IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT AND UTILIZATION OF CERTAIN WASTE MATERIALS WHICH HAVE BEEN. USED IN PURIFYING COAL GAS "
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Walker of Saint Andrews Chambers, Park Row,
Leeds, in the County of York for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
TREATMENT AND UTILIZATION OF CERTAIN WASTE MATERIALS WHICH HAVE BEEN.
USED IN PURIFYING COAL GAS
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Walker at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th April 1888:
JAMES WALKER of Saint Andrews Chambers Park Row Leeds in the County of
York "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT AND UTILIZATION OF CERTAIN WASTE
MATERIALS WHICH HAVE BEEN USED IN PURIFYING COAL GAS"
In the Specifications of Letters Patent granted to me and numbered 5269
A.D. 1881. and 1561 A.D. 1882 for purifying Coal Gas I state I use for that
purpose a mixture of coke dust or breeze and bydrate of lime in certain proportions:
and with such preparation as is therein specified.
I also state in the said Specifications that the Coke dust or breeze in any
proportion I use mixed in the hydrate of lime, opens and makes the lime more
accessible and easy for the passage of the Gas and also that the coke dust or breeze,
mixed in the lime, by its angularity, porosity, and natural affinity, filters, absorbs, and
retains sulphur, tarry matter ammonia and other impurities from the Gas while it is
passing through the purifiers charged with the mixture which hydrate of lime when
used by itself for purifying gas will not take up. I find by operating as hereinafter
described upon the fouled mixture of one part coke dust and two parts of lime, after
it has been cast out of the purifiers that I can make a liquor of the density of 9 oz
by Twaddell's hydrometer and by treating exactly in the same way hydrate of lime
which has been used by itself in purifying the Gas. I get a liquor of 40 density
only by the same hydrometer. I find further that the excess of density in the
liquor off the mixture of coke dust and lime is due to various imprurities extracted
from the Gas such as tarry matter, naphthaline, bisulphide of carbon, sulphur,

page_text: sulphuretted hydrogen, ammonia and carbonic acid, of more or less proportions
over and beyond any sulphur the lime of itself had extracted. Also that these
impurities or some of them are soluble in water as proved by the density of the
liquors as aforesaid and can be extracted and applied for useful purposes as herein-
after described.
For the extraction of the soluble impurities contained in the aforesaid mixture of
coke dust and lime after it has purified the Gas into a liquor as aforesaid on a
practical scale, I proceed in the manner following:-I take the fouled mixture say
of one part coke dust or breeze and two parts of hydrate of lime, or other suitable
proportions that may have been used in purifying the Gas after it is discharged
from the purifiers with as little delay as possible and remove it into a house or
shed or other suitable place where I store it ready for my future operations that is
to say having provided suitable cisterns or tanks in size proportionate to the work
I require to be done the said tanks being preferably made of strong 3 inch planks
any length or width suitable to my place of operations and about 2 feet 9 inches
deep, well bolted together and made tight, but preferably lined with sheet lead
placing a tap in a convenient position about the bottom of the liquor and on the
top of the residuum in each cistern for the outlet of the clear liquor when
discharged.
I fill into each cistern to say about one half its depth of clean fresh water hot or
cold to the extent of about 360 Gallons to every ton of the fouled materials
aforesaid intended to be immersed therein. I then pass the fouled materials through
a grinding pan to crush any lumps it may contain before it is put into the cisterns.
so that the water shall have a uniform action upon it while in the cistern and I
then add as much of it as will give the above named proportions of water and
materials. I rake and agitate the mixture in the water as much as is necessary to
thoroughly lixiviate and bring it into a creamy condition. I let the mixture stand
24 hours or thereabouts raking again once or twice in the first 12 hours. At the
end of the 24 hours or thereabouts more or less a clear liquor will be ready for
decanting off the said liquor being of a pale golden colour and of a sulpho alkaline
nature, about the density of 9oz Twaddell as aforesaid. But if a greater proportion
of water has been used the density may be reduced to 6oz. Twaddell which I
consider to be à normal strength for ordinary use for the purposes as hereinafter
described. In the above statement I refer more particularly to the use of coke dust
or breeze which has not been oxidised or mineralized by steeping the coke dust or
breeze in iron water as specified in my Patent Number 5269 A.D. 1881 and to my
Patent 1561 A.D. 1882 so far as it refers to the unmineralized coke dust only. As
the liquor if extracted from the coke dust or breeze mineralized would not be
suitable for my present purposes by reason of having bydrate oxide of iron
introduced therein as is specified in my said Patent No 1561 as an alternative mode
of preparing the coke dust or breeze, I have therefore for the purposes of this
Patent confined the use of the mixture of coke dust and lime as specified in my
Patent No 5269 A.D. 1881 and such part of the Specification of my Patent 1561
A.D. 1882 as deals with the coke dust mixed with the lime not mineralized.
