IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF AMMONIA
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Pellatt Rickman and Jacob Baynes Thompson
both of No 29 Pomeroy Street New Cross in the County of Kent, for an
Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF AMMONIA
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Pellatt Rickman and
Jacob Baynes Thompson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
12th July 1882.
JAMES PELLATT RICKMAN and JACOB BAYNES THOMPSON both of No 29 Pomeroy
Street New Cross in the County of Kent, "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF AMMONIA
"
This invention relates to the manufacture of ammonia and ammonium salts
from crude urea and uric acid as they are found in urine and animal excreta.
When solid excreta are treated, they are in the first place rendered fluid by water,
and sufficiently alkaline by addition of caustic alkali or alkaline earth. When
liquid is treated it also is rendered alkaline if necessary.
The first part of our process is the decomposition of the urea and uric acid and
the formation of ammonia and ammonium carbonate. This may be effected by
adding an alkali or alkaline earth and protracted boiling, but we prefer to effect it
by fermentation in the following manner:-"
-The liquor is put into an air tight
tank, and animal ferment in active operation is added to it. This animal ferment
may in the first place be obtained by the putrid fermentation of mucin, which is
abundantly contained in ox gall, and when fermentation is once set up in the liquor
part of the active liquor can be used as a ferment. Ferment will also be produced
in the liquor itself if it be allowed to remain sufficiently long in the tank; but the
addition of foreign ferment promotes the reaction. A smaller air tight tank lined
with lead is provided in free communication with the air space in the upper part
of the larger tank. This smaller tank contains sulphuric, or hydrochloric acid
according to the salt desired to be made; but when hydrochloric acid is used,
sufficient water is added to prevent it from fuming, otherwise ammonium chloride
would be formed in the fermenting tank. The acid solution in the smaller tank
Price 21

page_text: absorbs free ammonia that is disengaged in the larger tank. When the fermentation
is completed, there will not be found any urea or uric acid in the liquor but instead
thereof ammonia and ammonium carbonate.
The second part of the process is the separation of the ammonia from the liquor.
This is effected by distillation at a moderate heat without ebullition. For this
purpose it is preferred to use two stills, (the first being heated) the second being
placed at some distance from the first with a pipe passing from the head of the
first still down nearly to the bottom of the second. The first still receives the
liquor from the fermenting tank, and the second intercepts the greater portion of
the water evaporated in the first still. This water is usually sufficiently heated to
drive off from the second still the ammonia, which is then collected in suitable
condensers, with or without the aid of an exhauster. The condensing vessels may
with advantage be charged with the acid solution from the smaller tank described
as communicating with the fermenting tank. When the solution in the first
condenser is saturated it is transferred to an open boiler or pan in which it is
concentrated; when it is sufficiently dense, it is run into a cooler to crystallise, and
the mother liquor being drained off the crystals are dried. The mother liquor may
be added to fresh saturated solution and again boiled down, and so on continuously.
The condensation of, the ammonia may be performed in the ordinary way; but the
preceding method is to be preferred.
:

