IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING GAS, THE RESIDUUM ARISING FROM WHICH FORMS A NEW ARTIFICIAL MANURE
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John William Perkins, of Poplar Terrace, High
Street, Poplar, in the County of Middlesex, Analytical Chemist, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING GAS, THE RESIDUUM ARISING
FROM WHICH FORMS A NEW ARTIFICIAL MANURE."
Sealed the 9th March 1855, and dated the 15th September 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John William Perkins
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th September 1854.
I, JOHN. WILLIAM PERKINS, of Poplar Terrace, High Street, Poplar, in the
County of Middlesex, Analytical Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING GAS, THE RESIDUUM ARISING
FROM WHICH FORMS A NEW ARTIFICIAL MANURE," to be as follows:-
These improvements consist in a novel mode of purifying gas, and have for_
their object the improvement of the sanatory condition of large towns, by
arresting and accumulating much of that which is at present injuring the
health of the inhabitants, and converting the same into a cheap, portable,
artificial manure, possessing all the properties of Peruvian guano; and
I effect these improvements in the following manner and by the following
means:-
I employ for the purifying of gas an acid phosphate of lime, prepared in the

page_text: ordinary manner, and used after a similar manner to the process at present
practised of purifying gas, and known as the dry lime process; and by these
improvements I am enabled to effect more complete & perfect purification
of carburetted hydrogen gas prepared from coal, by the perfect absorption
of the nitrogenous compounds, whereby the ammoniacal salts formed are at
once absorbed by the acid phosphates, placed in the purifiers for that purpose,
said acid phosphates being converted into neutral phosphate of lime, phosphate
of ammonia, and sulphate of ammonia, or muriate of ammonia, as the case
may be; and thus I produce an artificial manure possessing all the elements
of vegetable life at an extremely low cost, and at the same time obviate all the
objections attending the use of gas.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John William Perkins in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th March 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WILLIAM PERKINS, of Poplar Terrace, High Street, Poplar, in the County of
Middlesex, Analytical Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John William Perkins, Her special licence that I, the said John William
Perkins, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John William Perkins, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 IN
PURIFYING GAS, THE RESIDUUM ARISING HOM WHICH FORMS A NEW ARTIFICIAL
MANURE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John William
Perkins, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John William Perkins, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say):-
My improvements consist in a novel mode of purifying gas, so as to arrest
and accumulate much which is at present injurious to the health of the
inhabitants, and convert the same into a cheap, portable, artificial manure,
possessing the principal properties of Peruvian guano; and I effect these
improvements in the following manner and by the following means, that is
to say :-
I employ for the purifying of gas an acid and metallic phosphate of lime,
prepared either from appatites, bones, or bone ash, in combination with sul-
phuric acid, in the proportions herein-after set forth, and used after a similar
manner to the process at present practised of purifying gas, and known as the
"dry lime" process. By these improvements I am enabled to effect the puri-
fication of carburetted bydrogen gas from coal, the more perfect absorption
of the nitrogenous and other gaseous compounds whilst in a nascent state,
whereby the ammoniacal gases formed are at once absorbed by the acid and
metallic phosphates, placed in the purifiers for that purpose, the said phos-
phates being converted into neutral phosphates of lime, phosphate of ammonia,
and sulphate of ammonia, or muriate of ammonia, as the case may be; and
thus I produce an artificial manure possessing the elements of vegetable life
at an extremely low cost, and at the same time obviate most of the objections
attending the use of gas as heretofore purified.
I now proceed to describe the mode practised by me of purifying gas
according to my said Invention as follows:-I commence first by preparing
acid phosphate of lime, either from bones, bone ash, coprolites, phospholites,
or appatites, by combining these ingredients, or any of them, or a mixture of
any two or more of them, with sulphuric acid of commerce and water, in equal
quantities, in the proportions of about an equal quantity by weight of the
above-mentioned materials of acid and water, and afterwards adding thereto
sulphate of iron or oxide of iron, iron scrap, iron turnings, or other iron
refuse. If bones or bone ash be used, a much larger proportion of refuso
metal or metallic salts must be used for effecting the absorption of the
sulphuretted hydrogen gas which is evolved in the manufacture of coal gas.
Having thus prepared a mixture of any two or more of the above-named
ingredients, the whole of which are in a high state of solubility and activity,
I then charge any ordinary dry lime gas purifier with such said mixture, and
I have found in practise that the use and employment of the aforesaid mixture

page_text: has the effect of absorbing as nearly as may be the nitrogenous vapours
whilst in the nascent state, forming ammonia and the sulphuretted hydrogen
gas, and of converting the phosphate of lime into phosphate of ammonia,
sulphate of ammonia, carbonate of lime, and sulphuret of iron. Should any
traces of carbonic acid remain in the gas after it has been passed through
the above purifying mixture, I effect its separation by subsequently passing
the gas through a purifier charged with hydrate of lime, which is known to
have the effect of absorbing the carbonic acid, and converting it into carbonate
of lime; by which means the gas, after having passed through the above-
named purifying materials, and been operated upon thereby, as above stated,
will be found as near as may be chemically pure.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention of
"Improvements in Purifying Gas, the Residuum arising from which forms &
new Artificial Manure," I would remark, in conclusion, that what I claim as
my Invention is,―
First, the purifying gas by the use and employment of an acid and metallic
phosphate, as above described.
Secondly, the manufacture of an artificial manure or fertilizing agent of the
materials, and in the manner above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John William Perkins, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
JOHN WILLIAM PERKINS. (L.B.)
Witnesses,
JOHN M. DEERE, Sol",
35, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
ALEX. PRINCE,
London.
Patent Agent,
4, Trafalgar Square.