AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING NITROGENOUS SUBSTANCES TO OBTAIN THEREFROM AMMONIA OR SALTS OF AMMONIA AND OTHER PRODUCTS."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Marriott and Henry Marriott, both of Hudders-
field, in the County of York, Manufacturing Chemist, for an Invention of
"AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING NITROGENOUS
SUBSTANCES TO OBTAIN THEREFROM AMMONIA OR SALTS OF AMMONIA AND
OTHER PRODUCTS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Marriott and Henry
Marriott at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th October
1881.
WILLIAM MARRIOTT and HENRY MARRIOTT, both of Huddersfield, in the County
of York, Manufacturing Chemists. "AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS
FOR TREATING NITROGENOUS SUBSTANCES TO OBTAIN THEREFROM AMMONIA OR
SALTS OF AMMONIA AND OTHER PRODUCTS."
The object of this Invention is the treatment of nitrogenous substances, such as
old wool or hair, leather, fish or other animal refuse, excreta, or the like, to obtain
therefrom ammonia, or salts of ammonia, phosphates, and various other products
as hereinafter specified.
For this purpose we use an apparatus whereby the nitrogenous substances are
decomposed in an atmosphere containing no free oxygen. The nitrogenous
substances in some instances are mixed with lime or alkali before their introduction
into the said apparatus.
This apparatus consists essentially of two retorts or cupolas and a saturator. In
the first cupola, coal or coke is consumed, and the combustion therein is maintained
by means of a fan and a steam blower. This cupola is of such diameter and depth
as to effect the combination of all the oxygen of the air or steam admitted to it
with the ignited coal or coke, thereby forming carbonic acid, carbonic oxide, and
hydrogen.

page_text: These gases mixed with the nitrogen from the air are conducted into the bottom
of the second cupola, which contains the nitrogenous substances to be treated or
decomposed for the purposes above stated. The gases there meet a current of air,
the oxygen in which combines with the carbonic oxide and hydrogen, and thereby
generatos sufficient heat to decompose the nitrogenous substances, care being taken
that the quantity of oxygen is less than is required to combine with the entire
volume of these gases,
The gases and vapours from the second cupola are passed into the saturator,
which contains sulphuric acid, wherein all the ammonia or ammoniacal salts will
be retained and the residual gases and vapours, after traversing a series of
condensers, are finally burnt, preferably under a superheater, through which the
air and steam pass on their way to the cupolas.
As pressure exists in the apparatus while the gases and vapours are passing
through the sulphuric acid, we enclose the said apparatus within an air tight iron-
casing.
By the use of our apparatus, hair, wool, or other like substances can be burned
without the offensive smell which ordinarily accompanies the burning of these
matters, and from many of these substances we obtain in addition to the ammonia
or its salts and phosphates, such products as oil, fatty matter, tar, and the like.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Marriott & Henry Marriott in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 6th April 1882.
WILLIAM MARRIOTT and HENRY MARRIOTT, both of Huddersfield, in the County
of York, Manufacturing Chemists. "AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS
FOR TREATING NITROGENOUS SUBSTANCES TO OBTAIN THEREFROM AMMONIA OR
SALTS OF AMMONIA AND OTHER PRODUCTS."
The object of this Invention is the treatment of nitrogenous substances to
obtain combinations of nitrogen, such as ammonia, salts of ammonia, and other
useful products. This object is accomplished by an improved process, carried into
effect by the aid of the apparatus shown in the accompanying Drawing, in which
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section.
Figure 3 is a horizontal section showing a modification of the same.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
A is a cupola built of fire brick and enclosed in plate iron, so that it is properly
air-tight. B is another cupola, well lined with fire brick, and constructed in
substantially the same manner. These two cupolas are hereinafter termed No. 1
and No. 2. C is a box or cistern, and D a saturator, consisting of a wooden case
lined with lead. In cupola No. 1, a, a, are tuyeres; b is a feed aperture secured
by a hydraulic lute of such a depth as to withstand the pressure through the
various operations; c is a door for the removal of the ashes or clinkers; d is a
pipe for conducting the gases froin cupola No. 1 to cupola No. 2. In cupola No. 2
e, f, are feed apertures; g is an air-supply pipe; h is an aperture for the passage of
the volatile products formed in cupola No. 2; ¹ is a pipe extending from the said
cupola to the cistern as shown; i is a door for the removal of ashes, which door is
made air-tight by luting with lime in the same manner as the lid of a gas retort;
1.j.j. are small apertures, also provided with luted doors for closing the same. The
cistern C is provided with a pipe & extending to the saturator D; this pipe k must
be formed of lead, and must dip below the surface of the liquid in the saturator, as
shown.
