VEB ELEKTROCHEMISCHES KOMBINAT BITTERFELD

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A003400300010-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 16, 2009
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: April 22, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
SUBJECT VEB Elektrochemisches Kombir at Bitterfeld DATE DISTR.
DATE OF INFO.
This Document contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States, within the mean-
ing of Title i8. Sections 718 acid 741, oftthe U,S. Cnde, s
amended. Its transmiseton or reeeiatlo*r of its contents
to or receipt by an unmuthortzed pe'rscn is prohibited
by law. The reproduction of this ions is prohibited
4 25X1
'22-- April 1954
NO. OF PAGES
25X1
1. The organic department of the Bitterfeld Electrochemical . Combine was organized.
into the benzol manufacturing section which produced benzol chlorine and an in-
secticide called Gesarol,1' a phthalic acid. ester called Palatinol,'`and phosphoric
chloride, phosphorus trichlorid.e, phosphorus oxychloride and phosphorus penta-
chloride; the softening agents section which produced. tricresylphi3sphate and.
t'iphenyl phosphate; the section which produced carbon tetrachlori.de;an.d. the
special plants of Werk-Nord which produced. oxalic acid and formic acid,and a
plant in Werk-Sued which made benzoic acid and. sodium benzoate.
2. Hydrochloric acid. was recovered from the combustion resift-es of chlorine gas in
the inorganic department. Small quantities of hydrochloric acid were also recovered.
by chlorinating processes in the organic department. In late 1950, the Combl.ne
used. about 10 percent of its productions for its requirements, >riainly for
calcium. The balance of the production of hydrochloric acid. went almost entirely
to WI-smut A.G. which allegedly processed a 38 percent acid. The phosphorus section
-still had only one furnace and. had no chance of getting a second one. The chloride
]manufacturing sections needed a monthly supply of 30 tons of phosphorus. Con-
siderable quantities of phosphorus were sent to Piesteritz for the manufacture of
phosphoric acid. Apatite from the Klbla Peninsula,-whose supply varied, was used
pine-grained.
in the manufacturing process and often caused difficulties, as only
material'was available. A new method involving 'pulverized. apatite had, therefore,
been developed.. The apatite was stirred with spent sulphide solution supp?l_ed from
the Agfa plant in Wolfen and formed a thick paste which was subsequently granulated.
in a kiln. Ammonia from Leuna was the basic material for all nitrogen products
made in Bitteifeld.. The ammonia oxydation plant, which had. a monthly capacity of
about 2,200 tons of nitric acid., was equipped. with seven`V2A-steer double furnaces
which dated from WW II and had. remained. undamaged.. A new catalyzer was developed
from cobalt aluminate based. on research work started. during the war. Between 1946
and. 19)+9, the r seinirtechan.ical. experiments hwd. made such progress that the appropriate
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conversion of the existing oxydation plants could be started and could be completed.
in 1950. The new method. required. that. in addition to the previous ,platinum-net
contact, a second one of aluminum oxide be fitted to each furnace, making it necessary for the flues to be arranged vertically to prevent the gases flowing past
from blowing off the cobalt aluminate contact. As a result of this convervibAl
the previous losses of platinum were reduced, while the percentage of nitric acid
remained the same. Aluminate of cobalt was obtained by treating aluminum sulphate
with cobalt ammonia and heating it with hydrogen in a small rotary kiln. In this
way the required granulation of the contact agent was obtained. Nitric acid was
used mainly in producing ammonium ni Fite otassium ammonium nitrate 25X1
am~.r~=~~
(Kalk+srrmansAlpete~)for fertilizers, certain quantities of a=,o%
uos
xitratee were also delivered to factories manufacturing explosives. Small quantities
of nitrinitrate of natrium (sic) obtained were shipped to VEB-Farbe11Lfabrik Wolfen.
Limited. quantities of fluorine were produced in cooperation with the plant in
Dohna and were used. in Bitterfeld for the manufacture of an agent called Freon.
Gaseous fluorine had. not yet been obtained.. Plans during recent years called for
expansion of the fluorine industry with emphasis on fluor chloride-Which, thermically
(sic) treated , produced high-grade plastics.
3. ' A new manufacturing ;method was developed at Bitterfeld for during the perioadif r~lciu !.
1946 to 1947, when, on Soviet orders, a large plant p
was built. This new plant consisted of three manufacturing plants. The first, ',. chl Gated in a building which ethegchlorinated chlorate electric baths.
