IMPROVED PROCESSES OF TREATING PHOSPHATIC ROCK AND OTHER PHOSPHATIC SUBSTANCES FOR THE EXTRACTION OF THE PHOSPHORIC ACID OR SOLUBLE PHOSPHATES THEREFROM
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London,
for the Invention of "IMPROVED PROCESSES OF TREATING PHOSPHATIC ROCK
AND OTHER PHOSPHATIC SUBSTANCES FOR THE EXTRACTION OF THE PHOSPHORIC
ACID OR SOLUBLE PHOSPHATES THEREFROM."-A communication from
abroad by George Thompson Lewis, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
and Nathaniel A. Pratt of Charleston, South Carolina, both in the
United States of America.
Б
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 26th April 1872.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED PROCESSES OF TREATING PEOS-
PHATIC ROCK AND OTHER PHOSPHATIC SUBSTANCES FOR THE EXTRACTION OF THE

page_text: PHOSPHORIC ACID OR SOLUBLE PHOSPHATES THEREFROM," a communication, to
be as follows :
The said processes are adapted especially to the treatment of the
native phosphates of South Carolina or any other phosphatic native
deposit or other phosphatic material, but they may be also used in
other kindred applications.
I take of the South Carolina phosphate finely ground say one hundred
(100) parts, of sulphuric acid of 66° B (or its equivalent of more dilute
acid) from fifty (50) to sixty (60) parts, or so much as may be required
to render all the phosphoric acid of the crude phosphates soluble, of
water one hundred and fifty (150) to two hundred (200) parts, of lime
unslaked (or its equivalent of any other convenient form), so much as
may be required, say two (2) parts. I slake the lime ready for uso
and adding sufficient water reduce the compound to a thin smooth paste
by any mechanical means. The phosphate, the acid, and the water are 1
then thoroughly mixed in an ordinary mixer, and in any convenient
quantity, the mixed mass is at once transferred to a hydraulic or other
press, and the liquors containing the phosphoric acid, or phosphates in
solution, are expressed and collected. The residual cake will weigh
from one hundred and forty (140) to one hundred and fifty (150) parts,
and is to be utilized as a fertilizer, either alone or incorporated with
other ingredients. The liquors and the lime paste are then separately
heated by jets of steam or otherwise to a temperature of 180° Fahrenheit
more or less, according to the concentration of the solutions, and the two
are brought together in such proportions as to cause them to neutralize
each other. The temperature is then raised and they are kept boiling
and stirred mechanically until the reaction is complete, when the
phosphate of lime will precipitate. The mass is then transferred to the
press and the phosphate of lime is condensed into cakes, which when
dry will contain from 90° to 95° of phosphate of lime and be of a form
convenient for shipment.
'
The following is an alternative process :-The phosphatic material say
tun (10) tons are ground in an ordinary burr stone mill or chaser, or in
any of the well known forms of mills, and while this is going on a
slow stream of dilute sulphuric acid is fed into the mill, of sufficient {
strength and quantity to dissolve or decompose the phosphatic material,
there being sufficient water with the acid to form with the resulting
mass a paste. For this purpose I use a mixture of sulphuric acid, five

page_text: b
(5) to five and a half (5) tons, more or less, 66° Baumè, and of water
either fresh or salt ten (10) to fifteen (15) tons, more or less, according
to the composition of the material under treatment.
A floating syphon may be employed to regulate the amount of acid
and water supplied to the mill, according to the quantity of material
ground in a given time. Instead of sulphuric acid any other acid or
acid salt may be employed.
The mixed paste-thus produced is placed in ordinary bagging sacks,
or such other parcels as may be found most efficient, and is submitted
to hydraulic or other pressure sufficient to squeeze out the phosphoric
extract which is collected. The residual cake is to be utilized as a
fertilizer as. already mentioned in describing the first process. The
collected extract (its composition having been ascertained) is poured
into a mill and ground as above described with lime in such proportion
as may be necessary to produce the substance desired. If the hicalcic
or bicalcic phosphato is the product the pasty mass is transferred to.
sacks or other parcels and pressed as before mentioned. Other bases,
such as magnesia, alkaline, or other salts, may be used instead of limo
to condenso the phosphoric acid.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,.
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 21st October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did,, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, tho said William Robert Lake,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during

