TREATMENT OF PHOSPHATIC SUBSTANCES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FERTILISERS
Year: 1884

page_text: COME LEIE
DIEVIIVATION.
st
I, OLIVER IMRAY of N° 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in the County
of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention for TREATMENT OF PHOSPHATIC SUBSTANCES FOR
THE MANUFACTURE OF FERTILISERS" and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say :-
This Invention consists in a treatment of phosphates, mineral and phosphatic
guanos, oyster and marine shells, and lime bearing substances generally, whereby
they are prepared for use as fertilisers. The method generally consists in placing
such substances in liquid within a closed vessel, and raising the temperature to a
point between 250° to 350° Fahr. so as to produce pressure which drives the liquid
into every part of the substance treated, rendering it friable. The liquid employed
may be water, or it may be a liquor enriched with animal matter which not only
renders the material friable and capable of being easily crumbled and ground, but
also gives it richness as a fertiliser.
This enriched liquor is obtained by subjecting bone, hoof, horn, leather, hair,
dead animals, offal from slaughter houses, fish and fish offal to a like treatment.
It is well known that the several animal substances named above, which are all
rich in nitrogenous matter, contain a certain percentago thereof in excess of that
required to render them efficient as fertilisers, while upon the other hand many
natural fertilisers such as phosphates phosphatic guanos, marl, marine shells and
lime bearing substances generally are entirely deficient or substantially so in this
constituent. It is one purpose of this Invention therefore, to remove from one
class of substances the surplus of this element and supply it to the other, without
impairing the usefulness as fertilisers of the animal substances themselves, which
can still be utilized as fertilisers, as will be described.
Any one of the nitrogenous animal matters named is heated with water in a
closed vessel to 250°, or up to 350° Fahr. The contents of the vessel are then

page_text: rapidly cooled, and the liquid will be found to consist of water, holding in solution a
quantity of solublo animal matter derived from the substance treated. This
enriched liquor is stored for future use and the solid residue which, upon being
removed and driel, is friable, can readily be ground for use as a fertiliser alone or
in combination with other fertilising substances.
By treating a fresh supply of animal matter, in the liquor obtained by the first
treatment this liquor can be still further enriched.
The liquor thus enriched with animal matter is used to impart the fertilising
ingredients which it contains to phosphates, mineral and phosphatic guanos, oyster
and marine shells, and lime bearing substances generally, which are deficient in
nitrogenous matter. For this purpose the substance is placed in the enriched liquor
instead of water, and is treated in all respects as herein before set forth, and when
so treated cooled and dried, it will be found to have become friable and can easily
be reduced to powder containing a percentage of animal matter derived from the
liquor in which it is treated, and forming a readily soluble and easily assimilated
food for plants.
The accompanying Drawing shews a form of apparatus for carrying out the
process, the Figure representing a side elevation with part broken away to shew
the interior construction. A is a furnace above which is arranged a retort B,
surrounded by a shell or jacket C. A steam tight cap or lid D closes the top of
the retort, being fastened down by arms E which radiate from a central boss e and
book under the flange a of the shell c. Through the boss e passes a screw F, which
is screwed down upon the lid D and forces it tightly down upon the retort.
A gauge G indicates the steam pressure and a thermometer to indicate the
temperature of the contents of the retort may also be mounted in the lid D.
Within the lower portion of the retort is placed a coil H which may be used to aid
the heating of the contents of the retort by sending hot water or steam through
the coil; or it may be used to cool the contents of the retort by sending cold
water through it. Instead of a single coil, another coil in addition to that shown
may be employed whereby the heating and cooling can be carried on by separate
pipes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
In the manufacture of fertilisers, the process herein described of treating
phosphates, mineral and phosphatic guanos, marine and oyster shells, lime bearing
and other substances in a closed vessel in the presence of enriched liquor extracted
from animal substances in the manner described, or of water, and raising the
temperature to a point between 250° and 350° Fahrenheit, whereby the fluid is
driven by the pressure of the enclosed vapor into every part of the substance
treated, after which the product is dried and broken up, substantially as
described.