IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR INTERCEPTING AND TREATING EXCRETA AND OTHER MATTERS OF SEWAGE
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Bannehr at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th
November 1875.
I, JAMES BANNEHR, of Gray's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MEANS FOR INTERCEPTING AND TREATING EXCRETA AND OTHER MATTERS OF
SEWAGE," to be as follows:-
The Invention has for its object to intercept urine with the smallest
convenient admixture with water, and other extraneous matters, and to
intercept and treat the foeces and other suspended matters contained in
sewage.
My object in the first place is to extend the system of intercepting
urine before it is combined with sewage in regard to its treatment and
utilization under the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me,
dated October 17 1867, No. 2918. To accomplish this I provide a
vessel of suitable material which may be placed underground, and which
is provided with inlet and outlet holes. The inlet hole is higher than
the outlet, and is intended to receive the urine flowing thereto through

page_text: a pipe, and connected with such pipe is a chamber for containing
deodorant to purify the air passing from such vessel, such purifying
chamber being placed at a higher level than the urine inlet.
The outlet hole is provided with a valve, through which the accu-
mulated urine may be passed into a drain for conveying it either to
works for treatment or else to receptacles, from which it may be
removed to the works periodically.
In order to prevent or limit the admixture of water with the urine,
the vessel is made of a capacity to receive only the quantity of urine
passing from an estimated number of persons in a given period.
At public urinals I provide against the admixture of surface or rain
water with the urine, whilst for private or portable urinals or commodes
I employ a stench trapped pan constructed as heretofore, which is also
provided with a groove or channel around the upper edge into which
the flange of a cover is fitted, but instead of filling the groove or channel
with water I fill it with a suitable deodorant or disinfectant.
According to the second part of my Invention in order to intercept
the forces and other suspended matters in sewage, I proceed as follows :—
To separate the heavier matters, such as road detritus, I reduce the rate
of flow to, say from one-half to one mile an hour by considerably
widening or enlarging the channel through which the sewage towards
its outlet passes. I make the floor of such channel of any suitable
material with a series of transverse projections on the upper surface of
the floor, in order that the detritus may be intercepted by those pro-
jections. When sufficient matter has accumulated in one of a series of
such channels the sewage is diverted and turned into another channel,
in order that the accumulation in the one last used may be desiccated
either by heated air passing over its surface, or by artificial heat under
the floor, after which the dry matter can be removed. Having separated
the heavier portions of suspended matter in sewage I provide for the
interception of the lighter suspended matters by crossing the sewage
channels with a series of strainers ranging from coarse at the com-
mencement to fine at the termination. The strainers will be placed at
an angle of, say 45 degrees, leaning, at their upper ends towards the
direction from which the sewage flows, and near the upper or outlet
side of such strainers I provide agitators or beaters which will pass
rapidly backwards and forwards so as to induce frequent back currents,

page_text: and thereby give an impetus to the suspended particles, and by their
receding from the strainer to some distance from it they would
ultimately be deposited on the bottom of the channel. I make the
floors of these channels preferably of iron, in order that the accumulated
matters may be desiccated by heat underneath as well as by a current
of heated dry air passing on to and over the surface of the precipitated
sludge. These channels are covered over, and each of them is in con-
tinuation of the channels first above described.
In desiccating the last named matters it may sometimes be necessary
to use a deodorant to prevent an offence from the precipitated sludge, I
therefore convey such deodorant in the current of heated air passing
on to its surface.
After the foregoing process has been performed I pass the liquid
sewage through filters, and after or during such process I treat it with
currents of electricity generated in any convenient manner.