An Improved Method to Precipitate the Solid Animal, Mineral, and Vegetable Matter Contained in Sewage. Water.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 13th June, 1894-Accepted, 14th July, 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method to Precipitate the Solid Animal, Mineral,
and Vegetable Matter Contained in Sewage. Water.
I ANDREW MOSELEY of Churchfield House Fulham in the County of London,
District Surveyor for Fulham 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:-
My invention consists in the use and application of a natural agent for the
purpose of hastening and increasing the precipitation of the solid animal mineral
and vegetable matter contained in sewage water.
I find in regard to liquids generally which contain solid animal mineral or
vegetable matter that if naturally or artificially warmed, and if water which by
contrast of temperature may be called cold be thrown plunged or sprinkled over
and into it the said cold water hastens and increases the precipitation of the
particles of matter therein contained more quickly than other elements now used.
I apply this principle to the treatment of sewage and obtain a useful and novel
result viz. the speedy separation of the solid matter from the liquid.
For the purpose of illustrating this process I take the present system of the
treatment of sewage as used by the London County Council at their works at
Barking and elsewhere. There, the sewage matter, after having certain chemicals
-for deodorization or other purposes-added to it in the mixing chamber, passes
through a culvert into one or a series of precipitation chambers where the solid
animal mineral and vegetable matter partially and slowly settle at the bottom and
the lightened liquid is passed off.
My invention which will very considerably hasten and increase this precipitation
and at a very slight cost is to be performed in the following way, that is
to say :-
I would raise the temperature of the sewage matter in passing through the
culvert before mentioned by means of hot water pipes or other means passed
in around along or through such culvert (to effect which at a minimum cost, a
destructor might be erected outside of but near the centre of the culvert) so that
the sewage matter on emptying itself from the culvert into the precipitation
chamber would be fairly warm.
Upon or into this thus heated sewage 1 pour plunge or sprinkle cold water by
means of pipes or otherwise over the surface of the sewage in the precipitation
chamber. The effect of this will be to hasten and increase the precipitation of
the solid animal mineral and vegetable matter contained in the sewage to the bottom
of the chamber.
It is essential that the water thus to be poured plunged or sprinkled upon the
sewage should be lower in temperature than the sewage matter; but as the sewage
matter is of varying heat it is impossible to lay down any hard and fast rule as to
the necessary temperature of the precipitating agent: the principle is that the
greater the contrast of temperature between such agent and the matter to be acted
on the more effective and speedy will be the resultant precipitation.
If very cold water be procurable and the sewage matter be naturally warm, it
may be unnecessary to further warm it in the culvert as suggested; but if desirable
or necessary to warm the sewage in order to obtain the desired contrast of
temperature the means I have suggested, as utilizing the destructor would be both
simple and economical.
I wish it to be understood that I do not claim any of the machinery or apparatus
hereinbefore described in order to illustrate the working of my invention.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The novel method of hastening and increasing the precipitation of solid animal
mineral and vegetable matter from sewage water by means of the natural agent-
water of a lower temperature than the sewage as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 13th day of June 1894.
ANDREW MOSELEY.