IMPROVEMENTS IN THE EXTRACTION OR SEPARATION OF NICKEL FROM CERTAIN OF ITS ORES OR COMBINATIONS AND IN THE MEANS EMPLOYED THEREFOR."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Galbraith, of Havelock Street Sheffield in the
County of York Chemist for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
EXTRACTION OR SEPARATION OF NICKEL FROM CERTAIN OF ITS ORES OR
COMBINATIONS AND IN THE MEANS EMPLOYED THEREFOR."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Galbraith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th December 1881.
WILLIAM GALBRAITH of Havelock Street Sheffield in the County of York
Chemist. 'IMPROVEMENTS IN THE EXTRACTION OR SEPARATION OF NICKEL
FROM CERTAIN OF ITS ORES OR COMBINATIONS AND IN THE MEANS EMPLOYED
THEREFOR."
This Invention relates more particularly to such ores or combinations of nickel
which contain iron, lime, magnesia, silica or the like but can also be applied to the
separation of nickel from the Matte," Speiss" or other intermediate product
from the smelting or roasting of nickel ores, and consists in the separation of the
nickel from any or all of such substances from their solutions by means of com-
binations of sulphur and calcium (or lime) such as the sulphide or hyposulphite of
calcium which can be prepared by well known means as for example by heating
lime, water and sulphur together.
Its preparation however may not be necessary as such sulphides are already
formed in, or can be easily prepared from the residues from the manufacture of
soda-ash known as soda waste and which I use in preference to the prepared
sulphides or hyposulphites as being much cheaper.
The manner of carrying out the process may be described as follows:-
The ore or combination is first ground if necessary and dissolved in acid (I prefer
hydrochloric acid) in a suitable apparatus and the solution diluted with water and
ran into a wooden tank or other suitable apparatus, and sufficient lime, carbonate
of lime, soda waste, or other alkaline substance added to neutralize the free acid.

page_text: There is now added either as a solid or in solution sufficient of the aforesaid
sulphide or hyposulphite of calcium or some soda waste which will precipitate all
the nichel and also the iron and alumina present in the ore, and some other
impurities and the solution is now if necessary, heated or mixed by any convenient
means as for instance by passing steam through it. When the precipitate is
completely separated, the clear liquor at the top may be separated either by means
of a tap or syphon, after which some more water is added and sufficient hydro-
chloric acid to dissolve all the sulphide of iron and other impurities which may be
precipitated with the sulphide of nickel. It might be possible to carry it out by
adding the acid before disposing of, or separating the liquor from the sulphides, but
on account of the large quantity of sulphur, which might in that case bo precipi-
tated I prefer to proceed as already described.
The hydrochloric acid solution containing the impuritics is ran off as before and
more water added or water and acid, and this operation repeated until the sulphide
of nickel is left almost if not quite pure. This process of washing may of coarse
be also carried out by filtration, the tank in which it is carried out having two
bottoms the top one being what is called a false bottom and may be perforated
with holes or otherwise arranged so that while the water will run through the
precipitate may be left behind.
In cases where the impurities such as oxide of iron alumina or the like can be
precipitated with lime carbonate of lime or other alkaline substance previous to
the precipitation of the nickel this may be done and the nickel precipitated from
the filtrate as described I prefer however to separate such impurities by means of
hydrochloric acid in the manner described as the whole operation can thus be
carried out in one tank. .
}

