IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING SOLUTIONS CONTAINING SULPHATE OF SODA, ALSO METALLIC AND OTHER MATTERS AND IN ORTAINING PRODUCTS THEREPROM
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Aaron West, of St Helen's, in the County of
Lancaster, Chemical Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN TREATING SOLUTIONS CONTAINING SULPHATE OF SODA, ALSO METALLIC AND
OTHER MATTERS AND IN ORTAINING PRODUCTS THEREPROM
"
Sealed the 9th April 1861, and dated the 12th October 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Aaron West at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th October 1860.
I, JOHN AARON WEST, of St. Helen's in the County of Lancaster, Chemical
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Ix.
PROVEMENTS IN TREATING SOLUTIONS CONTAINING SULPHATE OF SODA, ALSO METALLIC
AND OTHER MATTERS, AND IN OBTAINING PRODUCTS THEREFLOM," to be as
follows:-
In describing and carrying into operation certain processes for treating ores
and minerals containing sulphur with common salt to convert such salt into
sulphate of soda, at the same time rendering the copper and zinc contained in
the ores soluble, various modes of procedure have been proposed, and either
wholly or partially carried into effect, viz.,-
First, to obtain the copper or other metal from such solutions, either by the
use of metallic iron, as is well understood, which precipitates the copper in
the metallic form, or by the addition of milk of lime, by which the copper
[Price 8d.1

page_text: would be precipitated as an oxide associated with oxide of zinc, lime, sulphate
of lime, or other compounds.
Secondly, after separation of copper, it has been suggested that the solution
might be set aside to crystallize, and Glauber's salts obtained.
Thirdly, when the sulphate of soda contained in such solutions is required
for the manufacture of alkali, the course prescribed and adopted has been
either to run such solution (after precipitation of copper) on its equivalent of
newly burnt lime, and work same in black ash furnaces with the proper pro-
portion of carbonaceous matter for the production of alkali, or to boil down
such solution to a salt, and then roast, afterwards using such roasted salt cake
in the manufacture of alkali.
Fourthly, the dry material containing the soluble sulphate of soda, and
chloride of sodiun, and other materials, has been washed with a saturated
solution of sulphate of soda, with a view to take up a portion of the chloride
of sodium, sulphates and chlorides of iron and zinc, the sulphate of soda con-
tained in the mixed solution being separated by crystallization previously to
the precipitation of copper, such crystals of sulphate of soda being redissolved
in the bulk of the purified solution, and the latter being then either mixed
with burnt lime, or boiled down and roasted for alkali, making the mother
liquors remaining after such partial crystallization having been permitted to
run to waste. But this method of purifying the solution has been found in
practice still to leave a very impure salt cake containing fully 20 per cent. of
chloride of sodium and metallic matters in the dried salt cake.
The great disadvantages attendant on the precipitation of copper from such
solutions by means of milk of lime are sufficiently obvious. On the other
hand the precipitation of copper therefrom by means of metallic iron con-
siderably increases the contamination of the sulphate of soda already rendered
valueless (or nearly so) for use in the arts as salt cake, as well as greatly
deteriorated for the purpose of alkali making, owing to the presence of iron
and other metallic impurity in solution.
My improvements in treating the solutions obtained in the manner herein
described are the following:-After precipitating copper, silver, and other
metals by metallic iron (or by any other convenient method), 1 set aside the
solution thus deprived of copper or other metal to crystallize in suitable
vessels, and obtain crystals of sulphate of soda, the mother liquor being con-
centrated and again set aside for a similar purpose. The crystals of sulphate
of soda so obtained employ for the manufacture of alkali either in that state
or after dissolving them in their own water of crystallization, and evaporating
to dryness, or after drying such crystals by atmospheric or heated air, or

page_text: transmitted heat suitably applied. I thus obtain a salt cake of considerable
purity and value for alkali-making, and a soda ash of high quality and strength.
If all the sulphate of soda contained in the solutions (or nearly so) be not
obtained readily by crystallization, I boil the mother liquor in pans, and salt
out the remainder of such sulphate of soda. When found desirable, I pro-
perly concentrate the mother liquor remaining after removal of the sulphate
of soda from such solutions, setting it aside to crystallize, thus obtaining at
various stages crystals of sulphate of iron, chloride of iron, alum, and other
metallic products (when such other metals were contained in the ores or
minerals employed); and finally I treat the last residual liquor with sul-
phuretted hydrogen, and obtain sulphide of zinc, which can be reduced to
the metallic state or otherwise dealt with by any of the well understood
processes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Aaron West in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th April 186].
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
AARON WEST, of St. Helens, in the County of Lancaster, Chemical Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Aaron West, Her special licence that I. the said John Aaron
West, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Aaron West, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TREATING SOLUTIONS CONTAINING SULPHATE OF SODA, ALSO METALLIC AND
OTHER MATTERS, AND IN OBTAINING PRODUCTS THEREFROM," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Aaron West, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,

