Improvements in the Treatment of Finely Divided Substances, such as Crushed Ores, Slime, Tailings, and the like, for the Separation and Recovery of Metals and Metallic Compounds therefrom.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Feb., 1895
Comalata Inanifnation
Loft
Ath Don
1805 Accented
4th Jan
1896
Date of Application, 5th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Loft, 4th Dec, 1805 Accented, 4th Jan
1896
7
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Finely Divided Substances, such
as Crushed Ores, Slime, Tailings, and the like, for the Separation
and Recovery of Metals and Metallic Compounds therefrom.
We, GEORGE ROBSON, of Llanfachreth, Dolgelly, North Wales, Mining
Engineer, and SAMUEL CROWDER, of 63 New Broad Street, in the City of
London, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In the Specification of a former application for Letters Patent No. 427 of 1894,
we have described a method of separating and recovering finely divided metal, or
metallic compounds such as sulphides and oxides, or both, from finely divided
substances such as crushed ores, slimes, tailings and the like by bringing the said
substances, whilst in a moist or plastic condition, into intimate contact with a
liquid consisting of a mixture of a liquid hydrocarbon such as turpentine, petroleum,
paraffin or the like, and a fatty oil such as colza oil, drawing off the mixture of
oils with metallic matter taken up thereby from the treated substances, and then
separating the metallic matter from the mixture of oils.
Now it has been discovered since the date of the said former application that
when starting with certain metalliferous substances in the dry state, in order to
obtain the said substances in the required moist or pasty condition by admixture
with water, necessary for the successful removal of the metallic matter therefrom
by the mixture of oils, that it is necessary to first moisten the powdered substance
with a liquid other than water. Thus in some cases it has been found advisable to
first wet or moisten the said substances with a liquid hydrocarbon, and then to add
sufficient water to convert the whole into a plastic state. In other cases it has
been found desirable to first moisten the said substances with liquid hydrocarbon,
then to add a small percentage of fatty oil, and then sufficient water to convert the
substance into a plastic state, the result being to convert the finely divided
substances into a plastic condition, in which condition they are afterwards subjected
to the action of the mixture of fatty and hydrocarbon oils.
When the substances have been thus brought into a plastic condition, they are
subjected to the action of a mixture of fatty and hydrocarbon oils in the manner
described in our said former Specification, and it may be apparatus of the kind
therein specified. It has been found in some cases that in lieu of a fatty oil such
as colza oil and the like, that other fatty substances or compounds can be used in
carrying out the invention. Thus a mixture of soap and water of about the
consistency of the white of an egg in conjunction with a liquid hydrocarbon of the
kind herein mentioned, has been found to separate metallic matter from finely
divided substances when used in the manner hereinbefore described.
Dated this 5th dex of Fehruary 1895.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Finely Divided Substances, such
as Crushed Ores, Slime, Tailings, and the like, for the Separation
and Recovery of Metals and Metallic Compounds therefrom.
We, GEORGE ROBSON, of Llanfachreth, Dolgelly, North Wales, Mining
Engineer, and SAMUEL CROWDER, late of 63 New Broad Street, in the City of
London, but now of Tower Chambers, Finsbury Pavement, in the said City,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
In the Specification of Letters Patent No. 427 of 1894, we have described
a method of separating and recovering finely divided metal or metallic compounds
such as sulphides and oxides, or both, from finely divided substances such as
crushed ores, slimes, tailings, and the like by bringing the said substances, whilst
in a moist or plastic condition, into intimate contact with a liquid consisting of a
mixture of a liquid hydrocarbon, such as turpentine, petroleum, paraffin or the like,
and a fatty oil, drawing off the mixture of oils with metallic matter taken up
thereby from the treated substances, and then separating the metallic matter from
the mixture of oils.
Now it has been discovered since the filing of the said Specification, that when
starting with some metalliferous substances in the dry finely divided state, in order
to produce, by admixture with water, the moist or pasty condition necessary to
enable the fatty oil or matter used, to act on the finely divided metallic matter
present in such a way as to permit of the successful removal of such metallic
matter from the metalliferous substances by the aforesaid mixture of oils, it is
necessary to first moisten the metalliferous substances with a liquid other than
water, as, owing to some peculiar nature of the said substances, the water, if added
first, prevents the fatty oil or matter from acting in the desired manner. In such
cases it has been found necessary to first wet or moisten the finely divided
substances with liquid hydrocarbon of the kind mentioned, then to add a smail
percentage (say 05 to 1%) of fatty oil, and then sufficient water to convert the
whole into a plastic state, the result being to convert the finely divided substances
into a plastic condition, in which condition they are afterwards subjected to the
action of the mixture of fatty and hydrocarbon oils in the manner described in our
said former Specification, with the aid, it may be, of apparatus of the kind therein
specified.
As will be obvious the fatty oil may be added to the finely divided substances in
admixture with the hydrocarbon oil, the essential thing being that a fatty oil or
matter shall be present in the mass.
It has been found in some cases, that is to say where the finely divided substances
to be treated are in the dry state to begin with, that, in lieu of a fatty oil such as
colza oil and the like, (which is suitable for use when the said substances are already
in a pasty condition by admixture with water) other fatty substances or compounds
can be used in carrying out the invention. Thus a mixture of soap and water of
about the consistency of the white of an egg in conjunction with a liquid hydro-
carbon of the kind herein mentioned, has been found to separate metallic matter
from finely divided substances when used in the manner herein before referred to.
In some cases a mixture of 10 grains of soft soap to 1000 grains of water have
been found suitable, using only such a quantity of the mixture as is found necessary
to form the finely divided metalliferous substances into a pasty mass from which
the metallic matter separated by the soap is floated or carried off, as before, by
hydrocarbon oil, the proportion of which can be varied without materially affecting
the result.

page_text: It will thus be understood that in carrying out our process, the presence of a fat
or fatty body is essential, the hydrocarbon oil acting the part of a carrier of the
metallic matter separated by the fat or fatty body. The hydrocarbon oil also
serves to prevent disintegration of the mass of metalliferous substances under
treatment, and so enables such mass to remain in the required pasty or plastic
condition. It will also be understood that when a fatty body together with a
hydrocarbon oil has been employed to wet or moisten the finely divided substances
preparatory to forming such substances into a pasty or plastic mass, or a fat such
as soap has been used with water in forming the pasty or plastic mass, the hydro-
carbon oil subsequently added in carrying out the process need not have been
previously mixed with a fatty body, or with so large a percentage of a fatty body
as would otherwise be necessary, since it will by admixture with the fatty body
originally added, form the mixture of fatty and hydrocarbon oils required for
separating the metallic matter from the mass according to the process described in
our former Specification.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The improvement in or modification of the invention the subject of our
former Patent No. 427 of 1894 according to which in the treatment of finely
divided substances for the separation and recovery therefrom of metals and
metallic compounds in lieu of using the mixture of fatty oil and hydrocarbon
oil described in the Specification of our said Patent, a separating liquid such as
a mixture of soap and water with a hydrocarbon oil is used as hereinabove
described.
2. In order to prepare dry finely divided substances for treatment according to
the invention forming the subject of our Patent No. 427 of 1894 (whether modified
according to Claim 1 hereof or not) for the separation and recovery from such
substances of metals and metallic compounds, the production of a suitable plastic
or pasty mixture by first moistening the dry finely divided substances with a liquid
hydrocarbon and a fatty oil or body and then adding the necessary quantity of
water, substantially as hereinabove described.
Dated this 4th day of December 1895.