IMPROVEMENTS IN OCTAINING AND APPLYING IRON AND MANGANESE PROTOXIDES OR THEIR CARBONATES; IN OBTAINING AND APPLYING PARYTA, STRONTIA, AND SALTS THEREOF; IN OBTAINING POTASH, SODA, AND SULPHUR; AND IN UTILISING BYE OR WASTE PRODUCTS ARISING IN THE MANUFACTURIS OF CHLORINE, COPPER, AND ALUM
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Townsend, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Manufacturing Chemist, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OCTAINING AND APPLYING IRON AND MANGANESE
PROTOXIDES OR THEIR CARBONATES; IN OBTAINING AND APPLYING PARYTA,
STRONTIA, AND SALTS THEREOF; IN OBTAINING POTASH, SODA, AND SULPHUR;
AND IN UTILISING BYE OR WASTE PRODUCTS ARISING IN THE MANUFACTURIS
OF CHLORINE, COPPER, AND ALUM."
,
caled the 10th September 1870, and dated the 25th March 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Townsend at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 25th March 1870.
I, JOSEPH TOWNSEND, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
5 Britain, Manufacturing Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING AND APPLYING
AND
MANGANESE PROTOXIDES OR THEIR CARBONATES; IN OBTAINING AND APPLYING
BARYTA, STRONTIA, AND SALTS THEREOF; IN OBTAINING POTAзF, SOA, AD

page_text: '
SULPHUR; AND IN UTILISING BYE OR 'WASTE PRODUCTS ARISING IN THE
MANUFACTURES OF CHLORINE, COPPER, AND ALUM," to be as follows, that is to
say:
This Invention has for its object by a connected series of processes
herein-after described to improve and cheapen the manufactures of
baryta, strontia, potash, and soda, and salts thereof; and it also comprises
various improvements which may be advantageously used separately.
The mixed or separate protoxides of iron and manganese or the
carbonates of such protoxides, all herein-after briefly termed "protoxide,”
is obtained from the bye or "waste" product of the chlorine manufacture,
known as "still liquor," by decomposing the iron or manganese or mixed
chloride contained therein by adding lime or magnesia or their car-
bonates, the decomposition being facilitated by heating. After subsidence
of the precipitate the clear liquor containing calcium, chloride, or
magnesium chloride is run off, and the precipitated protoxide" is
washed with water, being kept covered with water or otherwise protected
from the oxidising action of the air.
$5
The "protoxide" is also obtained in a similar manner from the mother
liquors of the copper manufacture, or from other liquors containing the
corresponding chloride. When soda sulphate or similar salts are present,
as in the copper residual liquors, it is desirable to first remove them by
concentration and crystalisation or by precipitation.
In utilising soda and potash wastes sulphur is obtained, and also soda
and potash. The calcium sulphide liquor obtained by lixiviating the
wasto with water, and which may be run upon fresh portions of waste to
obtain the higher sulphides, is by preference heated nearly to boiling, and
soda sulphate or potash sulphate is added to it to precipitate the calcium
as lime sulphate. When the precipitate has subsided the supernatant
liquor containing sodium or potassium sulphides is drawn off, and there
is added to it in slight excess the "protoxide" prepared as herein-before
described. The mixture is agitated and its temperature raised to about
its boiling point. It is known by the supernatant liquor being yellowish
when too little "protoxide" has been added, and more is added until the
liquor becomes colorless and free or nearly so from sulphides. After
the subsidence of the precipitate, which consists of iron or manganese
sulphides, the clear liquor which contains the alkalies is run off and
boiled down, or they are converted into carbonates by known processes.

page_text: The precipitate is washed with hot water and dried, and part of the
sulphur may be obtained from it by sublimation, whilst the remainder
may be burned off as sulphurous acid, and be converted into sulphuric
acid in the ordinary way.
Sodium sulphide or potassium sulphide to be treated as herein-before
described may also be obtained in the usual manner from soda sulphate
or potash sulphate, or by adding these to the waste or residual black ash
of the soda and potash manufactures, lime sulphate being thereby formed
as a residue.
The
In obtaining baryta and strontia to be used for obtaining soda and
potash or otherwise, baryta sulphate or strontia sulphate is converted
into sulphide by known processes and washed out with hot water.
solution has then added to it an equivalent proportion or slight excess of
iron or manganese protoxide, and the mixture is by preference boiled
and agitated. If sufficient protoxide has been added a small portion of
the clear liquor will give no black precipitate with a lead salt. After
the subsidence of the precipitate, which consists of iron or manganese
sulphides, the baryta or strontia liquor is drawn off and used as required.
When baryta or strontia is prepared in this way it is nearly pure and
may be used, for example, in the beetroot sugar manufacture.
Potash sulphate to be used as herein-before described or otherwise is
obtained by adding potassium chloride to the residual or "waste" liquor
of the alun manufacture, which contains a large quantity of iron
sulphate, or by adding the same salt to the mother liquors of the copper
manufacture, and is in either case separated by crystalisation or pre-
cipitation, leaving iron chloride in solution, which may be used in the
manner herein-before pointed out.
Finally, the iron or manganese chlorides however obtained may be
utilised by adding them to dissolved barium or strontium sulphides,
whereby barium or strontium chlorides are obtained in solution, whilst
iron or manganese sulphides are precipitated, and may be dried and used
as herein-before described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Townsend in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 17th September 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
TOWNSEND, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Manu-
facturing Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Townsend, Her special
Licence that I, the said Joseph Townsend, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Townsend, 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, excrcise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN OLTAINING AND APPLYING IRON AND MANGANESE PROTOXIDES OB THEIR
CARBONATES; IN OBTAINING AND APPLYING BARYTA, STRONTIA, AND SALTS
THEREOF; IN OBTAINING POTASH, SOBA, AND SULPHUR; AND IN UTILISING BYE
OB WASTE PRODUCTS ARISING IN THE MANUFACTURES OF CHLORINE, COPPER,
AND ALUM," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Joseph Townsend, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 Joseph Townsend, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement in writing, that is to say :—
My said Invention has for its object by a connected series of processes
herein-after described to improve and cheapen the manufactures of
baryta, strontia, potash, and soda, and salts thereof; and it also