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Galbraith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th
June 1882.
เ
↑
WILLIAM GALBRAITH of Havelock Street, Sheffield in the County of York
Chemist. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE EXTRACTION OR SEPARATION OF NICKEL
FROM CERTAIN OF ITS ORES OR COMBINATIONS, AND IN THE MEANS EMPLOYED
THEREFOR."
:
-
"
This Invention relates more particularly to such ores or combinations which
contain besides nickel iron lime - magnesia - silica and similar substances, but can
also be applied to the separation or extraction of nickel from the "Matte
"Speiss'
or other intermediate products from the smelting or roasting of nickel ores, and
consists in the separation of the nickel from all or any of such substances from
their solutions by means of combinations of sulphur and calcium (or lime) such as
the sulphide or hyposulphite of calcium, which can be prepared by well known
means, as for example by heating lime with water and sulphur.
The preparation of the said combinations of lime and sulphur may however not
bo necessary as such sulphides are already formed in or can be easily prepared
from the residues or lye-products from some other processes. For instance the
residue from the manufacture of soda or alkali known as soda-wasto or tank-waste
consists principally of such a combination of calcium (or lime) and sulphur and
this or the liquor from such waste known as yellow liquor, I uso in preference to
the prepared sulphide or hyposulphite of calcium as being much cheaper. The
lime waste from the purification of coal-gas may also be used.
The manner of carrying out the process may be described as follows:-
The ore or combination is first ground if necessary and dissolved in acid (I prefer
hydrochloric acid) in a suitable apparatus and the solution diluted with water and
ran into a wooden tank or other suitable apparatus, and sufficient lime, chalk, or
other alkaline substance added to neutralize the free acid after which the solution
is heated by steam or by any other convenient means, and sufficient of the aforesaid
sulphide or byposulphite of calcium, or some soda waste, or the yellow liquor from
this waste, or from gas lime added to precipitate all the nickel, iron, alumina, and
the like present in the ore.
When tho precipitate has completely settled or separated as a dense black
sediment the clear liquor at the top may be separated from the precipitate either
by means of a tap or syphon, after which some more water is added and also some
hydrochloric acid in such proportions to each other that the sulphide of iron, and
other impurities will be dissolved while the sulphide of nickel will remain insoluble.
This proportion is easily arrived at as the sulphide of nickel precipitated in the
manner described is almost completely insoluble in hydrochloric acid.
It might be possible to carry this part of the process out by adding the hydro-
cbloric acid to the precipitated sulphide before disposing of or separating the liquor
from these sulphides, but on account of the large quantity of sulphur which might
in that case be precipitated I prefer to proceed as already described.
The bydrochloric acid solution containing the impurities is ran off as waste, and
if necessary more water or water and acid added to the precipitated sulphides until
the sulphide of nickel is left quite pure.
This process of washing may of course be also carried out by filtration, the tank
in which it is carried out having two bottoms the top one being what is called a
false bottom and may be perforated with holes or otherwise arranged so that while
the liqued will run through the precipitate may be left behind.

page_text: In cases where the impurities such as oxide of iron, alumina, and similar sub-
stances can be precipitated with lime, carbonato of lime or other alkaline substance
previous to the precipitation of the nickel, this may be done and the nickel
precipitated from the liquor or filtrate from these impurities as described I prefer
however to separate such impuritics by means of hydrochloric acid in the manner
described, as the whole operation can thus be carried out in one tank.
In the treatment of "Speiss" or other combination of nickel containing arsenic
a large excess of the said sulphide of calcium is used when precipitating the
sulphides of nickel, iron and the like in which sulphur of arsenic is soluble,
otherwise the process is carried out in the manner already described.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the method of carrying
it into practical effect I wish it to be understood in conclusion that what I claim
as new and as of my Invention is:—
First-The precipitation of nickel from its solution by means of; combination of
sulphur and calcium, such as the sulphido or byposulphite of calcium either pre-
pared, or as waste or bye' products from other processes, as for instance the waste
products from the manufacture of alkali known as tank waste, or what is known
as gas-lime being a waste or bye product from the manufacture of coal gas.
Second-The dissolving or the separation of the sulphide of iron - magnesia,
alumina, and other impurities from the sulphide of nickel precipitated as described a
by means of hydrochloric acid in which such impurities are easily dissolved.
In witness whereof I the said William Galbraith have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Third day of June in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty two.