The sulpho alkaline liquor when drawn from the cisterns contains all the soluble
impurities extracted from the gas by the mixture of coke dust and lime while in
the purifiers and I use it for the following purposes :-
First in making a size or stiffening for calico warps, threads and cloth by adding
into the liquor without any other liquid or water any requisite proportion of
wheaten flour starch or farina necessary to make the strength of size or stiffening
required say from half oz of flour to 1 of liquor to 1 oz to 1b of liquor, or any
other suitable proportion prepared in the usual way for adding flour to liquids and
in similar proportions of starch, farina, or other analogous substances and I boil
them together taking care during the operation to have it well stirred that it does
not run into lumps, till the size or stiffening suddenly turns a brown colour if made
with flour as above stated and gives off an odour resembling that of mushroom,
it has then become gelatinous like liquid glue, if the smaller quantity of flour is

page_text: used and is ready for immediate removal into another vessel and if the larger
quantity of flour be used when cold it becomes a stiff jelly, resembling that made
from animal tissues, the flour used having been converted into a new gelatinous
state by the liquor and has no appearance of ordinary flour, size, paste, starch or
farina when water only is used in making them.
I also use this size for stiffening, finishing and sizing other threads, warps, fibres
or fabrics as woollens, hemp and jute goods, linens; papers, leathers, and any other
goods where size and stiffening are necessary and commonly adopted in finishing
them as being a better and more effective agent for the manufacture of those sizes
made by vegetable; or farinaceous substances with water. Or I use the sulpho
alkaline liquor instead of water in dissolving gums or resins for making sizes with
any other materials than flour, or with a farina from potatoes, Indian corn or other
vegetable substances with or without other substances in addition used for finishing
any class of goods in which size or stiffening is used. The residuum coke dust and
lime after having decanted off the sulpho alkaline liquor as aforesaid I cast out of
the Cisterns and prepare it as a fertilizing manure for the land by further
pulverizing or grinding by itself or by the addition thereto of other ingredient or
ingredients that may chemically improve its fertilizing properties, or I take one
fourth part or other suitable proportion of burnt per-oxide or iron ("spent oxide")
which has been used in purifying Gas and afterwards burnt for extracting the
sulphur for making sulphuric acid and / of the above residuum after extracting
the said sulpho alkaline liquor and I grind or pulverize them together into a fine
powder in a dry state suitable for drilling on to the land by an ordinary agriculture
manure drill, and thereby scatter it in. a moderate quantity on the tops of the
ridges in which potatoes have been planted or on the manure over the sets before
closing the ridges or on about the time the plants appear on the surface to destroy
insects or blight that attack the potatoe plants more especially those which occasion
the potatoe disease and the germs of which are supposed to be washed off the leaves
of the plants by the rain and afterwards to penetrate through the soil to the tubers
with results so disastrous to the crop. This powder being applied on the ridges or
on the manure or in any other suitable manure or as it may be dusted by hand
onto the leaves of the potatoe plants after a shower of rain in the months of August
or September before or immediately after the plants are attacked which by its
antiseptic and insecticide properties it is intended to prevent the destructive germs
from passing beyond the surface of the soil of the ridges to the roots and thus to
save the crop from destruction. Or I use the. aforesaid ground mixed powder of
coke dust and lime and burnt oxide of iron in a dry state in the proportions above
stated for drilling lightly over the ridges of young turnip plants while in their first
or second leaf either before or after they are attacked by the turnip fly which will
prevent the fly from feeding and gaining sustenance from the plants and they will
be preserved by this dressing till they have outgrown and become too strong for
the fly to destroy them. From my experiments on a practical scale I may say
this is a certain remedy if applied in time for destroying the fly when it thus
attacks seedling turnips and will save the crop and I use the same mixture drilled
on the turnip plants when attacked by the black or other caterpillers with equal
success and effect. Or I use the aforesaid ground mixture of coke. dust and lime
and burnt oxide of Iron ground into a fine powder for mixing with mortar in
suitable proportions. As a first coat for plaster on laths or walls of houses and other
buildings to prevent the lodgement of noxious insects which often congregate in
certain classes of buildings to the great detriment and annoyance of the occupiers
of such tenements when so infested but they cannot exist in the presence of plaster
made of these materials. The sulphuretted hydrogen having been extracted by
its immersion as aforesaid no effluvia is given off detrimental to its use in this
form

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Walker in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th October
1883.