(sic), The second melted
Since the residual metallic calcium still contained a certain percenntage of impu-
rities, the third plant melted the calcium with metallic copper and distilled it
under high vacuum pressure. With the copper binding all components in a calcium
copper alloy, the calcium distillate had a high degree of purity. About 150 tons
of distilled calcium metal were produced in 1949. In 1950, this plant was closed
down, but was preserved. for an emergency.
4. Since early 1950, a new plant, which had been built on a design completed in
February 1949, was in operation for the manufacture of titanium dioxide. The
designed production was about 80 tons of pure titanium dioxide per month and
about 40 tons of titanium dioxide with impurities of iron. The eg14.pment in-
cluded 4 4VMso1Ution (sic) containers, 1 container for the manufacture of germinating
(sic) solution, 2 filter presses, 4 hydrolytic containers, 1 rotary annealing furnace.
and one rotary lying kiln (sic). The daily consumption of raw material and additionc.:_...
agents for the monthly output of 80 tons of pure TLO2 at the installation was about
10 tons of ilmenite, 0.8 tons of iron filings, 1.5 tons of sodium sulfate, 20
tons of hydrochloric acid gas, 80 percent pure, 0.7 tons of concentrated sulphurs-
acid, 0.4 tons of caustic soda and 20 tons of high-pressure steam for the hydroly-
tic process. About 30 kg of barium hydroxide, 50 kg of phosphoric acid, 30 kg
of potassium bisulfate and. 50 kg of potash were scheduled to be used as mineral--
'izers or stabilizers of TL02 pigments. About 750 cubic meters of water
from the Mulde River and 150 cubic meters of purified drinking water were also
expected. Since the average daily requirement of 20 tons of hydrochloric acid
gas was not consumed at an equal rate during 24 hours of operation, the hydrochloric
acid gas production has to be keyed. to the process of dissolution of ilmenite,
working usually with three tanks and leaving one in reserve. The hydrochloric
acid gas feed pipes were lined with rubber to prevent corrosion and were large enough
to guarantee an hourly flow of about 3, tons without loss of pressure. The four
diksolution containers were also rubber-lined and had a layer of acid-proof stones
.Qn the rubber layer. The concentration of the dissolution agent in'the containers
Was about 150 to 250 grams of free muriatic acid (sic). About 200 to 300 kgs of mud
were set free by the d3.iaolution process which was filtered off by two filter presses
of rubberized component parts. Each of the four containers had a gross capacity
of 12 cubic meters and. a net capacity of 7 cubic meters. One served as a stand-by
and., in case of emergency, could'also be used as a storage tank. Each hydrolite
charge could remain in the container for 8 hours, as 8 dissolution solutions had to
be processed. daily in three dissolution containers available for continuous ope-
-_ration. This period. of 8 hours included 1 hour for charging, 1 hour for heating
up,_3'hours for hydrogenation under high steam pressure, and from 2 1/2 to 3 hours
for draining and simultaneous filtration of the contents of the containers through
rotary filters. These were supplied by VEB Maschinenfabrik Sangerhausen . The
daily output of the filtering plant was about 8 tons of wet m-titanic acid containing
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between 50 and. 60 percent of water. .,The 603 content was between 2 nd l4 Pere eT U
with respect to the m-titanic acid.. "" wet titanic acid was ~-e with pure
Water by means of a lead-lined helical stirring device, d the rea)ir+ - s-tabi3tzers
added from a small dosing container. The mass then flowed from the helical.
device. into a rubber-lined conntainer,, fitted-with a stirrer and,vhile being stirred.,
W45 conveyed to an annealing furnace over a rustproof trough. The compactness of
the mass wag between 1.2 and 1.4 (sic). The annealing furnace'w designed for
a .three-hour operation and a maximum temperature of 11000 C..-The i;rrtary kiln had
Acid firebrick lining. The annealed m.Pterial, which left the furnace at a temperature
.of.between 400 and 609? C, was slightly agglomerated and was gtourid. in*,,balltype
,grinding device in a wet grinding process. These wet grinding machines were lined
.with stoner, containing titanic acid and were filled with grinding balls Stich
also contained titanic acid and were supplied by VEB Rescho-T abla, Rermsdorf,
Thuringia. At the end of the manufacturing process, the broken mass was cmveyed
into a rotary drying oven., which was also lined with acid firebricks. Desulphurized
generator gas was used for heating the annealing furnace and the drying oven to
avoid decolorization of the final product. The hourly quantity of waste from the
hydrolytic plant was between 120 and 150 cubic meters, with a`asily average of between
10 and 20 tons of muriatic acid. Between 10 and 20 tons were .,haired daily to,
neutralize this percentage of acid. Between 3 and 5 tons of mud were obtained., daily
from the hydrolytic operation and the waste. One or two tons -from the ^;?r^l.yti-c
operation were dumped daily on the waste heap. Most, of the remaining mud re.sith
of 2 or 3 tons daily from the Waste di sposal. system went Into the drain system as
t'ating material, while the deposited mud was also carried-`:o the waste heap. Excep;.
