Yearbook Volume 1920 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1921 edition. Excerpt: ...with regard to its recovery in this industry is very similar to that outlined for the cement industry. A survey of this industry corresponding to that which was made for cement plants is now being made by the Bureau of Soils. The results obtained in this work and in large-scale experiments now being made at two plants in this country go to show that the percentage of potash in the dust that escapes from some blast furnaces is higher than that contained in the richest cement dust. However, success here is not dependent alone on the quantity that might be collected. The gases that escape from a blast furnace are combustible and after being freed from dust are used as fuel. In the present wet system for purifying the gases the potash is lost. Large-scale experiments are now being made on the purification of the gases by a dry system in which the potash is recovered with the rest of the dust. If it is demonstrated that the dry process is superior to the wet, then potash will be recovered in all plants in which the new process is installed. It is thus possible that potash at a comparatively low cost may yet be recovered from these furnaces. From the Salty Lakes. The soluble salts of potash possess a very salty, disagreeable taste and readily dissolve in water. If a natural deposit is not salty to the taste it does not contain sufficient potash to make it a profitable source. The converse does not hold, true, however, for there are other materials which are salty, and when a salty deposit is found a chemical analysis is necessary to determine its value. Since soluble potash deposits are formed by the evaporation of water in which the potash was originally contained, large deposits of this kind are located only where a large volume of water has...