Improvements relating to the Collection of Ammonia and Ammoniacal Salts from Gaseous and Liquid Mixtures.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 27th July, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 11th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 29th Apr., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Collection of Ammonia and
Ammoniacal Salts from Gaseous and Liquid Mixtures.
I, EDMOND DE CUYPER, of Mons, in the Kingdom of Belgium Engineer, do
ereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object to collect from a liquid or gaseous mixture the
quantity of ammonia or ammoniacal salts which it contains, and to transform
the agent employed for the collection into a useful material for industrial
purposes. By reason of the usefulness acquired by the material absorbing the
ammonia and ammoniacal salts the result obtained by its employment may in
certain cases be double, inasmuch as the material acts on the one hand as a
purifier and becomes on the other hand a saleable commodity, while in other
cases there is only one result which consists in the greater value which the purifying
material acquires by the absorption of ammonia and ammoniacal salts.
Now in order that the extractor of ammonia and ammoniacal salts either from
gaseous or from liquid mixtures may be possible it is necessary to treat the said
mixtures by the aid of an agent which will easily absorb the ammonia and the
ammoniacal salts in great quantity. A material particularly adapted for this
absorption is peat. If ammonia and ammoniacal salts are to be extracted from
liquid mixtures or ammoniacal solutions, the solution is mixed to the quantity of
peat necessary for absorbing the whole of the liquid after the manner of a
sponge. If on the contrary gases are to be purified the peat forming a filter
is arranged in any suitable manner, and the gas is either forced or drawn through
this filter.
The employment of peat as a filter for ordinary lighting gas constitutes a
considerable progress, because up to the present time lighting gas has not been
successfully freed from the ammonia and ammoniacal salts it contains, which salts
prevent it from burning with the desired clearness and brilliancy and give it a
disagrecable odour as it burns. Morcover this filter also retains any other
injurious gases, such as free sulphuric acid and the like.
Ammoniacal liquors produced in large quantities in the manufacture of gas can
be deprived of their ammonia and ammoniacal salts by the process hereinbefore set
forth for solutions. By the ammonia and ammoniacal salts which it absorbs and
by which it is gradually saturated the peat is transformed into a manure of very
superior quality and constitutes an almost inodorous product. Moreover peat
is one of the most active elements for the nitration so that when it has been left
to itself for a suitable time the greatest portion of ammonia will have been
nitrated.
The absorption, by the peat, of the ammoniacal liquors coming from gas-works
constitutes moreover a perfect means for recovering the pure ammonia contained
in the said residuary liquors. For this purpose it is sufficient to heat the mixture
of peat and ammoniacal liquor enclosed in a suitable receptacle by the aid
of a water bath or other appropriate means to a temperature of from 30 to
40 degrees so as to cause the disengagement of all the pure ammonia contained
therein, whilst the peat retains all the salts which impart to it the quality of a
superior manure.
In case residuary ammoniacal liquors are treated a single result is obtained when
use is made of the same directly as peat transformed into manure, whilst a double
result is obtained if the ammonia is first extracted therefrom by evaporation. The
result is also double in the purification of gas, because on the one hand this element

page_text: is obtained in an absolutely pure state, and because on the other hand the peat
acquires a value as a manure.
Dated this 27th day of July 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Collection of Ammonia and
Ammoniacal Salts from Gaseous and Liquid Mixtures.
1, EDMOND DE CUYPER, of Mons, in the Kingdom of Belgium Engineer, 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:-
My invention has for its object to collect from any liquid or gaseous mixture
the quantity of aminonia or animoniacal salts which it contains, and to transform
the agent employed for the collection into a useful material for industrial
purposes. By reason of the usefulness acquired by the material absorbing the
ammonia and ammoniacal salts the result obtained by its employment may in
certain cases, be double, inasmuch as the material acts on the one hand as a purifier
and becomes on the other hand a saleable commodity; while in other cases there is
only one result, which consists in the greater value which the purifying material
acquires by the absorption of ammonia and ammoniacal salts.
Now in order that the extraction of ammonia and ammoniacal salts either from
gaseous or from liquid mixtures may be possible, it is necessary to treat the said
mixtures, by the aid of an agent which will easily absorb the ammonia and the
ammoniacal salts in great quantity.
