Year: 1888

page_text: I HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents 6 Breams Buildings
Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex Civil 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:—
In the art of purifying water it has been found that many waters contain certain
organic impurities, which it is highly important should be removed, in order to render
the water fit for drinking and many other uses, but which cannot he removed by
ordinary mechanical filtering.
In the treatment of waters containing impurities of this class, many attempts have
been made to purify the water by the use of chemicals, which acted either to pre-
cipitate the organic impurities, or to reduce them to such condition that they could
be readily removed by filtration.
My correspondent has discovered that the organic impurities which are contained
in large quantities in many waters, when in their natural condition, as well as in
factory slop and sewage, can be readily and economically removed, so as to render
the water pure and wholesome, by treating the water with the gases obtained by the
decomposition of water containing an acid or salt in solution, the decomposition being
effected by means of an electric current. The acid employed may be hydrochloric,
nitric, phosphoric, chromic, or sulphuric, or the salts of these acids may be employed,
or a mixture of these acids or salts, or acids and salts, may be employed. The best
results are, however, obtained by the use of hydrochloric acid.
The present invention relates to the art of, and apparatus for purifying water by
means of gases obtained as above stated.
As a full understanding of the process, and the manner of applying the same, can
be best given by an illustration and a detailed description of the apparatus employed,

page_text: nary description will be omitted, and a full description given, referenc
being had to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates, by a diagrammatic section
a form of apparatus suitable for the purpose.
Referring to said drawing, it is to be understood that A represents a tank o
receptacle containing the acid or salt solution referred to. This tank, which is of any
suitable form, and is provided with means, as the removeable cap a, by which it
contents can be replenished, communicates by a pipe B with the body of water which
is to be treated. In the case shown, the pipe B enters a chamber C formed by an
enlargement of the pipe D, through which the water to be treated passes. Entering
the tank A, and immersed in the solution contained therein, are the terminals c of an
electric circuit E, which is supplied with a suitable battery, or other means of generating
an electric current, as indicated at F.
The operation is as follows:-The tank A, being supplied with the acid or salt
solution, and the electric circuit. E being closed, and the cock or valve & in the pipe B
open, the water in the tank A containing the acid or salt will be decomposed by the
electric current, and the gases given off by this decomposition of the water, will escape
by the pipe B, and enter the water, passing through the pipe D and the chamber C.
The gases thus entering the water will have the effect to destroy the organic
impurities contained in the water, so that they will be precipitated or reduced to such
a form or condition that they can readily be removed by passing the water through an
ordinary filter.
Factory slops, and other water containing a large amount of organic matter which
cannot be removed by mechanical filtration, and even sewage, can by this means be
rendered pure and wholesome. The necessary supply of gases for the purposes of
carrying out the process, can be readily produced in the manner described at a com-
paratively trifling expense. In some cases, the process can be rendered more economical
by filtering the water, previous to its treatment with the gases, for the destruction of
the organic matter. The matter contained in the water absorbs more or less of the
gases, and when this matter is considerable, as, for example, in the case of factory
slops and sewage, a much larger amount of the gases is required than would otherwise
be necessary. By filtering the water, however, before its treatment with the gas, a
large part of these impurities are removed, and the consumption of gas is lessened.
For this purpose, the apparatus may be provided with a filter G, of any ordinary
form, through which the water passes before it enters the chamber C, and the apparatus
may also embrace a second filter H, through which the water will be passed after
leaving the chamber C, and which will act to remove the organic impurities which
have been destroyed by the action of the gas.
The apparatus, as herein illustrated, is organized so as to make the process con-
tinuous, and this, where water is to be purified in large quantities, will usually be
desirable, but the operation may, if, in any case, it should be desirable to do so, be
carried on intermittently, and in such case a tank or vessel corresponding to the
chamber will be filled with water to be treated with the gas, which water will, after
being treated, be drawn off, and the tank again filled, and so on.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is
1. The herein described process of purifying water, which consists in introducing
into the water the gases produced by the decomposition of an acid or salt solution,
substantially as described.
2. The herein described process of purifying water, which consists in decomposing 5
an acid or salt solution by the action of an electric current, and introducing the gases
thus produced into the water to be purified, substantially as described.
3. The combination with the closed tank for containing the acid or salt solution, of
the pipe B, communicating with said tank and the body of water to be purified, and
the terminals c of the electric circuit located in said tank, in position to be in the 5
solution, substantially as described.

page_text: 4. The combination with the filter G, of the closed tank A for containing the acid
or salt solution, the pipe B communicating with the discharge of the filter, and the
terminals c of the electric circuit, located in said tank, in position to be in the solution,
substantially as described.
5. The combination with the filter H, of the tank A, for containing the acid or salt
solution, the pipe B communicating with said fank, and with the pipe through which
the water passes to the filter, and the terminals of the electric circuit, located in
said tank in position to be in the solution, substantially as described.
DL: 001 1
1000
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.