Γ INDUSTRY *% • · -ν- Ι Kaaioisoropês ιακβ on n e w M^criviry

industrial users increase fivefold in five years —sav­ings to industry may reach $1 billion a year

M ORE THAN 1000 industrial organiza­tions in the United States are now using atomic energy by-product materials in 1347 different installations, a 500% in­crease since 1950. It's a big money-saving proposition. Current applica­tions, according to AEC estimates, save industry $200 million annually.

For things to come, AEC is predict­ing this figure will multiply fivefold within a decade—$1 billion a year.

Where do these isotopes go? Re­search, development and testing or­ganizations, according to a survey by Atomic Industrial Forum, account for the largest number of consuming or­ganizations, with manufacturers of elec­trical equipment, electronics and in­

strumentation, and the metal working industry running close behind.

More than 400 organizations who manufacture a wide variety of con­sumer products are using radioactive materials for gaging and control opera­tions. These products include roofing and flooring materials, paper, steel, tex­tiles, rubber, plastics, glass, and ciga­rettes. Some 350 firms employ nuclear by-product materials in radiation in­spection of welds and castings and in other metal working operations.

• Price Went Down. Immediately following announcement of the Forum survey, AEC came out with a price re­duction for carbon-14 and iodine-131, used widely in the fields of biology and

Radiation Effects

50 100

Radiographic Inspection

Gaging (thickness)

"-:" ^ L·. ' . . Number of Organizations * _. j r - , ,

150 200 250 (Single organizations employing radioisotopes in more than one of the listed applications are represented by multiple numbers)

300

(other)

350 400

medicine. Both radioisotopes are valu­able to research workers and physicians for biological studies, medical research, and diagnosis. (Iodine-131 is also used for medical therapy. )

AEC cut the price for carbon-14 from $36 to $28 per millicurie (ship­ments less than 200 millicuries) and re­duced larger quantities from $32 to $22. Iodine-131 now costs 50 cents per millicurie (shipments less than 500 millicuries), compared with a previous price of 75 cents. As before, purchas­ers receive a 10-cent discount on larger lots.

Civilians first began receiving car­bon-14 when the isotope distribution program began on Aug. 2 , 1946. In the decade that followed, AEC made over 2200 shipments, totaling more than 42,000 millicuries, to medical in­stitutions, colleges and universities, and industrial firms throughout the nation.

Carbon-14 has been widely used in studies of photosynthesis and complex biological systems. It has proved valu­able also in medical research by reveal­ing the mechanism of human body functions.

Iodine-131 is now used routinely in about 1300 medical institutions for di­agnosis and treatment of thyroid gland diseases. Civilian consumption has been phenomenal—nearly 3.5 million millicuries in more than 30,000 ship­ments.

AEC officials estimate that almost 500,000 people in the United States have been treated with radioisotopes supplied by Oak Ridge National Lab­oratory, which is operated for the Com­mission by Union Carbide Nuclear.

$20 Million More in South Wyandotte woos chlorine-

» caustic market with Louisiana plant-—its second there

THE SECOND MAJOR phase of Wyan­dotte's expansion into the South is being talked about almost as soon as the first phase is started. Newest plans call for a $ 2 0 million electrolytic chlo­rine-caustic plant to go on stream in the last half of 1958. The plant will pro­duce 300 tons of chlorine and 330 tons of caustic soda a day.

Wyandotte is already one of the na­tion's largest suppliers of caustic soda and chlorine from its operations in Michigan. By increasing its capacity more than 50%, Wyandotte can con­tinue to meet the growing demand for those products at the same time ex­panding its own captive use.

The new unit will be constructed ad­jacent to the company's 60 million pound ethylene oxide plant on the 1200-acre site acquired a few months

4 4 8 4 C & E N SEPT. 17, 1956

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The first product—a general purpose, easy processing Polyvinyl Chloride Resin—will be i n production soon for use in the calendering, extrusion and molding industries. Following this, Escambia Bay will produce a molec­ular weight range of straight PVC Resins including types for electrical and rigid applications.

E S C A M B I A B A Y C H E M I C A L C Ο R Ρ Ο R

2 6 1 M A D I S O N A V E N U E

A Τ I Ο Ν

N E W Y O R K 1 6 . N . Y .

SEPT. 17. 1 9 5 6 C & E N 4 4 8 5

KNOW-HOW,

continuing research, development, quality

control, and product uniformity.

And with Escambia Bay coming on stream

this fall with its Polyvinyl Chloride Resins Plant,

this know-how will make its contribution to the

continued progress of the plastics industry

through intensive technical and customer

service programs.

