Metal decline

As a result of great environmental problems with cadmium, both production and consumption declined from 2000 to 2001. In the United States the production of metal declined by 64%, while production of cadmium sulfide and other compounds declined by more than 93%. Such large reduction in production was not registered worldwide, but the decrease in cadmium production is evident This is expressed in Table 34.1. 

The principal calcium salt used as a flocculant is calcium hydroxide [1305-62-0] or lime. It has been used in water treatment for centuries (see Calcium compounds). Newer products are more effective, and its use in water and effluent treatment is declining (10). It is still used as a pH modifier and to precipitate metals as insoluble hydroxides. Lime is also sometimes used in combination with polymeric flocculants. 

Decomposition of Metal Chlorides by Acids. Two commercial processes employing the acidic decomposition of metal chlorides are the salt—sulfuric acid process and the Hargreaves process. Although these processes are declining in importance, they are used mainly because of the industrial demand for salt cake [7757-82-6] by the paper (qv) and glass (qv) industries. In the United States, however, Httle HCl is produced this way. 

Despite the benefits of lead and lead ahoys, the use of these materials is declining rapidly, owing primarily to environmental health and safety factors. Eor many years, lead ahoys were the materials of choice for many corrosive environments, but are now being replaced by stainless steel, plastics, and exotic metals. The toxic nature of lead requires special precautions and handling not necessary with other materials. These requirements have reduced the usage of lead ahoys. 

Cleaning, the removal of unwanted matter, is the beginning of the treatment cycle for metal. The unwanted matter may be carbon smut, welding flux, ink, oxidation products, oil, fingerprints, or other material. Cleaners may be classified as solvent-based or aqueous. Within the aqueous class there are many subclasses, the most important of which are the alkaline cleaners. There are also a variety of ways to apply cleaners. As of the mid-1990s, solvent-based cleaner usage is declining. 

Another market appHcation for naphthenic acid is the tire industry, where cobalt naphthenate is used as an adhesion promoter (see Adhesives Tire cords). Cobalt naphthenate improves the bonding of brass-plated steel cords to mbber, presumably by suppressing the de-zincification of brass (50). Its first reported use was in 1970 and the first patent for its use was issued in 1975 (51). About 900 t of cobalt naphthenate is used worldwide as an adhesion promoter, half of it in North America. The unit value fluctuates between 8.75—13.25 /kg because of the volatility of cobalt prices. Although it is the industry standard, the use of cobalt naphthenate is declining with the advent of more economical high metal-containing substitutes. 

Esterification ofTerephthalicAcid. Esterification of terephthaUc acid is also used to produce dimethyl terephthalate commercially, although the amount made by this process has declined. Imperial Chemical Industries, Eastman Kodak, Amoco, Toray, Mitsubishi, and Mitsui Petrochemical have all developed processes. Esterification (qv) generally uses a large excess of methanol in a Hquid process at 250—300°C. The reaction proceeds rapidly without a catalyst, but metal catalysts such as zinc, molybdenum, antimony, and tin can be used. Conversion to dimethyl terephthalate is limited by equiHbrium, but yields of 96% have been reported (75,76). 

According to U.S. Census Data, the value of polishing preparations and related products shipped from U.S. factories in 1987 was 798 million in factory sales, a 23% increase from 1982 (67). These sales included 155.3 million in furniture poHsh, 245.2 million in floor poHsh, 185.1 million in automotive poHsh, 81.1 million in metal poHsh, and 42.8 million in shoe poHsh. Industry estimates for retail sales as of 1994 involving furniture poHsh were that this category remained flat at 197 million (68). Retail shoe poHsh sales remained constant at 200 million household floor poHsh sales declined about 7% in 1993, whereas institutional floor wax and poHsh sales have grown at an aimual rate of 2—2.5% to 370 million (69). In 1992 and 1993, automotive poHsh sales increased about 40% a year with the advent of colored car poHshes to 240 million, but were flat in 1994. 

