the Peat for Various Useful Purposes.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Sept., 1886
Complete Left, 24th June, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 20th Sept., 1887.
the Peat for Various Useful Purposes.
I, CHARLES WEYGANG of No. 7 Hermitage Villas, Child's Hill, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "AN
IMPROVED METHOD OF RECLAIMING WASTE MOORLANDS, AND UTILIZING THE PEAT FOR
VARIOUS USEFUL PURPOSES to be as follows:-
وو
The object is to render the waste moorlands occurring in many parts of England
and Ireland of some value by manufacturing upon the spot from the fibrous peat
certain useful commodities, such as boards to be used in the place of strawboards,
which are at present imported in immense quantities from the Continent, and applying
the peat to many other useful purposes, such as for making building materials,
substitutes for wood, stone etc. The process necessitates the separation of the non-
fibrous matters, such as the leaves and pulp of the plant, which in the course of
manufacturing are transformed into excellent manure.-This is re-deposited on the
land, preferably with the admixture of lime, sand, clay or ashes, and, where possible,
with sewage, and forms rich soil for cultivation. The lower portion of the bed of
peat, which is usually too friable for the manufacturing purposes above referred to,
is used for fuel and for gas making.-The smoke is condensed and several useful
products obtained from the same.-The ash produced is added to the soil.
For the purpose of preparing the peat I boil the same in water with a little alkali.-
When the boiling is completed I drain off the thick black liquor, which I reserve for
treating for tannin and other matters.-I transfer the drained peat to washing engines
as ordinarily employed in paper-making, but with very light rolls.-I beat the peat
very lightly and wash until the water becomes clear.-When the peat is sufficiently
beaten and washed I may add a little alum or acid, and I make the pulp into boards
on the machine or in moulds in the ordinary manner of board-making.
If I wish to produce a very hard and solid material, applicable for plastering and other
building purposes and as substitutes for wood, stone etc. I drain the boiled peat less,
thus leaving more tannin in the pulp.-I beat the peat more heavily, thus reducing it
more to pulp, and I wash less energetically.-I also usually add before or after finish

page_text: of the beating, an acid salt or an acid. The water is drained from the pulp so
produced and the latter is then manipulated according to requirements, either applied
as cement for plastering, cast into blocks or moulded into definite shapes. To make
the material more water-resistant I add to the pulp in the beater an oil or resinous
size or animal glue.
In the course of beating the peat all the leaves and impalpable matters of the stem
of the plant and the impalpable mineral matters, separate and are washed out. These
parts constitute more than one half of the bulk and the whole washing from the mill
is run into one of several sets of reservoirs where it is mixed with a little alum or acid
or acid salt, which causes precipitation, the clear water flowing away at the further
end of the reservoir.-When sufficient deposit has accumulated the flow of the
washing from the mill is turned into another reservoir and the water in the first one
is allowed to drain off. The deposit is dug out and spread on the land, preferably
mixed with lime, sand, clay, ashes, or the like, and, where possible, with sewage.-
Where the ground is too porous some of the undrained deposit is poured over the
same. The fine deposit penetrates the ground for some distance and forms an
incrustation on the particles, rendering the surface compact and able to hold soil with
the necessary moisture.
The deposit may also be applied to other purposes, besides as dressing for the land.
Thus it may be moulded into blocks etc.-Or the deposit, or the heavily beaten peat
pulp, can be used as a sizing for ordinary paper, or as a hardening for paper.
Dated this out L..
cambo 1000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of Reclaiming Waste Moorlands and Utilizing
the Peat for Various Useful Purposes.
I, CHARLES WEYGANG of No. 7 Hermitage Villas, Child's Hill, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman 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
The object is to render the waste moorlands occurring in many parts of the United
Kingdom and other Countries of some value by manufacturing from the peat various
useful commodities, such as boards to be used in the place of strawboards, and applying
the peat to many other useful purposes, such as for making building material, substi-
tutes for wood, stone etc., for sizing and hardening paper etc.
The process necessitates the separation from the peat of certain matters which in the
course of manufacturing are transformed into excellent manure.-This is redeposited
upon the land, preferably with the admixture of lime, sand, clay or the like and where
possible with sewage and town refuse, and forms rich soil for cultivation.
The lower portion of the bed of peat, which is usually too friable for the manu-
facturing purposes above referred to, is used for fuel and for gas making for the
works. The smoke can be condensed and several useful products, such as pyroligneous
acid, obtained from the same by any of the known methods. The ash produced is
added to the soil.
For the purpose of preparing the peat for making boards, I boil the peat in water
with a little alkali such as soda. I can employ for the purpose a caustic alkali or an
alkaline carbonate and I take care that the same is as pure as possible, that is to say,
as free as possible from foreign mineral matters, such as lime.
The boiling can be carried out under pressure or in open pans. In the former case
I prefer not to exceed the pressure above 25 lbs., nor the time of boiling beyond
4 hours and I prefer to use as little alkali as possible, only sufficient to keep the liquid
with an alkaline reaction.
If the boiling is carried out in open pans a somewhat larger proportion of alkali is
necessary and the boiling may be prolonged beyond 4 hours. After boiling the peat
I drain off and press out the thick black liquor which I neutralize with an acid, such
as sulphuric acid, and utilize for similar purposes for which tannin and tannic materials
are employed. The drained peat I transfer to washing and beating engines as
employed in papermaking.-I beat the peat very lightly, or merely brush it, and I
wash until the water becomes clear or nearly so.-When beaten and washed I add a

