Improvements in the Method of and Means for Treating Sewage and Trade Effluents.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Mar., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 9th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 27th Jan., 1900
.PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and Means for Treating Sewage and
Trade Effluents.
I, ALFRED PICKLES, of City Soap Works, Wakefield, in the County of York,
Soap and Chemical Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to treat trade effluents and household sewage
so as to render it clear, harmless, and in a fit condition to pass into the river
without any danger of fouling the same.
I employ a series of tanks, say seven tanks and seven series of such tanks,
each tank of which is divided into preferably four chambers; each chamber
is again preferably divided into two chambers, one of which contains coke or
other filtering medium.
The sewage and effluents before being passed to the tanks are screened and
cleared of the solids.
These solids are dried and burnt to provide the steam and power required in
this process.
These tanks are placed one below the other; in treating the effluent I pump
or conduct it into the nearest chamber at the top, and it passes preferably by
pipe or channel to the bottom; to pass into the next chamber it has to pass
inrough a chamber void of filtering medium, then upwards through the filtering
medium or bacterial chamber to a similar pipe or passage in the next chamber,
and so on through the first series until it arrives at the outlet of the last chamber,
when it is clear, harmless, and fit for use or to pass to the river: this constitutes
twenty four hours work.
At this point the outlets provided at the bottom of each chamber are opened,
and the remaining liquid runs out of each chamber and is conducted to the first
tank of the next series of tanks, undergoing the same operation, and so on until
reaching the last series, when the liquid which still remains is conducted back to
the first chamber of the first series of tanks, and SO on as may be found
necessary.
Each series of tanks deals with the sewage or the like for twenty four hours,
at the end of which time it is allowed to stand for seven days or any suitable
period.
The effluents of the above could be run into a reservoir or cistern for future
иве.
By this process there is great economy in the space required, and no chemical
treatment is used; the bacterial treatment is going on in the top chambers the
whole time.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and Means for Treating Sewage and
Trade Effluents.
I, ALFRED PICKLES, of City Soap Works, Wakefield, in the County of York,
Soap and Chemical Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement ;-
My invention relates to the treatment of trade eflluents, household sewage, and
the like foul liquids, the object being to provide an apparatus for purifying such
liquids and so preventing the fouling of the river or other place of discharge.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my improved apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a plan of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is an end elevation, in section on the line ab.
In constructing my apparatus I employ a number of tanks A in series, pre-
ferably seven series with seven tanks in each series. The said tanks when space
is limited are arranged, either above or below ground level, in the form of a
tower (as shown in the drawings), that is, the seven tanks forming one series
being placed vertically one above the other, and the seven series being placed one
behind the other; or where ground space is unlimited the tanks may be arranged
on a slight gradient, either above or below ground level, with a slight fall from
each tank to the next tank in the same series. Each tank is divided vertically
into (preferably) four chambers B, and each of these chambers is sub-divided
horizontally into two compartments C, D, the upper compartment C containing
the coke or other filtering medium, and the lower compartment D being void of
such medium.
The sewage or effluents to be treated are first screened and cleared of solids,
and are then passed preferably into the supply-regulating cistern E, which is
placed at a suitable level so that gravitation may cause a circulation of the
liquids within the tanks. The said cistern E may if desired be divided into
sections so as to facilitate cleaning without stopping the working of the appa-
ratus. The extracted solids may be dried and burnt to supply the steam and
power required in this process.
In treating the sewage or effluent I conduct it from the supply-regulating
cistern E by means of the supply pipe or pipes F with suitably arranged valves N,
or suitable automatic arrangement, to the top of the nearest chamber B of the
first tank A. of the first series of tanks, and it then passes by a pipe or channel G
to the bottom of the lower compartment D of the said chamber B: to pass into
the second chamber B it flows upwards from the lower compartment D through
the perforated partition H and the filtering medium or bacterial chamber C to a
similar pipe or channel G in the second chamber B. After passing in this
manner through the four chambers of the first tank A it is conducted by the
outlet pipe G of the fourth chamber to the first chamber B of the second tank A,
and so on through the first series of tanks, until it arrives at the outlet K of
the fourth chamber of the lowest tank, when it is clear, harmless, and fit for use
or to discharge into the river: this constitutes twenty-four hours work.
Each series of tanks forms in itself a complete purifying apparatus, and deals
with the sewage or the like for twenty-four hours. At the end of this time the
supply from the regulating cistern E is cut off and the outlets L in the bottom
of each chamber B are opened, and the remaining liquid (which has been only

page_text: partially treated) is discharged into the pipe M and is conducted to the first
tank of the next series (or to the supply cistern E), undergoing the same opera-
tion along with the next day's sewage, and so on until the last series is reached,
when the liquid still remaining is conducted back to the first series of tanks,
and so on as may be found necessary.
When the liquid has been withdrawn after twenty-four hours working, each
series of tanks is allowed to stand for seven days or other convenient period. As
the liquid is being withdrawn from the series of tanks the air required for the
bacterial treatment of the solid matter remaining in the chambers C is admitted.
Thus the liquid sewage is circulating through one series only at a time, but the
bacterial treatment is in operation continuously in the whole of the chambers.
The purified effluents discharged from the outlets K may if desired be stored
in a reservoir or cistern for future use.
The bacterial chambers C of the tanks A may either be provided with one
uniform kind of filtering medium, or the filtering medium may be varied in any
desired manner throughout the twenty-eight chambers of each series.
By this process a great economy in space required is obtained, and no chemical
treatment is required. The filtering medium in the chambers C may also be
readily removed or renewed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A bacterial process of purifying trade effluents, household sewage, or the
like foul liquids, in which process such liquids are gravitated through a succes-
sion of filtering or bacterial chambers, such chambers consisting each of an upper
compartment containing the filtering medium and a lower compartment void of
such filtering medium, and the said liquids passing from the lower compartment
into and through the upper compartment, substantially as shown and described.
2. In an apparatus for purifying trade effluents, household sewage, or the like
foul liquids, the employment of tanks A divided into (preferably) four cham-
bers B. each said chamber B being sub-divided by means of a perforated horizontal
partition H into an upper compartment C. containing suitable filtering medium.
and a lower compartment D void of such filtering medium, and each said
chamber B being provided with a connecting pipe G leading from the top of its
upper compartment C to the bottom of the lower compartment D of the next
chamber B. substantially as shown and described.
3. A bacterial process of purifying trade effluents,, household sewage, or the
like foul liquids, in which process a number of tanks such as are described in
the preceding claim are arranged to form several series, each series forming in
itself a complete gravitating purifying apparatus (as described in Claim 1) and
being independent of the other series, and each series being adapted to treat the
whole of the sewage or the like produced in twenty-four hours, the several series
operating in rotation, substantially as shown and described.
4. The complete apparatus for purifying trade effluents, household sewage, or
the like foul liquids, arranged and operated substantially as described in the
annexed specification and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 8th day of December 1899
JOHN E. WALSH.
Royal Exchange Chambers, Boar Lane, Leeds.
Patent Agent for the Applicant.