Making War Work for Industry: The United Alkali Company's Central Laboratory During World War One

Abstract

The creation of the Central Laboratory immediately after the United Alkali Company (UAC) was formed in 1890, by amalgamating the Leblanc alkali works in Britain, brought high expectations of repositioning the company by replacing its obsolete Leblanc process plant and expanding its range of chemical products. By 1914, UAC had struggled with few exceptions to adopt new technologies and processes and was still reliant on the Leblanc process. From 1914, the Government would rely heavily on its contribution to the war effort. As a major heavy-chemical manufacturer, UAC produced chemicals for explosives and warfare gases, while also trying to maintain production of many essential chemicals including fertilisers for homeland consumption. UAC's wartime effort was led by the Central Laboratory, working closely with the recently established Engineer's Department to develop new process pathways, build new plant, adapt existing plant, and produce the contracted quantities, all as quickly as possible to meet the changing battlefield demands. This article explores how wartime conditions and demands provided the stimulus for the Central Laboratory's crucial R&D work during World War One.

Key enzymes catalyzing glycerol to 1,3-propanediol

“…In the EU, some biodiesel companies face many serious problems with regard to the removal of excess glycerol, and the disposal of glycerol is quite expensive. Collapse of the price of glycerol is the main problem faced by these companies [ 7 – 11 ]. One of the promising applications of glycerol is its bioconversion to 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) [ 12 – 15 ], which is a valuable chemical and one of the six new petrochemical products, as it can be used as a monomer for polycondensation to manufacture plastics with special properties, i.e., polyesters, polyethers, polyurethanes, polytrimethylene terephthalate [ 16 – 24 ], as a monomer for cyclic compounds [ 25 , 26 ], and as a polyglycol-type lubricant.…”