Erling Johnson

Erling Bjarne Johnson (born June 7, 1893 in Oslo ; † November 5, 1967 in Odda ) was a Norwegian chemist, known for developing the nitrophosphate process , which made it possible to use naturally occurring phosphate rocks - for example for fertilizer production which was a major breakthrough.

Live and act

Johnson graduated as a chemical engineer from the Technical University of Kristiania in 1913 and was then until 1916 at the Norwegian School of Agriculture , where he was assistant (Amanuensis) of the chemistry professor Sebelien. Even then he was concerned with fertilizers. From 1915 to 1921 he worked for the North Western Cyanamide Company in Odda. In 1921 he became a member of the Norwegian State Raw Materials Committee. He was the technical manager of the Monopoly paint and varnish factory on Askøy and from 1921 to 1924 of Jakobsen's factory in Oslo. From 1925 he was chief chemist at Odda Schmelzwerke, a manufacturer of calcium cyanamide . He retired in 1963.

Johnson developed the method in 1927/28 at Odda Smelting Works in Odda, Norway, and the patent was granted in 1932. Johnson was familiar with the international efforts at the time to develop complex fertilizers (NPK fertilizers, for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium). The previous processes (for example by IG Farben) were based on the use of expensive sulfuric acid and generated gypsum waste. In the process developed by Johnson, calcium phosphate rocks were digested with nitric acid and then treated with ammonia. Norsk Hydro unsuccessfully protested against the patent (it would have affected their cooperation with IG Farben) and in the end it was also taken over by Norsk Hydro, IG Farben and other large chemical companies (first in 1934 Bmag-Meguin AG, 1938 IG-Farben, later BASF, Hoechst and the Dutch Staatsmijnen). Odda smelters themselves did not use the process in production.

Norsk Hydro, the large Norwegian fertilizer manufacturer, gained access to the developments as early as 1930 and demanded that the foreign rights be transferred in licensing negotiations, against which a protest was raised at the Odda smelting works. At the same time, Norsk Hydro worked in their own research laboratories to circumvent Odda's patents. A patent applied for in 1931 using ammonium nitrate was rejected at the end of 1935. In 1936 they began operating a pilot plant (and a factory in 1938) without a license. A patent dispute was settled in 1947 through a settlement: 175,000 Swedish kronor were paid (in today's value several million euros) and a ten-year cooperation agreement was concluded for the use of the patents. From 1951, Norsk Hydro used the original Odda process instead of its modified version and in 1955 Johnson received the Norsk Hydro Honorary Award.

In 1964 he received the Guldberg Waage Medal from the Norwegian Chemical Society.

Johnson was an avid athlete (skiing, tennis), photographer, and rose grower. He later had a cabin at Fonnastøl . He had three children with his wife Astrid Johnson.

Web links

• Are Nausdals: Erling B. Johnson - mannen bak Oddaprosessen , Kraft Museet (Norwegian)