AN ARTIFICIAL SUBSTITUTE FOR "REDONDA GUANO,' 'ALTA VELA GUANO, AND OTHER NATURAL PHOSPHATES OF ALUMINA TO BE USED IN THE DEFECATION OF SEWAGE, IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR FROM CANE AND BEETROOT JUICES, AND IN THE PREPARATION OF CERTAIN CHEMICAL PRODUCTS SUCH AS PURE ALUMINA, AND THE ALKALINE AND EARTHY PHOSPHATES AND ALUMINATES."
Year: 1872

page_text: EFTERS PATENT to Campbell Morfit, of Baltimore, State of Maryland,
United States of America, Chemist, but at present of 35, South.
ampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention
of "AN ARTIFICIAL SUBSTITUTE FOR "REDONDA GUANO,' 'ALTA VELA
GUANO, AND OTHER NATURAL PHOSPHATES OF ALUMINA TO BE USED IN THE
DEFECATION OF SEWAGE, IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR FROM CANE AND
BEETROOT JUICES, AND IN THE PREPARATION OF CERTAIN CHEMICAL PRODUCTS
SUCH AS PURE ALUMINA, AND THE ALKALINE AND EARTHY PHOSPHATES AND
ALUMINATES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Campbell Morfit at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th August 1872.
I, CAMPBELL MORFIT, of Baltimore, State of Maryland, United States
of America, Chemist, but at present of 35, Southampton Buildings,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said

page_text: Invention for "AN ARTIFICIAL SUBSTITUTE FOR REDONDA GUANO,' 'ALTA
VELA GUANO," AND OTHER NATURAL PHOSPHATES OF ALUMINA TO BE USED IN THE
DEFECATION OF SEWAGE, IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR FROM CANE AND BEETROOT
JUICES, AND IN THE PREPARATION OF CERTAIN CHEMICAL PRODUCTS SUCH AS PURE
ALUMINA, AND THE ALKALINE AND EARTHY, PHOSPHATES AND ALUMINATES," to be
as follows:-
This artificial-substitute is in fact a counterpart chemically of the
Redonda and Alta Vela guanos, but when in a solid state it has nearly
double the contents of valuable constituents of either of the latter.
That is, when dried it consists wholly of aluminium and iron oxides, and
phosphates free from silica, organic matter, sulphate of lime or any
diluting matter whatever, moreover it may be delivered into market as a
solid or liquid. I produce it from those low grades of rock guano and
other mineral phosphates of lime which contain so much of alumina and
iron compounds in association with the phosphate of lime constituent as
to render those minerals more or less unmarketable. The crude mineral
having been reduced to powder and digested with a sufficient quantity
of hydrochloric acid to dissolve out all the soluble matter, the liquor
thus obtained is to be decanted or filtered off, and treated with lime,
carbonate of lime, magnesia, carbonate of magnesia, alumina, phosphate
of alumina, oxide of iron or phosphate of iron singly or jointly, in just
sufficient chemical proportion to separate from its associates in the liquor
and precipitate only the phosphate of lime constituent as a di or tri-
phosphate according to requirement. To this end the liquor must be
tested always in advance for the precise determination quantitatively of.
its phosphate of lime component apart from all other matters which it.
_may contain. See my Provisional Specifications, Nos. 2341, and 2344,
of August 6, and August 7, 1872, respectively.
Upon being left to repose there rises to the top a "mother liquor"
which retains all the aluminium and iron compounds of the original
mineral in hydrochloric solution and together with some chloride of
calcium. This "mother liquor" separated from the subsident precipitate
by decantation or filtration is the subject of the present application for
Provisional Protection. It may be concentrated by simple evaporation
to any required density or strength for economy of transportation to
distant sewage works, and it is ready for immediate use after being
.merely diluted with water in place of the specially prepared solutions of
"Alta Vela guano," or other mineral phosphate in sulphuric acid..

page_text: The modes of application are in every respect precisely those employed
generally for the defecation of sewage by means of solutions of mineral
phosphates; and the results correspond also but in much more favor-
able degree with the "mother liquor," that is, the sewage precipitate
does not contain any sulphate of lime or excess of lime to lessen its
agricultural value by lowering the proportion of its organic and phos-
phatic constituents, as is the case when the defecating liquor is a special
sulphuric solution of mineral phosphate of alumina. Moreover the
expense of acid and plant as well as all the trouble and delay which
the special preparation of a solution of mineral phosphate involves,
necessarily are saved by the substitution of the "mother liquor" afore-
said. In addition it renders the important enterprise of sewage purifi-
cation independent of those possible contingencies of high freights and
deficient supplies which would beset an imported raw material in time
of war or through exhausted sources.
When the "mother liquor" aforesaid is to serve as raw material for
the manufacture of the chemical products previously enumerated, then
its chloride of calcium and hydrochloric acid must be first eliminated.
This I do by adding milk of lime until a precipitate ceases to form. The
aluminium and iron compounds are thus separated in solid form and
require only to be filtered, washed and pressed, they are then ready for
market or chemical treatment, according to the product or products into
which it may be intended to convert them. Being in the state of pulp
and having a very tender condition chemically they are acted upon very
readily by acids and alkalies, and thus any chemical work in connection
with them will progress easily and quickly.

