COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES 



TABLE XIV 

 CROP YIELDS 



37 



As a measure of preparedness our reserve stock of nitrates is 

 insignificant and our nation would be powerless if our navy were 

 not strong enough to protect our import from Chile. Fortunately 

 enough, nitrates can readily be extracted from the atmosphere and 

 fixed as a compound by the utilization of electric energy. The 

 possibilities of this have never been more clearly demonstrated 

 than during the European war, when Germany's entire supply was 

 obtained in this way. In Norway, with its cheap water powers, 

 the industry has long been established, about 350,000 horse- 

 power being at present utilized by one company alone for the 

 fixation of nitrogen by the arc process. Fig. 9 shows one of its 

 power-houses and factories, with a capacity of 120,000 horse- 

 power. 



The power requirements vary widely for the different electro- 

 chemical products as seen from Table XV, and in many instances 

 it is a large item in the cost sheet of the product. 



TABLE XV 



POWER CONSUMPTION OF ELECTRO-CHEMICAL PROCESSES PER TON 

 or 2000 POUNDS 



Kw.-hrs. 



Refining of lead 120 



Refining of copper 300 



Refining of steel 600-1,000 



Refining of nickel 3,000 



Refining of zinc 3,500 



Reduction of calcium carbide 4,000 



Reduction of ferro-alloys 4,000-12,000 



Reduction of abrasives 7,500 



Reduction of aluminum 30,000 



Pig iron from ore 2,000-3,000 



Brass melting 220-280 . 



Nitrogen (fixed) 15,000-60,000 



