IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PURIFICATION OF CERTAIN GASES, AND IN THE APPLICATION OF THEIR PRODUCTS TO THE MANUFACTURE OF ALUM
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Clift, of Manchester, Manufacturing Chemist,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PURIFICATION OF CERTAIN GASES,
AND IN THE APPLICATION OF THEIR PRODUCTS TO THE MANUFACTURE OF ALUM."
Sealed the 9th February 1858, and dated the 15th August 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Clift at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th August 1857.
I, SAMUEL CLIFT, of Manchester, Manufacturing Chemist, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PURIFICATION OF
CERTAIN GASES, AND IN THE APPLICATION OF THEIR PRODUCTS TO THE MANUFACTURE
OF ALUM," to be as follows:-
My improvements consist in the application of sulphate of alumina, either in
the crude or pure state, for purifying such gases as contain ammonia, and
afterwards in the manufacture of alum from the products so obtained.
I take sulphate of alumina as it is to be met with in the market, and known
under the various names of aluminous cake, cake alum, and sulphate of
alumina, &c., and break or crush it into small pieces, say, about the size of
peas, and place it in the purifyers as used at the gas works, where it absorbs
amonia and other impurities from the gas; and when it has become charged
with amonia and other impurities of the gas, I remove it and fill the purifyer
again with a quantity of fresh sulphate of alumina. I then take what I have
removed from the purifyer, and dissolve out its soluble parts in hot water, and

page_text: when settled I draw off the clear liquor, and set it aside, when alum
crystalizes out of it in proportion to the amonia that has been taken up by
the sulphate of alumina from the gas, and the uncrystalisable liquor I boil
down till it becomes a cake, or sulphate of alumina, and use it over again in
the gas purifyer.
I do not confine this Invention to coal gas, because I apply this process to
any gases which contain amonia, as by passing the gas produced in the
distillation of bones, shale, schist, and other things which contain ammonia,
through the strata of sulphate of alumina, the ammonia is obtained from the
gas so as to enable me to make alum from the product.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Clift in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th
February 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
CLIFT, of Manchester, Manufacturing Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the
year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Samuel Clift, Her special licence that I, the said Samuel
Clift, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Samuel Clift, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE PURIFICATION OF CERTAIN GASES, AND IN THE APPLICATION OF
THEIR PRODUCTS TO THE MANUFACTURE OF ALUM," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Samuel Clift, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under 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, 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 Samuel Clift, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be pèr-

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My improvements consist in the application of sulphate of alumina, either
in the crude or pure state, for purifying such gases as contain ammonia, and
afterwards in the manufacture of alum from the products so obtained.
I take sulphate of alumina as it is to be met with in the market, and
known under the various names of aluminous cake, cake alum, and sulphate
of alumina, &c., and break or crush it into small pieces, say, about the size of
peas, and place it in the purifiers as used at the gas works, where it absorbs
ammonia and other impurities; and when it has become charged with ammonia
and other impurities of the gas, I remove it and fill the purifier again with a
quantity of fresh sulphate of alumina. I then take what I have removed from
the purifier, and test it to ascertain the per-centage of ammonia which it has
absorbed, and if it has not absorbed sufficient ammonia to convert the whole
of the sulphate of alumina into alum, I dissolve out its soluble parts in hot
water, and put it in vats to settle, and when settled, I draw off the clear
liquor and set it aside, when alum crystalizes out of it in the proportion to the
ammonia that has been taken up by the sulphate of alumina from the gas, and
the uncrystalizable liquor I boil down till it becomes a cake or sulphate of
alumina, and use it over again in the gas purifier; but when the sulphate of
alumina taken away from the gas purifier contains more ammonia than is
necessary to convert it into alum, I add sufficient sulphuric acid to it to
saturate that excess of ammonia, and sufficient sulphate of alumina to form
crystalized alum, and I then dissolve out all its soluble parts in water, and set
it aside to crystalize, as before described.
I do not confine this Invention to coal gas, because I apply it to any gases
which contain ammonia (such as the gas produced in the distillation of bones,
shale, schist, and other things which contain ammonia), by passing them
through the strata of sulphate of alumina, as above described, whereby the
ammonia is obtained from the gas so as to enable me to make alum from the
products.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Clift, have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Twelfth day of February. One thousand eight hundred
SAMUEL CLIFT. (L.S.)