Improvements in the Manufacture of Potash Salts.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Potash Salts.
I, OLIVER IMRAY, of Birkbeck Bank Chambers, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of London, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention (as communicated to me from abroad by
William Taylor Gibbs, Electrician, of Electro-Chemical Works, Buckingham,
Province of Quebec, Dominion of Canada) to be as follows:-
According to this invention felspar or other siliceous potash-bearing mineral is
mixed with lime or with some compound containing lime, or such other material,
as will, when fusion takes place, decompose the siliceous potash-bearing mineral
and the mixture is subjected to intense heat in a suitably constructed electric
furnace.
When fusion takes place lime takes the place of the potash in the mineral,
and a slag is formed in which the potash (and alumina if any be present) are
contained in a soluble form, and may be extracted by any of the usual processes.
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ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Potash Salts.
1, OLIVER IMRAY, of Birkbeck Bank Chambers, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of London, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention (as communicated to me from abroad by
William Taylor Gibbs, Electrician, of Electro-Chemical Works, Buckingham,
Province of Quebec, Dominion of Canada) and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in, and by the following
statement:-
According to this invention felspar or other siliceous potash-bearing mineral is
mixed with lime or with some compound containing lime, or such other material
such as alkaline carbonates as will, when fusion takes place, decompose the
siliceous potash bearing mineral, and the mixture is subjected to intense heat in
a suitably constructed electric furnace. When a slag is formed in which the
potash (and alumina if any be present) is contained in a soluble form, and may be
extracted by any of the usual processes. The siliceous potash bearing mineral
of which the most available form is felspar, is mixed with an alkaline carbonate
or lime in the proportions of about four equivalents of the alkaline carbonate to
Price T

page_text: one equivalent of potash contained in the siliceous potash bearing material, or
about twelve equivalents of lime to one equivalent of potash contained in said
material, and the mixture submitted to electrical heat in a suitable furnace until
fused whereupon the molten mass is removed or tapped out and allowed to cool
and ground up; or, it may be drawn off directly into water, which facilitates the
subsequent operations for recovering the potash and alumina by any of the well
known methods.
It is under some circumstances highly advantageous to use a natural phosphate
e.g. phosphate of alumina, iron or lime, as the basic substance to be mixed with
the potash bearing mineral, since in that case not only soluble alumina and potash
are recovered but available phosphoric acid; and the combined product has great
value as a fertiliser. In this case the siliceous potash bearing mineral is mixed
with a natural phosphate in about equal portions; the mixture is introduced
into the electrically heated furnace and the above described process pursuer,
except that when the fused mass is drawn off it is allowed to cool without intro-
duction into water, and is then, after being finely ground in the condition in which
it can be used as a fertiliser.
When natural phosphates are used it may be desirable to recover part of the
phosphorus as such for which purpose carbon is added to the charge in proportion
to the percentage of phosphorus desired to be recovered by the well known process
of distillation and condensation.
Of course it is not necessary that a single basic substance only be used, as a
mixture of two or more may be employed, if desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The herein described manufacture of potash salts by mixing felspar or other
siliceous potash bearing mineral with lime or other suitable basic substance fusing
the mixture in an electrical furnace, drawing off the fused mass and separating
potash therefrom.
2. The herein described manufacture of fertilising material by conducting the
process above referred to with the natural phosphates of lime, iron or alumina as
the basic material employed.
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