A material particularly adapted for this absorption is peat. If ammonia and
ammoniacal salts are to be extracted from liquid mixtures or ammoniacal solutions
the solution is mixed with a quantity of peat necessary for absorbing the whole
of the liquid after the manner of a sponge. If on the contrary gases are to be
purified the peat forming a filter is arranged in any suitable manner, and the gas is
either forced or drawn through this filter.
The employment of peat as a filter for ordinary lighting gas constitutes a con-
siderable improvement because up to the present time lighting gas has not been
successfully freed from the ammonia and ammoniacal salts it contains, which salts
prevent it from burning with the desired clearness and brilliancy, and give it a
disagreeable odour as it burns. Moreover this filter also retains any other injurious
gases, such as free sulphuric acid and the like.
Ammoniacal liquors produced in large quantities in the manufacture of gas can
be deprived of their ammonia and ammoniacal salts by the process hereinbefore set
forth for solutions. By the ammonia and ammoniacal salts which it absorbs and
by which it is gradually saturated, the peat is transformed into a manure of very
superior quality and constitutes an almost inodorous product. Moreover peat is
one of the most active elements for the nitration, so that when it has been left to
itself for a suitable time the greatest portion of ammonia will have been nitrated.
The absorption, by the peat, of the ammoniacal liquors coming from gas-works
constitutes moreover a perfect means for recovering the pure ammonia contained in
the said residuary liquors. For this purpose it is sufficient to heat the mixture of
peat and ammoniacal liquors enclosed in a suitable receptacle by the aid of a water
bath or other appropriate means to a temperature of from 30 to 40 degrees so as
to cause the disengagement of all the pure ammonia contained therein, whilst the
peat retains all the salts which impart to it the quality of a superior manure.
In the case of the treatment of residuary ammoniacal liquors a simple result is
obtained when use is made of the same directly as peat transformed into manure,
whilst a double result is obtained if the aminonia is first extracted therefrom by

page_text: evaporation. The result is also double in the purification of gas, because on the
ue hand this element is obtained in an absolutely pure state, and because on the
other hand the peat acquires a value as a manure.
In the above described process I employ peat for the purification of lighting gas
and for the recovery of the ammonia contained in the ammoniacal liquors of gas
works. These works are not the only ones which produce ammoniacal liquors ;
coke furnaces more especially enable at the present time ammoniacal liquors to be
produced which are in every respect similar to those derived from the manufacture
of gas.
It is of course understood that my process is likewise applicable with the
same advantages to the treatment of these ammoniacal liquors from coke furnaces,
and in general to the treatment of all those derived from the distillation and
combustion of coal.
My process is moreover applicable to the direct obtention of pure ammonia
contained in the products of distillation from ammoniacal liquors; when ammoniacal
liquors are distilled directly, lime being added or not for decomposing the salts,
the products of this distillation contain an ammonia rendered impure as much by
certain injurious salts and gases as by empyreumatic products which commence to
distil at about 80 degrees.
may
I cause the ammoniacal liquor to be absorbed by the peat, in like manner
cause this peat to absorb the products of distillation of the ammoniacal liquid, for
the peat, below a temperature of 80 degrees, will retain the empyreumatic products
besides the salts and gases which render the ammonia dirty. By keeping the peat
at a lower temperature than 80 degrees there will always be disengaged very pure
animonia.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In the recovery of ammonia and ammoniacal salts contained in gaseous and
liquid mixtures, the employment of peat as an absorbing and purifying agent, and
the transformation of the peat into a manure by the absorption of the ammonia
and ammoniacal salts from the aforesaid mixtures, and the heating of the saturated
peat in a receptacle adapted for the recovery of the pure anumonia, substantially as,
and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
2. The application of my process of recovering ammonia with direct obtention of
pure ammonia contained in the products of distillation of ammoniacal liquors,
characterized essentially by the absorption by peat of the said products, this peat
below a temperature of 80 degrees retaining the empyreumatic products and also
all the salts and gases which render ammonia dirty, in such a manner that there can
be disengaged from the peat, kept. below the said temperature of 80 degrees, only
absolutely pure ammonia.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant,