IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF SEWAGE AND WATER POLLUTED WITH ORGANIC MATTER to be as follows
Year: 1885

page_text: with Organic Matter.
I JOHN WILLIAM SLATER of N° 36 Wray Crescent Holloway in the County of
Middlesex Analytical and Consulting Chemist do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF SEWAGE AND WATER
POLLUTED WITH ORGANIC MATTER to be as follows:-
"
My invention consists in the use in the treatment of sewage and polluted water
of water naturally impregnated with alumina or with both alumina and iron in
place of artificially prepared solutions of such minerals. Also in the use of water
naturally impregnated with iron for the preparation of solutions of alumina for the
purpose of treating sewage and polluted water. Also in the use for the said
purpose of water naturally impregnated with iron or with alumina or with both
alumina and iron in conjunction with clay and carbon or carbonaceous matter
and blood and soluble salts of magnesia or minerals containing soluble salts of
magnesia.
In treating sewage or water polluted with organic matter with the said mineral
water or mineral waters in conjunction with clay and other matters I proceed as
follows. I mix in any convenient manner with the sewage or water to be treated
the clay and carbonaceous matter and fresh blood and then run into the mixture a
quantity of the naturally impregnated water herein before referred to sufficient to
produce precipitation of the organic matter contained in the sewage or water under
treatment.
In treating the water from starch works and breweries and other polluted water
containing much phosphoric acid and ammonia or carbonate of ammonia I add
thereto in addition to the matters hereinbefore described any soluble salt of
magnesia or any mineral matter (such as Carnallite) containing a soluble salt of
magnesia unless salts of magnesia be present in the water to be treated or in
the mineral water used as a precipitant.
The quantities or proportions in which the matters herein before referred to
should be used vary according to the quantity of organic matter contained in the
sewage or water to be treated. In treating sewage containing an average quantity
of organic matter I add to each thousand gallons thereof about fourteen pounds
weight of clay (containing an average amount of moisture i.e, about forty per cent)

page_text: and about ten pounds by weight of carbon and about half an ounce of blood and
where necessary (as hereinbefore stated) I add about two pounds weight of the
soluble salt of magnesia or such a quantity of carnallite or other mineral containing
a soluble salt of magnesia as will be equivalent to the addition of the said quantity
of salt of magnesia.
In preparing the solid matters herein before referred to for use according to my
invention I grind them with water to a thin paste in which state they are ready
for mixing with the sewage or water to be treated.
•
The clay used should be as free as possible from carbonate of lime and sand or
grit. The carbon may be lignite or sea weed charcoal or peat charcoal or raw
peat obtained from the bottom of the peat beds or the Kimmeridge carbonaceous
material or the refuse carbon resulting from the manufacture of prussiate of potash
or any other refuse carbon.
If the sewage be acid I neutralize it by the addition of lime water or milk of
lime either with the mixture of solid matters or after adding the mineral water.
The lime water or milk of lime is not required to effect precipitation but merely to
correct acidity in the sewage and must on no account be used in such quantity that
the effluent water shall have an alkaline reaction.
In cases where the quantity of mineral water available is insufficient for the
purpose for which it is required or where the proportion of alumina or of iron
naturally in solution in the water is too small I make up the deficiency by adding
to the said mineral water any salt of alumina or of iron in sufficient quantity to
make up the deficiency.

page_text: with Organic Matter.
I JOHN WILLIAM SLATER of N° 36 Wray Crescent Holloway in the County of
Middlesex Analytical and Consulting Chemist do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for 'IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF SEWAGE AND WATER
POLLUTED WITH ORGANIC MATTER and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention consists in the use in the treatment of sewage and polluted water
of water naturally impregnated with alumina or with both alumina and iron in
place of artificially prepared solutions of such minerals. Also in the use of water
naturally impregnated with iron for the preparation of solutions of alumina for the
purpose of treating sewage and polluted water. Also in the use for the said
purpose of water naturally impregnated with iron or with alumina or with both
alumina and iron in conjunction with clay and carbon or carbonaceous matter and
blood and soluble salts of magnesia or minerals containing soluble salts of magnesia
such as the mineral known as "Carnallite."
The said naturally impregnated waters are common in many parts of the United
Kingdom and in places where they are obtainable the purification of sewage and
water polluted with organic matter may be very cheaply effected by the use of the
said naturally impregnated waters as herein described. The presence of the said
minerals in water may be ascertained by the ordinary tests and in the case of iron
the presence thereof is evidenced by the deposit of an ochrey sediment when the
water containing it is allowed to stand for some time.
In cases where a high degree of purity is not required in the effluent sewage
water or other water after treatment or where the temperature of the sewage or
water to be treated is low I use only the water naturally impregnated with
alumina or with both alumina and iron and in thus using the said impregnated
water I simply add it to the sewage or polluted water until precipitation is
produced.
In cases where a high degree of purity is required I use the aforesaid mineral
water or mineral waters in conjunction with clay and carbon or carbonaceous
matter with or without the addition of blood. In such cases I add the clay and
carbonaceous matter and blood (if blood be used) to the sewage or polluted water
to be treated and then run into the said sewage or water a quantity of the
naturally impregnated water herein before referred to sufficient to produce pre-
cipitation of the organic matter contained in the sewage or polluted water under
treatment. Or I mix the clay and other matters with the naturally impregnated
water and add the mixture to the sewage or water to be treated.
The quantity of the said impregnated water necessary to be used depends partly
on the nature and quality and condition of the sewage or water to be treated and
partly on the quantity of the mineral matter contained in the impregnated water or

page_text: waters used. The necessary quantity may be ascertained by running the said
water into the sewage or polluted water to be treated and observing when pre-
cipitation begins to take place. After precipitation of the organic matter I run off
the supernatant water as usual and dispose of the precipitate in any convenient
manner,
I use the soluble salts of magnesia or minerals containing such salts of magnesia
in treating the water from starch, works and breweries and other polluted water
containing as much as or more than one tenth of a grain of phosphoric acid
per gallon in cases where salts of magnesia are not present in such water or in the
mineral water used as a precipitant. When I use the said salts of magnesia or
minerals containing the said salts of magnesia I add them to the sewage in
admixture with the clay and other matters herein before referred to.
The quantities or proportions in which the matters hereinbefore referred to
should be used vary according to the quantity of organic matter contained in the
sewage or water to be treated. In treating sewage containing an average quantity
of organic matter I add to each thousand gallons thereof about fourteen pounds
weight of clay (containing an average amount of moisture i,e about forty per cent)
and about ten pounds by weight of carbon and about half an ounce of blood and
where necessary (as herein before stated) I add about two pounds weight of the.
'soluble salts of magnesia or such a quantity of carnallite or other mineral con-
taining a soluble salt of magnesia as will be equivalent to the addition of the said
quantity of salts of magnesia.
In preparing the solid matters hereinbefore referred to for use according to my
invention I grind them with sufficient water to produce a mixture of the con-
sistence of a thin paste in which state they are ready for mixing with the sewage
or water to be treated.
The clay used should be as free as possible from carbonate of lime and sand or
grit. The carbon may be lignite or sea weed charcoal or peat charcoal or raw
peat obtained from the bottom of the peat beds or the Kimmeridge carbonaceous
mineral or the refuse carbon resulting from the manufacture of prussiate of potash
or any other refuse carbon.
Although I prefer to use blood in conjunction or admixture with the other
matters herein before described it may be omitted. When blood is used it should
be fresh or not coagulated. Blood may be preserved in a state fit for use by
mixing it with about its own weight of clay or dry earth as it is drawn from the
animal.
If the sewage be acid I neutralize it by the addition of lime water or milk of
lime either with the mixture of solid matters or after adding the mineral water.
The lime water or milk of lime is not required to effect precipitation but merely to
correct acidity in the sewage and must on no account be used in such quantity
that the effluent water shall have an alkaline reaction.
The presence of about five grains of iron or five grains of alumina per gallon is
sufficient to render water serviceable in its natural state for the treatment of
sewage and water contaminated with organic matter as herein before described. In
cases where the quantity of mineral water available is insufficient for the purpose
for which it is required or where the proportion of alumina or of iron naturally in
solution in the water is less than that herein before stated I add to or dissolve in
the said mineral water any salt of alumina or of iron in sufficient quantity to make
up the deficiency or if required I add to the said water both salts of alumina and
salts of iron in the required quantity.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it to be
understood that I make no claim to the use per se of water naturally impreg-
nated with iron in the treatment of sewage and water polluted with organic
matter as I am aware that water naturally impregnated with, iron has already
been used alone for the treatment of sewage but I declare that I claim as my

page_text: said invention of "Improvements in the treatment of sewage and water polluted
with organic matter"
First The use for the said purpose of water naturally impregnated with
alumina whether such water be so used in its natural state or after the addition
thereto or solution therein of any salt of alumina or of iron or of both salts of
alumina and salts of iron and whether the said water be used alone or in con-
junction with other matters.
Secondly The use for the said purpose of water naturally impregnated with
both alumina and iron whether such water be so used in its natural state or after
the addition thereto or solution therein of any salt of alumina or of iron or of both
salts of alumina and salts of iron and whether the said impregnated water be used
alone or in conjunction with other matters.
Thirdly The use for the said purpose of solutions of alumina prepared by
dissolving any salt of alumina in water naturally impregnated with iron whether
such solutions be used alone or in conjunction with other matters.
Fourthly The treatment of sewage or polluted water by the addition thereto of
clay and carbon or carbonaceous matter and water naturally impregnated with
alumina or with iron or with both alumina and iron whether the said matters. be
added to the sewage or water to be treated alone or in conjunction or admixture
with blood.
Fifthly The treatment of sewage or polluted water by the addition thereto of
clay and carbon or carbonaceous matter and any soluble salt of magnesia or any
mineral containing a soluble salt of magnesia and water naturally impregnated
with alumina or with iron or with both alumina and iron whether the said matters
be added to the sewage or water to be treated alone or in conjunction or admixture
with blood.
Sixthly The treatment of sewage or polluted water by the addition thereto of a
mixture or mixtures consisting in part of blood in conjunction with the treatment
thereof with water naturally impregnated with alumina or with iron or with both
alumina and iron.