Improvements in the Treatment of Solutions Containing Nickel and Iron for the Obtainment of Useful Products therefrom.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 21st June, 1892-Accepted, 23rd July, 1892
PROVISIONAL, SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Solutions Containing Nickel and
Iron for the Obtainment of Useful Products therefrom.
We THOMAS PARKER Works Director of the Electric Construction Cor-
poration Limited of Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford and ALFRED
EDWARD ROBINSON Technical Chemist to the Electric Construction Corporation
Limited of Wolverhampton aforesaid, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
In solutions containing nickel and iron such for example as those which are
obtained in the process set forth in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to
us No. 5199 and dated 3 April 1890 the iron and nickel have hitherto been
usually separated by methods which are not only attended with difficulties in
effecting the separation but the bye-products obtained are of but small commercial
value.
The object of our present invention is to effect the separation of the iron and
nickel in a ready and efficient manner and to obtain bye-products possessing
considerable commercial value, the nickel being obtained moreover in a form which
readily lends itself to effective reduction.
According to our invention we take the solutions of nickel and iron and we per-
oxidize the iron therein contained by means of any suitable oxidizing agent such
for instance as manganate or permanganate of soda and then we introduce into the
solution a sufficient quantity of ground magnesite to precipitate the whole of the
iron as ferric oxide the supernatant liquor being filtered off as a solution free from
iron and containing sulphate of nickel and sulphate of magnesia. We add to this
solution a quantity of chloride of magnesium sufficient when the mixture is
electrolysed to yield the necessary amount of hypochlorite of magnesium to convert
the whole of the nickel salt to the condition of sesquioxide. We then subject the
whole to electrolysis carbon plates or pieces of gas carbon being especially suitable
as electrodes as any disintegration thereof does not affect the subsequent reduction
of the nickel oxide. A. current of electricity is passed through the solution to
precipitate the nickel in the form of black sesquioxide of nickel. The supernatant
solution is filtered off and consists of sulphate of magnesia containing a small
amount of chloride. It is evaporated to the requisite bulk for crystallization as
Epsom salts of commerce.
We may use in place of chloride of magnesium chloride of sodium or chloride
of potassium in which case the resulting solution contains small quantities of these
respective chlorides which however owing to their relative insolubilities are by
evaporation and crystallization easily separated from the sulphate of magnesia.
Dated this 21st day of August 1891.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Solutions Containing Nickel and
Iron for the Obtainment of Useful Products therefrom.
We, THOMAS PARKER, Works Director of The Electric Construction Cor-
poration Limited of Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford and ALFRED
EDWARD ROBINSON, Technical Chemist to The Electric Construction Cor-
poration Limited of Wolverhampton aforesaid, do hereby declare the nature of
Price 8d.1

page_text: 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 treating solutions containing nickel and iron, such for example as those which
are obtained in the process set forth in the Specification of Letters Patent No. 5199
granted to us and dated 3rd April 1890, the iron and nickel have hitherto been
usually separated by methods which are not only attended with difficulties in
effecting the separation, but in which the bye products obtained are of but small
commercial value.
The object of our present invention is to effect in a ready and efficient manner
the separation of the iron and nickel from such solutions, and to obtain bye-products
possessing considerable commercial value, the nickel being obtained moreover in a
form which readily lends itself to effective reduction.
According to our invention we take the solutions of nickel and iron, and we per-
oxidize the iron therein contained by means of any suitable oxidizing agent, such,
for instance, as manganate or permanganate of soda and then we introduce into the
solution a sufficient quantity of ground magnesite to precipitate the whole of the
iron as ferric oxide, the supernatant liquor being filtered off as a solution, free from
iron, and containing sulphate of nickel and sulphate of magnesia. We add to this
solution, a quantity of chloride of magnesium sufficient when the mixture is
electrolysed to yield the necessary amount of hypochlorite of magnesium to convert
the whole of the nickel salt to the condition of sesquioxide. We then subject the
whole to electrolysis, carbon plates, or pieces of gas carbon, being suitable as
electrodes as any disintegration thereof does not affect the subsequent reduction of
the nickel oxide but an anode of chromium phosphide is particularly suitable in
conjunction with a cathode of iron or other suitable metal or two carbon electrodes
may be used.
A current of electricity is passed through the solution to
precipitate the nickel in the form of black sesquioxide of nickel. A current density
of 10 amperes per square foot of electrodes is a suitable density to employ but we
do not limit ourselves to that. The supernatant solution is filtered off and consists of
sulphate of magnesia containing a small amount of chloride. It is evaporated to
the requisite bulk for crystallization as Epsom salts of commerce.
We may use, in place of chloride of magnesium, chloride of sodium, or chloride
of potassium, in which case the resulting solution contains small quantities of
these respective chlorides which however, owing to their relative insolubilities,
are, by evaporation and crystallization, easily separated from the sulphate of
magnesia.
The process can be applied to either concentrated, or dilute, solutions, but to
facilitate subsequent evaporation we prefer concentrated solutions.
We do not limit ourselves to precise proportions of the respective salts employed
but we have found the following to answer well in practice.
10 parts by volume of a solution of the sulphates of nickel and iron containing
10 per cent. of nickel-sulphate and 20 to 30 per cent. of iron-sulphate sufficient
oxidizing agent to peroxidize the iron-sufficient magnesite to precipitate the iron
as oxide parts by volume of a solution of chloride of magnesium of a specific
gravity of 1-2001 part by volume of a solution of chloride of sodium of a specific
gravity of 1180. Instead of magnesite we may use dolomite but we much prefer
to use magnesite.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
The treatment of solutions, containing nickel and iron, by means of an agent which
will oxidise the iron, and then with an agent (such as magnesite) which will
precipitate the iron as ferric oxide, then removing the supernatant liquor and adding
thereto chloride of magnesium, or of sodium, or of potassium, and subjecting the

page_text: mixture to electrolysis, so as to obtain sesquioxide of nickel and a
stantially as hereinbefore described.
sulphate, sub-
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.