AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND Apparatus FOR REVIVIFYING ANIMAL CHARCOal
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting
Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND Apparatus
FOR REVIVIFYING ANIMAL CHARCOal.”—A communication from abroad
by Doctor Herrmann Eipfeldt, of Sollingen, and Camillo Thumb, of
when hath in the Kingdom of Pmissin
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 2nd February 1870.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office,"
Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND
APPARATUS FOR REVIVIFYING ANIMAL CHARCOAL," a communication, to be as
follows:-
The revivification of animal charcoal in sugar factories is for the
purpose of eliminating from the charcoal the substances which it has

page_text: taken up from the juices, so that the animal charcoal can be re-employed
for filtering. These substances, after eliminating the juice, are of an
organic and organic nature; the first are principally lime in combination
with sulphuric acid and organic acids; the latter are sugar organic
acids, as citric acid, malic acid, proteine acid, oxalic acid, lactic acid,
and others.

page_text: is shut. Connected by corresponding tubes with the vessel are other
valves. By means of cocks and other valves the liquid in the vessel can
be discharged into the open air or to another vessel. The apparatus is
provided with small observing glasses and with valves for the passage of
the steam. In the cooking vessel is a worm, which is surrounded with
cold water; this water enters through a cock, and is discharged through
a suitable pipe. The worm is connected with the valve and the valves
above mentioned. The cooling vessel contains a worm through which
flows the cold water. The steam to be condensed enters through a tube
whose end has a rose. Another tube provided with a cock at the top of
the vessel lets in pure water. A cistern is provided for the purpose of
taking up the unabsorbed gases, and serves also as a means of security
in case a vacuum should be formed; a water guage and thermometer
are placed in the vessel. Another vessel with a steam worm is connected
with the cooking vessel through a valve, and a tube is connected with
the cooling vessel. Upon the cover is a cock with a hopper for filling
the vessel with liquids, and a safety valve opening towards the interior;
a discharging valve is placed at the bottom of the vessel. The said vessel
serves for recovering the ammonia from the spent liquids, and for the
production of caustic ammonia from the ammonia salts. Testing cocks
are placed in suitable positions upon the apparatus.
The animal charcoal after fermenting with soda or caustic natron
and washing with pure water is filled in through the upper man-bole
in the cooking vessel, all the valves and cocks except the discharging
cock are shut. The vessels are properly filled; then the upper man-hole is
shut and the charcoal is steamed by opening another valve for eliminating
the water. After this is done the said valve and the discharging cock
arc shut; then the valves are opened, which permit the ammoniacal
liquid in the cooling vessel to flow into the cooking vessel; this liquid
contains 2% ammonia. The liquid in the cooking vessel must be level
with the charcoal, or a little higher; then the valves being properly
closed and opened the cooking begins; the steam condenser il; e
liquid in the vessel therefore rises. As soon as the liquid stands higher
than the window some of it is discharged into the receiving vessel. The
6 cooking is continued an hour; then the liquid is discharged into the
aforesaid vessel, and ammoniacal liquid containing 2% ammonia is
poured into the vessel. When the charcoal has been cooked for an hour
with this liquid the ammonia of the liquid contained in the vessel is

page_text: separated by employing the cooking vessel for the decomposition of
ammonia. Lime water is poured in through the hopper. For the
restitution of the spent ammonia thero must be added sulphate of
ammonia with chloride of ammonia and caustic potash in the proportion
of 3.4.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 2nd August 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the " International Patent Office," Southampton
Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence
that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake, my.
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter 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 "AN IMPROVED
MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR REVIVIFYING ANIMAL CHARCOAL," a communication
to me from abroad by Doctor Herrmann Eipfeldt, of Sollingen, and
Camillo Thumb, of Sudenburg, both in the Kingdom of Prussia, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly 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: '
"
:
3. Spring and river water must be avoided after the use of ammonia.
4. A continuous working with ammonia.
:
5. For clarifying the filters I employ distilled water. The ammoniacal
water is seldom so pure that it does not deposit a settlement upon the
animal charcoal when the water is heated. In case no other than t
common water can be obtained it must be applied cold.
=
The fermentation is for the purpose of decomposing the organic sub-
stances taken up by the charcoal for eliminating them. From the
organic substances arise acids developing into gases, principally lactic
acid. The acids combine with lime, forming salts of lime, which can be 1
separated as far as they are soluble. The more incomplete the fcr-
mentation the more organic substances remain undecomposed, and thên
it is difficult to separate them, and they cannot eliminate the lime..in.
solution. A good fermentation of animal charcoal must go on quickly
with a violent developement of gases and rapid termination. The room
in which the fermentation is going on must be warmed to 20 degrees
Reaumur. The fermentation must be effected under great heat,
therefore the clarifying water must be heated to 70 degrees R. before it
flows upon the animal charcoal. If the temperature is too low the
fermentation is done badly and the liquid of fermentation will be thick,
whereby the purification of the animal black will be found difficult.
For accelerating the fermentation to the water of fermentation 0.1%
of muriatic acid is added. A good fermentation requires from 2 to 3
days, and it is good to repeat it according to the given rules. The fer-
mentation tank must be provided at the bottom with one or more iron ?
tubes of 1" diameter with small holes. One part of these tubes is
connected with water pipes. About 20 or 24 hours before the animal
charcoal has been taken out of the tanks the water is introduced. The
water drives away the liquid of fermentation, which flows over; this
liquid is thinned till the water is discharged nearly purc. It is pre- a
ferable to stop the water supply every 3 or 4 hours, and to let the water
run out of the fermentation tanks and to close them and let them be
filled anew with water. Impure water must be filtered before being used
through gravel.
In manufactories which can only dispose of a small quantity of water
the liquid of fermentation must be substituted for fresh water. The
nmofs with lime give a measure, for the value of the working with water.

