IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MANURES AND IN THE PURIFICATION OF GAS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Thomas Way, of 9, Russell Road, Kensing-
ton, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MANURES AND IN THE PURIFICATION OF GAS."
Sealed the 1st February 1870, and dated the 3rd August 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Thomas Way at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 3rd August 1869.
I, JOHN THOMAS WAY, of 9, Russell Road, Kensington, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MANURES AND IN THE PURIFICATION
or GAS," to be as follows:-
The first part of this Invention consists in the production of phos-
phates of ammonia by means of diphosphate of lime described in my
Patent, No. 2344, bearing date the 14th August 1867.
1st. I bring solutions containing ammonia or carbonate of ammonia
in contact with the diphosphate of lime, by which the ammonia is:
.converted into phosphate of ammonia. I evaporate the solution with or

page_text: without previous filtration and separation of the phosphate of lime, and
employ the product as manure. Or to solutions containing ammonia or
carbonate of ammonia I add caustic lime, and distil over by heat or by
a current of heated air, condensing the ammoniacal vapour in diphos-
phate of lime, by which means phosphate of ammonia is formed as in
the first instance.
2nd. I mix sulphate of ammonia with diphosphate of lime and use
the mixture as manure; or from such mixture I dissolve out and
separate the phosphate of ammonia and evaporate it as in No. 1.
3rd. I mix diphosphate of lime with hydrochloric acid and sulphate
of ammonia in the proportion of one equivalent or combining proportion
of each. I use the mixture as manure, or I dissolve out the soluble
portion from the sulphate of lime produced and evaporate the solution
for use.
The second part of my Invention consists in the use of the diphos-
phate of lime to separate ammonia from coal or other illuminating gas.
I cause the gas to pass through a chamber containing diphosphate of
lime distributed on perforated shelves or other suitable arrangement, by
which means any ammonia contained in the gas is arrested as phosphate
of ammonia. When the diphosphate has become sufficiently saturated
I remove it for use as manure, or I separate the phosphate of ammonia
by treatment with water as before described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Thomas Way in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 3rd February 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
THOMAS WAY, of 9, Russell Road, Kensington, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
2
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of August, in the year of 3
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Thomas Way, Her special licence
that I, the said John Thomas Way, my executors, administrators, and

page_text: assigns, or such others as I, the said John Thomas Way, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MANURES AND IN THE PURIFICATION OF Gas," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Thomas Way, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Thomas Way, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
manures and in the purification of gas.
The first part of this Invention consists in the production of manures
containing phosphates of ammonia by means of diphosphate of lime, a
substance described in my Patent, No. 2344, bearing date the 14th
August 1867.
1st. I bring solutions containing ammonia or carbonate of ammonia
in contact with the diphosphate of lime, by which the ammonia is
converted into phosphate of ammonia. I evaporate the solution with or
without previous filtration and separation of the phosphate of lime, and
employ the product as manure. This process is applicable to the
treatment of ammoniacal liquors, such as the ammoniacal liquor of.
gasworks. I add to such liquors from 15 to 20 lbs. of dry diphosphate.
of lime (or a quantity of wet diphosphate containing 15 or 20 lbs.).
for each pound of ammonia contained in the liquor. For instance
to 1000 gallons of gas liquor containing 2 per cent. of ammonia or
200 lbs. I add from 3000 lbs. to 4000 lbs. of diphosphate of lime. I
mix the diphosphate with a quantity of liquor sufficient to make it
into a thin paste, and heat the mixture by steam or otherwise to a
temperature of 150° to 200° Fahrenheit, I then add the remainder of the

