IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING SEWAGE AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MANURE THEREPROM
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Mark French Anderson, Licentiate Royal.
College of Physicians, Edinburgh, Member of the Royal College
of Surgeons, England, of No. 15, Priory Row, Coventry, in the
County of Warwick, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING
SEWAGE AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MANURE THEREPROM."
Sealed the 22nd February 1870, and dated the 8th December 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Mark French Anderson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 8th December 1869.
I, MARK FRENCH ANDERSON, Licentiate Royal College of Physicians,
Edinburgh, Member of the Royal College of Surgeons, England, of
No. 15, Priory Row, Coventry, in the County of Warwick, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING
SEWAGE AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MANURE THEREPROM," to be as
follows:-
I make use of sulphate or sesqui-sulphate of alumina made by treating
clay with sulphuric acid and the subsequent addition of lime, or the lime

page_text: may be applied first and the sulphate or sesqui-sulphate of alumina used
afterwards. The method I have found to answer best for manufacturing
the sulphate as sesqui-sulphate of alumina on a large scale is to mix
the clay and acid thoroughly in the proportions of two parts by weight
of clay to one part by weight of common commercial sulphuric acid,
and after the mass is well mixed to place it in a warm place until the
acid has combined with the alumina of the clay, which will be shown by
the mass becoming perfectly dry and of a greyish color. In order to
produce the defecating effects of my process I add to the sewage collected
in a tank or tanks the sulphate of alumina prepared as above in the
proportion of one pound of the preparation to every one hundred gallons
of sewage. The mass should then be well stirred so as to dissolve the
sulphate or sesqui-sulphate of alumina from the clay mixture and
disperse it evenly in the sewage. I then add lime in the proportion of
one pound of slaked lime to every four pounds of the sulphate of alumina
preparation. The lime should be well mixed with water before its
addition to the sewage so as to help its combination with the sulphate or
sesqui-sulphate of alumina. On the addition of the lime to the sewage
containing the dissolved sulphate or sesqui-sulphate of alumina an
immediate combination takes place between the lime and the sulphuric
acid of the sulphate or sesqui-sulphate of alumina, and the alumina is
set free in a state of minute subdivision as an insoluble precipitate.
This precipitate in its descent adheres to and carries down with it the
impurities contained in the sewage. After being allowed to settle for
some few hours the supernatant liquid should be run off so as to leave
the precipitate undisturbed at the bottom of the tank, and a fresh
quantity of sewage run into the tank and treated as before. This should
be repeated five or six times when the precipitate should be removed and
dried and will be found to serve as a valuable manure. I also use chalk
(carbonate of lime) and the carbonates of soda, potash, and ammonia
alone or together in combination as above. with sulphate or sesqui-
sulphate of alumina as substitutes for lime in producing the defecating
effect of alumina, but recommend the preferential use of lime as being
either cheaper or more speedy in its action. If used instead of lime the
carbonates should be used in larger quantities than the lime, or in the
proportions of two parts of the sulphate or sesqui-sulphate of alumina
to one of the carbonates of lime, potash, soda, or ammonia.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Mark French Anderson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 7th June 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRSEENT SHALL COME, I, MARK
FRENCH ANDERSON, Licentiate Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh,
Member of the Royal College of Surgeons, England, of No. 15, Priory
Row, Coventry, in the County of Warwick, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Mark French Anderson, Her
special licence that I, the said Mark French Anderson, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Mark
French Anderson, 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 In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING SEWAGE AND IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF MANURE THEREFROM," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Mark French Anderson, my executors or administrators, 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, 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 Mark French Anderson, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 :—
I make use of sulphate or sesqui-sulphate of alumina in conjunction
with lime or carbonate of lime (chalk) for deodorizing and purifying
sewage or other waters containing organic or other impurities.
As commercial sulphate of alumina is too expensive to be used for
purifying sewage I will describe the method by which I make it in a

page_text: much cheaper way than it can be at present purchased. I mix common
clay (any kind of clay or earth containing clay may be used) with
sulphuric acid in the proportions of two parts of clay to one of acid by
weight. After the clay and acid have been thoroughly and evenly mixed
I place the compound in a warm place until the sulphuric acid has
combined with the alumina of the clay to form sulphate of alumina.
The combination between the sulphuric acid and alumina will take place
under ordinary temperatures, but without heat requires a longer time for
completion than when the combination is assisted by heat. The com-
pletion of the action is shown by the change of colour in the mass from
reddish brown to grey. Clay consists of silicate of alumina and small
quantities of other substances, in the case of common brick clay chiefly
oxide of iron. The compound prepared as directed consists therefore of
sulphate of alumina and silica or sand with a small proportion of other
ingredients, which latter may be looked upon as harmless impurities. This
is the compound I make use of in conjunction with lime or chalk
for purifying sewage or other waters containing organic or other
impurities.
The water or sewage to be treated should be collected in a tank or
receptacle suited for the purpose, and the sulphate of alumina compound
added in the proportion of one pound of compound to every one hundred
gallons of liquid to be purified; the mass should then be well stirred so
as to dissolve the sulphate of alumina contained in the compound and
common slacked lime added in the proportion of one pound of slacked
lime to every five pounds of the sulphate of alumina compound.
In some cases a smaller or larger proportionate and relative quantity
of the sulphate of alumina compound and lime may be used, but for
ordinary sewage these quantities will be found to answer. After the
addition of the lime (which may be mixed with water before its addition
to the liquid to be treated to assist the action) the whole mass of sewage
or water under treatment should be well stirred or agitated so as to
disperse the lime evenly throughout the liquid. A chemical combi-
nation quickly takes place between the lime and sulphuric acid in the
sulphate of alumina compound, sulphate of lime is formed, and alumina
is set free as a flocculent precipitate. This precipitate in the act of
falling adheres to and carries down with it the impuritics contained in the
sewage or other water under treatment. If carbonate of lime be used
a larger proportionate quantity should be used than when lime is used.

page_text: For every one pound of lime used as above directed two pounds of
chalk or carbonate of lime should be used. The other alkalis and alka-
line earths or their carbonates which may also be used instead of lime
are too expensive to admit of practical application, so that their use need
be no more than alluded to.
After agitation of the sewage or water under treatment which has
now had added to it both the sulphate of alumina compound and the
lime or chalk, the whole liquid should be allowed to settle until the
precipitate has fallen to the bottom of the tank or other receptacle, when
the clear supernatant liquid may be run off by means of an opening
in the tank or other receptacle a short distance above the precipitate
which will be lying at the bottom. The precipitate should then be
removed and dried so as to fit it for sale as manure. The drying
may be effected by heat or by means of the centrifugal machine or
by other suitable means. Instead of proceeding as above described
the lime or chalk may be added first and the sulphate of alumina
afterwards.
In describing my process I have entered into an account of the
manufacture of the sulphate of alumina compound in order to point out
the cheapest way of making it, but to this way of manufacturing sulphate
or sesqui-sulphate of alumina I lay no claim; but I claim the application
of sulphate or sesqui-sulphate of alumina, whether prepared in the way
before described or in any other suitable way, in conjunction with lime
or chalk, to sewage as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Mark French Anderson, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of May,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy.