P002242 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 1995-06-29 human Annette Alafaci updated 2024-10-16 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P002242b.htm person Somerville John Laird AACR2 1899 25 January 1986 Place of Birth Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia Place of Death Australia Chemist John Somerville was a key player in the growth and advancement of Australia's paper industry. In the 1920s 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.

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.

1921 1921 Career position - Chemist at the Forest Products Laboratory in Perth 1922 1922 Career position - First commercial manufacture of pulp and paper from Australian eucalypts 1928 1930 Career position - Chemist at the Tasmanian Paper Co. 1931 1934 Career position - Somerville Fractionator developed 1931 1934 Career position - Chief Chemist at the London Paper Mills in Kent, UK c. 1935 1965 Career position - Chief Chemist, Australian Newsprint Mills 1943 1944 Career position - President, Royal Australian Chemical Institute, Tasmanian branch 1953 1953 Career position - President, Australian and New Zealand Pulp and Paper Industry Association 1971 1971 Award - L. R. Benjamin Medal Somerville, John Laird (1899-1986)

Trove

 'Somerville, John Laird', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Somerville, John Laird Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Resource Section: Somerville, John Laird Somerville, John Laird Australian Science Archives Project 1995 Physics in Australia to 1945 R.W. Home, with the assistance of Paula J. Needham Book Section: Benjamin, Louis Reginald Samuel (1892-1970), chemist and technologist Somerville, J. L. Benjamin, Louis Reginald Samuel (1892-1970), chemist and technologist Melbourne Melbourne University Press 1979 Australian dictionary of biography, volume 7: 1891 - 1939 A-Ch Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle 264