and Water, and in the Purification of Gases, and in the Decoloration of Sugar and other Matters and for; other like Purposes.
Year: 1884

page_text: and Water, and in the Purification of Gases, and in the
Decoloration of Sugar and other Matters, and for; other like
Purposes.
"
a
1
I ARTHUR ANGELL of the Town and County of Southampton Public Analyst
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF MATERIALS FOR USE IN THE PURIFICATION BY FILTRATION OF
SEWAGE AND OTHER FOUL LIQUIDS AND WATER AND IN THE PURIFICATION OF
GASES AND IN THE DECOLORATION OF SUGAR AND OTHER MATTERS AND FOR
OTHER LIKE PURPOSES to be as follows:-
"
My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in the prepara-
tion or manufacture of that class of materials used for filtering purifying and
decolorizing which consist of clay and carbonaceous matters mixed together with
water and calcined or burned the value of which material for the said purposes is
dependent on its porosity i.e the amount of interstitial area within a given bulk.
According to the method of manufacture of the said material as heretofore
practised the clay and carbonaceous matters are mixed together with sufficient
water to produce cohesion and the composition so produced is allowed to dry by
exposure to the atmosphere or the water is evaporated from the composition by
exposing it to a moderate degree of artificial heat. The dried composition is then
placed in closed retorts and calcined or burned.
The objects of my improvements are first to produce a material having a greater
interstitial area than is, possessed by that manufactured as herein before described
and further to produce a material which will effectually remove soap from sewage
and from water contaminated with soap.
In order to effect the first of the said objects I subject the composition consisting
of clay and carbonaceous matter and water to a high degree of heat without
previously drying or evaporating or driving off the water from the said composition
by a low degree of heat as herein before described,

page_text: In order to effect the second of the said objects I add lime to the composition
consisting of the ingredients herein before described.
In carrying out my said Invention I take any kind of clay or marl or mud or
clay or marl or mud and slaked lime and add thereto sufficient water to produce a
composition of a creamy consistence and I then add carbonaceous matter such as
sawdust to the said composition in sufficient quantity to produce a stiff mass which
I place while moist in a retort or kiln or coking oven and at once apply a high
degree of heat thereto. By this means the water is rapidly driven off and the
composition burned or coked. The rapid vaporization of the particles of water
in the said composition and the action on the said composition of the vapour while
escaping produce the maximum amount of porosity in the material.
No special kind of kiln or coking apparatus is needed. Any simple open vessel
which will stand a red heat will suffice providing the charge be covered with a
layer of carbon to keep it from contact with air during the coking process.
Dated this sighteenth dow of Antoba 1001.

page_text: Decoloration of Sugar and other Matters, and for other like
Purposes.
I ARTHUR ANGELL of the Town and County of Southampton Public Analyst
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF MATERIALS FOR USE IN THE PURIFICATION BY FILTRATION OF
SEWAGE AND OTHER FOUL LIQUIDS AND WATER AND IN THE PURIFICATION OF
GASES AND IN THE DECOLORATION OF SUGAR AND OTHER MATTERS AND FOR
OTHER LIKE PURPOSES " and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My Invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in the
preparation or manufacture of that class of materials used for filtering purifying
and decolourizing which consist of clay and carbonaceous matters mixed together
with water and coked or burned the value of which material for the said purpose
is dependent on its porosity, i,e the amount of interstitial area within a given
bulk.
According to the method of manufacture of the said material as ordinarily
practised the clay and carbonaceous mixtures are mixed together with sufficient
water to produce cohesion and the composition so produced is allowed to dry by
exposure to the atmosphere or the water is evaporated from the composition by
exposing it to a moderate degree of artificial heat. The composition so dried is
then placed in closed retorts and calcined or burned.
By the slow drying of the said composition before burning it considerable density
or compactness is produced which is disadvantageous when the composition is used
for the purposes hereinbefore referred to the beneficial action of the said com-
position when thus used being greater or less according as its porosity is greater
or less.
The objects of my invention are first to produce a material having a greater
interstitial area than is possessed by that manufactured as herein before described
and secondly to produce a material which will remove soap from sewage and from
water contaminated with soap.
In order to effect the first of the said objects I subject the composition consisting
of clay and carbonaceous matter and water to a high degree of heat without
previously drying or evaporating or driving off the water from it by a low degree
of heat as herein before described.
*
In order to effect the second of the said objects I add lime to the composition
consisting of the ingredients herein before described the proportion of lime being