Hitherto in attempts to utilize organic nitrogenous materials by the conversion
of the nitrogen thereof into ammonia, the method usually adopted has been to
place the materials to be treated in retorts heated from the outside, and in some
cases superheated steam has been passed over the organic matter whilst so heated;
but by reason of the great cost of the fuel necessary for heating the retorts and
the small quantity of organic matter decomposed in a given time, these processes
have not proved commercially successful.
In our improved process the combustion of the fuel takes place in contact with
and amongst the nitrogenous material, being treated so that a continuous and
uniform heat is obtained, and the decomposition of the organic matter is effected
without external heat, as in the case of a retort. The quantity of the nitrogenous
materials burnt in a given time is greatly increased, and as the operation is
continuous, there is no loss of time in charging, as in a retort, or loss of heat in
raising the temperature of the nitrogenous material to the temperature of the
retort. And as the gases generated in cupola No. 1 take up all the free oxygen
of the air blown into the said cupola, and the gases so formed require the oxygen
of the air supplied to cupola No. 2 for their combustion, there is no free oxygen in
the atmosphere where the combustion of the organic matter takes place. Moreover
the residual gases are available as a further source of heat, thus reducing the cost
of fuel to a minimum. The fuel burnt in cupola No. 1 is coke or coal, fed in from
the top as above described, and the combustion is maintained. by means of a strong
blast of air entering near the bottom by the tuyeres on opposite sides of the
cupola,

page_text: A suitable quantity of steam, which is controlled by a valve, is admitted with
the air into this cupola, and it is desirable that this steam should be superheated.
The gases generated in this cupola are principally carbonic oxide, carbonic acid,
hydrogen, and (where coal is burned) hydro-carbon, mixed with the nitrogen of
the air, admitted into the cupola by the said tuyeres.
These gases are conducted by the pipe d into No. 2 cupola. This second cupola
is fed through the aperture e at the top, which is closed by means of a hydraulic
lute of suitable depth, as above set forth in reference to No. 1 cupola, or it may be
fed through the opening f.
The cupola No. 2 is charged with the nitrogenous material, and the gases from
the cupola No. 1 are conducted into the same. At a point marked g* these gases
meet with a current of air supplied by the pipe g; combustion ensues, great heat
is generated in contact with the nitrogenous substance, and the ammonia and
other volatile substances formed are carried with the current through the
aperture h.
The ashes from the burnt nitrogenous matter are removed through the door i.
If the material, instead of descending, should become immovable in the cupola and
so prevent the equal or uniform burning of the enclosed material, a poker may be
introduced through the small apertures j to move it. The ammonia gases and
vapours from cupola No. 2 are conveyed through the aperture h and pipe h' into
the aforesaid cistern or box C, in which any dust, oil, or tar carried over by the
current will be arrested and retained by being caused to pass over liquid and up
and down the divisions . The liquid, which in the first instance is water, is
inaintained at the height of the run-off pipe m.
This water soon becomes a solution of ammonia, but as the apparatus continues
to work the heat expels the ammonia, which is carried by the current into the
aforesaid saturator.
This saturator D is charged with sulphuric acid and water up to the height
shown; the acid combines with the ammonia as it bubbles up through the
same.
If the sulphuric acid solution is of such strength as to stand when saturated hot
at 54 degrees Twaddle, it may be run off to crystallize, and the saturator may be
recharged. Or a stronger solution of acid may be used and the salt as formed
fished out.