page_text: the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
excrcise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED
PROCESSES OF TREATING PHOSPHATIC ROCK AND OTHER PHOSPHATIC SUBSTANCES
FOR THE EXTRACTION OF THE PHOSPHORIC ACID OR SOLUBLE PHOSPHATES THERE-I
FROM," a communication to me from abroad by George Thompson Lewis,
of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Nathaniel A. Pratt, of Charleston,
South Carolina, both in the United States of America, upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or 1
their, or one of their hands and scals, 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
Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declaro the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
The said processes are adapted especially to the treatment of the
native phosphates of South Carolina or any other phosphatic native
deposit or other phosphatic material, but they may be also used in other
kindred applications.
I take of the South Carolina phosphate finely ground say one hundred
parts, of sulphuric acid of 66° B. (or its equivalent of more dilute acid)
from fifty to sixty parts, or so much as may be required to render all
the phosphoric acid of the crude phosphates soluble, of water onc
hundred and fifty to two hundred parts, and of lime unslaked (or its
equivalent of any other convenient form), so much as may be required,
say two parts. I slake the lime ready for use and adding sufficient
water reduce the compound to a thin smooth paste by any mechanical
means. The phosphate, the acid, and the water are then thoroughly
mixed in an ordinary mixer, and in any convenient quantity, the mixed
mass is at once transferred to a bydraulic or other press, and the liquors
containing the phosphoric acid, or phosphates in solution, are expressed
and collected. The residual cake will weigh from one hundred and
forty to one hundred and fifty parts, and is to be utilized as a fertilizer,

page_text: either alone or incorporated with other ingredients. The liquors and
the lime paste are then separately heated by jets of steam or otherwise
to a temperature of 180° Fahrenheit, more or less, according to the
concentration of the solutions, and the two are brought together in
such proportions as to cause them to neutralize each other. The
temperature is then raised and they are kept boiling and stirred
mechanically until the reaction is complete, when the phosphate of
lime will precipitate. The mass is then transferred to the press and
the phosphate of lime is condensed into cakes, which when dry will
contain from 90° to 95° of phosphate of lime and be of a form convenient
for shipment.
The following is an alternative process:-The phosphate materials,
say ten tons are ground in an ordinary burrstone mill or chaser, or
in any of the well known forms of mills, and while this is going on
a slow stream of dilute sulphuric acid is fed into the mill, of sufficient
strength and quantity to dissolve or decompose the phosphatic material,
there being sufficient water with the acid to form with tho, resulting
mass a paste. For this purpose I use a mixture of sulphuric acid,
five to five and a half tons, more or less, 66° Baumè, and of water
cither fresh or salt ten to fifteen tons, more or less, according to the
composition of the material under treatment.
A floating syphon may be employed to regulate the amount of acid
and water supplied to the mill according to the quantity of material
ground in a given time. Instead of sulphuric acid any other acid or
acid salt may be employed.
The mixed paste thus produced is placed in ordinary bagging sacks,
or such other parcels as may be found most efficient, and is submitted
to hydraulic or other pressure sufficient to squeeze out the phosphoric
extract which is collected. The residual cake is to be utilized as a
fertilizer as already mentioned in describing the first process. The
collected extract (its composition having been ascertained) is poured
into a mill and ground as above described with lime in such proportion
as may be necessary to produce the substance desired. If the hicalcic
or bicalcic phosphate is the product, the pasty mass is transferred to
sacks or other parcels and pressed as before mentioned. Other bases,
such as magnesia and alkaline or other salts, may be used instead of
lime to condense the phosphoric acid.

page_text: Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the
samo, I wish it understood that I claim,--
First. The process of extracting the phosphoric acid or soluble
phosphates by means of hydraulic or other pressure immediately after 5
mixing, substantially as first above described.
Second. The process of treating the phosphates of lime to rid them
of foreign matters and increase their value and portability, substantially,
as first above described.
Third. Grinding and mixing together crude phosphatic material, acid, 1
and water to obtain crude phosphoric acid or phosphate of lime,, or
other bases, substantially as above set forth. ..
Fourth. In combination with the grinding and mixing of crudo
phosphatic material, acid, and water, as above described, the squeezing.
or pressing of the product in bags or parcels to obtain the phosphoric. 1
extract, substantially as set forth. 1
Fifth. The grinding together of the phosphoric extract and lime,
magnesia, or other base, or their salts, to obtain an artificial phosphate
of lime or other phosphate, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here- 20
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of October, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
Witness,
F. MILLION."
W ROB³. LAKE. (L.S.)