IMPROVEMENTS IN SEPARATING LIQUIDS FROM CERTAIN RESIDUES OR WASTE PRODUCTS OF CHEMICAL WORKS THEREBY OBTAINING VALUABLE PRODUCTS " PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Harrison Bolton and Josiah Rigby Wylde both
of Widnes in the county of Lancaster for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SEPARATING LIQUIDS FROM CERTAIN RESIDUES OR WASTE PRODUCTS OF
CHEMICAL WORKS THEREBY OBTAINING VALUABLE PRODUCTS
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Harrison Bolton
and Josial Rigby Wylde at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 13th November 1882.
GEORGE HARRISON BOLTON and JOSIAII RIGBY WYLDE both of Widnes in the
County of Lancaster "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEPARATING LIQUIDS FROM CERTAIN
RESIDUES OR WASTE PRODUCTS OF CHEMICAL WORKS THEREBY OBTAINING VALUABLE
PRODUCTS
"
In the causticising of solutions of carbonate of Soda or of Potash to make Sodium
of Potassium hydrate a voluminous precipitate of carbonate of lime is formed. As
this precipitate when extracted is still saturated with the valuable caustic solution
it is usually left to drain. This draining however though frequently accelerated
by vacuum leaves a very large amount of caustic solution in the carbonate so that
if the carbonate be used in furnacing the quantity of water still present in it cools
the furnace and thus causes loss of time and fuel besides the waste entailed from
refurnacing the caustic in the mud.
Numerous attempts have been made to press or filter this water out but they
have failed owing to the hard crystalline texture of the granules which causes them
to resist packing just as pressure would have little effect in consolidating a heap of
macadam unless so intense as to destroy the molecular arrangement. Now we
have found that this very hard angular condition makes this material specially
pervious to liquids, we therefore place the material after its removal from tho
causticiser in a centrifugal machine with or without other still more granular
material and by very rapid rotation force out nearly all the solution
We may under some circumstances while the centrifugal is still in full motion,
pass a stream of water or whero procurable a cheap liquid hydrocarbon a little less

page_text: in volume than the liquid left in the mass after the first centrifugalling (This
amount can be found by simple analysis) In this way the pure water or hydro-
carbon takes the place of part of the caustic liquor still present in the material
driving said caustic out while if the cheap hydrocarbonaceous liquid be used it is
useful as fuel in the furnace afterwards.
In the Schaffner & Helbig process for utilizing alkali waste a similar lime mud
is produced this we also separate from the magnesium chloride solution by the above
described process.
In the Weldon process for regeneration of Manganese a deposit forms in the
chloride of Manganese Settlers. This deposit is so slimy that it cannot be desiccated
so readily in the above described manner as the aforesaid lime mud as it ultimately
stops up the pores of the centrifugal machine. We have found however that by
mixing sand or other granular material with it it becomes porous and by this means
we can extract nearly all its containing liquid.
This plan of adding granular materials to slimy ones so as to adapt them to the
centrifugal machine is we believe new not merely for working the materials above
_ mentioned but for any chemical residue-whatsoever..
--

