IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL MANURE follows
Year: 1884

page_text: I FREDERICK WILLIAM MARTINO of N° 199 Arundel Street Sheffield in the
County of York Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
" to be as
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL MANURE
follows:-
In manufacturing artificial manure according to my invention I take the basic
slag or scoria obtained in the process of dephosphorising pig or cast iron by the
use in the converter of a lining of quicklime. The said slag consists essentially of
phosphate of lime but also contains small quantities of silica magnesia alumina and
oxide of iron. I grind the said slag into powder by the use of a mortar mill or
otherwise and mix with the said ground slag ground alum cake in the proportion
of one part by weight of alum cake to one hundred parts by weight of slag. The
said alum cake contains free sulphuric acid.
I also take ground slag unmixed with alum cake. I roast or calcine separately
these two powders that is the mixture of slag and alum cake and slag without
alum cake. These powders consist essentially of phosphate of lime the one
containing the alum cake being acid and the one unmixed with alum cake being
neutral
To the raw sewage collected in a tank which I will call tank No 1 I add the
acid powder in the proportion of about 1 cwt. of the said acid powder to every
one thousand gallons of sewage. But I do not limit myself to any particular
proportions as the varying nature of sewage renders it necessary to vary the
proportions.
The mixture of sewage and acid powder is stirred at frequent intervals during
about twelve hours. After it has been allowed to rest until the suspended matter
has subsided the clear liquid is syphoned or otherwise transferred to another tank
which I will call tank N° 2.
The clear liquid from tank N° 1 contains nearly all the urates the albumenoids
some phosphoric acid combined with lime and alumina together with mucus and
other soluble constituents of liquid and solid excreta.
If the clear liquid in tank N° 2 still contain soluble undecomposed organised
matter its presence is indicated by its odour and if any such matter is present it
may be got rid of in either of the following ways.
First the clear liquid in tank N° 2 is heated to boiling temperature by the
introduction into it of steam or otherwise. By this heating of the liquid the

page_text: albumenoids and other soluble organised compounds which were not precipitated
from the acid solution in the cold are now thrown down in the form of a flocculent
precipitate. A large proportion of phosphates and urates contained in the solution
is at the same time precipitated. The liquid matter is allowed to cool and the
suspended matter to subside the clear liquid is transferred to a third tank and made
alkaline by the addition of ground neutral slag and caustic lime in powder the
mixture being well stirred. Free ammonia is generated and any phosphate of lime
phosphate of alumina and oxide of iron contained in the solution will thereby be
precipitated.
After the precipitate has subsided the clear liquid is drawn off and passed
through filter beds of neutral slag. The water which is now practically pure
absorbs oxygen during this filtering process and passes off in a state in which it
may be properly introduced into a running stream or used for manufacturing
purposes.
Secondly the liquid from tank N° 2 transferred to tank N° 3 may be treated
without heating in the following way. The said liquid in tank N° 3 is treated
with a mixture of ground and calcined neutral slag caustic lime and animal
charcoal I prefer to use animal charcoal made by carbonising blood and the refuso
matter from slaughter houses. This can be revivified and used several times.
The organised matter is decomposed by the caustic lime its nitrogen passing into
ammonia and ammonical salts. The ammonia and ammonical salts thus formed
are for the most part absorbed by the neutral slag or neutral phosphate of lime and
the animal charcoal. The liquid is then filtered through filter beds of slag during
which it absorbs oxygen and passes off fresh and pure.
>
The precipitate formed in either of the two methods of treatment described is
treated with strong sulphuric acid or oil of vitriol in carefully added proportions
until it is slightly acid. The addition of the sulphuric acid developes heat and a
dry mass is produced which is easily reduced to powder.
The precipitates of tanks N° 1, 2 and 3 differ with respect to the relative
proportions of phosphate of lime and ammonia contained in them. By mixing the
precipitates of the several tanks and adding nitrogenous matters such as the refuse
of slaughter houses the excreta of dry closets cess-pools and the like the artificial
manure produced may be made to approximate in its essential constituents to
different qualities of guano.
Dated this twenty-ninth day of January 1884.