page_text: In one manufactory the drain water contained, for instance, calculated
upon carbonate of lime-after 6 hours, 0·115%; after 12 hours, 0.015%;
after 18 hours, 0·026%; after 24 hours, 0·015%. No further diminution
took place. After a working with water the animal charcoal is agitated
with muriatic acid even in cases where it may not be absolutely
necessary to free it from the last residue of organic substance. If the
amount of lime in the charcoal is normal ¼% of muriatic acid is
sufficient, in other cases more is applied. The muriatic acid must be
thinned with heated water and brought in contact quickly with animal
charcoal. Two wood cases or tanks of which the lower one is twice as
larg as the upper one answer the purpose. The lower one is filled with
animal charcoal, in the upper one the thinned muriatic acid is mixed.
Under the bung-hole in the bottom of the upper tank is placed a broom,
then the bung-hole is opened and the water mixed with acid runs out in a
few minutes. Cooking for an hour is sufficient for exhausting the
effect of the muriatic acid, and then the liquid is permitted to run out
of the charcoal. After the agitation with acid the animal charcoal is
washed with cold or hot distilled water and then put in the apparatus.
The vessel I. (counting from right to left) is filled with the washed
animal charcoal up to 4″ under the top; then the valve C¹ is opened and
the liquids are evaporated; the apparatus is then filled with distilled
water until the whole of the animal charcoal is covered, which is seen
through the glass opening. The vessel IV. is filled with a solution
of 10 lb. sulphurous ammoniacal lime water, 12 lb. of burned lime, and
water enough to cover the steam pipe placed below; then steam is
admitted, the vapour containing ammonia passes through the tube D
under the lower space of the vessel I., for which purpose the proper
valve is opened; then the cooking progresses. The vapours pass through
A into the cooling apparatus VII., and pass from there as ammoniacal
) water into the vessel V. and then through the liquid of the vessel VI.;
the air cock of the latter must be open. The cooking in the vessel I. is
continued, then the development of ammonia is completed, and the
residues are let out. Into the vessel II. (filled in the mean with
washed animal charcoal) and steamed is poured the liquor of the con-
3 densing vessel; if this is insufficient for the covering of the animal
charcoal distilled water is admitted. Furthermore the liquid in the
vessel I. is pressed by steam in the alembic, lime water so added; the
vessel I. is then closed and filled with distilled water. The produced
vapours are conducted during three hours into the vessel II.; the vapours

page_text: produced in this latter are led through C in the lower space of the
vessel I., whilst the vapours disengaged in the upper part are conducted
through A into the cooling apparatus. The vessels II. and I. having so
worked together the vessel III. as desired is now working with the
vessel II. Into the emptied alembic are brought the liquids of II. and I.
with an addition of lime; II. is charged as I. was before, and whilst II.
is worked indirectly with watery vapour containing ammonia the
vessel I. is steamed. The steaming must be continuous for disengaging
the ammonia and for recovering it. For this purpose 1½ hours are
necessary whilst the vapours are used for the development of the ammonia
in the alembic. Now the vessel I. is emptied and charged anew. The
animal charcoal taken from the apparatus is then washed with distilled
water and is ready for filtering. It will be seen that the ammonia is
used in this apparatus in the most favorable way. The loss of ammonia
is very small if all the connections are tight and the work is carefully
dono. The renovation of ammonia from sulphurous ammonia and lime
must be according to the circumstances. It answers best if the liquids
contain every time 0.3% ammonia. The vessels I., II., III., are so large
that they can take in 1 or 2 filters; then every three hours 1 or 2 filters
are ready.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondents, I claim, the regeneration of animal
charcoal with ammoniacal water and the apparatus employed therefor,
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here- 1
unto set my hand and seal, this Second day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
W. J. LOWE.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)