page_text: liquor by degrees, continuing the heat until the smell of ammonia
disappears or is greatly reduced, and I evaporate the mixture to dryness
at a temperature not exceeding 212° Fahrenheit. The product contains
phosphate of ammonia and triphosphate of lime, the latter in a highly
divided state. It is very suitable for manure, especially on light soils.
Or to solutions containing ammonia or carbonate of ammonia I add
caustic lime, and distil over by heat or by a current of heated air,
condensing the ammoniacal vapour in diphosphate of lime, by which
means phosphate of ammonia is formed as in the first instance. This
process is applicable especially when the ammoniacal liquor contains a
large proportion of tarry matters. I add lime to it, and distil over the
ammonia by employing a current of air blown or pumped through the
ammoniacal liquor to which lime has been added. I warm the liquor to
facilitate the escape of the ammonia, or I heat the air before passing it
into the liquor. The air so charged with ammonia is then passed
through a chamber or chambers containing diphosphate of lime
distributed on perforated shelves. These chambers are heated by steam
pipes or other suitable means, so that the watery vapour accompanying
the ammoniacal vapour is unable to condense, and is allowed to escape
whilst the ammonia is arrested by the diphosphate of lime. I prefer to
employ several such chambers arranged in series, so that the vapour
leaving the first passes into second, and so on, by which means the
last portions of ammonia are secured. When the diphosphate of lime
in the chamber which first receives the vapour is saturated with
ammonia the chamber is shut off from the series to be emptied and
refilled with fresh diphosphate, and the vapour is diverted into the
second chamber, which then becomes the first in the series, the newly
filled chamber being now the last. In this way a dry or comparatively
dry product is obtained without a second evaporation. The use of air
to carry over the ammonia may be omitted, or the process may be varied
by condensing the ammonia in water or acid in the usual way, and
adding the diphosphate of lime to the solution. If I desire to have the
phosphate of ammonia produced by any of the foregoing methods
separate from the phosphate of lime, I remove the insoluble portion by
subsidence or filtration and evaporate the liquid to dryness at a gentle
temperature; or when the product is dry I digest it in water in order to
separate the soluble and insoluble portions. The insoluble portion which
is principally triphosphate of lime with some phosphate of ammonia, is
valuable as manure, or may be reconverted into diphosphate of lime by

page_text: one or other of the processes described in my Patent of the 14th August
1867 (No. 2344) for the manufacture of that substance.
2nd. I produce manures containing phosphates of ammonia by means of
diphosphate of lime by mixing sulphate of ammonia with disphosphate
of lime. From such a mixture the phosphate of ammonia may if desired
be dissolved out and evaporated as in No. 1. I mix the sulphate of
ammonia and diphosphate of lime with sufficient water to moisten the
mixture. I allow the mixture to digest with occasional addition of
water from time to time to keep it moist. The proportions I prefer to
use are 6 parts by weight of diphosphate of lime to 1 part of sulphate
of ammonia. The mixture may be dried up in any convenient manner.
3rd. I produce manures containing phosphates of ammonia by means
of diphosphate of lime by mixing diphosphate of lime with hydrochloric
acid and sulphate of ammonia. I use the mixture at once as manure,
or I dissolve out the soluble portion from the sulphate of lime produced
and evaporate the solution for use as manure. For every 100 lbs. of
diphosphate of lime I prefer to add 80 lbs. of hydrochloric acid of 30
degrees Twaddell (or 30 p. c.) and 50 lbs. of sulphate of ammonia; I
usually mix the diphosphate and sulphate of ammonia first and then
add the acid, but this is not material. I may state that although it
is desirable that the proportion of diphosphate and acid here indicated
should be adhered to in order that the whole of the phosphoric acid in
the product should be soluble in water, the proportion of sulphate of
ammonia may be increased or diminished at pleasure. The product can
be used as manure without further treatment.
The second part of my Invention consists in the use of the diphosphate
of lime to separate ammonia from coal or other illuminating gas. I
cause the gas to pass through a chamber containing diphosphate of.
lime distributed on perforated shelves or other suitable arrangement,
by which means any ammonia contained in the gas is arrested as
phosphate of ammonia. When the diphosphate has become sufficiently
saturated I remove it for use as manure, or I separate the phosphate
of ammonia by treatment with water, as before described. When using
diphosphate of lime in the purification of gas I cause the gas after
passing through the ordinary lime purifier to pass through a vessel
containing diphosphate of lime distributed on perforated plates. The
apparatus now in use for purifying gas by dry lime is very suitable for
this purpose, diphosphate of lime being substituted for hydrate of lime.

page_text: When the gas is first passed through a dry lime purifier I find it
desirable that before coming in contact with the diphosphate of lime it
should be made to pass through a vessel of water in order that it may
take up sufficient moisture to enable the diphosphate more readily to
absorb the ammonia. The diphosphate of lime may be advantageously
employed on the small scale to arrest from gas before it is burnt any
portion of ammonia which has escaped the ordinary purifying processes.
A few pounds of the diphosphate distributed on shelves in a small
vessel through which the gas is caused to pass will be sufficient to
purify from ammonia all the gas required for the supply of an ordinary
dwelling house for many months. The gas may conveniently be
passed through the purifying vessel in its passage from the meter to the
burners. When the diphosphate of lime is saturated with ammonia I
use it as manure, or I dissolve out the soluble portion as previously
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Thomas Way, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Second day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.