Improvements in the Purification of Sewage and other Waste Liquors and in the Recovery of Ammonia therefrom.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Nov., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 21st Aug., 1891-Accepted, 26th Sept., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Purification of Sewage and other Waste
Liquors and in the Recovery of Ammonia therefrom.]
I, WALTER ERNEST ADENEY, Curator, Royal University, Dublin, of
20 Crosthwaite Park, E. Kingstown, Co. Dublin, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
According to this invention sodium or potassium manganate or permanganate is
employed for the oxidation of organic matters in sewage and other waste liquors in
such a way that the manganese added as manganate or permanganate is recovered
in the form of insoluble oxyhydrate, which after drying may be reconverted into
manganate or permanganate of sodium or potassium which may again be employed
for oxidizing the organic matters in a fresh quantity of sewage and so on. During
the conversion of the said oxyhydrate of manganese into manganate of sodium or
potassium, the ammonia or ammonium compounds that are precipitated with it, are
volatilized and may be condensed in suitably arranged condensing chambers as
carbonate and other salts.
I proceed as follows:-The sewage is allowed to flow into a tank wherein' the
heavier particles in suspension are deposited. If the sewage be acid, the upper
part of this subsidence tank should be fitted with a perforated tray, on which
small lumps of chalk may be packed for the purpose of neutralizing the acid in the
sewage.
The effluent from this tank is passed into a second tank wherein it is mixed with a
sufficient quantity of manganate or permanganate of sodium or potassium. The
sewage being neutral the manganate or permanganate will be decomposed more or
less rapidly and the insoluble oxyhydrate of manganese formed may be completely
recovered by allowing the effluent from the said second tank to flow into a large
subsidence tank wherein the oxyhydrate of manganese may be deposited.
Ammonia or ammonium compounds will also be deposited with the said
oxyhydrate.
After drying the said oxyhydrate it may be reconverted into manganate or
permanganate by the method ordinarily employed for converting manganese
peroxide into these said compounds.
Doted this 01st daw of Nazombor 1800
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Purification of Sewage and other Waste
Liquors and in the Recovery of Ammonia therefrom.
I, WALTER ERNEST ADENEY, Curator, Royal University, Dublin, of
20 Crosthwaite Park, E. Kingstown, Co. Dublin, 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 :---
According to this invention I treat the liquor to be purified, after the removal of
suspended matters, and after it has been rendered neutral or but slightly alkaline
by means of chalk or some mineral acid, as the case may require, with suitable
quantities of manganate or permanganate of soda or potash, in such a way that the
manganese, added in the form of soluble manganate or permanganate, is completely
recovered in the form of insoluble oxyhydrate of manganese, which after drying
may be reconverted into manganate or permanganate of soda or of potash, and may
be again employed for oxidising the organic matter in fresh quantities of sewage.
Price 4d.l

page_text: Thus the same manganese may be used over and over again as an oxygen carrier to
the soluble constituents in sewage and as a precipitant of the smaller particles of
matters in suspension that escape subsidence in the first subsidence tank into which
the raw sewage is allowed to flow, and the cost of treating sewage with manganate
or permanganate of soda or potash is reduced to a minimum.
-
I proceed with the purification of the sewage or other waste liquors as follows:-
The raw sewage is allowed to flow into a subsidence tank wherein the heavier
particles in suspension may be deposited. The effluent from this tank, after being
treated, if necessary, in the ordinary way, with chalk or some mineral acid, as the
case may require, to render it neutral or but slightly alkaline, is mixed with about
five grains to the gallon of manganate or permanganate of soda or of potash and
it is then allowed to flow into a second subsidence tank. In this tank practically
the whole of the manganese in combination in the manganate or perinanganate
added will be deposited as oxyhydrate of manganese in three or four hours, provided
the quantity of manganate or permanganate added be carefully regulated. If they
be added even in small excess of the quantity required the separation of the
oxyhydrate of manganese will be very incomplete. The effluent from the second
subsidence tank may be discharged into a river or other water course without fear
of after putrefaction being set up.
The sludge from the first subsidence tank, when ordinary town sewage is being
treated, can be air dried very quickly in favourable weather and the water
admixed with it reduced from ten to two per cent. The dried sludge will be found
very valuable for use as a manure.
The deposit from the second subsidence tank will be found quite free from odour
and to have no tendency to putrefaction. It may be dried and reconverted into
manganate or permanganate of soda or potash by methods in ordinary use.
During this conversion the ammonia or compounds of ammonia that were
coprecipitated with the oxyhydrate of manganese are volatilized and may be
condensed and recovered in suitably arranged condensing towers.
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 :-
The process for the purification of sewage and other like waste liquors consisting
in allowing the same to deposit in tanks, then drawing off the comparatively clear
fluid and adding to it. manganate or permanganate of soda or potash, then again
allowing the liquor to deposit a precipitate in which is the manganese previously
added together with ammonia and collecting this precipitate for further use as
herein described.