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Somerville, John Laird (1899 - 1986)

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Chemist
Born: 1899  Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia.  Died: 25 January 1986  Australia.
John Laird Somerville was a key player in the growth and advancement of Australia’s paper industry. In the 1920’s he helped develop machinery and techniques to perfect the use of eucalypts in paper manufacturing. Somerville worked for Forest Products Laboratory, Tasmanian Paper Co., London Paper Mills as Chief Chemist (UK) and as Chief Chemist at the Australian Newsprint Mills. He is best known for the creation of the Somerville Fractionator, which is still used in today’s paper industry.

Career Highlights
After completing his studies at the University of Western Australia, John Laird Somerville joined the Forest Products Laboratory (Perth) in 1921. There he and L. R. Benjamin developed a modified soda press for pulping eucalypts, which lead to Australia’s first commercial production of eucalypt-based paper and pulp. In 1928 Somerville moved to Tasmania to conduct semi-commercial trials of eucalypt pulping at the Tasmanian Paper Co. plant. These trials lead to the first use of eucalypt-based paper for newsprint which occurred in Canada in 1934.

John Somerville was appointed Chief Chemist at London Paper Mills in Kent, England (1931-1934). There he developed the Somerville Fractionator – a machine used for testing pulp. In 1935 (circa) Somerville returned to Australia and took up the post of Chief Chemist at the Australian Newsprint Mills. He retired from this position in 1965. In 1971 John Somerville was awarded the L. R. Benjamin Medal for his services to the paper industry. Somerville held many positions of honour, including President of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (Tasmanian branch), President of the Australian and New Zealand Pulp and Paper Industry Association, and was a member of the Faculty of Science at the University of Tasmania for many years.

Chronology
1921Chemist at the Forest Products Laboratory in Perth
1922First commercial manufacture of pulp and paper from Australian eucalypts
1928 - 1930Chemist at the Tasmanian Paper Co.
1931 - 1934Somerville Fractionator developed
1931 - 1934Chief Chemist at the London Paper Mills in Kent, UK
c. 1935 - 1965Chief Chemist at the Australian Newsprint Mills
1943 - 1944President of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, Tasmanian branch
1953President of the Australian and New Zealand Pulp and Paper Industry Association
1971L. R. Benjamin Medal received

 
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Structure based on ISAAR(CPF) - click here for an explanation of the fields.Prepared by: Annette Alafaci
Created: 29 June 1995
Modified: 29 January 2007

Published by The University of Melbourne eScholarship Research Centre on ASAPWeb, 1994 - 2007
Originally published 1994-1999 by Australian Science Archives Project, 1999-2006 by the Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre
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Updated: 26 February 2007
http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/biogs/P002242b.htm

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