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Harrison Bolton and Josiah Rigby Wylde in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 12th May 1883.
GEORGE HARRISON BOLTON and JOSIAH RIGBY WYLDE, both of Widnes in the
County of Lancaster, "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEPARATING LIQUIDS FROM CERTAIN
RESIDUES OR WASTE PRODUCTS OF CHEMICAL WORKS, THEREBY OBTAINING VALUABLE
PRODUCTS
"
In the cauticising of solutions of carbonate of soda or of Potash to mako
Sodium or Potassium hydrate, a voluminous precipitate of carbonate of limo is
formed. As this precipitate when extracted is still saturated with the valuablo
caustic solution it is usually left to drain. This draining however, though
frequently accelerated by vacuum, leaves a very large amount of caustic solution
in the carbonate, so that if the carbonate be used in furnacing, the quantity of
water still present in it cools the furnace, and thus causes loss of time and fuel,
besides the waste entailed from refurnacing the caustic in the mud.
Numerous attempts have been made to press or filter this water out, but they
have failed owing to the hard crystallino texture of the granules, which causes
them to resist packing, just as pressure would have little effect in consolidating a
heap of macadam, unless so intense as to destroy the molecular arrangement. Now
we have found that this very hard angular condition makes this material specially
pervious to liquids, we therefore place the material after its removal from the
causticiser, in a centrifugal machine, with or without other still more granular
material, and by very rapid rotation force out nearly all the solution.
While the centrifugal is still in full motion, we pass in a stream of water, or
where procurable a cheap liquid hydrocarbon, a little less in volume than the
liquid left in the mass after the first centrifugalling. (This amount can be found by
simple analysis). In this way the pure water or hydrocarbon takes the place of
part of the caustic liquor still present in the material, driving said caustic out,
while if the cheap hydro-carbonaceous liquid be used, it is useful as fuel in the
furnace afterwards. A blast of steam or air may be substituted for the water of
hydrocarbon but it is not so advantageous.
In the Schaffner and Hellig process for utilizing alkali waste, a similar limo mud
is produced; this we also separate from the magnesium chloride solution by the
above described process.
In the Weldon process for regeneration of manganese, a deposit forms in the
chloride of manganese settlers. This deposit is so slimy, that it cannot be desiccated
50 readily in the above described manner as the aforesaid lime mud, as it ultimately
stops up the pores of the centrifugal machine. We have found however that by
mixing sand or other granular material with it, it becomes porous, and by this
ineans we can extract nearly all its containing liquid.
This plan of adding granular materials to slimy ores, so as to adapt them to the
centrifugal machine, is we believe new, not merely for working the materials above
mentioned, but for any chemical residue whatsoever.
Now while we do not claim the principle of separating liquids by means of the
centrifugal machine as a new thing, nor do we claim any part of the machine itself,
yet as one kind of centrifugal differs widely from another, we file herewith a drawing
of one we find most useful.
A is the revolving cage rotating on spindle B. C is a hand wheel attached to an
upright spindle D, provided with a screw d at its lower end. The screw d passes
into a nut or internal screw in the end of the lever E. P is a brake carried oa
the other end of the lever E which is forced up against the bottom of the revolving

page_text: pan by turning the hand wheel C when required. The walls of the cage are made
of perforated iron plate, bound round with angle iron. They are held to the floor
or lower part of the cage by headed crank shaft G, which by means of cranks H,
and I, and square headed spindle J, can be turned at right angles, thus the sides
released and lifted off with the material sticking to them, by the crane K. L is
the orifice at the bottom of the pan through which the liquid is drawn off as it
falls. The mode of action is as follows; the material from which the liquor has to
be separated is either thrown or run into the centrifugal machine in a semi-liquid
state, the cage rotated at the highest practicable speed till the liquid ceases to fly
out; hot water or steam or hydro-carbon such as creosote oil is turned on if
desirable, in sufficient quantity to nearly replace the liquid still remaining in the
material, say not exceeding 15 per cent by weight of the quantity of solid material.
The engine N is then stopped, a brake P applied, the nut M is taken off and the
walls of the cage liberated, and raised with the solid material sticking to them.
They are swung to one side, the material detached, and then swung back and
replaced in position for a fresh charge of the material to be operated upon.
Now having described our invention and the best method known to us of carrying
it into effect, we wish it to be understood that we do not claim the use of a
centrifugal machine for separating liquids from other material, broadly, for that is
old; but we claim as new:
1 The separating of the residual caustic or other solution from the lime mud
in the manner described, thereby obtaining from this hitherto almost valueless
--lime mud is useful caustic or other solution for the one part and comparatively dry
carbonate of lime useful for the making of black ash in revolver or other furnaces
for the other part.
2nd The herein described. process of separating chloride of manganeso solution
from the deposit in the settlers of the Weldon process and other solutions_from_
slimy materials, which-consists-in-mixing_the_deposit_with_a_granular material,
and then passing it through a centrifugal machine with or without extra washing
in the machine by a stream of steam or water.
In witness whereof we the said George Harrison Bolton and Josiah Rigby
Wylde have hereunto set our hands and seals this eleventh day of May
in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
GEORGE HARRISON BOLTON rel