Production of both monobasic aluminum diformate, (HO)Al(OOCH)2, and monobasic aluminum formoacetate, (HO)Al(OOCH) (OOCCH ), has declined. One reason could be the ready substitution of inexpensive aluminum formate solution (17—19) for soHd aluminum acetate in formoacetate in most of the common commercial appHcations. Monobasic aluminum formoacetate, mol wt 148.05, mp 350°C, is a fine crystalline powder, prepared from aluminum metal. It is used for fabric water repeUency and in the tanning of coUagen tape for surgical sutures (10). 

Copper. Domestic mine production of copper metal in 1994 was over 1,800,000 t. Whereas U.S. copper production increased in the 1980s and 1990s, world supply declined in 1994. There are eight primary and five secondary smelters, nine electrolytic and six fire refiners, and fifteen solvent extraction—electro winning (SX—EW) plants. Almost 540,000 t/yr of old scrap copper and alloy are recycled in the United States accounting for - 24% of total U.S. consumption (11). New scrap accounted for 825,000 t of contained copper. Almost 80% of the new scrap was consumed by brass mills. The ratio of new-to-old scrap is about 60 40% representing 38% of U.S. supply. 

The demand for sihcon in the 1990s has exceeded the installed Western world capacity. The difference has been supplemented by shipments from China, the Ukraine, and Russia. In 1993, Chinese exports reached 117,000 t, whereas exports from Ukraine and Russia were around 40,000 t (19). In 1995, the exports from China increased to 155,000 t, whereas the exports from the CIS (former USSR) countries declined. The sihcon metal shipped from these countries has been high in iron and calcium and has been used primarily in the secondary aluminum market. 

Production processes are given in Table 12. Electrolytic processes are dominant because of lower cost and fewer environmental problems. Production of slab zinc in Tennessee commenced in 1978 when Jersey Miniere Zinc Company began operation of its new 90,000 t/yr electrolytic smelter at Clarksville. Today, Tennessee is the leading producer of slab zinc. Although the U.S. demand for zinc metal in the past 16 years has increased by 47%, smelting capacity has declined by almost 50%. Plants closed because they were obsolete and could not meet environmental standards or obtain sufficient concentrate. Consequendy, slab zinc has replaced concentrates as the principal import form. This situation is expected to prevail up to the year 2000 (69-71). 

Industrial Consumption. The total consumption of primary antimony fell during the period from 1970 to 1986 (Table 3) because of the declining demand for antimony in most types of metallic uses. Since 1986, the demand for primary antimony in antimonial lead has increased, probably because of an increase in demand for starting—lighting—ignition (SLI) batteries. Total consumption in nonmetallic uses has remained stable. However, an increasing proportion of this is made up of flame retardant uses. Currendy, batteries and flame retardants are the two largest markets for antimony. 

Prices. The price of antimony metal has declined steadily since 1984. The principal reason for the fall in antimony prices is the oversupply of material, especially from Chinese sources, in relation to demand, which has been stable or decreasing during the 1980s. Antimony prices have fallen to such an extent that some producers of antimony products now find it more economical to use antimony metal as feed material in place of antimony ore and concentrates. 

Tetrachloroethylene was first prepared ia 1821 by Faraday by thermal decomposition of hexachloroethane. Tetrachloroethylene is typically produced as a coproduct with either trichloroethylene or carbon tetrachloride from hydrocarbons, partially chloriaated hydrocarbons, and chlorine. Although production of tetrachloroethylene and trichloroethylene from acetylene was once the dominant process, it is now obsolete because of the high cost of acetylene. Demand for tetrachloroethylene peaked ia the 1980s. The decline ia demand can be attributed to use of tighter equipment and solvent recovery ia the dry-cleaning and metal cleaning iadustries and the phaseout of CFG 113 (trichlorotrifluoroethane) under the Montreal Protocol. 

Naphthenates of cobalt, manganese, calcium, copper, iron, zinc, and zirconium are used as driers in printing inks. Their use in coatings is declining as a result of the use of higher metal content synthetic driers and the overall trend to latex paint in architectural coatings. 

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