BROMINE FROM SEA WATER STEWART 159 



2. The location should be such that it would be easy to get rid of the sea 

 water from which the bromine had been extracted, without diluting the water 

 entering the process. 



3. There should be no appreciable quantities of industrial waste present in 

 the water entering the process. 



A thoroiigli study was made of the eastern and southern coast lines 

 of this country. In this connection information learned from United 

 States Coast and Geodetic Survey, to the effect that the water of all 

 streams entering the Atlantic Ocean flows southward, was of con- 

 siderable assistance. Many samples of sea water were analyzed, and, 

 except where dilution with fresh water was indicated b}'^ a study of 

 the location from which the sample was taken, the bromine content 

 was found to be 67 parts per million. Before construction of the com- 

 mercial plant, about 20 samples were taken during a boat trip from 

 New Orleans to Havana and then to New York. The same bromine 

 content of the deep-sea water was found throughout the entire 

 distance. 



The various factors involved in the selection of the plant site all 

 indicated that it should be located on the north shore of a river, close 

 to the point where it entered the Atlantic Ocean, and that there should 

 be no large river entering the ocean for a number of miles to the 

 north of such a location. The long narrow peninsula in North Caro- 

 lina at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, which separates the latter 

 from the ocean, appeared to answer all the above requirements. Con- 

 sequently, a large tract of land was acquired near the southern end 

 of this peninsula, and in 1931 a pilot plant was constructed and oper- 

 ated to extract 500 pounds of bromine per day from sea water. The 

 bromine was absorbed in soda ash solution to form a bromide-bromate 

 liquor from which bromine could have been liberated by acidification. 

 Operation of this small unit for 6 months furnished valuable experi- 

 ence which aided in the design of the commercial plant which was to 

 follow. 



CONSTRUCTION DATA ON COMMERCIAL PLANT 



About the middle of July 1933 the Ethyl-Dow Chemical Company 

 was incorporated and the decision was made to construct a plant hav- 

 ing a capacity to extract about 15,000 pounds of bromine per day 

 from sea water and to manufacture it into somewhat more than 16,000 

 pounds of ethylene dibromide per day. Within a period of 5 months 

 the plans were drawn, materials assembled, and the plant built 

 and put into operation. The design and construction was executed 

 by the Dow Chemical Company organization with the exception of 

 some of the common building operations which were let on contract. 



