A New or Improved Method for the Treatment of Town Sewage, Refuse, and the like for the Destruction of Animalculæ and the Production of a Fertilizing Compound.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 3rd Apr., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Method for the Treatment of Town Sewage,
Refuse, and the like for the Destruction of Animalculæ and
the Production of a Fertilizing Compound.
1, SERGE DE PETROFF, of 29 Rue de Chevaliers, Brussels, in the Kingdom of
Belgium, Engineer, 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 :-
The treatment of town sewage and refuse is a question of considerable
importance and is closely allied with the evolution of animalcula such as
bacteria and microbes which play the chief part in the unsanitary state of
localities unprovided with the hygienic improvements discovered by modern
scientists. These animalcula form the object of constant researches on the part
of bacteriologists with a view to destroy or annihilate them whether in the state
of germs, spores or adults, their development and propagation being fostered by
two things; first, nutritious medium, and second," propagating vehicle. The
vehicles are air and liquids; the developing media are refuse and organic
debris.
The secret of the treatment of town sewage and refuse consists in sterilizing as
far as possible all the solid and liquid refuse daily produced in large centres where
it accumulates and whence it has not yet been possible to remove it in a practicable
manner with the processes hitherto known.
This invention has for its object to attain such a result by the aid of several
chemical processes. The treatment of town sewage and refuse, whatever may be
the size of such towns, comprises three features:-
1st. The treatment of sewage.
2nd. The treatment of street sweepings.
3rd. The treatment of slaughter house refuse and the destruction of the carcases
of the dead animals killed on account of contagious diseases.
The treatment of sewage and the like by this invention fulfils the objects in
view in a practical as well as in an economical manner; while the operations can
be carried on in one set of works wherein can be centralized the treatment of
sewage, of excrementitious matter and of slaughter house refuse, thus recovering
all the fertilizing elements, hitherto entirely or partially lost, for agricultural
purposes.
1ST. A PROCESS FOR THE TREATMENT OF SEWAGE.
The latter is treated by scories produced in the course of dephosphorizing
processes with the aid of heat. The lime contained in these scories causes
ammonia to be evolved this ammonia being converted into phosphate of ammonia
by collecting the gas produced in an acid solution of monocalcic phosphate
proceeding from the washings of the perphosphate of commerce. By evaporating
the solution either nitrogen, or phosphate of ammonia can be produced. The iron
contained in the scories retains the greatest part of the sulphuretted hydrogen and
the basic phosphates present therein in combination with the potash, organic
nitrogen and phosphoric acid left in the fixed part of the sewage form artificial
manure of the best quality. In countries where wool and cloth is being treated,

page_text: 2ND. STREET SWEEPINGS.
The matter is first sorted or mixed with a given quantity of carbon or of
organic matter such as industrial refuse (tan, shavings, and the like) being
subsequently incinerated in a furnace. The clinkers, cinders or ashes may be sold
directly or be mixed with the residuary bricks of manure above mentioned in order
to assist in the solidification.
3RD. SLAUGHTER HOUSE REFUSE AND THE CARCASES OF DEAD ANIMALS
KILLED ON ACCOUNT OF CONTAGIOUS AND OTHER DISEASES.
These are treated directly by lime water to which carbonate of soda is added.
The sodaic lime thus formed acts on the organic matter, the resulting mass is
removed from the lime pit by an endless bucket chain and is poured into calcining
cylinders capable of assuming a vertical and a horizontal position. If placed on
rails in the last mentioned position, they may be bolted or slipped into the furnace
fed by the sweepings; the heat from such furnace being used at the same time for
heating the generators and drying the manure.
In localities where the quantity of matter to be destroyed is not very large, the
work is performed by means of small trucks running on rails in the calciuing
cylinders.
By forming alternate layers of sodaic lime and of the material under treatment
the latter will be converted into ammonia. The gas is conveyed directly into the
sewage condenser which brings it in contact with the perphosphates. Under the
action of heat and in presence of the sodaic lime the nitrous compounds evolve
their nitrogen in the form of ammonia. This gas is conveyed into condensers
wherein are likewise conveyed the products of the distillation of the sewage.
evolution of gas is carried on by means of suitable pipes.
The
Each process is separate and may be carried on independently of the others
according to requirements.
In order that my invention may be better understood and more readily carried
into effect reference may be made to the accompanying drawings in which the
method of carrying out the same is clearly shown.
Figure 1 is a section and,
Figure 2 a plan.
The same letters refer to the same & similar parts in the two figures.
