360 



ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1913. 



Against these figures the output of calcium nitrate and calcium 

 cyanamide, which are two of the main products of the electric fixation 

 of nitrogen processes, seems small. The important thing to notice, 

 however, is that electrical processes are now on a sound commercial 

 footing, and very large extensions of plant have been recently made, 

 and are in hand. 



Table III gives particulars of the installations for the manufac- 

 ture of calcium nitrate by the direct process of Prof. Birkeland and 

 Mr. Sam Eyde. It will be noticed that, although the first experi- 

 mental plant was started only nine years ago, already the company 

 controlling the Birkeland-Eyde patents have installations aggregat- 

 ing 200,000 horsepower at work, and probably by 1916 another 

 300,000 horsepower will be at work. All the installations mentioned 

 in Table III are in Norway, but installations will no doubt be erected 

 in other countries. 



Table III. — Installations of the Norwegian Hydroelectric Nitrogen Co. 



The other electrically produced nitrogenous manure, calcium cy- 

 anamide, is made by a more indirect method invented by Dr. Franck 

 and Dr. Caro, and its manufacture is not confined to Norway. 



Table IV gives the principal installations, and it is of interest to 

 note that, although the first one on a commercial scale was erected at 

 Piano d'Orto in Italy only 8 years ago, there are works in opera- 

 tion and being built which by the end of next year will be making 

 calcium cyanamide at the rate of over a quarter of a million tons per 

 annum. 



The Nitrogen Fertilizers Co., which owns the Odda & Alby Works, 

 works under license from the North- Western Cyanamide Co., which 

 company controls this country, Norway and Sweden, Belgium, and 

 all the British colonies, protectorates, and dependencies, except Egypt 

 and Canada. The Odda factory is now being enlarged and at the 

 beginning of next year will be producing 73,000 tons per annum. 



In the United States, the American Cyanamide Co. is about to erect 

 a works in Alabama to manufacture 24,000 tons per annum. 



