Improvements in the Treatment and Utilization of Sewage, and Plant therefor.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Nov., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 19th Aug., 1893—Accepted, 18th Nov., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment and Utilization of Sewage, and
Plant therefor.
I, ALFRED ORLANDO JONES, of Cardigan Villa, North Park Road,
Harrogate in the County of York, Doctor of Medicine, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to so treat sewage as to obviate or mitigate
nuisance and to utilize the solid and liquid constituents of the sewage.
For this purpose the sewage is treated by filtration within a close chamber (or
chambers) through which air is caused to flow, such air being heated, or heat being
otherwise applied to the contents of the chamber (or chambers) or both or in some
cases cold air may be employed without application of heat to the contents of the
chamber (or chambers) the vapour or contaminated air leaving the chamber (or
chambers) is conducted to a retort furnace or destructor wherein it can be utilized
as fuel or to aid in supporting combustion and wherein it is rendered harmless
before being allowed to escape into the external atmosphere.
In carrying out my invention the solid portions of the sewage are utilized
according to inventions forming the subjects of former Patents No. 14253 dated
10 September 1890 and No. 11764 dated 10 July 1891 or in an analogous way.
The filter bed or beds within the close filtering chamber or chambers is or are
inclined and formed with channels into which the sewage is conducted and which
are banked up with any material or materials intended to be afterwards used in
admixture with the solid portions of the sewage and which materials may be for
examples such as mentioned in the Specifications of the said former Patents.
gas,
It will be understood that my present invention can be so carried out that solid
portions of sewage may be treated in retorts for the manufacture of
the vapour
or contaminated air from the close filtering chamber or chambers being utilized in
the combustion chamber or chambers of the said retorts. In carrying out my
invention any convenient means may be employed for creating the necessary
current or currents of air and the sewage may when necessary be filtered more
than once. In conjunction with a chamber or chambers containing sewage I in
some cases employ apparatus for producing an induced current or currents by a jet
or jets of steam or air or both in such a manner as to vaporize the liquid portion of
the sewage, which can be conducted to a retort or other furnace or destructor; this
plan can be employed with or without a filter or filters.
Dated this 22nd day of November 1892.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment and Utilization of Sewage, and
Plant therefor.
I, ALFRED ORLANDO JONES, of Cardigan Villa, North Park Road,
Harrogate, in the County of York, Doctor. of Medicine, 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:-
The object of this invention is to so treat sewage as to obviate or mitigate
nuisance, and to utilize the solid and liquid constituents of the sewage.

page_text: For this purpose the sewage is treated by filtration within a close chamber (or.
chambers) through which air is caused to flow, such air being heated, or heat being
otherwise applied to the contents of the chamber (or chambers), or both, or in some
cases cold air may be employed without application of heat to the contents of the
chamber (or chambers), the vapour or contaminated air leaving the chamber (or
chambers) being conducted to a retort furnace or destructor wherein it can be
utilized as fuel, or to aid in supporting combustion, and wherein it is rendered
harmless before being allowed to escape into the external atmosphere. The vapour
or contaminated air may be led either direct to the furnace, or stored in an ordinary
gas meter from which it can be led to the furnace as required.
In carrying out my invention the solid portions of the sewage are utilized
according to inventions forming the subjects of former Patents No. 14253 dated
10 September 1890, and No. 11764 dated 10 July 1891, or in an analogous way.
The filter bed or beds within the close filtering chamber, or chambers is, or are,
inclined and formed with channels into which the sewage is conducted, and which
are banked up with any material or materials intended to be afterwards used in
admixture with the solid portions of the sewage, and which materials may be for
examples, peat, peat-moss, burnt clay, brick dust, garden mould, fresh mould or
marsh mould, or a mixture of two or more of these, in order to fix the ammonia,
sulphuretted hydrogen, and other gases present in the liquid passing through the
filter as mentioned in the Specifications of the said former Patent No. 11764 of
1891, when the sewage is to be used in the manufacture of blocks or briquettes of
artificial fuel. Or materials such as coal, coal-dust or smudge, coke, towns refuse,
saw dust, and soot may be used when the sewage is to be utilized in the production
of heating or illuminating products as mentioned in the Specification of the said
former Patent No. 14253 of 1890. When dealing with large quantities of sewage,
the various substances above referred to may be mixed with the sewage as it enters
the chamber or chambers.
It will be understood that my present invention can be so carried out that the
solid portions of sewage either alone, or mixed with materials such as coal, coal-
dust, or smudge, coke, towns refuse and sawdust, may be treated in retorts for the
manufacture of gas, the vapour or contaminated air from the close filtering chamber
or chambers being utilized in the combustion chamber or chambers of the said
retorts.
In carrying out my invention any convenient means may be employed for creating
the necessary current or currents of air, and the sewage may, when necessary, be
filtered more than once.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a plan and cross section, showing diagrammatically,
apparatus suitable for carrying out my invention.
1 is a closed chamber provided with a filter bed 2 carried by an inclined perforated
false bottom 2*. The upper surface of this filter bed is formed with parallel
channels 3 into the upper of which the sewage is led from a supply pipe 4, the said
channels being banked up with material or materials of the kind herein before
mentioned so that the upper surface of the filter bed forms a downwardly inclined
corrugated surface over which the sewage flows from one channel to the next below,
filtration taking place at all parts of the surface. 5 is a chamber below the false
bottom into which the liquid portion of the sewage passes. 6 is an air inlet pipe by
which air heated in a pipe or passage by a retort or destructor furnace 7 is led into
the chamber 5 whence it flows through vertical pipes 8 into the space or chamber 1
above the said filter bed where it vaporizes part of the moisture in the sewage
and mixes with the impure gases given off by such sewage. The contaminated air
and vapour are led off from the top of the chamber by a pipe 9 which conveys them
to the furnace 7 so that upon their passing therethrough they will become effectually
burned. The impure gases formed in the chamber are thus completely destroyed.
By using a closed ashpit, the draught caused by the furnace chimney can be utilized
to cause the hot air to flow into and through the chamber 1. 10 is a pipe by which

