Stuart Mill · en
The high percentage of ammonia, namely 7·37 per cent., deserves
especial notice inasmuch as it compares with a yield of 4·5 per cent.,
which is the average figure recorded with fertilizing meal obtained
from steamed bones. It may possibly come as a surprise to many to learn
that it is the proportion of the nitrogenous content, as represented
by the ammonia, rather than the phosphoric acid content, which really
determines the commercial value of this manure. The higher the figure
to which the ammonia figure can be forced the more attractive the price
which the fertilizer will command upon the market. Thus, under normal
conditions, every 1 per cent. rise in the ammonia constituent will
increase the price of the bone-meal by 14s.--$3.50. On the other hand,
a 1 per cent. increase in the proportion of superphosphate only serves
to increase the price of the meal by 11d. to 1s. 2d.--22 to 28 cents.
The grease obtainable from green bones varies somewhat. It is affected
to a marked degree by the skill and care with which the butcher wields
his knife. If the bone should be scraped very clean and carefully,
naturally the bulk of the attached fat is removed. But an average
collection of green bones will yield about 15 per cent., or 360 lb.,
of fat per ton of bones treated, while the dry bone-meal will range
from 1,286 to 1,344 lb. Bones which have been collected from marine
store dealers and rag-and-bone merchants are not so liberal in fat
yield. The repeated cooking to which they have been subjected in
connection with the preparation of dishes for the table relieves them
of approximately 5 per cent. of the fat which they originally carried,
i.e. in the raw condition. Consequently, degreasing only enables about
10 per cent., or 250 lb., of fat to be recovered from every ton of
bones treated. In this instance the bone-meal yield may be set down at
1,568 to 1,680 lb. per ton of bones. The grease remaining in the meal
varies from 0·5 to 1 per cent.
As may logically be supposed, cattle-slaughtering for food produces
large quantities of blood. This is an extremely valuable residue, and
so is carefully collected in suitable vessels. It is then transferred
to shallow receptacles and permitted to stand for a time. Blood is
composed of two fundamental constituents--the serum and the clot
respectively. The former, which is the albumen, is the glutinous-like,
yellowish liquid which comes to the surface, the clot settling to
form as it were a sediment. The serum is recovered by skimming with a
suitable device, to be distributed in extremely thin layers, applied
with a brush, to dry. Such a careful procedure is imperative owing to
the difficulty of drying out albumen. When dry the blood-albumen is
peeled in the form of thin flakes. Its applications are numerous, one
of the most important being its employment for the clarification of
sugar. The clot is likewise secured to be sent to the special plant,
where it is also dried.