Improvements in the Extraction and Treatment of Metals.
Year: 1892

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Extraction and Treatment of Metals.
I, NICOLAS LÉBÉDEFF of 22' Nine Line Vasilly Ostroff, St. Petersburgh
in the Empire of Russia, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to a process enabling metals to be extracted from their
ores and from any materials containing them in the form of' oxides or in the form
of sulphurets.
In principle my invention is based upon the property possessed by crucibles
composed of plumbago or other analogous materials. of producing: at red heat, the
reduction of metals or their desulphuration according, as the said crucibles contain,
oxygenised (oxidised) or sulphuretted compounds of these metals in a state of
fusion. The crucibles retain this property irrespectively of their position relatively
to the hath of molten matter so that the. construction of large receptacles of
plumbago is not necessary.
I ascribe the phenomenon that occurs in the course of the process to the
transmission of the carbonic oxide of the surrounding furnace flame through
the walls of the plumbago vessels or other like apparatus employed this oxide
of carbon entering the liquid bath which is situate on the other side of the
said walls.
The reactions which then take place may be represented by the following
formulæ in which R represents the metal under treatment..
In the case of oxides-
The last mentioned reaction being altogether unknown in chemistry is given
merely for the purpose of explaining the decomposition of the metallic sulphurets
in fusion by carbonic oxide but cannot say that the numbers of the equivalents
that actually enter into reaction strictly correspond' with those given above.
The ores or metalliferous materials may be placed' in a furnace with the addition
of fluxes if required without admixture of carbon and when the materials are
reduced to the molten condition I introduce into the bath one or more crucibles or
saucer shaped vessels for example which may be arranged to float bottom upwards
or otherwise on the surface of the bath with their sides in contact with the metal
under treatment and the process of deoxidation or desulphuration (according to
the composition of the bath) proceeds spontaneously.
As the improved process enables the oxygen or sulphur contained in the metal
to be removed or eliminated down to the last traces it is not limited to the
extraction of metals but may also be employed in the treatment of metals previously
extracted by other processes or methods. Thus for example in the manufacture
of steel it may be substituted' for the operations heretofore employed and consisting
in introducing ferro manganese injecting reducing gases into the molten metal and
the like.
It is evident that the vessels, crucibles or bells employed in carrying out the
invention in practice may be of any suitable form and may be either loose or fixed
in position in the melting or reducing chamber of the furnace or the materials
under treatment may be contained in the said vessels.
In general the free surface of the bath may remain uncovered but in the
treatment of iron ores which are capable or susceptible of peroxidation it is

page_text: advisable to cover the surface with carbon in order that the iron which is formed
and which tends to float upon the surface may be preserved from oxidation.
Dated this 4th day of February 1892.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Extraction and Treatment of Metals.
I, NICOLAS LÉBÉDEFF of 22 Nine Line Vasilly Ostroff, St. Petersburgh in the
Empire of Russia, Engineer, 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 :-
This invention relates to the extraction and treatment of metals and enables the
metals to be readily and effectually extracted from ores or metalliferous materials
and separated from impurities with which they may be combined as hereinafter
explained.
In treating ores or metallic matter in order to extract or separate the metals
which they contain the said ores or materials are melted and furnace gases are
caused to act upon the molten mass the said gases being compelled to pass through
plumbago, graphite or other equivalent carbonated or carbonaceous material placed
upon the surface of the bath and intervening between the source of the said gases
and the materials under treatment.
The accompanying drawing illustrates two examples of arrangements that may
be employed in carrying out my invention in practice.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings illustrates in vertical section an example
of an arrangement of a furnace in which a saucer shaped plumbago vessel or
crucible is placed upon the molten materials under treatment.
Figure 2 similarly represents an analogous arrangement in which the vessel is
placed in a reversed or inverted position.
In both figures a represents the brickwork of the furnace (a part only of which
is represented in the drawings) b is the hearth or part containing the molten
materials under treatment. e is the roof of the furnace and d the plumbago vessel
whose sides are immersed in the molten matter at e.
In carrying out my invention in practice the ores or metalliferous materials are
placed in a furnace with the addition of fluxes if required without admixture of
carbon and when the materials are reduced to the molten condition, I introduce
into the bath, one or more crucibles or saucer shaped vessels d which may be
arranged to float on the surface of the bath as represented in Figure 1 or as
represented in Figure 2 for example and the process of deoxidation or desulphuriza-
tion (according to the composition of the bath) proceeds spontaneously.
The action that takes place under these conditions is apparently due to the
transmission of the carbonic oxide of the surrounding furnace flame through
the walls of the plumbago vessels or other like apparatus employed this oxide of
carbon entering the liquid bath which is situated on the other side of the said
walls.
In dealing with materials in which the metal is in the form of an oxide being
combined with oxygen or is in the form of a sulphide or sulphuret being combined
with sulphur for example the reactions which take place may be represented by
the following formulæ in which R represents the metal under treatment.
In the case of the oxides :-

page_text: As the improved process enables the oxygen or sulphur contained in the metal
to be removed or eliminated down to the last traces it is not limited to the
extraction of metals but may also be employed in the treatment of metals previously
extracted by other processes or methods. Thus for example in the manufacture
of steel in particular it may be substituted for the operations heretofore employed
and consisting in introducing ferro manganese, injecting reducing gases into the
molten metal and the like.
It is evident that the plumbago vessels employed in carrying out the invention
in practice may be of any suitable form and may be either loose or fixed in.
position.
In general the free surface of the bath may remain uncovered but in the
treatment of iron ores which are capable or susceptible of peroxidation it is.
advisable to cover the surface with carbon in order that the iron which is formed
and which tends to float upon the surface may be preserved from oxidation.
The treatment hereinbefore described may be employed in the extraction and
treatment of metals with a view to extracting or separating them from other
impurities such as phosphorus and arsenic the carbonic oxide in the furnace.
flame being converted into carbon and carbonic acid
2 CO=C+ CO²
The carbon combines with the metal or forms deposits of graphite whilst the
carbonic acid oxidises the impurities (phosphorus and arsenic). In order to obtain
a pure metal the surface of the metal under treatment must not be covered with
cinder or scoria containing foreign matter capable owing to the reducing action of
the operation of forming a combination or mixture with the said metal.
The vessels, crucibles or other forms of apparatus employed for the purposes of
my invention may be of any suitable shape and may be loose or floating or fixed
and may be employed in any convenient number without affecting the essential
principle of my invention which consists in causing the furnace gases to act upon
the metal after they have passed through the walls of apparatus composed of
plumbago, graphite or other equivalent carbonated or carbonaceous materials
placed upon the surface of the liquefied material under treatment.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that.
what I claim is :-
In the extraction of metals from ores or materials containing them and in the
treatment of metals with a view to purifying them or separating them from their
combinations with other matter the process consisting in causing furnace gases to
act upon the materials or combinations by passing through a body of plumbago or
analogous carbonated or carbonaceous material placed upon the surface of the
liquefied material under treatment substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated the 4th day of July 1892,
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.