440 



NATURE 



[December i, 1921 



ences is to be seen in the widespread demand for 

 fixed nitrogen products, especially in the form of 

 fertilisers. In certain countries it is found that 

 although the potential output has been greatly 

 increased by the provision of large fixation plants 

 during the period of the war, yet the total demand 

 for fixed nitrogen is growing at an even greater 

 rate. The same phenomenon is seen in the United 

 Kingdom, which mainly relies upon imported 

 Chile nitrate and home-made sulphate of am- 

 monia. The consumption of nitrogenous fertilisers 

 in 1919 was nearly two and a half times that in 

 an average year before the war. The world's re- 

 sources in nitrogen products have doubled during 

 the last eight years. It is, however, to be re- 

 marked that while the percentage of the whole 

 output contributed by the Chile nitrate industry 

 decreased to one-half, the proportion contributed 

 by the fixation industries has increased from 4i-per 

 cent, of the whole in 1912 to 43 per cent, in 1920 

 — i.e. an increase in percentage of tenfold. The 

 fixation industries are, in fact, now the largest 

 contributors to the nitrogen requirements of the 

 world. Cyanamide plant was largely extended 

 during the war, and its present potential output 

 is larger than that of any other fixation process. 



The Supplement contains a series of tables deal- 

 ing with the world's consumption of Chile nitrate 

 during the war period, the total shipments and 

 the British consumption during the same period, 

 and the amount used for fertilisers and that allo- 

 cated for war purposes. The figures, as might be 

 expected, show violent fluctuations, due to a 

 variety of causes, such as labour difficulties in 

 Chile, shortage of coal, difficulties of transport, ex- 

 cessive freight charges, liquidation of war stocks, 

 etc. The statistics are interesting, but as they are 

 wholly abnormal it would serve no useful purpose 

 to analyse them in detail. 



As regards the saltpetre industry, it is note- 

 worthy that whilst of the imports into the United 

 Kingdom about two-thirds came from Germany, 

 this during the war period was more than re- 

 placed by the growth of the Indian industry, 

 which in 1916 attained more than six times its 

 pre-war extent. In 1919 the supply from this 

 source had declined to about one-third its maxi- 

 mum amount. 



It need scarcely be said that the war had an 

 enormous influence on the nitric acid industry. 

 The annual pre-war production of nitric acid in 

 this countrj- was estimated at 15,000 tons of 100 

 per cent, acid, mainly for the manufacture of dye- 

 stuffs and explosives. The output in 1917 reached 

 237,000 tons, of which only 12,000 tons were used 

 for other purposes than explosives. 



The available information relating to the pro- 

 duction of by-product ammonium sulphate is ad- 

 mittedly incomplete. During the war the market 

 price, of course, steadily rose, and in 1919 the 

 average price in the home market was nearly 

 double that in 1914; the export price was 

 26L 125. 8d. f.o.b. U.K. ports. Germany, which 

 heads the list of consumption, uses at the present 



NO. 2718, VOL. 108] 



time nearly double the amount consumed in the 

 United Kingdom. In fact, she utilises nearly one- 

 third of the world's consumption, mainly, of 

 course, as a fertiliser. 



As regards the synthetic ammonia industry^ 

 which is practically confined at present to Ger- 

 many, it is estimated that the combined maximum 

 output of the works at Oppau, and Merseburg 

 when completed, will be about 1050 metric tons 

 of ammonia per diem. 



The Norwegian fixation industry has steadily 

 developed since 191 3. It is concerned with the 

 synthetic production of the nitrates of calcium, 

 ammonium and sodium, sodium nitrite, cal- 

 cium cyanamide, and, intermittently, of nitric 

 acid. 



It is interesting to note that the general im- 

 pression, sedulously cultivated by a certain section 

 of German manufacturers, that the cyanamide in- 

 dustry is doomed is not borne out by the facts. 

 There was a rapid extension of it during the 

 period of the war, the world's production in 1917 

 being about three times that of 191 4. Nine new 

 works were erected in France, and the U.S. 

 Government established in Alabama what is now 

 the largest cyanamide factory in the world, v/ith 

 a capacity of about 200,000 tons of 20 per cent, 

 cyanamide annually. As has alreadv been stated, 

 the cyanamide process is still the largest contribu- 

 tor to the world's nitrogen supply by fixation 

 methods. 



The ammonia oxidation industry practically 

 owes its development to the war, due to Ger- 

 many's imperative need for nitric nitrogen when 

 her external supplies were cut off. Plants were 

 also erected in America, France, Italy, and other 

 countries, but complete statistics of production 

 are not available. Details are given in the Sup- 

 plement of the total annual output of two plants 

 in Germany and two in America, amounting in 

 the aggregate to 450,000 tons of 100 per cent, 

 nitric acid. 



An instructive table is given of the world's out- 

 put of nitrogenous fertilisers, in metric tons, over 

 the period 1910-18, for which complete statistics 

 are alone available. The figures for Chile nitrate 

 and by-product ammonium sulphate fluctuate, but, 

 on the other hand, the synthetic products show a 

 rapid increase, especially in synthetic ammonium 

 sulphate, which is now practically equal to the 

 by-product salt. 



Col. White contributes certain statistical tables 

 to the Supplement, one of which affords an ap- 

 proximate measure of the degree of economic 

 independence of the several countries referred to 

 as regards their internal sources of fixed nitrogen. 

 Judged by this standard, Germany has four times 

 the degree of economic independence of this 

 country or of France, and six times that of the 

 United States. Germany need no longer fear that 

 even the most rigorous blockade will interfere 

 with her supply of nitric nitrogen for munition 

 purposes. 



Tables are also given of the price of nitrogen 



