IMPROVE- MENTS IN TREATING PYRITES, AND IN OBTAINING SULPHATE OF SODA AND CHLORINE
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Emil Königs, Manufacturing Chemist, of
Westhofen, in Westphalia, but at present residing at Maryhill, in
the County of Lanark, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TREATING PYRITES, AND IN OBTAINING SULPHATE OF SODA AND
CHLORINE "
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Emil Königs at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th May 1871.
I, EMIL KÖNIGS, Manufacturing Chemist, of Westhofen, in West-
phalia, but at present residing at Maryhill, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING PYRITES, AND IN OBTAINING SULPHATE OF SODA
AND CHLORINE," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to processes whereby sulphate of soda and
chlorine are obtained in an economical manner by treating pyrites, the
said processes being in part modifications of processes described in the

page_text: Provisional Specification lodged with an application for Letters Patent
by the present applicant, and dated 30th March last (No. 853).
In carrying out the Invention raw pyrites, common salt, and iron
oxide, by preference in the form of burnt ferruginous pyrites, are mixed
in proportions varied in different cases to suit the pyrites employed.
The mixture is formed into bricks with the aid of water or other suitable
liquid, and the bricks are arranged in a furnace in a manner permitting
air or gas free access between and amongst them, and are heated by hot
air (or otherwise) until a reaction which takes place is started, and the
outlet to the atmosphere is then closed. Another flue or passage is at
the same time opened, and gases which are evolved are led through it to
chambers or apparatus such as are usually employed for making bleaching
powder by the absorption of chlorine by lime. Air is admitted to the
furnace during the progress of the reaction, being first dried and heated
by suitable known means, its oxygen being essential to the chemical
reaction in which chlorine gas is evolved, whilst sulphate of soda and
iron oxide remain in the furnace. At the early stages of the reaction
some sulphurous acid gas is evolved, which might lead to loss of sulphur,
but this loss is avoided by causing the gases from one furnace in which
the reaction is in its early stages to pass through another furnace, the
bricks or materials in which are nearly exhausted. These nearly exhausted
materials still contain a small amount of common salt, and when the
sulphurous acid mixed with air passes over or through them sulphate of
soda is formed and chlorine evolved, as in the main reaction. The burnt
or exhausted bricks or materials after being crushed or ground if
necessary are washed with water, and if properly burnt yield a solution
of sulphate of soda free from iron, and which can be crystallised or
evaporated to dryness and applied in known ways for making carbonate
of soda or other compounds. Or the solution or crystals of crude
sulphate of soda may be subjected to known purifying processes, the
precise nature of the processes employed depending on the composition
of the pyrites used.
The improved process is best adapted for using up what is known as
"small pyrites," and when this contains copper this metal goes into
solution as sulphate along with the soda, and can be easily precipitated
by iron or other known means.
The iron oxide left after running off the solution may be used to mix
with fresh pyrites, or may be sold as iron ore.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Emil Königs in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th November 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EMIL
KÖNIGS, Manufacturing Chemist, of Westhofen, in Westphalia, but at
present residing at Maryhill, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Emil Königs, Her special licence that I, the
said Emil Königs, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Emil Königs, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING PYRITES, AND IN
OBTAINING SULPHATE OF SODA AND CHLORINE," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Emil Königs, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Emil Konigs, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, that is to say :—
My said Invention relates to processes whereby sulphate of soda and
chlorine are obtained in an economical manner by treating pyrites, the