page_text: and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Aaron West, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
In describing and carrying into operation certain processes for treating ores
and minerals containing sulphur with common salt to convert such salt into
sulphate of soda, at the same time rendering the copper and zinc contained in
the ores soluble, various modes of procedure have been proposed, and either
wholly or partially carried into effect, videlicit,-
First, to recover the copper or other metal from solutions so obtained, either
by the use of metallic iron, as is well understood, which precipitates the copper
in the metallic form, or by the addition of milk of lime, by which the copper
would be precipitated as an oxide associated with oxide of zinc, lime, sulphate
of lime, or other compound.
Secondly, after separation of copper, it has been suggested that the solution
might be set aside to crystallize, and Glauber's salts obtained.
Thirdly, when the sulphate of soda contained in such solutions is required
for the manufacture of alkali, the course prescribed and adopted has been
either to run such solution (after precipitation of copper) on its equivalent
of newly burnt lime, and work same in black ash furnaces, with the proper
proportion of carbonaceous matter for the production of alkali, or to boil
down such solution to a salt, and then roast, afterwards using such roasted
salt cake in the manufacture of alkali.
Fourthly, the dry material containing the soluble sulphate of soda and
chloride of sodium with other matters has been washed with a saturated
solution of sulphate of soda, with a view to take up a portion of the chloride
of sodium, sulphates and chlorides of iron and zinc, the sulphate of soda or a
portion thereof contained in the mixed solution being separated by crystal-
lization previously to the precipitation of copper and silver, such impure
crystals of sulphate of soda (holding copper) being redissolved in the bulk of
the purified solution, and the latter being then either mixed with burnt lime
or boiled down and roasted for alkali-making, the mother liquors remaining
after such partial crystallization having been permitted to run to waste. But
this method of purifying the solution has been found in practice still to leave
a very impure salt cake, containing fully 20 per cent. of chloride of sodium
and metallic matters in the dried salt cake.

page_text: The great disadvantages attendant on the precipitation of copper from such
solutions by means of milk of lime are sufficiently obvious. On the other
hand, the precipitation of copper therefrom by means of metallic iron con-
siderably increases the contamination of the sulphate of soda already rendered
valueless (or nearly so) for use in the arts as salt cake, as well as greatly
deteriorated for the purpose of alkali-making, owing to the presence of iron
and other metallic impurity in solution.
My improvements in treating the solutions obtained in the manner herein
described are the following:-After precipitating copper, silver, and other
metals by metallic iron (or by any other convenient method) I set aside the
solution thus deprived of copper or other metal to crystallize in suitable vessels.
and obtain crystals of sulphate of soda, the mother liquor being concentrated
and again set aside for a similar purpose until exhausted of sulphate of soda.
or nearly so. employ the crystals of sulphate of soda so obtained for the
manufacture of alkali, either in the state of crystals, or after dissolving them
in their own water of crystallization and evaporating to dryness, or after drying
such crystals by atmospheric or heated air or transmitted heat applied in any
suitable manner. I thus obtain a salt cake of considerable purity and value
for alkali making, and a soda ash of high quality and strength. If all the
sulphate of soda contained in the solutions (or nearly so) be not obtained
readily by crystallization, 1 boil the mother liquor in pans, and salt out the
remainder of such sulphate of soda. When found desirable. I properly con-
centrate the mother liquor remaining after removal of the sulphate of soda
from such solutions, and set it aside to crystallize. I thus obtain at various
stages crystals of sulphate of iron, chloride of iron, alum, and other metallic
products (when other metals are contained in the ores or minerals employed).
and, finally, I treat the last residual liquor with sulphuretted hydrogen and
obtain sulphide of zinc (and sulphide of copper, if any copper remained in
such residual liquor) which can be reduced to the metallic state, or otherwise
dealt with by any of the well understood processes.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,---
First. treating solutions obtained in the manner herein-before described,
and obtaining therefrom crystals of sulphate of soda (Glauber's salt). in
order to the employment of such crystals in the manufacture of alkali,
and generally the manufacture of alkali from crystals of sulphate of soda
(Glauber's salt.)
And, second, treating, in manner herein-before described, solutions obtained
by any of the processes herein referred to, in order to obtain therefrom sulphate

page_text: of iron, alum, and other products, according to the nature of the metallic
and other matters contained in the said solutions.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Aaron West, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of April, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-one.
JOHN AARON WEST. (L.s.)