Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Sept., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 9th Nov., 1897-Accepted, 17th Sept., 1897
A communication from WALTER JAEGER KOEHLER, B.S. of the Broken Hill Club,
Argent Street, Broken Hill, Colony of New South Wales, Metallurgist.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 111 Hatton Garden in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to the obtainment of metals or metallic compounds from
ores, and is applicable to the treatment of zinc and copper ores and their products.
According to this invention, zinc oxides obtained by roasting or otherwise
treating the sulphides, carbonates or other compounds of zinc, are treated with
ammonium sulphate in solution, or otherwise, thus converting the zinc oxide into
zinc sulphate and setting free ammonia gas. This ammonia gas may be conducted
into a solution of zinc sulphate obtained from the previous operations, so as to
precipitate the zinc as hydroxide, and at the same time produce ammonium
sulphate in solution.
This process is also applicable to the obtainment in like manner of copper.
Or the solutions of metallic sulphates obtained as indicated above may be treated
electrolytically or otherwise, for obtaining the metals or marketable compounds
thereof.
In place of ammonium sulphate, any soluble compound of ammonium may be
employed, so as to produce metallic compounds other than sulphates.
Metallic compounds other than oxides may also be treated with the ammonium
compounds aforesaid.
Dated this 17th day of September 1906
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
A communication from WALTER JAEGER KOEHLER, B.S. of the Broken Hill Club,
Argent Street, Broken Hill, Colony of New South Wales, Metallurgist.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 111 Hatton Garden in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, 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 treatment of Zinc and or Copper bearing Ores, or

page_text: metallurgical products containing in the form of Oxides, the Zinc or Copper or
either of these metals alone or in combination with other metals.
For convenience the term Ore is used in the following Specification, but it is to
be understood to include raw or roasted Ore or metallurgical products containing
Zine or Copper in the form of Oxides, or Basic, or Neutral Sulphates or Sulphites.
This invention consists essentially in the conversion of the Zinc Oxide (ZnO) and
or Copper Oxide (CuO) contained in such Ore into Sulphate of Zinc (ZnSO₁)
and of Sulphate of Copper (CuSO,) by means of Ammonium Sulphate ([NH]SO₂)
and or Ammonium Sulphamate according to the formula:--

page_text: form is shown in the accompanying drawings, but is not claimed as part of the
Invention.
Fig. I. is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the apparatus.
As the
Fig. II. a cross sectional elevation of the same, upon the line X-X of Fig. I.
The Ore having been mixed with the proper proportion of Ammonium Sulphate
and or Sulphamate is placed in a hopper A having an adjustable door or opening B,
by means of which the feed is regulated. From the hopper A the Ore is drawn
into the retort C by the action of revolving arms..D carried on a shaft E. The
arms Dare preferably provided with adjustable shoes F, so that by altering their
angle the material may be fed through the retort C at any desired rate.
shaft E revolves the mixture is stirred and gradually carried through the retort C
to the discharge opening G. Through the discharge opening G it falls into a
closed hopper H provided with an adjustable door I and again into a second closed
hopper Jhaving a door K. On the hopper J being filled, the door I is closed
to prevent any ingress of air to retort C. The door K is then opened, and the
sulphatized material discharged into a truck such as L or other suitable arrange-
ment for conveying the material to the leaching apparatus (not shown). During
the operation, steam or water may, if desired, be injected into the retort C through
a pipe R to facilitate the reaction.
The retort C is maintained at a suitable temperature, which may be from 300°
to 500° Centigrade, by means of a furnace such as M, or it may be provided with
a jacket and heated by superheated steam.
The Ammonia gas produced during the process in the retort C passes out through
an opening N and by the action of an ejector O or other suitable means is forced
through a pipe l' into a vat such as Q or other suitable vessel containing Sulphate
of Zinc solution obtained by leaching the treated Ore. In order to avoid loss of
Ammonia gas by leakage the injector O or other suitable means should be so
regulated as to maintain a slight vacuum in the retort. Ammonium Sulphate in
solution is thereby regenerated, and can be evaporated to dryness for use in
treatment of fresh quantities of Ore.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. In the treatment of Ores as herein mentioned the conversion of the Zinc and
or Copper Oxides into Sulphates of their respective metals by the action of
Sulphate and or Sulphamate of Ammonia.
2. In the treatment of Ores as herein mentioned in which the Zinc and or
Copper Oxides have been converted into Sulphates of their respective metals by
the action of Sulphate of Ammonia and or Sulphamate of Ammonia, subsequently
regenerating the Ammonium Sulphate by passing the Ammonia gas produced
during the first or Sulphatizing portion of the process through a solution of
Sulphate of Zinc substantially as specified.
3. In the treatment of Ores as herein mentioned in which the Zinc and or
Copper Oxides have been converted into Sulphates of their respective metals by
the action of Sulphate of Ammonia and or Sulphamate of Ammonia, subsequently
precipitating the Zine from its solution in the form of Zinc Hydrate by passing
through it Ammonia gas produced during the first or Sulphatizing portion of the
process substantially as specified.
4. In the treatment of Ores as herein mentioned the within described process
consisting in the conversion of the Zine and or Copper Oxides into Sulphates
of their respective metals by the action of Sulphate and or Sulphamate of
Ammonia, Ammonia Gas being produced, then leaching by water the Sulphates
of Zinc and or Copper so obtained, and precipitating the Copper, if any, and or
Iron, if any, by any sual means, subsequently passing the Ammonia Gas,
produced during the Sulphatizing operation, through the remaining solution of
Sulphate of Zinc, whereby the Zinc is precipitated as Zinc Hydrate, and Sulphate

page_text: of Ammonia is regenerated for the treatment of fresh supplies of Ore substantially
as specified.
Janamh 1906
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.