After all of the ammonia is removed the gases and vapours are conveyed
through a series of condensers of suitable size and construction to condense the
watery vapour; then these gases are burnt under any suitable boiler, or under a
series of pipes through which the air and steam pass to the cupolas, so that all the
residual gases are economized for the production of heat.
In practising this Invention, if the substance to be operated upon contains
much liquid, as, for instance, in the case of excrement or urine, we modify our
apparatus by substituting for the cistern C a boiler, such as shewn in Figure 3,
into which the liquid is pumped, this boiler being heated by the waste gases from
the condensers. This boiler is provided with agitators, consisting of rotating
frames n provided with chains o.
In working up excrement the solid part must be absorbed by the ashes resulting
from previous combustion in cupola No. 2, and the ammonia gases and vapours are
passed through the boiler, Figure 3, in which the liquid part of the excrement is
heated to the boiling point by the combustion of the waste gases. As the
ammonia in liquid excrement is principally carbonate of ammonia, this passes
along with the current and is absorbed in the saturator. The said boiler must be
provided with an agitator, as shewa, or other suitable device, kept in constant
operation, and the supply of liquid excrement must be pumped into the boiler us
evaporation therefrom proceeds.
If only the ashes resulting from previous combustion in cupola No. 2 are used,
we obtain an inodorous residue, rich in phosphates of lime, salts, and potash, and
containing a small quantity of nitrogenous matter and carbon.

page_text: The boiler containing the liquid excrement must be occasionally emptied and its
contents must be mixed with the ashes from former combustion and then treated
in the same manner as the solid excrementitious matter. If the solid excrement or
excrementitious matter when mixed with the ashes from former combustion is too
dense to allow of proper combustion, a small quantity of fuel, such as breeze, may
be mixed with it in the proper proportion to allow of steady combustion in
cupola No. 2, and as the ashes from cupola No. 2 should always contain carbon the
supply of air to this cupola through the pipe g must be properly regulated to attain
this end.
One great advantage from a sanitary point of view arising from the repeated use
of this carbonaceous ashes is the deodorization of the excrementitious matter as soon
as it is mixed with the same.
Where solid nitrogenous material, such as wool, hair, flesh, or fish, is to bo
treated or operated upon, we find the cistern C is very convenient, but the working
or treatment must be varied with different substances; for example, shoddy, wool,
and hair, are often very dirty and when the dust carried over by the current is
retained in the cistern the ashes from them are of little value. In this case we wet
the shoddy with a solution of soda of a density of from four (4) to eight (8) degrees
Twaddle, or one (1) degree Twaddle for each one (1) per cent. of nitrogen contained
in the wool or hair, and let it remain in a mass or heap until the heat gradually.
generated moistens the whole heap. We then mix with the moist shoddy about
five (5) per cent. of lime previously slacked and moist. This is then charged into
cupola No. 2 and treated or worked as above described.
In working flesh or fish the ash is valuable, so no lime is added, and the operation
is carried on much in the same way as with solid excremont, and the carbonaceous
ash added to the flesh or fish thoroughly deodorizes it.
From these substances and shoddy oil and tar pass over and are retained partly
in the aforesaid cistern C and partly in the acid saturator, but as the oil and tar
are much lighter than the solution contained in the said saturator, they may be
casily skimmed from the surface of the latter.
Having thus fully described our improved process and apparatus we wish it
understood that we do not claim any special form of gas producer, nor do we limit
ourselves to any particular size or construction of the parts of the apparatus,
provided it will permit the combustion to be maintained amongst the material and
in an atmosphere containing no free oxygen, as above explained, but we claim,-
First. The improved process wherein the combustion of the fuel takes place in
contact with the nitrogenous material without external heat and in an atmosphere
which contains no free oxygen.
Second. The employment of the apparatus, constructed as above described, for
the purpose of treating nitrogenous substancos for obtaining ammonia, salts of
ammonia, or other useful products, substantially as set forth.
Third. The production of ammonia, salts of ammonia, oil, tar, or a residue con-
taining phosphates and potash, by treating or working the nitrogenous material
in the manner herein above described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Marriott and Henry Marriott, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Third day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
WILLIAM MARRIOTT. (L.S.)
HENRY MARRIOTT.
(LS.)