page_text: In carrying out my present Invention raw pyrites, common salt,
and iron oxide, the last by preference in the form of burnt pyrites, are
mixed in proportions varied in different cases to suit the pyrites
employed. A suitable mixture consists, for example, of 50 to 60 parts
by weight of pyrites containing about 48 per centum of sulphur,
150 parts of burnt pyrites, and 100 parts of common salt. These
substances may be replaced by their equivalents, such as sulphide of
iron or materials containing it, or iron oxide, native or artificial, and
of more or less purity, or partially burnt pyrites may be used instead
of the mixture of burnt and unburnt pyrites. The materials, taken
by preference in the form of coarse powder, are mixed and formed
into bricks, balls, pipes, or blocks of any convenient shape with the
aid of water or a convenient and suitable solution, and the blocks after
being thoroughly dried are arranged in a furnace in such a manner
as to allow air or gas free access between and amongst them, and they
are heated by means of hot air (or otherwise) until a reaction which
takes place is started. It is probable that in this reaction salts of iron
and other metals are first formed and sulphate of soda, and that at a
subsequent stage when the temperature increases with access of dry
air, the chlorides are decomposed, as eventually oxides of iron and
sulphate of soda remain whilst chlorine is liberated. Whenever
sulphurous acid is detected escaping with the gases to the chimney the
heat of the furnace is moderated, the flue leading to the chimney is
closed, and the gases are directed by another flue into the second furnace.
Kilns or muffle furnaces having heat applied externally from ordinary
fuel or in any suitable manner may be used advantageously in carrying
out this Invention. Air is admitted to the interior of the furnace or
kiln during the progress of the reaction, being first thoroughly dried
by any known means and also heated excepting when muffle furnaces
are used, in which case it is not essential to heat the air before its
admission. The oxygen of the air takes part in the chemical reaction
in which chlorine is evolved, whilst sulphate of soda and iron oxide
remain in the furnace as already stated. At the early stages of the
process some sulphurous acid gas is evolved, which might involve loss
of sulphur, but such loss is avoided by causing the gases from one
furnace in which the reaction is in its early stages to pass through
another furnace, the blocks or materials in which are nearly exhausted.
These nearly exhausted materials having in their early stages evolved
some sulphurous acid will still contain some common salt, and when

page_text: the sulphurous acid mixed with dry air passes over or through them
sulphate of soda will be formed and chlorine evolved as in the main
reaction. The chlorine is purified by washing with water cooled and
passed over extended surfaces of hydrate of lime to form bleaching
powder in the usual way, or it may be otherwise utilised. The burnt
or exhausted blocks or materials after being crushed or ground if
necessary are washed with water, and if properly and thoroughly burnt
yield a solution of sulphate of soda very free from iron and which can
be crystallised or evaporated to dryness, and applied in any known way,
as for making carbonate of soda for example. Or the solution or
crystals of crude sulphate of soda may be subjected to known purifying
processes, the precise nature of such processes depending on the
composition of the pyrites used.
My improved process is well adapted for using up what is known as
"small pyrites," and when the pyrites contains copper this metal goes
into solution with the sulphate of soda and can be easily precipitated
by iron or other known means. When copper is known to be present
in the pyrites a small quantity of hydrochloric acid should be added
when lixiviating to render any subchloride of copper soluble..
The iron oxide left after separating the solution may be used to
mix with fresh pyrites or it may be sold or used as iron ore.
In treating the pyrites as herein-before described, chloride of potassium
may be substituted for the chloride of sodium, the results being the
same excepting that the sulphate obtained will have potash instead of
soda for its base.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do not
restrict myself to the precise details herein described, but that what I
believe to be novel and original and claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,--
1. The obtaining of sulphate of soda and chlorine by acting with
dry air on a heated mixture composed of pyrites and burnt pyrites,
or their specified equivalents, and common salt, as herein-before
described.
2. The treating of pyrites with burnt pyrites and common salt or
their specified equivalents, and the heating of the same with access of
dry air to obtain sulphates and chlorine, as herein-before described.

page_text: 3. The conducting of the process in muffle furnaces as herein-before
described so as to avoid the admixture of the gases from ordinary
fuel.
4. The passing of gases containing sulphurous acid through a second
furnace containing materials having an access of common salt so as to
utilise the sulphurous acid and separate it from the chlorine, as herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Emil Königs, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy- ]
one.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
E. KÖNIGS. (L.S.)