A is the sewage receptacle provided with a suitable grating as a filtering
means; B, B, B, B are receiving tanks, of which there may be any suitable
number; C C¹ is bevel or other gearing for transmitting motion to the stirring
mechanism hereinafter mentioned. D is an exhausting and forcing pump
connected to receiving tanks B B¹ by pipe d¹; E is a pipe running from pump D
to a refrigerator G; F is a conduit connecting the calcining furnaces with the
dome L; f f (Fig. 2) are filtering presses; H are distilling vessels; I is an
inlet for the scories and the lime containing material to the use of which I lay
particular claim; J is a glazed peephole whereby the level of the material under
treatment within the distilling vessels can be ascertained; there may be several of
such holes if desired. K (Fig. 2) are tubes or pipes connecting the distilling
vessels H with the dome L the bottom of dome being formed on a slant to

page_text: до
facilitate the arrival of the condensed waters at M. M is a slightly inclined
gutter leading to N and designed to collect the ammoniacal waters; M¹ indicates
blow-off cock and manholes. N is an outflow pipe for the condensed ammoniacal
waters; N' is a washing vessel. 0, 0, 0" (Figs. 1 & 2) are mixing tanks lined
with lead and containing the superphosphate. P is a flue pipe surmounting the
dome L and leading either to the gasometer or to the furnace. Q (Fig. 1.) is a
pipe communicating with the bottoms of the distilling vessels H for the discharge
of the residuum of distillation. R (Figure 1) is an overflow pipe communicating
through funnels C with the pipe and also with the flue pipe P so that no
backwash should occur; R2 and R³ (Fig. 2) are respectively rails and turntables
for the wagons or trucks used for feeding the calcining furnaces. U are calcining
furnaces, and U hermetically closed storing receptacles or enclosures for the
wagons loaded with slaughter house offal and sodaic lime awaiting calcination.
W W are generators. Z (Fig. 2) comprises a storage room for sweepings and
refuse and a sorting shed with elevators for carrying the material to the floor
above into the receptacle or bunker designed to feed the furnace. (Fig. 2) is a
coal shed and store room for oil and raw material, an entrance opening for raw
material, e an outlet for manufactured stuff, d an entrance for the sewage, and y an
entrance opening for street sweepings. (Fig. 2) is a gasometer for collecting
escaped gases in order to produce pressure, or to store them for feeding the
furnaces.
The operation of my invention is as follows:-
The sewage is conveyed to the tank or filtering receptacle A whence the filtered
matter is led into the tanks B which are connected one with the other by overflow
conduits, the matter being mixed in these receptacles by means of a stirrer such
as g operated by gearing such as CC. At the foot of each cistern or tank is
arranged a pipe provided with a stop cock, all these pipes branching off a main
pipe communicating with the pump D which latter is capable of exhausting as well
as forcing, so that it may exhaust the sewage from B B¹ and force it into the
refrigerator G through the pipe E. The sewage ascends into the refrigerator
while cooling, and is poured through the overflow R into the distilling vessels H.
The overflow R as before mentioned communicates through the funnels C (Fig. 1)
with the pipes r, and also with the flue pipe P, so that no backwash should occur.
The distilling vessels H have double walls forming a steam jacket whereby they
are heated by steam in the space t, between the walls, this steam entering at V
and escaping at the other side; V' being a blow-off cock for the condensed steam.
The condensed ammoniacal waters are discharged through the opening M at the
bottom of the dome L and thence through the outlet pipe N. The ammoniacal
waters are poured into the mixing tanks 0, 0, 0" containing the superphosphate
and the mixture is effected by a stirrer similar to g, g', Fig. 1. The whole
apparatus is emptied by the exhausting and forcing pump D into a decanting
receptacle where the liquid is allowed to rest; when the sediment is settled the
clear liquid is decanted by means of openings formed at a suitable height or by
the aid of a syphon or of a pump, the first way being the best. To prevent tarry
matters from being carried away from the dome L the washing vessel N' is
arranged in any suitable part of the main pipe N. The pipe N acting as a
decanting pipe and leading to the tank O (Fig. 1), has its end opening placed at
some distance from the bottom so as to be above the deposited tarry matter.
The pipe N' may be lengthened at will by means of suitable watertight connections.
The washing vessel is hermetically closed by a lid furnished with a pipe P¹
connected to the flue pipe P (Fig. 1).
With my invention, for the treatment of, for example, every 10 cubic metres of
sewage 25 to 30 kilos. of scories and 15 kilos. of lime are required, the proportions
of scories and lime being increased or decreased; correspondingly with the increase
or decrease of the quantity of sewage to be treated.
For the treatment of slaughter-house refuse the proportions are,-quicklime
50 per cent., carbonate of soda 20 per cent., slaughter-house refuse 30 per cent,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. The general arrangement and combination of parts of the apparatus above
described for the treatment of liquid as well as solid sewage, slaughter-house offal,
and refuse and nitrogenous organic matter.
2. The commercial utilization of calcerous refuse whatever may be their nature
and whether they contain free lime or lime capable of being freed by calcination,
this lime being used for the purpose of evolving ammonia from ammoniacal liquids,
and the use of super-phosphates in order to obtain either neutral or acid
nitrogenous or ammoniacal phosphates by combination with the ammonia evolved
through the distillation of any ammoniacal liquids by means of lime or of any other
lime yielding substance.
3. The industrial conversion of nitrogenous waste or refuse by means of sodaic
lime and with the aid of heat, and apparatus therefor substantially as herein
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
4. The simultaneous industrial treatment of waste from great centres, such as
sewage, street sweepings, slaughter-house offai, food refuse, dead animals, and the
like, carried on in one set of apparatus whereby fertilizing material can be obtained
for agricultural purposes, substantially as herein described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 21th dar of October 1806
JOHN P. O'DONNELL, Fel. Chart. Inst. P.A.,
70 & 71 Palace Chambers, Westminster, S.W.,
Agent for the said Applicant.