IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF SEAWEEDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING THEREFROM CERTAIN VALUABLE PRODUCTS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Smith McArdle, of Galway, Ireland, Manu-
facturing Chemist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT
OF SEAWEEDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING THEREFROM CERTAIN VALUABLE
PRODUCTS."
Sealed the 17th December 1861, and dated the 22nd June 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Smith M°Ardle at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd June 1861.
I, JAMES SMITH MOARDLE, of Galway, Ireland, Manufacturing Chemist, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
TREATMENT OF SEAWEEDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING THEREFROM CERTAIN
VALUABLE PRODUCTS," to be as follows:
The object of this Invention is to obtain certain valuable products from sea-
weed in a manner not hitherto adopted for the same purpose. I propose in
all cases before using the seaweed to thoroughly decompose it, so that I
obtain the various salts and substances obtainable from seaweeds, in larger
quantities and of better quality than by the means at present used by burning.
which process must to a certain degree destroy some of the valuable properties
it contains. For the production of some substances I employ steam, for others
I partly char the weed, and for others I employ suitable acids. But in no
case do I burn it; the great feature of this Invention being to use the sea-
weed in all instances in a state of decomposition.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Smith M°Ardle in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st December 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
SMITH MOARDLE, of Galway, Ireland, Manufacturing Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Smith M°Ardle, Her special licence that I, the said James Smith
M'Ardle, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as T, the said
James Smith McArdle, 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
THE TREATMENT OF SEAWEEDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING THEREFROM CERTAIN
VALUABLE PRODUCTS." upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
James Smith McArdle, 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.
IN
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Smith McArdle, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say:-
The seaweed being freshly gathered on the coast, my first process consists
in washing it with water heated by steam, for the purpose of removing all
saline matter, which to some extent retards the decomposition which takes
place in the next stage of operations, which consists in piling the mass of
washed seaweed up into a heap. when by means of the usual effects of
heating fermentative decomposition takes place, and the bulk of the materials
becomes reduced; during the heating process the mass of weed operated upon
must be kept dry. At this stage of the operation I now reduce the mass
down and obtain the salts therefrom, leaving the alkaline and saline matter
unaffected. The organic matters which are generally attached to the chrystals

page_text: being removed by a slight charring; the water which is employed for washing
after repeated use gets saturated, and I then evaporate it and obtain the
chrystals held in suspension.
The advantages which I obtain by my plan of subjecting the mass of weed
to the slow action of decomposition instead of adopting the ordinary burning
process is, that by the former (my) plan the organic matters which we wish
removed are effectually decomposed and fly off, while the inorganic matters
wished to be retained remain behind in the state required; but by the old plan
of burning, where the object is to destroy the vegetable matter, and reduce the
mass into a small bulk, the organic matter is not only destroyed, but at the
same time a great amount of the volatile inorganic matter, such as the iodides,
bromides, and a portion of the chlorides, are dissipated, and the oxy-salts
become decomposed or reduced into their basic forms, which not only lessens
the quantity, but changes the quality.
In order to obtain the ammonia which I find exists to the extent of about
1 per cent. in seaweed, I mix the weed with a caustic alkali, preferably
potash, or with an alkaline earth (lime), and subject the mass to distillation.
The alkali I recover again in combination with the residual salts which are
unaffected by the process, and the hydrogen of a portion of the water uniting
with the azole or nitrogen of the seaweed passes off as ammonia, which is
condensed by means of sulphuric or hydrochloric acid forming sulphates or
muriates of ammonia. When the whole of the ammonia has passed over I remove
the residue from the stills into a large box or case, preferably formed of sheet
iron, the top having an aperture formed in it to receive the charge, which said
aperture can be rendered air-tight; in the lower part of this box is an iron
sliding bottom resting upon bars, and formed so as to be opened or shut at
intervals. In this box, in order to destroy the remaining organic matter, [
charr the residual mass when taken from the stills by means of steam of high
temperature; when the operation has been continued sufficiently long I with-
draw the mass by means of the sliding bottom. In order to keep the mass in
motion during the operation I fix an agitator of the usual form.
I heat the dissolving pans by means of steam introduced by pipes passing
through the liquor, when the salts obtained as above are dissolved the liquor
becomes saturated, it is drawn off into the evaporating pans, and the process
of evaporation and chrystallization proceeds in the ordinary manner, the
various salts being saturated at the proper times by the different stages of
chrystallization, when dissolved, after the destruction of the organic matter, I
am enabled to produce far more beautiful salts. After separating the various
salts, namely, the sulphates, muriates, and chlorides, the residue or mother

page_text: liquids contain the iodides and bromides, which I precipitate by a salt of
sulphate of copper from their solutions as iodides and bromides of copper,
leaving in solution sulphates of potash and soda, which I obtain by evaporation
and chrystallization. The precipitated iodides and bromides of copper I
pass into the iodine still with the proper chemical equivalents of peroxide of
manganese and sulphuric acid. The temperature being gradually raised
decomposition ensues, and protosulphates of copper and manganese being
formed, the iodine passes over into the condensor, while the bromine which is un-
chrystallized passes in a state of vapour to the extreme end, and is arrested
in a receiver containing a solution of caustic potash. The sulphate of copper
formed in the residual matter f again recover and rechrystallize, using the same
sulphate of copper as at first for the next charge, and so on again and again.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and how the same is
carried into effect and the results obtained. I wish it understood that what I
claim and desire secured to me by the before in part recited Letters Patent is,
the method of treatment of seaweed for the purpose of extracting or obtaining
therefrom the valuable products herewithin mentioned by the processes,
methods, and means, substantially as set forth in this Specification.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Smith M'Ardle, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this 19th day of December, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-one.
JAMES SMITH MARDLE. (L.S.)