These men with their experience and know-how

are backed by Escambia Bay's emphasis on

To the Escambia Bay Chemical organization have come men possessing many years of

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Anhydrous

SODIUM THIOSULFATE cut s h a n d l i n g c o s t s 3 0 %

Anhydrous sodium thiosul fate p roduced by Grasselli 's N e w Jersey p lant , has a l l the merits of regu la r crystal l ine " h y p o " plus these add i t i ona l a d v a n t a g e s :

1 . Lowers handling costs over 3 0 % , since 64 lbs. of anhydrous sodium thiosulfate equals l00 lbs. of the crystal fo rm.

2 . Saves on shipping costs and warehouse costs.

3 . Is 1 1 % less expensive on the same active-strength basis.

4 . A pure, whi te, f ree-f lowing material .

5. Forms a water-white solution at about same speed as crystal fo rm.

6 . Greater stability in dry mix.

I N THE LEATHER INDUSTRY anhydrous so­d ium thiosulfate is be ing used in the t w o -b a t h chrome tanning process to produce p l ump , supple skins. In the f i rst ba th , hides a r e t rea ted with sodium b ichromate solu­t ion . The second b a t h reduces the chromium wi th sodium th iosul fate and tans the leather .

MANUFACTURERS OF OTHER PRODUCTS such as thioglycol ic a c i d , t e t r a e t h y l l e a d , and common t a b l e salt wi l l undoub ted ly discover advan tages in the new s tab le anhydrous f o r m of sodium th iosul fate.

This is just one o f the deve lopments descr ibed in "Chemical Briefs," GrasselH's product bu l ­le t in . If you wou ld l ike to rece ive the issue containing more in fo rmat ion o n anhydrous sodium th iosul fate, a n d future issues, f i l l out and mail the coupon be low .

<GttHlï> *te-u.s.PAx.ott

BETTER THINGS FOR BETTER LIVING . . . THROUGH CHEMISTRY

E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. (Inc.) Grasselli Chemicals Department, Rm. N-2539 Wilmington 98, Delaware

Π Please send me your most recent issue of "Chemical Briefs."

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4 4 8 6 C & E N SEPT. 17, 1956

I N D U S T R Y

ago at Geismar, La., about 25 miles south of Baton Rouge. Site clearance for the ethylene oxide plant was started in August. Completion of engineering and design work is well under way, with the plant scheduled to go on stream in the last quarter of next year.

Wyandotte 's research and engineer­ing division will do the process engi­neering for the chlorine-caustic unit and will award contracts for construc­tion, engineering, and equipment by late November.

Wyandotte says that selection of a southern location will open additional large tonnage of business in areas pre­viously barred to the company because of freight costs from Michigan. The second plant and shipping point is ex­pected to improve customer service be­cause of economic waterway transpor­tation from the new site.

Wyandot te chose the Louisiana site, it says, because of the availability of almost limitless quantities of ethylene, salt, natural gas, and electric power. These factors, plus waterway shipping possibilities, will influence the com­pany's developments in the area, a spokesman says. It is also expected to encourage other companies which can tie in with Wyandotte 's basic produc­tion to consider satellite and over-the-fence projects. To encourage such de­

velopment, Wyandotte acquired t h e 1200 acres in one tract. Its own pres­ent needs will occupy only about 100 acres of this tract.

Cosden Adds Polybutenes After a three-year tr ial with a semi-

commercial unit, Cosden Petroleum's chemical division is n o w in full scale commercial production of polybutenes. The million-gallon capacity of Cosden's new plant at Big Spring, Tex., repre­sents approximately a 25% increase in existing U. S. capacity.

Cosden is setting up marketing and distribution facilities for its multiviscos­ity polybutene, which has the trade name Polyvis. It will be marketed chiefly east of the Rocky Mountains. Shipments will be m a d e in tank car quantities on the lighter viscosities. Heavier grades will b e shipped in drums. Distribution centers a re planned for such major cities as Dallas, Houston, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Chi­cago, Cleveland, Detroit , Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York, and Boston.

Basically, Cosden's continuous proc­ess utilizes a C 4 feed stream from which a hear t cu t of isobutene or iso-butylene is fractionated. Anhydrous

φ Plastic Under Glass Polyvinyl butyral interlayer for panoramic windshields is examined and stacked, ready for assembly and lamination at Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass' n e w Toledo plant, part of its $54 million expansion including improvements at Rossford and Ottawa, Ill. This shaded plastic for E-Z-Eye windshields is laminated between plate glass.