Herman Frasch
Encyclopedia
Herman Frasch [or Hermann Frasch] (December 25, 1851, Oberrot
bei Gaildorf
, Württemberg
- May 1, 1914, Paris
) was a mining engineer and inventor known for his work with petroleum
and sulphur.
. His father was burgomaster of Gaildorf. Herman was educated in the city of Halle, passing through the successive grades of the public and Latin schools and the gymnasium
.
At the age of 16, Frasch began practicing pharmacy
in Halle, but about one year later came to the United States
, sailing from Bremen
and landing in Philadelphia. After his arrival in the United States, he entered the laboratory of John Michael Maisch
at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. Here he worked for several years, perfecting his knowledge of pharmaceutical chemistry. He was notable for his daring and originality in experimention. His interests turned gradually to industrial chemistry, a branch of the science which was then coming into prominence.
In 1874 he established his own laboratory. He received his first patent, covering a process for utilizing tin
scrap, in 1874. His second patent was on a process for purifying paraffin wax in 1876. Both of these became important to industry. Paraffin wax was formerly a waste by-product in oil refining, but with his invention became capable of utilization in the manufacture of candles and for other industrial purposes. He also developed paraffin paper
, which had great and varied uses as a waterproof packing for foodstuffs, confectionery, etc., and made possible the safe transportation and preservation of many substances, otherwise perishable. Other earlier inventions were connected with the production of oil, salt and white lead
.
In 1885 he started the Imperial Oil Company, Petrolia
, Ontario
. The oil from Petrolia contained up to 0.7% sulfur, which gave the petroleum made from it a strong odor and the name skunk
oil, which was practically not marketable. After several tries he was able to desulfurize the petroleum by reacting the oil vapor with a mixture of iron
, lead
, and copper
oxide. The formed sulfides were roasted in air to remove the sulfur, to reform the oxides which could be then reused. His product became a serious competitor to Pennsylvania
oil.
The Standard Oil
of John D. Rockefeller
in Lima
suffered from the same problem. Thus, Rockefeller bought the Empire Oil Company and employed Herman Frasch to solve this problem with John Wesley Van Dyke
. The Hermann process worked for the first time in an industrial scale in 1888. As he was paid in shares of Standard Oil, Herman Frasch became rich with the success of his method.
During the search for oil in Louisiana
, near the present-day town of Sulphur
, sulfur was found under a layer of 200–300 m of quicksand
. All attempts to get to the sulfur with conventional mining shafts ended in disaster. Herman Frasch bought the surrounding area, but the sulfur containing area was not on his property. On October 20, 1890, he took out three patents for the Frasch Process
. He then made a contract with the owners of the sulfur deposit.
He erected a plant at the location of the sulphur deposits, and, by sending down superheated water through a boring of 1,000 feet, he melted the sulphur. The melted sulphur then ascended to the surface through an inner tube in the boring, and was pumped into bins several feet high, in which it solidified, and the blocks were later broken up and loaded directly onto rail cars. The result of the invention was a reduction of the importation of sulphur into the United States to less than one-tenth of its former proportions, and a corresponding increase in home production. The first sulfur was extracted in 1894. High water and energy consumption, as well as the presence of toxic hydrogen sulfide
, were problems which had to be solved.
Herman Frasch became head of the Union Sulphur Company which dominated the sulfur market until his patents ran out in 1911. Herman Frasch was accounted as the sulphur king. After the sulfur deposits where exhausted the company changed its focus from sulfur to oil.
Frasch was awarded the Perkin medal in 1912. Frasch's surname is often mis-spelt Frash.
Oberrot
Oberrot is a town in the district of Schwäbisch Hall in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....
bei Gaildorf
Gaildorf
Gaildorf is a town in the district of Schwäbisch Hall, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the river Kocher, 13 km south of Schwäbisch Hall.-People:* Stefan Everts* Hermann Frasch...
, Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
- May 1, 1914, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
) was a mining engineer and inventor known for his work with petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
and sulphur.
Biography
He was the son of John and Frieda Henrietta (Bauer) Frasch. Both his parents were natives of StuttgartStuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
. His father was burgomaster of Gaildorf. Herman was educated in the city of Halle, passing through the successive grades of the public and Latin schools and the gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
.
