Two views of the construction of the phosphoric acid furnace at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory located in Washington, D.C. This furnace was used to make phosphoric acid through the so-called furnace acid process, an energy-intensive process that uses large amounts of electrical energy to separate phosphorus from phosphate rock. The individual visible on the right-hand side of the photographs is identified as Mr. Royster.

The Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory (F.N.R.L.) was established at American University in 1919 under the directorship of Arthur B. Lamb. Initially part of the War Department, the F.N.R.L. was the successor to several wartime initiatives to develop a secure domestic supply of nitrate compounds necessary for the manufacture of explosives during World War I. With a staff of about 110 individuals, including 35 to 50 chemists, the F.N.R.L. focused on the manufacture, production, and development of products of atmospheric nitrogen, including munitions and fertilizers.