IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF PRECIPITATED AND ASSIMILABLE PHOSPHATES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lars Westergaard Beck, of Antwerp, in the Kingdom
of Belgium, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED PROCESS AND
APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF PRECIPITATED AND ASSIMILABLE
PHOSPHATES."
Scaled the 19th August 1879, and dated the 28th February 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Lars Westergaard Beck at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th February 1879.
LARS WESTERGAARD BECK, of Antwerp, in the Kingdom of Belgium, Manu-
facturer. "
IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF
PRECIPITATED AND ASSIMILABLE PHOSPHATES."
The process of dissolving phosphates by means of sulphurous acid is known in
chemistry, and has been described in several publications, of which may be
mentioned the "Dictionaire de Chemie," by A. Würtz (page 166), the "Journal fur
Practische Chemie," (2t. W. page 97).
This principle has already been applied since 1872, by the Societé des Hauts,
Fourneaux, of Klodno, in Bohemia, Mr. Jacoby, Director, for the purpose of
extracting and selling to the agriculture the precipitated phosphates obtained by
the treatment of phosphated iron ore in connection with sulphurous acid. In the
4th volume, II. year, month of April 1873, page 208, of the "Central Blatt fur
Agritcultur-chemie," an article is contained on phosphates obtained in this way.
It results from all this that the principale is known to the public and consequently
not patentable. It is however different with new processes and apparatus for the
production on a large scale of precipitated phosphates for agricultural purposes.
It may be remarked that when this principle of preparing manures has not yet
been carried out in practise on a large scale, this is due to the insufficiency of the
processes and machinery employed.
The present Invention relates to a new and improved mode of producing
precipitated and assimilable phosphates of lime by means of sulphurous acid, and

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESS.
The crude phosphates are introduced into a vessel filled with water in which is
passed a current of sulphurous acid gas, which gas is derived from the combustion
of pyrites, sulphur, or any other substance producing it. The gas is injected into
this vessel by means of an air pump, a centrifugal, or any other apparatus. The
sulphurous acid gas acts upon the phosphates of lime, and a solution of bisulphite
of lime, of sulphite of lime, and of mono-basic phosphate is thereby formed in the
water.
When the water is saturated with these soluble substances, it is drawn into a
special vessel and passes through a filter in order to keep back the insoluble matter
which it contains. In this vessel the liquid is subjected to the heat of a steam
jet or of hot air taken from the heat recuperator, which is adjacent to the pyrites
oven. This heat causes the precipitation of the matter dissolved in the liquid.
The mono-basic phosphates with a small excess of sulphite of lime are com-
pletely precipitated, and the mother lye or water what is somewhat alkaline is
used again and over again in the following operations:-The sulphurous acid which
is disengaged by the precipitation passes back into the saturating vessel. The
products of the precipitation are received upon a filter which separates them from
the water, they pass subsequently into a drying room to be dried and to be finally
delivered to the trade.
The sulphurous acid gas which has not been absorbed in the saturation vessel
passes into another or several similar vessels likewise filled with phosphates and
water, and gets entirely absorbed there.
The apparatus is constructed thus:-
There is an oven having several separate furnaces to burn the pyrites, and
also a cooling oven for the hot gas and heat recuperator, the heated air goes partly
to the generator, partly to a drying room, and may also be used for the pre-
cipitation of the substances in the boilers or precipitating vessels attached to the
apparatus. Saturating vessels are provided and a suction and pressing air pump
driving the gas through the saturation vessels by means of tubing and various
connections; one or more saturating vessels may be employed according to the
arrangement; the dissolved matter is led to a vessel to collect this matter, and from
thence to a filtering vessel and to a cistern filter and pipes with pierced holes, from
which steam or hot air passes into the liquid agitates it. Pipes communicating
between the precipitating vessels and other portions of the apparatus in order to
take off the sulphurous acid gas which becomes free by the precipitation to be used
again.
When the saturating vessel is saturated, the direction of the gas jet is traversed
by slide valves, and the last vessel becomes the first until the liquid of the vessel is
passed through the series and finally into the collecting vessel, and so on in every
operation.
The filtration begins to take place when collecting vessel is sufficiently charged.
The vessels have top openings with air tight covers permitting to add more
phosphates when it is necessary; the feeding of the water is produced by a special
pump and tubing.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Lars Westergaard Beck in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd
August 1879.
LARS WESTERGAARD BECK, of Antwerp, in the Kingdon of Belgium, Manu-
facturer. "IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF
PRECIPITATED AND ASSIMILABLE PHOSPHATES."
The process of dissolving phosphates by means of sulphurous acid is known in
chemistry, and has been described in several publications of which may be
mentioned the "Dictionnaire de Chemie," by A. Weirtz (page 166), the "Journal
fur Practische Chemie" (2t W. page 97). The principle has already been applied
since 1872, by the Société des Hauts fourneaux, of Klodno, in Bohemia, Mr. Jacoby,
Director, for the purpose of extracting and selling to the agriculturalists the
precipitated phosphates obtained by the treatment of phosphated iron ore in
connection with sulphurous acid. In the 4th volume, II. year, month of April
1873, page 208, of the "Central Blatt fur Agricultur-chemie," an article is
contained on phosphates obtained in this way.
It results from all this that the principle is known to the public and con-
sequently not patentable. It is however different with new processes and
apparatus for the production on a large scale of precipitated phosphates for
agricultural purposes.
It may be remarked that when this principle of preparing manures has not yet
been carried out in practice on a large scale, this is due to the insufficiency of the
processes and machinery employed.
The present Invention relates to a new and improved mode of producing
precipitated and assimilable phosphates of lime by means of sulphurous acid, and
the application of new apparatus specially constructed for that purpose, and takes
The crude phosphates are introduced into a vessel filled with water in which is
passed a current of sulphurous acid gas, which gas is derived from the combustion
of pyrites, sulphur, or any other substance producing it. The gas is injected into
this vessel by means of an air pump, a centrifugal, or any other apparatus. The
sulphurous acid gas acts upon the phosphates of lime, and a solution of bisulphite
of lime, of sulphite of lime, and of mono-basic phosphate is thereby formed in the
water.
When the water is saturated with these soluble substances, it is drawn into a
special vessel and passes through a filter in order to keep back the insoluble matter
which it contains. In this vessel the liquid is subjected to the heat of a steam jet
or of hot air taken from the heat recuperator which is adjacent to the pyrites oven.
This heat causes the precipitation of the matter dissolved in the liquid.
The mono-basic phosphate with a small excess of sulphite of lime are completely
precipitated, and the mother lye or water which is somewhat alkaline is used again
and over again in the following operations. The sulphurous acid which is
disengaged by the precipitation passes back into the saturating vessel. The
products of the precipitation are received upon a filter which separates them from
the water; they pass subsequently into a drying room to be dried and to be finally
delivered to the trade.
The sulphurous acid gas which has not been absorbed in the saturation vessel
passes into another or several similar vessels likewise filled with phosphates and
water, and gets entirely absorbed there.