A NEW MANUFACTURE
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Owen Bowen of 52 Coal Exchange in the City of
London, Civil Engineer, and Ambrose Miller, also of 52 Coal Exchange in the
City of London, Coal Factor for an invention of "A NEW MANUFACTURE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Owen Bowen & Ambrose
Miller at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd May 1882.
OWEN BOWEN of 52 Coal Exchange in the City of London Civil Engineer, and
AMBROSE MILLER also of 52 Coal Exchange in the City of London Coal Factor
"A NEW MANUFACTURE APPLICABLE AS A DEODORIZER AND FILTRANT."
In treating sewage and other fetid refuse waters, for the purpose of enabling the
liquid portions thereof to be discharged in an innocuous state into rivers and
streams, various plans have been devised more or less successful for deodorizing
and filtering the same.
The several processes adopted have, however, proved costly, both as regards the
materials used and the plant required in dealing with large quantities.
In some cases also great difficulty exists in getting the raw material, such for
instance as blood, which is used to carry out one well-known process of treating
sewage.
Now the object of the present invention is to produce at a small cost a material
which will remedy these disadvantages.
"Lanemark
To this end we employ cannel coal, and preferably that known as
Cannel "broken into pieces about the size of cob nuts, and we add to it from 5 to
10 per cent of alumina, preferably in the form of ordinary aluminous clay, sub-
jecting the combined mass to the action of fire in a kiln or retort such as are used
in gas making, whereby the cannel is converted into coke.
It is found that this coke when ground or crushed in a suitable machine affords
a filtering medium particularly suited for treating sewage, and other fetid refuse
waters containing ammonia and nitrogenous matters, by reason of its peculiar

page_text: deodorizing properties and its capacity for absorbing and retaining the valuable
salts contained in such waters.
The crushed coke prepared as above explained is charged into one or more
suitable filtering tanks fitted in the usual manner with inlet and outlet pipes, and
the sewage or other fluid under treatment, having been first properly mixed, is
passed through the material within the tanks, and is deodorized in its passage.
We have found that 1 cubic foot of this new material is capable of filtering and
deodorizing about 10,000 gallons of ordinary town sewage, the spent material
affording a valuable manure, and the water running off in an innocuous, and even
potable condition.
This use of the new material enables sewage to be disposed of rapidly and
economically, while the coke as it comes from the retort is worth as a fuel some
168/- per ton.
By the use of this deodorizing filtrant it would be practicable to erect collecting
and filtering tanks at various places in the metropolis and other towns; and by
thus collecting and treating the sewage before passing into the main or branch
sewers much costly outlay for pumping and lifting stations, and the costly tanks
and reservoirs required for the precipitation of the raw sewage under the present
systems, would be obviated

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Owen Bowen & Ambrose Miller in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 3rd November 1882.
OWEN BOWEN of 52 Coal Exchange in the City of London Civil Engineer, and
AMBROSE MILLER also of 52 Coal Exchange in the City of London Coal Factor
"A NEW MANUFACTURE APPLICABLE AS A DEODORIZER AND FILTRANT."
In treating sewage and other fetid refuse waters for the purpose of enabling
the liquid portions thereof to be discharged in an innocuous state into rivers and
streams various plans have been devised more or less successful for deodorizing and
filtering the same.
The several processes adopted have however proved costly both as regards the
materials used and the plant required for dealing with large quantities of refuse.
In some cases also great difficulty exists in getting the raw material, such for
instance as blood which is used to carry out one well-known process of treating
sewage.
Now the object of the present Invention is to produce at a small cost a material
which will remedy these disadvantages.
To this end we employ cannel coal and preferably that known as "Lanemark
Cannel "broken into pieces about the size of cob nuts, and we add to it from ten
to twelve per cent of alumina preferably in the form of ordinary aluminous clay, or
brick earth, free from silica, subjecting the combined mass to the action of fire in
a kiln or retort similar to those used in gas-making, whereby the cannel is converted
into coke. A convenient mode of effecting the combination is to take a trolly full
of cannel and mix with it the above proportion of clay or brick earth, free from
silica, before charging the retort therewith
It is found that this coke when ground or crushed in a suitable machine affords
a filtering medium particularly suited for treating sewage and other fetid refuse
waters containing ammonia and nitrogenous matters by reason of its peculiar
deodorizing properties and its capacity for absorbing and retaining the valuable
salts contained in such waters. We have also found that this coke is well suited
for filtering the water supplied by Water Companies owing to its clarifying and
softening properties.
The crushed coke prepared as above explained is charged into one or more
suitable filtering tanks fitted in the usual manner with inlet and outlet pipes, and
the sewage or other fluid under treatment is passed through the material within
the tanks and so deodorized and filtered and clarified in its passage.-We have
found that one Cubic foot of this new material in each of two tanks is capable of
filtering and deodorizing about ten-thousand gallons of ordinary town sewage, the
spent material affording a valuable manure, and the water running off in an
innocuous condition while the same quantity of material is capable of filtering and
clarifying some twenty-five-thousand or thirty-thousand gallons of water as
ordinarily supplied by Public Water Companies
The use of this new material enables sewage to be disposed of rapidly and
economically, while the gas as it comes from the retort is not affected injuriously
either in volume or purity by the alumina or aluminous clay employed in its
production.
By the use of this deodorizer and filtrant it would be practicable to erect
collecting and filtering tanks at various places in the Metropolis, and other towns,
and by thus collecting and treating the sewage before passing into the main or
branch sewers much costly outlay for pumping and lifting stations, and the costly

page_text: "
tanks and reservoirs required for the precipitation of the raw sewage under the
present systems would be obviated.-We would remark that the Lanemark
Cannel," owing to its comparative freedom from sulphur as compared with many
other cannels is found best for the above purpose.
tt
Many cannels, moreover, such for instance as Boghead Cannel " do not yield
a clean cinder or coke, but burn to a white ash, and will not do therefore for the
manufacture of our new material; what is required being a clean coke free
from asb.
Having now set forth the nature of the said Invention of "A new manufacture
applicable as a deodorizer and filtrant" and explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect we wish it to be understood that We claim :-
The new manufacture above described produced by the distillation of cannel coal
in combination with alumina or aluminous clay free from silica as and for the
purpose set forth.
In witness whereof we the said Owen Bowen and Ambrose Miller have here-
unto set our hands and seals the third day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
OWEN BOWEN (L.S.)
A MILLER
(L.S.)