An Improved Process of and Apparatus for the Treatment of Garbage or Swill.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application. 5th Jan., 1892-Accepted, 13th Feb., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Process of and Apparatus for the Treatment of Garbage
or Swill.
We, CHARLES FREDERICK SIMONIN of Corner Treuton Avenue and Clearfield
Street in the City of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, United States of
America Mechanical Engineer and ISAAC MOORE SIMONIN also of the above
address, Civil Engineer, 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 :-
The object of our invention is to provide an economical and commercially
successful process and apparatus whereby garbage (or swill) can be treated by a
chemical reagent for the purpose of recovering from it the constituents which have
a marketable value, and this object we attain in the manner hereinafter set forth,
reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which represents, in diagrammatic
form, an apparatus constructed in accordance with our invention for carrying out
the process which also forms part of our said invention.
In treating garbage or swill for the recovery therefrom of those constituents
which possess a market value, the most rigid economy must be observed, otherwise
the value of the resultant product will be less than the expense of treatment, hence,
not only must great precaution be taken to prevent loss or waste of the reagent,
but the expenditure of fuel required in carrying out the process must also be
reduced to a minimum.
The process, and apparatus, constituting our invention have therefore been devised
with these objects in view.
The reagent which we use is benzine, naphtha, or other volatile hydrocarbon
which is of less specific gravity than water, and which acts as a solvent of grease
or fats submitted to its action, especially when such action is conducted with the
application of heat.
Water constitutes by far the greatest percentage of the garbage or swill which
is to be treated and any attempt to remove this water by drying the garbage before
treatment would, because of its expense, be fatal to the commercial success of the
process.
A chemical reagent of the character specified, however, not only has the effect
of dissolving the grease or fat which may be present in the garbage, but it also
has the effect of displacing the water therein, so that it may be said to have the
effect of drying the garbage, in so far that it effects the expulsion of the water
therefrom so that the latter will not effect the action of the reagent upon the grease
or fat.
The water, being thus dislodged, can be conveniently separated from the reagent
and the grease in solution therein, so that the subsequent distillation, for the purpose
of driving off the reagent from the grease, in order that it may be again used in
the treatment, is not hampered and rendered expensive by the presence of the
water and the necessity of vapourizing the latter as well as the reagent in the still.
The accompanying drawing illustrates the best form of apparatus with which we
are acquainted for carrying out the process according to our invention and we will
give a description of the construction and operation of the same in order that our
invention may be clearly understood.
A is a vessel which we will term the storage tank, in which the garbage or swill
is first deposited, the lower end of this vessel communicating, through a valved
pipe a, with the extractor B, and the upper portion of the said storage tank, if
desired, may be provided with a pipe a', communicating with a fan a' for drawing
off any gases or vapours which may be evolved from the mass while contained in
the said storage tank.

page_text: A vessel which we term a "settler" is represented at D, and F represents a
still, G, a heater for the fluid reagent, H, a condenser, J, J, a pair of reagent
holders, and I, a separator, interposed between the said reagent holders and the
condenser.
The upper portion of the extractor B, is in communication with the condenser H
through a pipe b, having a valve ', and the upper portion of the still F, is also in
communication with the condenser H through a pipe having a valve f¹, and the
pipes and fare connected by a cross pipe N to a branch pipe P, a valve n' being
interposed in the cross pipe between the pipe P and the pipe band a valve n³
being interposed in the said cross pipe between the pipe P and the pipe f
The branch pipe P communicates through a pipe as with a heating coil a (or the.
like) in the storage tank A, this coil having a return pipe a leading to the condenser
and provided with a valve a, while the communication between the pipe P and the
pipe a is governed by a valve a'.
The pipe P also communicates through a pipe 2 (having a valve b³) with a
heating coil 6 (or the like) in the lower portion of the extractor B and this coil
communicates with the condenser through a pipe & having a valve 6*.
Communication between the pipe P and the heater G is effected by a pipe 9 having
a valve g', and the lower portion of the heater G is in communication with the
condenser H through a pipe g³ having a valve g. The lower portion of the con-
denser H communicates through pipes with the separator I which has a drain
pipe with a valve, the said separator I being also in communication with the
reagent holders J through a pipe and its branches.
Each of the reagent holders J is in communication through a pipe j, having a
valve j', with the inlet of a pump K which discharges into a pipe k, the latter passing
through the heater G and being formed therein into a series of coils or convolu-
tions ', or being otherwise so disposed as to cause extended travel of the reagent
within the heater.
The pipe communicates with the bottom of the extractor B and it is also in
communication with the upper portion of the settler D through a pipe d, having a
valve d', and in the pipe k between the pipe d and the heater G is a valve k². The
pipe has a branch s, with a valve s', through.which, when desired the extractor B
may be discharged of its liquid contents, or a portion thereof, and the settler D,
has, at the bottom a discharge pipe d² with valve and it has also a pipe d', with
a valve d³, through which it communicates with the upper portion of the still F,
while communication between the top of the settler D and the condenser H is
established by means of a pipe de, having a valve d'. The still F contains a steam
coil S (or the like) and has at the bottom, a discharge pipe /' with valve f³.
The pipe P communicates through a pipe m (having a valve m¹) with an ejector
or jet pump M having an inlet pipe m² which communicates with the reagent
holders J and is provided with a valve m³, the outlet pipe m* of said pump M com-
municating with the pipe at a point between the extractor B and the branch
pipe d the said pipe m being provided with a valve m³.
The storage tank A is provided with a suitable closable opening for the admission
of the garbage, and the extractor B is provided with a closable opening for the
removal of the solid product resulting from the treatment, such openings being of
course closed during the treatment.
When the apparatus is in full working condition both the extractor B and the still F
are in operation and the vapour from them escapes through the pipes 6 and fand, by
manipulating the valves b' and f' and ' and n² as much, or as little, of this vapour 5
as desired is permitted to pass directly into the condenser H, the remaining volume
passing into the pipe P. Or the valves band f' may be closed, and the entire
volume of vapour from the extractor B and still F be directed into the said pipe P,
from which it passes through the pipe g into the heater G and through the pipe
into the heating coil in the lower portion of the extractor B, a portion of the 5
vapour being also, in some cases, directed to the heating coil a in the storage tank A,
as, for instance, in cold weather, when the garbage or swill is received in a frozen
فرا