page_text: little acid or acid salt and I usually employ common aluminous cake and in a pro-
portion of about 14 lbs. to a 400 lbs. engine.-The pulp is then made into boards on
the machine or in moulds in the ordinary manner of board making.
For the purpose of improving the boards I may add some waste papers or other
low fibrous materials in proportion to the quality which it is desired to produce.-
Such material is added to the peat pulp in the engine after the washing is completed
and before the addition of the acid or acid salt.
If I wish to produce a very hard and solid material applicable for plastering and
other building purposes and as a substitute for wood, stone etc., I can boil the peat as
described, but in this case caustic soda produces rather better results.-The liquor for
boiling can also be somewhat stronger, say of double the strength.-After boiling I
drain the peat less thus leaving more gummy, and tannic matters in the pulp and
I reduce it to a finer pulp in the beating engine by beating more heavily and I wash
less energetically. I also add in acid or acid salt in the same manner as previously
described. The pulp can be employed in this state and either run out on machines
into thick boards or run into moulds and made into thick blocks, or simply drained
and applied as cement for plastering, cast into blocks or moulded into definite shapes.
To make the material more water resistant I add to the pulp in the beater, before the
addition of the acid or acid salt, an oily or resinous size, or animal glue.-I employ
the ordinary rosin size almost without exception, the proportion depending upon the
nature of the material to be produced.
The plain rosin size I prefer to precipitate with an acid, such as sulphuric or hydro-
chloric acid. But I most generally add from 5 to 20% of turpentine to the rosin
size and in this case I precipitate with an acid salt, such as the common aluminous
cake, or if the material is to have higher water resistant properties 1 precipitate with
a mixed solution of a chromic and another metallic salt, such as bichromate of potash
and alum. The most general proportions of resinous size are between 28 and 56 lbs.
to a 400 lbs. engine, and if the material is to have plastic qualities under heat as much
as 112 lbs. of rosin is sometimes employed.-For the ordinary purposes it would be
sufficient to employ the precipitating agents merely in such proportions which will
neutralize the alkali employed, but somewhat larger proportions are used as a rule.-
When a mixture of a chromic and another salt is employed rather large proportions
are used on account of the waterproofing effect.-About 28 lbs. of an aluminous salt
and 14 lbs. of bichromate of potash in a mixed solution are good proportions for
about 56 lbs. of rosin in a 400 lbs. engine of pulp.-Material which is manufactured
in this way can be compressed by hydraulic pressure or moulded under heat according
to the requirements.
If I wish to employ the peat for sizing or hardening ordinary coarse papers or
boards I treat it as just described, that is to say I boil it with as pure alkali as possible,
preferably employing caustic soda, and I beat the peat very heavily reducing it to a
very fine pulpy condition. Of the resulting pulp I add a certain proportion to
ordinary coarse paper or board stock and when thoroughly mixed I add an acid or acid
salt and I generally prefer to proceed in the manner described in my specification
No. 7904.86 and to employ the peat pulp in the same manner as I would starch.-A
good average proportion is 100 lbs. of peat pulp to 400 lbs. of paper or board pulp.
Instead of beating the peat separately I can add it to the paper or board stock
directly after the boiling and beat the two off together and when the beating is finished
I add a small quantity of acid or acid salt such as aluminous cake which I employ in
a proportion of about 14 lbs. to a 400 lbs. engine. I generally prefer to raise the roll
before the addition of the acid salt and to add the same in a solution at the back of
the roll in the manner as described in the before mentioned specification. Or the peat
pulp is used as an auxiliary in the process described in the before mentioned specifi-
cation, that is to say, I mix a certain proportion of boiled peat or peat pulp with the
pulp in the beating engine as above described and when this is thoroughly mixed and the
beating is finished or almost so I add a small proportion of starch. When the beating
is finished I raise the roll and add at the back of the same a solution of an aluminous
salt in the manner described in the specification already referred to.-The proportions

page_text: of the starch and peat are regulated by each other and these proportions by the quality
of the paper to be produced. Thus for the better classes of paper I would employ
smaller proportions of peat and larger proportions of starch than for common purposes,
for which the conditions would be reversed.-About 56 lbs. of dry peat and 14 lbs. of
starch are good medium proportions for 400 lbs. of paper.-It is understood that the
starch referred to is the starch size preferably prepared as described in the before
mentioned specification. But in this case fairly good results may be produced by
merely preparing the starch with boiling water.
In the course of beating the peat the fleshy parts and other impalpable matters
separate and in most cases are washed out as much as possible. These parts constitute
a very large proportion of the bulk and the whole washing of the mill is run into one
of several sets of reservoirs.-Here an indefinite proportion of lime is added which
causes precipitation of the solid matter and I also generally add a little alum or other
acid salt or acid to aid precipitation. The lime and the other precipitating agents are
added in the vicinity where the washing from the mill enters the reservoir, the bulk of
the solid matter sinking before reaching the further end where the clear water drains
off. When sufficient deposit has accumulated the flow of the washing from the mill
is turned into another reservoir and the water in the first one is drained off.-The
deposit is dug out and spread upon the land being further mixed in any convenient
way with lime, sand, clay or the like and where possible with town refuse sewage and
the like.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I claim:
1st. The method of reclaiming waste moorland substantially as herein described.
2nd. The utilization of peat for the purpose of making common boards to take the
place of strawboards, substantially as herein described.
3rd. The utilization of peat for the manufacture of hard or plastic material sub-
stantially as herein described.
4th. The utilization of peat as a sizing or hardening agent for coarse papers or
boards substantially as herein described.
Dated this 24th day of June 1887