for the . production of titanic dioxide- for. paint, only the sma11_ quantities of
titanium needed for producing ferrotitanium were processed'at Werk Nord. The main
consignees of titanic dioxide were the Bitterfeld plastic p1.ent of the Combine,
which consumed about 60 percent of the total for ina1%:ing pigment, and. st .3small
paint factories. The ferrotitanic dioxide was ordered mainly by the Kjellberg
Elektroden & Maschinen GmbH, Finsterwaldeyfor welding electrodes which could
stand a certain percent-,age of iron.
All research work carried out btu the Electrochemical Combine had previously
served manufacturing purposes and, prior to early 1950, each section of the
plant had developed independently. In early 1950, a central research station
was established at the t.matigation of Btaro tin(fnu),a: RuseIa head! engineer, who
left the factory in mid-1951. This station , which was in the scientific laboratory
was designed to examine manufacturing problems and to send results to the various
factories for practical development. Although this plan'w not curried out,
inasmuch as research work was still done mainly in the laboratories of the factories,
.some kind of coordination was assured, as the central, research station was kipt
informed on the most important work done at the factories. In research work, the
1ke4 of thelplants and their laborator"jr personnel, previously subordinated to their
section chi6fs, were placed under the head of the research station which drafted
3bng-term research plans for major manufacturing projects.
Research projects, which were important for the production scheme of the Combine
during the postwar years, included the development of a manufacturing method for
methylene chloride. The Agfa film factory of SAG Fotopi~r a in Wolf :n was interested
in thLt method for the manufacturing of tat :omhiastible film, fo .,Is, Methylene
'chloride was prepared from methanol chlorinated in iron distilling columns with the
aid of various catalysts., e.g. zinc chloride. Methanol 'Vas introduced into the column
from the top and chlorine gas from the bottom to react with ''t'he methanol. The column
was.fitted with plates to lengthen the reaction path, At the beginning of the
rear' ibn rocess, the apparatus was heated to between 50 and 604 C. by means of
carbon resistors and,, after a certain initial period, was switched off, as the process
was exothermic. Methyl chloride, which was recovered during the first- stage of this
process, in undergoing another chlorination process in a comparatively sma?.1 similarly
arranged set of apparatus, produced. methylated chlorides., A fracticirtal separation of
methyl chloride and methylene chloride was made at this point becsuse of the
fluctuations which occurred during the process. The separate* methyl chloride
was then again conveyed into the chlorination chamber, Ia the summer of 1952,
,difficulties in the chlorination process still. occurred
since it was not always possible to control the process completely.
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Ex essive chlorination rc:sul'tid in the formation of c~il.orofo:rm. ~ese f'a .lure.
wer.L allegedly remedied. later . An ex-1.>ion of the i-116 at th~tt
times had a monthly4capa(. i *-y of 10 tons., was scheduled-
Further development research corccerrr.ed compounds of barium. Experiments for the
manufacture of barium chloride which was needed for prir.c.ipi i.ating sodium Sul-
phate for the Combine?s electrolytical purposes and., in. small quantities for
pest-killing agents, starred in 1948. The barium salts required were obtained.
from West Germany. Heavy spar ;ferruginous sulfate of barium) was reduced in an
old rotary kiln. The barium sulfide recovered was chlorinated ,and the sulphur
monochloride formed. was expelled. and used for the plant's purposes. The final
products was waterfree barium chloride. The chlorination plant worked at a temper: >. ? u_,-e
of between 800 and.900 C. It took a long time to overcome all difficul.Eies, as
the sulphurc:hl.oride formed could not be separated without special A.s~
The chlorination apparatus was frequently choked. arid the required p'essure of
chlorine dropped to 5 or 6 kg above atmospheric pressure, cooling down the temperature
of t.e apparatus and. d. laying the entire pr?oc.ess . In 1950, the monthly production
of barium chloride stil.l fluctuated between '20 au~.d. 60 while the minimum
requirement of the Combine was 50 tons. After 1949, atttrrrfs to produce barium
nitrate started.. Heavy spar from. Thuringia was put into a. small aLu':o{'lave with
a opacity of 150 to 200 liters which worked under a pressure of bei;wee 'r 1 ?0 and
150 C. (sic) and carbonic acid was added.. Carbonate of barium was thus
without difficulties, the barium carbonate was then easily dissolved. wi? ?,
nitricc.acid.. In mid.-1950, when. about two tots of barium could. be produced mont-h:i._v
with this apparatus and rte methods indicated, the cox-.at uct.i.on. of large scale
equipment was started.