page_text: condition, it being then desirable to thaw the mass in the storage tank A before
admitting it to the extractor B.
The pump K draws the liquid reagent from the holders J and forces it through
the pipe and coil k in the heater G into the extractor B, until the material therein
is completely immersed in the heated liquid reagent, whereupon the pump K is
stopped and the valve closed, the heating coil then maintaining the liquid
reagent in the extractor in the proper heated condition.
During the extracting operation the valves d' m² m² m² and are closed, but,
when the treatment has been continued for the proper length of time the valve s
may be opened to permit the discharge from the extractor B of the water, which
has been dislodged by the reagent and has accumulated in the lower portion of the
said extractor, after which the said valve s' is closed and the valve is opened, so
that the reagent, with the grease in solution therein, will be driven into the settler D
by reason of the pressure in the extractor B, or, if desired, the water may also be
driven from the extractor into the settler D together with the reagent and grease,
and be separated from the reagent and grease in the settler by drawing it off
through the drain pipe d², the reagent, with the grease in solution therein, being
drawn into the still F, as required, and the grease being removed from the still
through the drain pipe after the volatile reagent has been driven off from the
said grease, by the heat from the steam coil S.
In order to re-treat the charge in the extractor or to treat a fresh charge therein,
the valve d' is closed, the valve again opened, and the pump K started so as to
again force the liquid reagent through the heater G and into the extractor B, the
pump being stopped when the desired amount of reagent has been introduced and
the valve being then closed and the reagent maintained in the heated condition
in the extractor by means of the heating coil b
In some cases, the jet pump M may be used in addition to or in place of, the
pump K, as a means of forcing the liquid reagent into the extractor B, and at the
same time heating the same, the valves m' m and m in this case being opened so
that the jet of heated vapour from the pipe will induce a flow of the liquid
reagent through the pipe m³ and out through the pipe m', the heated vapour being
thus brought into intimate contact with the liquid reagent so as to be condensed or
partially condensed thereby, at the same time that the liquid is heated by it.
This effect of condensation or partial condensation of the heated vapour likewise
results from passing the same through the heating coils in the storage tank A and
extractor B and through the heater G.
Our described apparatus not only provides for the complete saving of all of the
liquid reagent used in the treatment so as to permit of its use again and again
without waste, but the said apparatus also involves the use of steam only for the
purpose of heating the coil in the still F and for operating the pump K when the
jet pump M is not used, and, in some cases, also, for heating the reagent in
the extractor B when the operation is first started, hence the expenditure of fuel
in carrying out the process is reduced to a minimum.
Although it is preferable to use both the heater G and the heating coil in the
extractor B, either of these may be used without the other, and although it is also
preferable to use one or more reagent holders J, the heater G itself may in some
cases constitute also the reagent holder, for instance, in the construction shewn, coils
in the vessel G would constitute such reagent holder, and would receive the reagent
directly from the condenser H, if the latter be used, for in cases where the passage
of the vapour through the heating coils in the storage tank and extractor and
through the heater and connecting pipes is sufficient to effect the condensation of
said vapour, a special condensing vessel may be dispensed with.
Another obvious modification of our invention is one in which the pipes are so
arranged that the vapour pipe from the still F supplies the heating coil in the
extractor B and the vapour pipe from the latter supplies the heater G and the coil
in the storage tank A.
The settler D provides for the deposit of foreign matters of a solid oharacter

page_text: which may be carried over into the settler from the extractor, so that these foreign
matters can be withdrawn from the settler D and so be prevented from passing into
the still F where their presence would be objectionable.
It will be manifest that either one of the pumps M or K may be dispensed with
if desired, although the use of both of the said pumps is preferred, or in other cases
the reagent holders J may be situated at a higher level than the extractor B, so
that the liquid reagent will flow to the extractor by gravity.
As the main purpose of the storage tank A is to thaw the garbage when the
latter is received in a frozen condition, such receiving tank and its heating coil can
be dispensed with when such condition of working is not likely to be encountered.
Having thus described our invention, we wish it to be understood that we do not
desire to claim broadly the extraction of fats or fatty matters by means of benzine,
naphtha, or other volatile reagent of low specific gravity as this has long been
known and practiced, but we claim as our invention :-
First. The within described process of treating garbage (or swill) the said
process consisting in immersing the garbage, while in a suitable vessel, in a heated
liquid reagent which is a solvent of grease or fat and is of less specific gravity than
water, so as to displace the water in the garbage and take up the grease, or fat
separating the water from the reagent with the grease or fat in solution therein,
distilling the reagent from the grease or fat and subjecting the fresh supplies of
liquid reagent to the action of the vapourized reagent given off in the treatment,
whereby the liquid reagent is heated and the vapourized reagent is, at the same time,
condensed or partially condensed, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Second. Apparatus for the treatment of garbage (or swill) in the manner
claimed by the preceding claiming clause the said apparatus being constructed in
the manner set forth in the foregoing Specification and illustrated by the accom-
panying drawings for working under the various conditions therein specified and
subject to the modifications hereinbefore explained.
Dated thin th day of Tanu 100
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.