IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF SEWAGE AND OTHER POLLUTED WATERS AND THEIR DEPOSITS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN.”
Year: 1878

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PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Gustav Valentin Alsing at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd July 1878.
GUSTAV VALENTIN ALSING, of Bradford, in the County of York, Civil Engineer.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF SEWAGE AND OTHER POLLUTED WATERS
AND THEIR DEPOSITS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN.”
This Invention relates to improvements in the defcccation and treatment of
sewage and other polluted waters, whereby the aqueous and solid portions
suspended or dissolved therein are deodorized, discoloured, and separated from
each other; and in the employment of a new arrangement of the various tanks,
reservoirs, and apparatus for drawing off the water and withdrawing the solid
matter, and when sufficiently dry, manufacturing the same into building or paving
bricks, drain pipes, tiles, pottery, and sanitary wares, and for any other purpose
wherein clay is utilized; also in condensing and utilizing the vapours produced by
the burning of the solid matter, to regain the ammonia and other valuable products
contained in those vapours.
In carrying out my Invention I mix with the sewage or polluted water a certain
quantity of sulphurous acid, by preference, one part of sulphurous acid to eighty
parts of sewage, but which may be increased or decreased according to the quality
of sewage or other polluted waters to be purified, the sulphurous acid is placed in a
receiver to which is fitted a tap or ball valve to regulate the flow of the acid in
proportion to the increase or decrease of the quantity of the sewage or polluted
waters; the sewage or polluted waters after mixing with the sulphorous acid flows
into a reservoir which I denominate the "catch pit," and which is of sufficient size
to allow sand, gravel, or any other heavy substance to deposit, and the sewage or
water to flow through it.
The sewage or polluted water passes from the "catch pit" into a gully, in which
are placed screens or any other suitable apparatus to keep back any Hoating matter
contained in the sewage or water, and after passing through the screening appa-
ratus, the sewage or water flows into another gully or canal, and which I call the
mixing canal, and in which I mix with the sewage or polluted water a certain
quantity of clay, by preference, one ton of clay to every million gallons of sewage,

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but which may be increased or decreased according to requirement; or I may use
with the clay a portion of agricultural or alluvial soil and sand; I prefer omploying
rude clay as it comes from the ground, which I first free from stones by passing it
through rollers or any other suitable apparatus, the clay is afterwards mixed with
water in any suitable mixing apparatus and allowed to flow in a liquid state in the
mixing canal, and gets mixed with the sewage either by the velocity of the flow of
the sewage acting on stop partitions fitted in the mixing canal, or by any other
agitating means.
The sewage or polluted water passes from the mixing canal into a reservoir or
precipitating tank, where the sewage or water is allowed to remain until the solid
matters either in solution or suspension have been precipitated, the water then
passes through floating tubes and through a distributing gully into a filter tank, in
which is placed coke or other filtering materials; the water after passing through
the coke passes through openings made in the bottom of the tank, and through two
gullies into a third, which is also lined with coke or other suitable filtering
materials, and serves as an upward filter, the water filtering through it from the
bottom upwards and passes off from the upward filter gully into the river or other
outlet; or I may further filter by passing through suitable land. After running off
the water from the precipitating tank, the residue or sludge is discharged through
a valve fitted in the bottom of the tank, and flows through a culvert below the
distributing gully into a sludge tank; here the sludge settles again and in a more
compact substance, and when sufficiently dry or removed and dried artificially to
the desired firmness, it is manufactured in the usual way either by hand or by
machinary into building or paving bricks, drain pipes, tiles, pottery, or sanitary
wares, or into other various substances for which clay can be utilized.
The vapours arising from the burning of the sludge are condensed in a suitable
way, so as to regain the valuable ingredients, such as ammonia, and other valuable
products.
I do not confine myself to the manner of mixing the sulphurous acid with the
sewage or polluted water before it enters the "catch pit," as it can be effected at
any point or together with the clay, before the sewage or polluted water enters the
precipitating tank, nor do I confine myself to the use of the sulphurous acid, as I
may add other purifying agents to the two main ingredients, but I prefer the
combination of clay and sulphurous acid.