8. After 1946, the Bi tterfeld. plan-,.4.- worked on the development of new peso icid=s.
A monthly production of 2 tons of bcenzol hexachl..oride was ,with (ii:ficu.lty,
made possible in mi.d-1950 r_ the spring of 1950, the construction of a large pro-
duction plant started. as a result of ex_peri.men?al. work on. t; r manufacture of hexa-
chlorcyclohexane and. other gamma products for pesticides Jr) 1949 and 1950..
Bayer products were dup.l.:i.cat;ed. 3.n the field of phosphoric ae ld ester to be used
as insecticides. Although some results were obtained in late 1950, th,f' final re-
sults were rather unsat:i.sfactor.ir. The utilization of the prover. el;hods based or_
phosphoric acid. ester seemed rather doubtful;, as the comparatively E mall quantities
of phosphoru -.available had to be used for more Important products. From 1946
to 1948, various experiments were made with insecticides containing arsenic They
were, however, given up later because of their toxic effects.
The procurement of aluminum ore was a problem for the al.umi:nu.m. department of +; le
Combine when its pertinent: tns caiiatiorrs had resumed operation, Deliveries of
bauxite from Hungar ' L and. y'u_goslavia were mostly insuffI c . en' . as to quantity and,
in some cases, quality. The deliveries from Yugoslavia c6-eased altogether after
while.. Large stocks of bauxite had. first been available at. the I.,auta-Werk and. w ire=
concentrated. in Bitterfel.d... Although experiments to dissolve the bauz-ite wa.tb
acid. clay obtained from East Germany were successful to some extent,, they did ,or
go beyond thacexperimer tal stage: in late 1950. B peat,ed. demands for bauxite with
low silicic acid content from Hungary seensrl to indicate that. . domestic clay could
not yet meet the requiremel.ts of the aluminum factor. y in Ei t-'.e feld..
10. Experiments to obtain potass4.um persul.fate anal. hjOr.?oger peroxide whi c h
were made from 1945 to 1948 remained unsuccessful for financial reasons and
because the consulting chemist had been eliminated as poli'nn:Lrally unreliable. V"e:rl
the experiments were di sconti.nued, the hydrogen peroxide was still imperfect as it
continued. to dissociate i.rtto hydrogen and oxy-ger..
11. Experiments to improve the Hooker patent for the electrolvaia of sodium p' ."ide
which had started. in early 1.949 were successful The Improvement resulted.
the tier arrangement of tte: electrolytic double cells arid some interior alternation
which eliminated.-the necessity of using mercury. The wall cells were later also
used w thout rubber lining. These changes allegedly permitted the use. of more
curren in the doub,e- bath and thus increased. the concentration of energy. The
tier arrangement also saved space. An experimental plant of 16 double cells.
with a capacity of about 60 tons of sodium hydroxide, was put into cper-ati ors
near the engine house electrolysis plant No 1 at the northern plant.
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12. After several experiments, the chief of the oxygen section in mid- 19149 started
production of a mixture of nitric acid :.)r ammonibm of lime ble!..ded with
phosphorus slag. No information was available on the results of fertilizing
tests made with this mixture. Experiments on growth hormones for plants were
successful to some extent, They involved dichlor phenyl.ic vinegar (sic) which was
sprayed. on tomato plant's during the blossoming period. Horipulturai experiments
carried out with this material in the summer of 1949 and. 1950 resulted in fruits
twice as large as normal ones, with no stones or kerntls and. goo flavor.
It was believed. that the enlargement of the fruits was due to a sort of cancerous
growth. The difficulty of the method was the correct determination of the moment
of spraying wich otherwise had no effect.
13. Research work on softening agents also involved esters of the homologues of benzoi-
One ester compound of good qualities which was obtained was a success because
of its anti-freezing properties. it was used for the casting of foils made from
tested. Similar tests were
polyvinylchloride. This softener was thoroughly
initiated with other derivatives of benzol. A'device for high-frequency welding
of plastics.,- which was developed in 1948 and 1949, could. allegedly be attached
to any se g machine in place of the needle to function. as mc~vin:g;?ir?l ing~ e1ec-
trode (sic).
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