page_text: I FREDERICK WILLIAM MARTINO of N° 199 Arundel Street Sheffield in the
County of York Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL MANURE and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
In manufacturing artificial manure according to my invention I take the basic.
slag or scoria obtained in the process of dephosphorising pig or cast iron by the
use in the converter of a lining of quicklime. The said slag consists essentially of
phosphate of lime but also contains small quantities of silica magnesia alumina and
oxide of iron. I grind the said slag into powder by the use of a mortar mill or
otherwise and mix with the said ground slag ground alum cake in the proportion
of from one part to four parts by weight of alum cake to one hundred parts by
weight of slag. The said alum cake contains free sulphuric acid.
The mixture of alum cake and slag is roasted at a dull red heat until it is found
on testing it that its constituents are wholly or mainly soluble in water. A
period of an hour to an hour and a half generally suffices for this roasting but the
time varies with different slags.
In place of alum cake other waste or residual products containing free sulphuric
acid may be employed the acid sulphate of potash called "Sal-enixum " and acid
sulphate of soda both residual products obtained in manufacturing nitric acid by
decomposing nitrate of potash or nitrate of soda by sulphuric acid answer well in
practice. Any alkali or alkaline earth with excess of sulphuric nitric or hydro-
chloric acid may be substituted for alum cake. The roasting of the mixture of
alum cake is effected in an ordinary calciner. The mixture is stirred ("rabbled"
or "raddled" or "
'raked") frequently during the roasting process and the heat is
raised towards the end of the process.
The product obtained by the roasting of the mixture of slag and alum cake is an
acid sulpho-phosphate of lime Magnesia Alumina Iron and Silica. This compound
valuable on account of the soluble phosphate of lime it contains has an additional
value on account of its physical property of largely absorbing gaseous and organic
matters.
I also take ground slag unmixed with alum cake. I roast or calcine separately
these two powders that is the mixture of slag and alum cake and slag without
alum cake. These powders consist essentially of phosphate of lime the one
containing the alum cake being acid and the one unmixed with alum cake being
neutral both however are very absorbent and the neutral powder is necessary for
subsequent Chemical Reactions and precipitations.
To the raw sewage collected in a tank which I will call tank N° 1 I add the acid
powder in the proportion of about one hundredweight of the said acid powder to
every one thousand gallons of sewage. In place of the acid powder obtained by
roasting a mixture of slag and alum cake, a mixture of the powders obtained by
roasting the slag with alum cake and slag without alum cake separately, may be
employed. In this case I employ the same proportions of slag and alum cake as
previously given. But I do not limit myself to any particular proportions as the
varying nature of sewage renders it necessary to vary the proportions. To work
with exactitude a measured quantity is taken out of the tank by way of sample
and its characteristic such as the percentage of solid matter and its more important
chemical constituents ascertained by a rough analysis as is usual in sewage works,