JAMES WALKER of Saint Andrew's Chambers Park Row, Leeds in the County of
York "
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT AND UTILIZATION OF CERTAIN WASTE
MATERIALS WHICH HAVE BEEN USED IN PURIFYING COAL GAS'
"
I take the fouled mixture of coke dust and hydrate of lime after it has been
used in purifying coal gas as specified in my Patent N° 5269 in the year of Our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one or the fouled hydrate of lime
which has been used without having been mixed with coke dust for purifying coal
gas, after they have been cast out of the purifiers as fully charged with impurities
extracted from the gas during its passage through the purifiers, and I remove it
with as little delay as possible into a house or shed suited to protect it from the
weather where I store it for my future operations.
I provide suitable cisterns or tanks in number and size proportionate to the work
I require to be done the said cisterns or tanks being preferably made of three inches
thick pitch pine planks any length or width suitable to the place of my operations,
and about two feet nine inches to three feet deep well bolted together, and made
water tight and I place a tap about midway of the cistern of a suitable size and
near the bottom of the liquor and the top of the residuum in each cistern for the
outlet of the clear liquor when discharged therefrom.
I fill into each cistern about half the depth of clean fresh water hot or cold to the
extent of about two hundred to three hundred and sixty gallons per ton of the
fouled materials aforesaid (or either of them) intended to be immersed therein. I
then put the aforesaid mixed fouled coke dust and hydrate of lime, or the fouled
hydrate of lime, or a mixture or combined portion of each of the aforesaid fouled
materials in the water in the cistern to the amount that will give the above named
proportions. Having previously crushed out the lumps by passing it through a
grinding pan or other suitable machine in order that the water shall have a uniform
action upon it while under immersion, I rake and agitate the material in the water
so as to bring it into a thoroughly lixivated state. I then let it stand twenty four
hours or thereabouts reraking it several times during the first twelve hours leaving
it finally to settle into a clear liquor of a pale golden shade and of a sulpho-alkaline
nature and of a density of six to nine by Twaddel's hydrometer in proportion to
the state of the fouled material used and the quantity of water added in the
immersion. In special cases I make a liquor as high as twelve to eighteen Twaddel
(or higher if necessary) by adding more fouled material or using less proportion of
water than above stated. But I consider six Twaddel liquor to be a normal
strength and generally most useful for the purposes hereinafter described.
The sulpho-alkaline liquor produced as herein stated contains all the soluble
impurities the materials immersed have extracted from the gas while passing
through the purifiers and when it has become of the density I require as aforesaid
I draw it off into other vessels in which I store it ready for use in my next process.
First I use the said sulpho-alkaline liquor at or about the strength or density
of six Twaddel (instead of water) for making a size or soft starch paste or stiffening
by adding into the liquor wheaten flour, farina common starch, rice flour, or other
suitable farinaceous substance in such quantity as will suit the goods for which it
is to be used in sizeing or stiffening or finishing calico cloth, warps, cotton warps
for other goods, linens, linen warps, cotton and linen threads, twines woollens, felt
cloths, woollen warps, Tailor's canvas, the finishing of papers, leathers, hemp and

page_text: jute yarns and goods in all their stages where size starch or stiffening is commonly
used in the course of manufacture or finish and I also use the said sulpho-alkaline
liquor instead of water in dissolving gums, gum elastic, resins used in the finish of
paper and other goods where gums or resins are used in the finishing thereof and as
one step towards vulcanizing gum elastic goods of all sorts.