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Pellatt Rickman and Jacob Baynes Thompson in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 11th January 1883.
JAMES PELLATT RICKMAN and JACOB BAYNES THOMPSON both of No 29 Pomeroy
Street New Cross, in the county of Kent "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF AMMONIA".
This invention relates to the manufacture of ammonia and ammonium salts
from crude urea and uric acid as they are found in urine and animal excreta.
When solid excreta are treated they are in the first place rendered fluid by water
and sufficiently alkaline by addition of caustic alkali or alkaline earth. When
liquid is treated it is also rendered alkaline, if necessary. Usually when the
urine of horses or cattle is treated the addition of alkali is not required.
The first part of our process is the decomposition of the urea and uric acid and
the formation of ammonia and ammonium carbonate. This may be effected by
adding an alkali or alkaline earth and protracted boiling, but we prefer to effect it
by fermentation in the following manner:-
The liquor is put into an air tight tank and animal ferment in active operation
is added to it. This animal ferment may in the first place be obtained by the
putrid fermentation of mucine which is abundantly contained in oxgall, and, when
fermentation is once set up in the liquor, part of the active liquor can be used as a
ferment. Ferment will also be produced in the liquor itself if it be allowed to
remain sufficiently long in the tank; but the addition of foreign ferment promotes
the reaction. Usually the fermentation will occupy three or four days. A. smaller
air tight tank lined with lead is provided in free communication with the air space
in the upper part of the larger tank.
This smaller tank contains sulphuric or hydrochloric acid, according to the salt
desired to be made, but when hydrochloric acid is used, sufficient water is added
to prevent it from fuming, otherwise ammonium chloride would be formed in the
fermenting tank. The acid solution in the smaller tank absorbs free ammonia
that is disengaged in the larger tank. When the fermentation is completed there
will not be found any urea or uric acid in the liquor, but instead thereof ammonia
and ammonium carbonate.
The second part of the process is the separation of the ammonia from the liquor.
This is effected by distillation at a moderate heat without ebullition. For this
purpose it is preferred to use two stills, the first being heated, the second placed at
some distance from the first, with a pipe passing from the head of the first still
down nearly to the bottom of the second. The first still receives the liquor from
the fermenting tank, and the second intercepts the greater portion of the water
evaporated in the first still, with such oily or tarry matters as may be carried over.
This water is usually sufficiently heated to drive off from the second still the
ammonia, which is then collected in suitable condensers, with or without the aid of
an exhauster. The condensing vessels may with advantage be charged with the
acid solution from the smaller tank, described as communicating with the fermenting
tank. When the solution in the first condenser is saturated, it is transferred to an
open boiler or pan in which it is concentrated; when it is sufficiently dense, it is
run into a cooler to crystallize, and the mother liquor being drained off, the crystals
are dried. When, for producing ammonium sulphate, common brown sulphurio
acid is used, it is of advantage to supersaturate somewhat with ammonia, and to let
the solution stand for some time for the impurities to settle. The mother liquor
may be added to fresh saturated solution and again boiled down, and so on,

page_text: continuously. The condensation of the ammonia may be performed in the ordinary
way, but the preceding method is to be preferred.
The accompanying drawing shews a convenient arrangement of apparatus
for distilling the fermented liquor and producing ammonium sulphate. A is the
still which is charged by the pipe and cock a and discharged by b; the contents
being heated by the tire n and the products of combustion passing through the
'flues o.
From A the vapour passes by a pipe reaching nearly to the bottom of the
intercepting vessel B, and a portion of the vapour condensing therein, seals the
pipe and intercepts the tarry and oily matters conveyed by the vapour. The
contents of B soon become sufficiently heated to drive off the ammonia, which,
accompanied by aqueous vapour, passes into the first condensing vessel, C. This
is, in the first place, charged with sulphuric acid, and afterwards through a valve j
with the liquor from the second condensing vessel D. A large portion of the
ammonia becomes condensed in C, combining with the acid, and when the solution
is saturated, it is run off by a cock g and pipe m to suitable settling vessels, à
fresh charge of liquid being admitted from D to C by opening the valve j. The
vapour partly charged with ammonia passes from C to the second condensing
vessel D, in which almost the whole of the ammonia is absorbed in fresh acid, with
which D is charged from the acid tank E. The aqueous vapour escapes from D
by a pipe having a siphon bend F by which the water of condensation escapes.
d is a cock for emptying B; f, i, glass guages to shew the liquid level in the
vessels, and c, e, h, k, are stop cocks for allowing a little vapour to issue for testing
purposes.
―:
T
Having thus described the nature of our invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, we claim
The process for manufacturing ammonia by the treatment of urine and cexcreta;
substantially as herein described, that is to say, fermenting the liquid matter,
distilling the fermented liquor and absorbing in suitable acids the ammonia evolved
in the distillation.
:
In Witness whereof, I, the said James Pellatt Rickman have hereunto set
my hand and seal this tenth day of January, in the year of our Lord;
one thousand, eight hundred and Eighty-three.