page_text: The mixture of sewage and acid powder is stirred at frequent intervals during
about twelve hours. After it has been allowed to rest until the suspended matter
has subsided the clear liquid is syphoned or otherwise transferred to another tank
which I will call tank N° 2.
The clear liquid from tank No 1 may contain small quantities of Urea the
albumenoids some phosphoric acid combined with lime Potash Iron and alumina
and other soluble constituents of excrementitious matter.
If the clear liquid in tank N° 2 still contain soluble undecomposed organised
matter its presence is indicated by its odour and if any such matter is present it
may be got rid of in either of the following ways:-
First the clear liquid in tank No 2 is heated to boiling temperature by the
introduction into it of steam or otherwise. By this heating of the liquid and by
⚫ an addition of the powder to which no alum cake had been added and which
neutralizes the acid solution the albuminoids and other soluble organised compounds
which were not precipitated from the acid solution in the cold are now thrown
down in the form of a flocculent precipitate with the iron alumina and phosphoric
acid. The larger proportion of urates contained in the solution are also precipitated
in conjunction with the oxydes and phosphates of iron and alumina. The liquid is
allowed to cool and the suspended matter to subside the clear liquid is transferred
to a third tank and made distinctly alkaline by the addition of ground neutral slag
and caustic lime in powder the mixture being again boiled and well stirred. Free
ammonia is generated and any phosphate of lime phosphate of alumina and oxide
and phosphate of iron contained in the solution will thereby be precipitated. The
oxide and phosphate of iron have a special affinity for organised inatter and should
such have remained undecomposed will precipitate them.
After the precipitate has subsided the clear liquid is drawn off and passed
through filter beds of neutral slag. These filter beds are merely layers of the
scoria broken into pieces of the size of a walnut. This filtering process is mainly
mechanical the only chemical reaction ocurring being the conversion of any
dissolved lime into carbonate of lime which is precipitated and retained with tho
slag of the filter bed. The water which is now practically pure absorbs oxygen
during this filtering process and passes off in a state in which it may be properly
introduced into a running stream or used for manufacturing purposes.
Secondly the liquid from tank N° 2 transferred to tank N° 3 may be treated
without heating in the following way. The said liquid in tank N° 3 is treated
with a mixture of ground and calcined neutral slag caustic lime bleaching
powder and animal charcoal. The blenching powder is employed for the purpose of
decomposing the urea and for effectually breaking up by its powerful oxidizing
action any undecomposed organic matters the solution inay contain.
I prefer to use animal charcoal made by coking in retorts blood and the dried
refuse matter from slaughter houses. This charcoal can be revivified and used
several times and at last when no longer fit for filtering purposes is turned into
guano as it is very rich in phosphoric acid being made of the blood flesh refuse and
excrements of animals living on herbs.
The nitrogen contained in the organised matter decomposed by the caustic lime
and hypochlorite of lime contained in the bleaching powder passes wholly or
mostly into ammonia and ammoniacal salts in the presence of nascent hydrogen.
The ammonia and ammoniacal salts thus formed are for the most part absorbed by
the neutral slag or neutral phosphate of lime and the alumina and iron in solution
and the animal charcoal. The liquid is then filtered through filter beds of slag of
the size above stated during which it absorbs oxygen and carbonic acid the latter
throws down as carbonate of lime any lime in solution and the liquid passes off
fresh and pure.
The precipitates formed in either of the two methods of treatment described are
mixed in certain proportions and are treated with strong sulphuric acid or oil of
vitriol in carefully added proportions until slightly acid,

page_text: The addition of the strong sulphuric acid developes heat all odours or smell of
decomposed organic matter is completely destroyed and a dry mass is produced
which is easily reduced to powder filled in bags or sacks and is now ready for the
market.
The precipitates of tanks N° 1, 2 and 3 differ with respect to the relative
proportions of phosphate of lime and ammonia contained in them. By mixing the
precipitates of the several tanks and adding nitrogenous matters such as the refuse
of slaughter houses the excrementitious matter of dry closets cesspools and the like
the artificial manure produced may be made to approximate or become equal in its
essential constituents to different qualities of guano.
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 of "Improvements in the manufacture of artificial manure":-
Manufacturing artificial manure by treating the basic slag or scoria obtained in
the process of dephosphorising pig or cast iron in a converter having a lining of
quicklime in the ways herein before described that is roasting the said scoria with
alum cake or other saline compound containing free sulphuric nitric or hydrochloric
acid and operating upon sewage by means of the compound so obtained or roasting
the said slag and alum cake or other acid saline compound separately and treating
a mixture of these powders with sewage substantially as herein before described.
Dated this Seventh day of October 1884.
FREDERICK WILLIAM MARTINO.