SULPHUR “MINE” IN AIR

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 February 1937, Page 12

SULPHUR “MINE” IN AIR

U.S.A. RESEARCH’ FORMULA. NEW YORK, December 30. A new formula for smoke and gaseous fume abatement, which is expected to aid big industrial cities in purifying the air, has come from the University of Illinois following research work by Dr. H. F. Johnstone, associate professor of chemical engineering, and Dr. A. D. Singh, research chemical engineer, both of the university faculty. New York, Pittsburgh, Chicago and other big citeis will be able, through the discoveries of Dr. Johnstone and Mr. Singh, to rid themselves of gaseous fumes, smoke and other pollution an dat the same lime develop new stores of sulphur, it was announced at the closing session of a two-day symposium sponsored by the American Chemical Society at Columbia University here yesterday. The discoveries were seen as opening a. prospect of a day when chemists may mine the air for sulphur, natural deposits of which were said to be unlimited. The formula was described as a means of “air conditioning a city’s atmosphere” through a “scrubbing” process that eliminates sulphur chloride and nitrous and hydrocholric acid fumes, which chiefly arc held responsible for air pollution and are declared Io bo “extremely harmful.” The technique not only purifies the air by ridding it of this pollution, it was said, but was characterised by Dr. James 11. Kimball, meteorologist in charge of the United States Weather Bureau here, as "a great boon” if, in actual practice, it is successful.

QUESTION OB EXPENSE. Dr. Kimball ret tilled that expert merits had. in the past, failed to nice! wh it appeared to bo th eprohibit ive cos; in installing air-purifying apparatus ami declared that if a “practical’’ system of accomplishing (this could be found, it would add great l.v to the welfare and happiness of millions of per.rens and increase the wealth of the (.ottnlry bv millions of dollars. The new process was described al thf' symposium as effectviely “scrubbing” the air near industrial plants responsible for giving off gaseous fumes. It. embodies the passing of the exhaust from these, industrial plants through a sodium sulphate solution in a tower, alter which the sodium sulphate is chemically treated to recover the sulphate dioxide and to get a sodium sulIphate solution for repeating the cycle. • Dr. -Johnstone said these “scrubbangs removed by absorption 98 per ;c< nt. of the sulphur dioxide from gases -"lid l!i;u Dh's<- ;.,ippp, d: some wooden laths, placed at 'proper intervals, that need only be 15 to tilt feet high.