A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR EXTRACTING COPPER AND OTHER METALS FROM THEIR ORES, AND FOR SEPARATING METALS FROM EACH OTHER."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Elmore, of 91, Blackfriars Road, in the 'County
of Surrey, Electrical Engineer, for an Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED
PROCESS FOR EXTRACTING COPPER AND OTHER METALS FROM THEIR ORES,
AND FOR SEPARATING METALS FROM EACH OTHER."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Elmore at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th October 1880.
WILLIAM ELMORE, of 91, Blackfriars Road, in the County of Surrey, Electrical
Engineer. "A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR EXTRACTING COPPER AND OTHER
METALS FROM THEIR ORES, AND FOR SEPARATING METALS FROM EACH OTHER'
"
This Invention has for object and relates to the treatment of chloride and
sulphate liquors in the extraction of metals from their ores by dynamo, galvanic, or
voltaic electricity.
At present the broken ore, cuprous pyrites, for instance, is taken, and after having
burnt out its sulphur the ore is ground to a fine powder and roasted with common
salt; it is then transferred to large tubs or tanks, and the chloride of copper is
dissolved and washed out by boiling water; so far the process is well known, and
this improved process relates to the subsequent treatment of the chloride
liquors.
These liquors are allowed to settle to clear, then they are run off into clean tanks,
over the top of which are arranged connecting rods from one of my improved
dynamo electric machines, such as described in my former Patents bearing date
4th September 1879, No. 3565, and 10th August 1880, No. 3274, or other source of
electric current.
From the anode rods I suspend thick plates of spelter or zinc, and from the
cathode rods I suspend sheets of copper.
The current is passed, and as result all the copper in the chloride liquors is
thrown down, an equivalent of zinc or spelter having in mean time been dissolved
into solution. I now syphon the liquor into large rough wooden precipitating
tanks (leaving the precipitated copper behind), where I treat said liquor for precipi-
tating all the zinc contained in the solution, and for this precipitation lime or any

page_text: other known or convenient precipitant of the zinc may be employed. This
precipitate is then treated for the recovery of the zinc in any well known or
convenient manner, and the zinc is melted and made into anode plates for reuse in
the next working, the chlorine in the solution being recovered in form of bleaching
powder or chloride of sodium.
Now I have found that there are certain times and under certain conditions of
the chloride liquor when solutions of very acid character are worked, for instance,
that the chlorine in the liquors will attach to both anode and cathode, forming a
film of suboxide and stop the passage of the electric current, preventing all action.
In such case I suspend the zinc or spelter anode after having been amalgamated in
a porous cell of suitable size, which will be placed in the depositing tank and
surrounded by the chloride liquors, the porous cell being filled up with a mixture
of, say, one part sulphuric acid to ten to twenty parts by measure of water, and this
effectually prevents the deposition of subchloride.
The acid mixture in the porous cell will require to be charged with fresh liquor
as it becomes saturated with zinc, which zinc is to be recovered as before described,
and all the refuse of amalgamated zinc from the porous cells being put into a small
retort kept for the purpose, and by application of heat the mercury is distilled over
and recovered.
Should there have been in the ore any zine it will be found in the chloride
liquors and be recovered along with that which had been dissolved from the anode
as before described.
Under certain circumstances lead anodes and cathodes and carbon anodes and
cathodes may be used instead of the zinc, but the result is not nearly so
satisfactory.
The same series of operations are carried out when sulphate or other extraction
liquors are being operated upon.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said William Elmore in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th April
1881.
WILLIAM ELMORE, of 91, Blackfriars Road, in the County of Surrey, Electrical
Engineer. "A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR EXTRACTING COPPER AND OTHER
METALS FROM THEIR ORES, AND FOR SEPARATING METALS FROM EACH OTHER."
This Invention has for object and relates to the treatment of chloride and
sulphate liquors in the extraction of metals from their ores by dynamo, galvanic, or
voltaic electricity.