page_text: from one to ten per cent by weight of the other ingredients according to the
quantity of soap contained in the liquids to be treated.
In carrying out my said Invention I take any kind of clay or marl or mud or clay
or marl or mud and slaked lime and add thereto sufficient water to produce a com-
position of a creamy consistence and I then add to the said composition sawdust or
other suitable carbonaceous matter in sufficient quantity to produco a stiff mass
which I place while moist in a retort or coking oven or other suitable vessel and at
once apply a high degree of heat thereto. By this means the water is rapidly
driven off and the composition burned or coked. The rapid vaporization of the
water in the said composition and the action on the said composition of the vapour
while escaping produce great vesiculation or porosity in the material the amount or
extent of vesiculation or porosity so produced being dependent on the temperature
at which the water is evaporated from the said composition.
No special kind of apparatus is needed. Any simple open vessel which will
stand the required heat will suffice providing the charge be protected from free
access of air during the coking process. The charge may be sufficiently protected
by covering it with a layer of sand or of powdered coke or coal. The pots or
vessels may be charged with the moist composition before being placed in the
furnace or they may be placed in the furnace and be thoroughly heated before
being charged with the moist composition.
'
After carbonizing the composition I remove it from the pots or vessels in which
it has been carbonized and quench it with water or I place it in a vessel or
chamber and exclude air therefrom and leave it until cool The sand or other
matter with which the composition in the carbonizing pots or vessels is covered
may be separated from the carbonized composition before discharging them.
Where it is desirable to produce the maximum amount of porosity the heat of
'the furnace may be raised to the degree necessary for carbonizing, the composition
before exposing the moist composition to the action of the furnace A sufficient
amount of porosity to render the composition of considerably greater utility than
that produced by the ordinary process may however be produced by exposing the
moist composition to the action of the furnace, when at a lower temperature than
that required for the carbonization of some classes of inaterials therefore no definite
temperature can be stated. I have found that good results are produced by exposing
the composition while in the moist state to the action of the furnace when at a
bright red heat but higher temperatures and somewhat lower temperatures may
advantageously be used. The only test by which the sufficiency of the temperature
(within certain limits) may be ascertained is the condition of the composition after
carbonization If the composition when carbonized be compact and dense like that
produced by the carbonization of materials slowly dried as by the ordinary process
or if the composition when carbonized be not sufficiently porous its condition is an
indication that the temperature to which it was exposed while the water was being
evaporated from it was too low. The only limit to the upward range of temperature
to which the moist composition may advantageously be exposed is, that at which
vitrification of the composition is produced after the moisture has been driven off
which limit varies from about eight hundred degrees Fahrenheit to about, two
. thousand degrees Fahrenheit according to the nature of the constituents of the
materials used in the preparation of the composition. In cases where the clayey
matter used contains more than about sixty per cent of silica and very little or no
alkali the higher temperature is available and in cases where the clayey matter
used contains more than three or four per cent of alkali the lower temperature
should not be exceeded. In all cases the temperature of the furnace should be
high when the moist composition is first exposed to the action of the heat in order
that the vapour of the water while forming and escaping may act freely to produce
.the required porosity or vesiculation in the composition. It is not in all cases
necessary for the temperature to be as high while the water. is being evaporated
from the composition as is required while the composition is being carbonized
'

page_text: although as will be understood by the foregoing no injurious effect will be produced
on the composition by such temperature.
The composition must be exposed to the action of the furnace for a sufficient
time after carbonization has begun to thoroughly carbonize the said composition in
order that the clayey matter in the carbonized composition may not return to the
clayey state when exposed to the action of water. This latter precaution is
however necessary in carbonizing compositions of the nature of those herein before
described whether the moisture has been driven off therefrom by the ordinary
process or by ny process hereinbefore described. From the foregoing it will be
understood that the temperature and time necessary for thoroughly carbonizing
any particular composition may be ascertained by analysis of the raw materials
used in the preparation of the said composition and by experiment with the
carbonized composition.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
.
First. Driving off the moisture from a composition of the kind herein before
described and carbonizing the said composition by the continuous action of a high
degree of heat substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
Secondly. The improvements herein before described in the manufacture of a
composition consisting of clayey matter and carbonaceous matter that is to say
charging the composition while in a moist state into vessels and at once exposing
the said composition in the said vessels to a temperature sufficient to produce the
required porosity in the said composition and to carbonize it substantially as and
for the purpose herein before described.