Basic Slag Problems. 



5-23 



The amounts disposed of for manurial purposes and for other 



purposes in Great Britain in the year ended 30th September, 

 1920, were as follows : — 



As P., Or,. For Manurial Pur jyoses. Other. 



Tons. Tons. 



Under 5 per cent. 5,42;* 15,45'.> 



5 and under 7 2(1,745 86,0G<) 



7 10 223,292 53,321 



10 , „ 12 „ 84,41'J 2,7H2 



12 „ 15 122,052 1,1»V.) 



Over 15 ,. 4I').30U — 



508,240* 158,801* 



Total 607.041* tons. 



The total deliveries of basic slag in England and Wales in 

 1919-20 were 407,000 tons, as compared with an area under 

 crops and grass of 26,507,000 acres, an area under permanent 

 grass of 14,487,000 acres, an area under clover and rotation 

 grasses of 2,448,000 acres, and an area under mountain and 

 heath land used for grazing of 4,162,000 acres. Very little basic 

 slag is coming from abroad : in 1920, 17,584 tons were imported 

 and 11,154 tons were exported. 



'2) The Possibility of Increasing the Amount or Quality of 

 Slag. — The Committee is assured that practically the whole of 

 the phosphorus entering the iron works is contained in the slags 

 mentioned above, and that there is no significant loss or balance 

 unaccounted for. It follows that if the output of steel remains 

 constant the slag figures will remain substantially as they are 

 except that the highest grade will tend to become more scarce 

 r.nd the others proportionately to increase. The Committee has 

 therefore enquired into the possibility of increasing the 

 phosphorus output by some method additional to the ordinary 

 steel-making process, such as the following : — 



{a\ Addition of mineral phosphate to slag in the ladle. — 

 This would be advantageous only if the agricultural value of 

 the mineral phosphate were improved. 



Four experiments earned out by Mr. George Hatton at the 

 Earl of Dudley's Bound Oak Works, in which mineral phosphate 

 was added to slag in the ladle in the proportion of approximately 

 I cwt. of rock phosphate to a ton of slag, may l^e summarised 

 as follows (average of four experiments) : — 



*()t' these totals, 260,187 tons were p:round in nianufiicturers' own works, 

 248,053 tons were sold for p^rindinjr elsewhere, 75,233 tons were sold for pnrposes 

 other than fertilising:, while 83,568 tons wore dumped with all kinds of works 

 riihhish ■• ' ' ' " ■ ' 



. • V 1 Liiioi 1 , ' ttj^tjyjij iwiio »> < I VI II 111 J 'VJtt »llll till r 



id were consequently valueless for nianurial pnrposes. 