page_text: our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in tho thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Campbell Morfit, Her special licenco
that I, the said Campbell Morfit, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Campbell Morfit, 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, usc, excrcise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN ARTIFICIAL SUbstitute
FOR 'REDONDA Guano,'' Alta Vela Guano,’· and OTHER NATURAL PHOSPHATES
OF ALUMINA TO BE USED IN THE DEFECATION OF SEWAGE, IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
SUGAR FROM CANE AND BEETROOT JUICES, AND IN THE PREPARATION OF CERTAIN
CHEMICAL PRODUCTS SUCH AS PURE ALUMINA, AND THE ALKALINE AND EARTHY
PHOSPHATES AND ALUMINATES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Campbell Morfit, 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 Campbell Morfit, 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 :-
My improvement is for an artificial substituto for "Redonda guano,”
"Alta Vela guano," and other natural phosphates of alumina, to be used
in the defecation of sewage, in the manufacture of sugar from canc
and beet root juices, and in the preparation of certain chemical products,
such as pure alumina and the alkaline and carthy phosphates and
aluminates.
This artificial substituto is in fact a counterpart, chemically, of the
Redonda and Alta Vela guanos, but when in a solid state it has nearly
double the contents of valuable constituents of either of the latter. That
is, when dried, it consists wholly of aluminium and iron oxides and
phosphates, free from silica, organic matter, sulphate of lime, or any

page_text: -
diluting matter whatever. Morcover, it may be delivered into market
as a solid or liquid. I produce it from those low grades of rock guano
and other mineral phosphates of lime which contain so much of alumina
and iron compounds in association with the phosphate of lime constituent
as to render those minerals more or less unmarketable. The crude
mineral having been reduced to powder and digested with a sufficient
quantity of hydrochloric acid to dissolve out all the soluble matter, the
liquor thus obtained is to be decanted or filtered off and treated with
lime, carbonate of lime, magnesia, carbonato of magnesia, alumina,
phosphate of alumina, oxide of iron or phosphate of iron, singly or
jointly, in just sufficient chemical proportion to separate from its
associatos in the liquor and precipitate only the phosphate of lime con-
stituent, as di- or tri-phosphate, according to requirement. To this end
the liquor must be tested, always in advance, for the precise determina-
tion quantitatively of its phosphate of lime component, apart from all
'other matters which it may contain. Sco Specifications of my Patents,
Nos. 2841 and 2344, of August 6th and August 7th, 1872, respectively.
Upon being left to repose there rises to the top a "mother liquor,"
which retains all the aluminium and iron compounds of the original
mineral in hydrochloric solution, and together with some chloride of
calcium. This "mother liquor" separated from the subsident precipitato
by decantation or filtration is the subject of the present. Invention... It
may be concentrated by simple evaporation to any required density or
strength for economy of transportation to distant sewage works, and it is.
ready for immediate use after being merely diluted with water in place
of the specially prepared solutions of "Alta Vela guano," or other
mincral phosphate in sulphuric acid. ·
7
-
The modes of application are in every respect precisely those employed
generally for the defecation of sewage by means of solutions of mineral
phosphates, and the results correspond also, but in much more favorable
degree, with the "mother liquor." That is, the sewage precipitate does
not contain any sulphate of lime or excess of lime to lessen its agri-
cultural value by lowering the proportion of its organic and phosphatic
constituents, as is the case when the defecating liquor is a special
sulphuric solution of mineral phosphate of alumina. Moreover the
expense of acid and plant, as well as all the trouble and delay which
the special preparation of a solution of mineral phosphate involves
necessarily, are saved by the substitution of the "motlier liquor” afore-

page_text: said. In addition, it renders the important enterprise of sewage purifica-
tion independent of those possible contingencies of high freights and
deficient supplies which would beset an imported raw material in time
of war or through exhausted sources.
When the "mother liquor" aforesaid is to serve as raw material for
the manufacture of the chemical products previously enumerated, then
its chloride of calcium and hydrochloric acid must first be eliminated.
This I do by adding milk of lime until a precipitate ceases to form. The
aluminium and iron compounds are thus separated in solid form and
require only to be filtered, washed, and pressed. They are then ready :
for market or chemical treatment, according to the product or products
into which it may be intended to convert them. Being in the stato of
pulp and having a very tender condition chemically, they are acted upon
very readily by acids and alkalies, and thus any chemical work in
connection with them will progress easily and quickly.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the mode in
which I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood that what
I claim is, the preparation from low grades of "rock guano" and other
mineral phosphates of lime of an artificial substitute for "Redonda
guano,
," "Alta Vela guano," and other natural phosphates of alumina to
be used in the defecation of sewage, in the manufacture of sugar from
cane and beetroot juices, and in the preparation of certain chemical
products such as pure alumina and the alkaline and carthy phosphates
and aluminates, by the means and after the manner herein-before sub-
stantially set forth and described.
In witness whercof, I, the said Campbell Morfit, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Sixteenth day of November, in the