At present the broken ore, cupreous pyrites, for instance, is taken, and after
having burnt out its sulphur the ore is ground to a fine powder and roasted with
common salt; it is then transferred to large tubs or tanks, and the chloride of
copper is dissolved and washed out by boiling water; chloride sulphate and other
liquors are also obtained in other ways well known for extracting and separating
metals from the ore; and this improved process relates to the subsequent treatment
of the chloride or sulphate or such other liquors howsoever obtained.
These liquors are allowed to settle to clear, then they are run off into clean
tanks, over the top of which are arranged connecting rods from one of my improved
dynamo electric machines, such as described in my former Patents bearing date
4th September 1879, No. 3565, and 22nd September 1880, No. 3832, or other source
of electric current. From the anode rods I suspend thick plates of spelter or zinc,
and from the cathode rods I suspend sheets of copper about to of an inch
thick.
The current is passed, and as result the copper in the chloride sulphate or other
liquors is deposited or thrown down, an equivalent of zinc or spelter having in
meantime been dissolved into solution. I now syphon the liquor into large rough
wooden precipitating tanks (leaving the deposited or precipitated copper behind),
where I treat said liquor for precipitating the zinc in solution therein, and for this
precipitation carbonate of soda or lime or any other known or convenient
precipitant of the zinc may be employed, but I employ the following in carrying
out this part of my Invention:-The solution liquor always contains more or less
sulphuric acid in combination, which acid it is necessary to remove. To effect this
the liquor is brought to boiling point, then I add chloride of lime in quantity
sufficient to combine with all the sulphuric acid, so forming a sulphate of lime
which readily falls as a precipitate, leaving chloride of zinc in solution. This
solution, after being drawn off clear of the sulphate of lime, has added thereto
sufficient boiling milk of lime to precipitate all the zinc contained in the solution.
It is important the chloride of zinc solution and the milk of lime be kept at or
about boiling point during the precipitation of the zinc. The resulting oxide of
zinc is then dried and is ready for distillation with small coal or coal dust in the
ordinary way. This precipitant is then treated for the recovery of the zinc in any
well known or convenient manner, and the zinc is melted and made into anode
plates for re-use in the next working, the chlorine in the solution being recovered
in form of chloride of sodium or bleaching powder.
I suspend the zinc or spelter anode after having been amalgamated in a porous
cell of suitable size, which will be placed in the depositing tank and surrounded by
the chloride liquors, the porous cell being mixed up with a mixture of, say, one part
sulphuric acid to ten to thirty (twenty four best) parts by measure of water, but
hydrochloric or other acid may be used, and this effectually prevents the deposition
of subchloride. The acid mixture in the porous cell will require to be charged with
fresh liquors as it becomes saturated with zinc, which zinc is to be recovered as
before described, and all the refuse of amalgamated zinc from the porous cells will

page_text: be put into a small retort kept for the purpose, and by the application of heat the
mercury be distilled over and recovered. Should there have been in the ore any
zinc it will be found in the chloride liquors and be recovered along with that which
had been dissolved from the anode as before described.
Under certain circumstances lead anodes and cathodes and carbon anodes and
cathodes may be used, as also zinc anodes, carbon cathodes, or zinc anode and brass
cathode, or platinum or silver anodes and copper cathodes, instead of the zinc and
copper anodes and cathodes respectively.
The same series of operations are carried out when sulphate or other extraction
liquors are being operated upon, and this Invention is to be understood as extending
only to the treatment of extraction liquors from ores or metals for the purpose of
extracting copper and zinc, but where, for instance, as is almost invariably the
case, iron is present to some extent in the sulphate or other extraction liquors from
such ores or metals, the same will be separated out from the copper or zinc as a bye
product.
Having now described the nature and particulars of the said Invention, I
claim,―
The process herein described for treating so called extraction liquors from ores or
mixed metals containing copper or zinc, or both, for separating these metals from
such ores, and for separating the metals, copper, and zinc from each other.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Elmore, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty one.
In the presence of
WALTER A. BARLOW,
Patent Agent and Engineer,
6, St. Paul's Churchyard,
London, E.C.
WILLIAM ELMORE. (L.S.)