Also I use the said sulpho-alkaline liquor in connection with other alkalies in
making common and fancy or Insecticide soaps at 6 Twaddel hydrometer or any
other density found most appropriate convenient and suitable for the purpose.
Also I use the said sulpho-alkaline liquor at 6 Twaddel's density or dilated to
the extent of one half water or other suitable dilution for unhairing hides skins
and kips previous to and in preparation for tanning by steeping them in the liquor
or its dilution by water also for unwoolling sheep skins and unhairing angora goat
skins and other goat skins by steeping or applying the liquor in any other
suitable manner either at 6. Twaddel or diluted with water to any extent found
suitable for the purpose.
After decanting off the sulpho-alkaline liquor as above described I cast out the
residuum from the cisterns and prepare it as a fertilizing manure for the land by
pulverizing or grinding it by itself or by the addition thereto of any ingredient or
ingredients that may chemically improve its fertilizing properties or I take one
fourth part or other suitable proportion of burnt peroxide of iron (spent oxide)
which has been used in purifying gas and afterwards burnt for extracting the
sulphur in making sulphuric acid and three fourths or other suitable proportion of
the above residuum after extracting the said sulpho alkaline liquor and I grind or
pulverize them together into a fine powder in a dry state suitable for drilling on to
the land by an ordinary agriculture manure drill and 'therewith scatter the powder
in a moderate quantity on the tops of the ridges in which potatoes have been
planted or on the manure over the sets before closing the ridges or at or about the
time the plants appear on the surface to destroy insects wireworm or blight that
attack the potato plants more especially those which occasion the potato disease
and the germs of which are supposed to be washed off the leaves of the plants by
the rain and afterwards to penetrate through the soil to the tubers with results so
disastrous to the crop. This powder is applied on the ridges or on the manure or
in any other manner or it may be dusted by hand on to the leaves of the plants
after a shower of rain in the months of August or September before or immediately
after the plants are attacked. By its antiseptic properties it is intended to prevent
the destructive germs from passing boyond the surface of the soil of the ridges to
the roots and thus to save the crop from destruction.
Or I use the said ground residuum mixed with the burnt peroxide of iron as
specified in my Patent N° 620 in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and eighty three in a dry state in the proportions above stated for drilling lightly
over the ridges of young turnip plants either before they appear on the surface or
when they are in their first and second leaf either before or after they show the
attack of the turnip fly which will prevent the fly from feeding and gaining
sustenance from the plants and they will be preserved by this dressing till they
have outgrown and become too strong for the fly to destroy them. From my
experiments on a practical scale I may say this is a certain remedy if applied in
time for destroying the fly or preventing the fly destroying the crop when it thus
attacks the seedling plants and I use the same mixture drilled on to the turnip
plants when attacked by the black or other caterpillars with equal success and
effect.
Or I use the aforesaid ground mixed powder as a top dressing on seed or clover
leys by spreading it on the surface liberally before ploughing for a succeeding crop
which is intended to drive off or to kill wireworm lodged in the roots of the seeds
and clovers and also to be a fertilizer to the land.
Or finally I use the aforesaid ground mixture for mixing with a suitable pro-
portion of ordinary hydrate of lime and sand to make a mortar for a first coat of
blaster on the walls or laths of dwelling houses or other buildings to prevent the

page_text: lodgment of noxious insects which often congregate in such buildings to the
detriment and annoyance of the occupiers the oxide of iron mixed in the lime
causes it to set as hard as an ordinary cement and the sulphuretted hydrogen
having been extracted by the steeping in water as above described the effluvia is
withdrawn and it is not obnoxious in its use in this form
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part
recited Letters Patent is :-
•
L
The herein before described treatment of materials which have been used in
purifying coal gas substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described,
In witness whereof I, the said James Walker have to this my Specification set
my hand and seal this twenty second day of October One thousand eight hundred
and eighty three.