At the age of 16, Frasch began practicing pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
in Halle, but about one year later came to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, sailing from Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
and landing in Philadelphia. After his arrival in the United States, he entered the laboratory of John Michael Maisch
John Michael Maisch
John Michael Maisch was a United States pharmacist, the "father of adequate pharmaceutical legislation."-Germany:...
at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. Here he worked for several years, perfecting his knowledge of pharmaceutical chemistry. He was notable for his daring and originality in experimention. His interests turned gradually to industrial chemistry, a branch of the science which was then coming into prominence.
In 1874 he established his own laboratory. He received his first patent, covering a process for utilizing tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
scrap, in 1874. His second patent was on a process for purifying paraffin wax in 1876. Both of these became important to industry. Paraffin wax was formerly a waste by-product in oil refining, but with his invention became capable of utilization in the manufacture of candles and for other industrial purposes. He also developed paraffin paper
Wax paper
Wax paper is a kind of paper that is made moisture proof through the application of wax....
, which had great and varied uses as a waterproof packing for foodstuffs, confectionery, etc., and made possible the safe transportation and preservation of many substances, otherwise perishable. Other earlier inventions were connected with the production of oil, salt and white lead
White lead
White lead is the chemical compound 2·Pb2. It was formerly used as an ingredient for lead paint and a cosmetic called Venetian Ceruse, because its opaque quality made it a good pigment. However, it tended to cause lead poisoning, and its use has been banned in most countries.White lead has been...
.
In 1885 he started the Imperial Oil Company, Petrolia
Petrolia, Ontario
Petrolia is a town in Ontario, Canada, near Sarnia. The town, an enclave within Enniskillen Township, is billed as "Canada's Victorian Oil Town" and is often credited with starting the Oil industry in North America....
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. The oil from Petrolia contained up to 0.7% sulfur, which gave the petroleum made from it a strong odor and the name skunk
Skunk
Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...
oil, which was practically not marketable. After several tries he was able to desulfurize the petroleum by reacting the oil vapor with a mixture of iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
, lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
, and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
oxide. The formed sulfides were roasted in air to remove the sulfur, to reform the oxides which could be then reused. His product became a serious competitor to Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
oil.
The Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
of John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...
in Lima
Lima, Ohio
Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....
suffered from the same problem. Thus, Rockefeller bought the Empire Oil Company and employed Herman Frasch to solve this problem with John Wesley Van Dyke
John Wesley Van Dyke
John Wesley Van Dyke was president of the Atlantic Refining Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1911 until 1927. After the break-up of Standard Oil Trust, Van Dyke led the debt-ridden Atlantic Refining Company into expanded markets and sales of more than $131 million.-The early years:Born...
. The Hermann process worked for the first time in an industrial scale in 1888. As he was paid in shares of Standard Oil, Herman Frasch became rich with the success of his method.
During the search for oil in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, near the present-day town of Sulphur
Sulphur, Louisiana
Sulphur is a city in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 22,512 at the 2000 census. Sulphur is a suburb of Lake Charles, and is part of the Lake Charles Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, sulfur was found under a layer of 200–300 m of quicksand
Quicksand
Quicksand is a colloid hydrogel consisting of fine granular matter , clay, and water.Water circulation underground can focus in an area with the optimal mixture of fine sands and other materials such as clay. The water moves up and then down slowly in a convection-like manner throughout a column...
. All attempts to get to the sulfur with conventional mining shafts ended in disaster. Herman Frasch bought the surrounding area, but the sulfur containing area was not on his property. On October 20, 1890, he took out three patents for the Frasch Process
Frasch process
The Frasch process is a method to extract sulfur from underground deposits. It is the only economic method of recovering sulfur from elemental deposits...
. He then made a contract with the owners of the sulfur deposit.
He erected a plant at the location of the sulphur deposits, and, by sending down superheated water through a boring of 1,000 feet, he melted the sulphur. The melted sulphur then ascended to the surface through an inner tube in the boring, and was pumped into bins several feet high, in which it solidified, and the blocks were later broken up and loaded directly onto rail cars. The result of the invention was a reduction of the importation of sulphur into the United States to less than one-tenth of its former proportions, and a corresponding increase in home production. The first sulfur was extracted in 1894. High water and energy consumption, as well as the presence of toxic hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless, very poisonous, flammable gas with the characteristic foul odor of expired eggs perceptible at concentrations as low as 0.00047 parts per million...
, were problems which had to be solved.
Herman Frasch became head of the Union Sulphur Company which dominated the sulfur market until his patents ran out in 1911. Herman Frasch was accounted as the sulphur king. After the sulfur deposits where exhausted the company changed its focus from sulfur to oil.
Frasch was awarded the Perkin medal in 1912. Frasch's surname is often mis-spelt Frash.