page_text: the filtered liquid is led away from the chamber 5. This liquid, or part of it, may
if desired, be injected or sprayed into the furnace by any of the well known form;
of injecting or spraying devices heretofore used for injecting liquids into furnaces.
Or the filter bed instead of being formed wholly of filtering material with a series
of parallel channels in its upper surface may, as shown in Figs. 14 and 2ª be made of
material such as clay 2ª formed with a continuous or serpentine channel 3 in its
upper surface, the parts of the upper surface between the parallel portions of the
channel being in this case banked up with filtering material 2 by which the sewage
flowing along the channel will become partly filtered or purified. The partly
purified sewage is drawn off from the lower end of the channel and passed into other
filtering chambers wherein it is similarly treated until sufficiently purified. The hot
air pipe 6 may in this case be a serpentine one and be embedded in the clay 2", its
exit end 6 extending upward through the bed as shown.
In conjunction with a chamber or chambers containing sewage, I in some cases
employ apparatus for producing an induced current or currents by a jet or jets of
steam, or air, or both, in such a manner as to cause a partial vacuum in the said
chamber or chambers and thereby vaporize the liquid portion of the sewage, which,
mixed with the steam, or air, or both, is caused to flow to a retort or other furnace
wherein it is utilized in the generation of heat and formed into new compounds that
are rendered harmless before escaping into the external atmosphere. This plant.
can be employed with or without a filter or filters.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section showing diagrammatically apparatus for this
purpose.
1 is a chamber into which the sewage is introduced by a supply pipe 4 which
may be provided with a funnel or receptacle 4ª through which the material to be
used for precipitating the solid portion of the sewage can be introduced into the
sewage. 11 is a tank adapted to be placed in communication with the chamber 1.
by a pipe 12 provided with a valve 13 and into which the sewage sludge can be run
from the said chamber when desired. 14 is a pump of any suitable construction,
by which the sludge can be removed from the tank 11 when required. 9 is a pipe
connecting the upper part of the chamber 1 with the furnace 6. This pipe is pro-
vided with some suitable means for exhausting air from the said chamber for the
purpose specified. Suitable means for this purpose consist of one or more steam
nozzles 15 arranged in the pipe 9 so that steam issuing therefrom under pressure will
induce air mixed with impure gases and vapour to flow from the said chamber into
the furnace as and for the purposes hereinbefore mentioned. 16 is a grating
through which supernatant liquid not vaporized in the manner set forth, can be
run off from the precipitated sludge into a discharge pipe 17, whence such liquid,
or part thereof can, if desired, be sprayed into the incandescent fuel on the furnace
grate, as in the arrangement herein before described.
Or the filtered or supernatant liquid, as the case may be, can be refiltered and
aerated until it is sufficiently pure to be discharged into a water-course.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The hereinabove described improved treatment and utilization of sewage, the
sewage being treated by filtration within a close chamber or chambers through
which air is caused to flow, the vapour or contaminated air leaving the chamber or
chambers being afterwards conducted to a retort furnace or destructor wherein it is
utilized as fuel, or to aid in supporting combustion and wherein it is rendered
harmless before passing into the external atmosphere, and the solid portions of the
sewage being utilized according to Specifications No. 14253 of 1890 or 11764 of
1891, or in an analogous manner as set forth.
2. In the treatment and utilization of sewage, removing the liquid portion of the
sewage from the solid portion thereof by setting up a partial vacuum within the
chamber or chambers containing the said sewage, by means of an induced current

page_text: or currents in such a manner as to cause evaporation of the said liquid portion of
the sewage and utilizing the said vaporized liquid portion of the sewage mixed
with steam or air, or both in a retort or other furnace for the generation of heat
and wherein it is rendered harmless before passing into the external atmosphere
substantially as herein described.
3. For treating sewage in the manner referred to in the preceding claim, the
combination with a chamber or chambers for containing the sewage, and a retort
or other furnace of exhausting and forcing apparatus whereby an induced current
or currents can be set up within the said chamber or chambers by means of one or
more jets of steam, or air, or both, so as to vaporize the liquid portion of the
sewage, and whereby the said liquid portion of the sewage mixed with steam or
air, or both is caused to flow into the said retort or other furnace wherein it can
be utilized in the generation of heat and wherein it is rendered harmless before
passing into the external atmosphere, substantially as herein described.
Dated this 18th day of August 1893.
A. ORLANDO JONES, M.D.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant