Only after a long wait did the Reactor begin to rumble with the sound of boiling.
Lavoisier merely watched the technicians busily at work—he had already guided them through the production process again and again—and explained to the Crown Prince:
"Very soon, the solution will be distilled, then pumped into another Reactor to begin cooling and precipitation.
"Of course, there will still be other impurities in the product, but they'll only need simple treatment."
He pointed again toward the discharge outlet, where three workers were loading damp, pale-yellow powder into sacks.
"After that, once it has been dried in the sun, we'll obtain Potash Fertilizer with a purity of over ninety-seven percent. At present, this factory can produce around one hundred sacks a day, which is five tons. Provided the raw materials are sufficient."
"You've done extremely well." Joseph nodded in praise, then asked, "Then, if we wanted to increase production capacity by a hundredfold, how long do you think it would take?"
A monthly output of one hundred and fifty tons seemed like a great deal, but compared with the Fertilizer consumption of all France, it was simply like adding a spoonful of sugar to a swimming pool. According to the calculations Joseph had previously had the Ministry of Agriculture make, the country needed at least two hundred thousand tons of Potash Fertilizer every year before any obvious effect could be seen. Lavoisier was stunned for a moment, then weighed his words and said, "Your Highness, for such a high output, the factory must be built at the Salt Mine production site."
"Yes. I've already had people level the land near the Salt Mine in the Palatinate and build housing. You may go preside over the factory's construction at any time." Lavoisier had already grown used to His Highness