IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF CUPREOUS ORES OR THEIR WASTE LIQUORS FOR THE RECOVERY OF COBALT AND NICKEL
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Erhard Ludwig Mayer, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Chemist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE TREATMENT OF CUPREOUS ORES OR THEIR WASTE LIQUORS FOR THE
RECOVERY OF COBALT AND NICKEL."
Sealed the 1st September 1876, and dated the 2nd March 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Erhard Ludwig Mayer at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd March 1876.
ERHARD LUDWIG MAYER, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Chemist. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF CUPREOUS ORES OR THEIR
WASTE LIQUORS FOR THE RECOVERY OF COBALT AND NICKEL."
"
It is well known that Spanish and other pyrites or cupreous minerals contain
small quantities of cobalt and nickel, and if the "burnt ores" resulting from these
minerals are subjected to the treatment called the "wet process of extracting
copper, that is, if they are roasted with common salt or other chlorides, or with
sulphates, and afterwards lixiviated with water and dilute acids, and the copper
precipitated from the resulting solutions by means of metallic iron or its equivalent,
the liquors, which are technically called iron solutions or wast liquors, contain
small quantities of cobalt and nickel, together with chlorides or sulphates of iron,
sodium, and other metals. These waste liquors have hitherto been mostly thrown
away, and the cobalt and nickel contained therein have thus been lost. Now the
nature and novelty of my said Invention relate to or consist in the recovery of the
cobalt and nickel from these waste liquors by precipitating the cobalt and nickel
in the metallic state by means of zinc. In order to effect this the waste liquors
are heated to about the boiling point by steam or other heating medium, and are
then run into tanks containing scrap zine; or the zinc in the form of sheet may be
dipped into the heated liquors. In the former case the liquors are run off, and in
the latter the sheets are lifted out after a space of about eight or ten minutes,
when it will be found that the cobalt and nickel have been precipitated upon the
zinc. The precipitate is then taken from the scrap zinc by friction, agitation, and
washing or otherwise as soon as the latter is found to have ceased to act effectively
upon the cobalt and nickel in the solution or waste liquor; or when sheet zinc is
used the deposit is scraped off the surface of these sheets as often as found
desirable. This deposit is a marketable product of considerable value, as it contains
[Price 4d.]

page_text: the metallic cobalt and nickel with iron, lead, zinc, and other metals which are
separated therefrom, and the cobalt and nickel recovered by means well known for
the separating of these metals, as by dissolving the netals with hydrochloric acid
and then freeing them from arsenic, antimony, lead, and this class of metals by
sulphuretted hydrogen, when the liquid is neutralized by any of the carbonates of
soda, magnesia, and lime or lime shell, and then adding any soluble sulphide, which
will deposit the cobalt, nickel, iron, zinc, and the other metals of this class, as
sulphides, when by treating these deposits with diluted hydrochloric acid all the
metallic sulphides will be dissolved and run off with the liquid, except those of
cobalt and nickel (desired to be recovered) which are left as a black deposit, and
can then be separated and purified by ordinary means.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Erhard Ludwig Mayer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st September 1876.
ERHARD LUDWIG MAYER, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Chemist. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF CUPREOUS ORES OR THEIR
WASTE LIQUORS FOR THE RECOVERY OF COBALT AND NICKEL."
.
It is well known that Spanish and other pyrites or cupreous minerals contain
small quantities of cobalt and nickel, and if the "burnt ores" resulting from these
minerals are subjected to the treatment called the " wet process " of extracting
copper, that is, if they are roasted with common salt or other chlorides, or with
sulphates, and afterwards lixiviated with water and dilute acids, and the copper
precipitated from the resulting solutions by means of metallic iron or its equivalent,
the liquors, which are technically called iron solutions or waste liquors, contain
small quantities of cobalt and nickel, together with chlorides or sulphates of iron,
lead, sodium, and other metals. These waste liquors have hitherto been mostly
thrown away, and the cobalt and nickel contained therein have thus been lost.
Now the nature and novelty of my said Invention relate to or consist in the
recovery of the cobalt and nickel and lead from these liquors or other liquors
containing cobalt, nickel, lead, iron, copper, or any of these by precipitating the
cobalt and nickel in the metallic state by means of zinc.
And in order that the nature, novelty, and mode of performing my said Invention
may be fully understood, I shall now proceed to describe the best modes and means
I am at present aware of for that purpose.
The waste liquors are heated by steam or other heating medium to a temperature
of from 50° to 100° centigrade, according to the composition of the liquor, the
greater the quantity of chloride of sodium and iron in the liquor the lower the
temperature, and the longer and slower the treatment through the ducts, and are
then run slowly in a thin stream into shallow tanks containing scrap zine; or
preferably through shoots or ducts made of zinc of from 50 to 200 feet in length,
which enables the cobalt, nickel, and lead to be precipitated upon the zinc; and
when desired to maintain an equable temperature of the liquors the shoots or ducts
may be heated. The precipitate is then taken from the scrap zinc by friction,
agitation, and washing or otherwise, as soon as the latter is found to have ceased
to act effectively upon the cobalt and nickel in the solution or waste liquor, or
when zine shoots or ducts are used, the deposit is brushed or scraped off the surface
of these at intervals of two hours or so; or when the precipitate has attained a
maximum thickness of about the thirty-second part of an inch, the shoots being
made sufficiently thick to admit of this constant corrosion and abrasion by the
metals deposited on it. This deposit is a marketable product of considerable value,
as it contains the metallic cobalt and nickel with lead, zinc, iron, copper, and other
metals, which may be separated therefrom, and the cobalt and nickel recovered by
means well known for the separating of these metals.

page_text: Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing or putting the same into effect or practice, I have to state that what I
consider novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the recovery of cobalt and nickel
or lead from cuprcous ores or waste liquors containing these metals by passing the
liquors over zine surfaces, whereby the cobalt and nickel or lead are deposited on
the zinc, from which they are subsequently removed, all substantially as herein
described or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Erhard Ludwig Mayer, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Twenty-ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
ERHARD LUDWIG MAYEK. (L.S.)