Improvements in the Treatment of Galena for the Production of Lead, Lead Sulphate, and Lead Oxide.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 9th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 13th Jan., 1894
Improvements in the Treatment of Galena for the Production of Lead,
Lead Sulphate, and Lead Oxide.
I, ALICE MACDONALD, of No. 13 Ladbroke Grove, Notting Hill, in the County
of Middlesex Spinster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
According to my invention, galena or lead sulphide is melted and treated in a
converter by blowing air into or on to it or both, whereby a large proportion of it
is driven off as sulphate of lead fumes, which may be collected in any known
manner, the rest being left as metallic lead. The lead thus obtained may be run off
to form pigs, or the blowing of air may be continued, converting it into molten
lead-oxide or litharge.
As lead ore generally contains a proportion of silver, I prefer not to convert the
whole of the lead into litharge, but to retain a portion which may be treated for
separation of the silver. The lead oxide produced as above described may be run
off and allowed to cool to be disposed of as litharge, or it may in its molten state
have added to it a fresh charge of galena, whereupon the whole becomes decomposed,
producing metallic lead and sulphurous acid. The sulphate, obtained in the first
stage of the process, may be fused and have galena added to it, producing metallic
lead and evolving sulphurous acid; or it may be added to the hot lead in the
converter producing litharge. Again, when in the first stage the sulphate of lead
fumes cease or nearly cease to be evolved, sulphur may be added to the lead in the
converter, the blowing being continued to produce fresh sulphate, and thus by
alternately adding sulphur and blowing, the whole of the galena can be converted
into lead sulphate.
At any stage, preferably when the contents of the converter are poor in sulphur,
galena may
be added and the blowing continued, and thus by successive repetitions
of oxidation, sulphurisation and addition of galena, the residuary lead may be
rendered very rich in silver.
Obviously oxygen may be used instead of air for blowing.
Dated this 0th 1
Dah1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Galena for the Production of Lead,
Lead Sulphate, and Lead Oxide.
I, ALICE MACDONALD of No. 13 Ladbroke Grove Notting Hill in the County
of Middlesex, Spinster, 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 my invention, galena or lead sulphide is melted and treated in a
converter by blowing air into or on to it or both, whereby a large proportion of it
is driven off as sulphate of lead fumes, which may be collected in any known
manner, the rest being left as metallic lead.
For conveniently melting the galena or lead sulphide I prefer in the first place
to charge the converter with a quantity of molten lead and raise this to a high
DO31

page_text: temperature by blowing air through it, whereupon the galena or lead sulphide is
added and fused. The lead thus obtained may be run off to form pigs or the
blowing of air may be continued, converting it into molten lead oxide or.
litharge.
As lead ore generally contains a proportion of silver, I prefer not to convert the
whole of the lead into litharge, but to retain a portion which may be treated for
separation of the silver. The lead oxide, produced as above described, may be
run off and allowed to cool to be disposed of as litharge, or it may in its molten
state have added to it a fresh charge of galena, whereupon the whole becomes
decomposed producing metallic lead and sulphurous acid. The sulphate obtained
in the first stage of the process may be fused with galena producing metallic lead
and evolving sulphurous acid; or it may be added to the hot lead in the converter
-producing-litharge. Again, when_in_the_first stage-the sulphate of lead fumes
cease or nearly cease to be evolved, sulphur may be added to the lead in the
converter, the blowing being continued to produce fresh sulphate, and thus by
alternately adding sulphur and blowing, the whole of the galena can be converted
into lead sulphate.
At any stage, preferably when the contents of the converter are poor in sulphur,
farther charges of galena may be added and the blowing continued. By successive
repetitions of oxidation, sulphurisation and addition of galena, the residuary lead
may be rendered very rich in silver.
Obviously oxygen may be used instead of air for blowing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1: The herein described process for producing lead and lead sulphate from
galena or lead sulphide, by melting the latter and subjecting it to an air blast.
2. The herein described process for decomposing galena or lead sulphide by
melting it, subjecting it to an air blast until it is converted into lead oxide, and
adding thereto fresh charges of galena which become decomposed into metallic
lead and sulphurous acid.
3. The herein described process for producing lead sulphate by subjecting melted
galena or lead sulphide to an air blast thereby decomposing it into metallic lead
and lead sulphate, adding fresh sulphur to the charge in the converter and subjecting
that charge to continued air blast.
4. The herein described process for treating lead ore containing silver by
subjecting the ore to an air blast and adding sulphur and repeating this treatment
until the residuary lead is as rich in silver as may be desired.
Dated this 9th day of December 1893.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.