page_text: comprises various improvements which may be advantageously used
separately.
The mixed or separate protoxides of iron and manganese or the
carbonates of such protoxides, all herein-after briefly termed "protoxide,"
is obtained from the byc or "waste" product of the chlorine manu-
facture known as "still liquor" by decomposing the iron or manganese
or mixed chloride contained therein by adding lime or magnesia or their
carbonates. I prefer to use heat when effecting the decomposition,
raising the liquor quickly to the boiling point, and then adding the lime
or magnesia or their carbonates. As soon as the precipitate has subsided
the clear liquor is run off and raised to the boiling point a second time,
and then a second quantity of the precipitant added. The manganese
will be found for the most part in the second precipitate, the first
precipitate consisting principally of iron. After subsidence of the
precipitates the clear liquor containing calcium chloride or magnesium
chloride is run off, and the precipitated "protoxide" is washed with
water, being kept covered with water or otherwise protected from the
oxidising action of the air.
The "protoxide" is also obtained in a similar manner from the
mother liquors of the copper manufacture or from other liquors con-
taining the corresponding chloride or chlorides. When soda sulphate or
similar salts are present, as in the copper residual liquors, it is desirable
to first remove them by concentration and crystalisation or by pre-
cipitation.
In utilising soda and potash wastes sulphur is obtained, and also soda
and potash. The calcium sulphide liquor obtained by lixiviating the
waste with water, and which may be run upon fresh portions of waste to
obtain the higher sulphides, is by preference heated nearly to boiling,
and soda sulphate or potash sulphate is added to it to separate the
calcium as lime sulphate. When the precipitate has subsided the
supernatant liquor containing sodium or potassium sulphides is drawn
off, and there is added to it in slight excess the "protoxide" prepared as
herein before described. The mixture is agitated and its temperature
raised to about its boiling point. It is known by the supernatant liquor
being yellowish when too little "protoxide" has been added, and more
is added until the liquor becomes colorless and free or nearly so from
sulphides. After the subsidence of the procipitate, which consists of

page_text: iron or manganese sulphides, the clear liquor which contains the alkalies
is run off and boiled down, or they are converted into carbonates by
known processes. The precipitate is washed with hot water and dried,
and part of the sulphur may be obtained from it by sublimation, whilst
the remainder may be burned off as sulphurous acid, and be converted
into sulphuric acid in the ordinary way.
Sodium sulphide or potassium sulphide to be treated as hercin-before
described may also be obtained in the usual manner from soda sulphate
or potash sulphate, or by adding these to the waste or residual black
ash of the soda and potash manufactures, lime sulphate being thereby
formed as a residue.
In obtaining baryta and strontia to be used for obtaining soda and
potash or otherwise baryta sulphate or strontia sulphate is converted
into sulphide by known processes, and washed out with hot water. The
solution has then added to it an equivalent proportion or slight excess of
iron or manganese protoxide; and the mixture is by preference boiled
and agitated. If sufficient protoxide has been added a small portion of
the clear liquor will give no black precipitate with a lead salt. After
the subsidence of the precipitate, which consists of iron or manganese
sulphides, the baryta or strontia liquor is drawn off and used as required.
When the baryta or strontia is prepared in this way it is nearly pure,
and may be used for example in the beetroot sugar manufacture, or for
making potash, soda, or their salts. Or instead of treating the barium
or strontium sulphide with protoxide I cause steam (which may be
superheated if necessary) to blow through it by preference whilst it is
in a heated state, whereby baryta or strontia is formed, sulphuretted
hydrogen being given off and burned.
Potash sulphate to be used as herein-before described or otherwise is
obtained by adding potassium chloride to the residual or "waste" liquor
of the alum manufacture, which contains a large quantity of iron
sulphate, or by adding the same salt to the mother liquors of the copper
manufacture, and is in either case separated by crystalisation or pre-
cipitation, leaving iron chloride in solution, which may be used for
obtaining iron or manganese protoxide in the manner herein-before
pointed out.
Finally, the iron or manganese chlorides however obtained may be

page_text: utilised by adding them to dissolved barium or strontium sulphides,
whereby barium or strontium chlorides are obtained in solution, whilst
iron or manganese sulphides are precipitated and may be dried and used
as herein-before described.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do not
restrict myself to the precise details herein-before described; but that
what I believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1. The obtaining of iron and manganese protoxides or their carbonates
from and thereby utilising byc or "waste" products arising in the
manufactures of chlorine, copper, and alum, as herein-before described.
2. The applying of iron and manganese protoxides or their carbonates
in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described.
3. The obtaining and applying of baryta, strontia, and salts thereof in
the improved modes herein-before described.
4. The obtaining of potash, soda, and sulphur in the improved modes.
herein-before described.
And, 5. The utilising of the waste liquors of the alum and copper
manufactures by obtaining potash sulphate therefrom in the manner
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Townsend, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Twenty-sixth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JOSEPH TOWNSEND. (L.S.)