Improved Method of Manufacturing Nitrogenous Fertilizers.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Dec.. 1888
Specification Accepted, 29th Jan., 1889
Improved Method of Manufacturing Nitrogenous Fertilizers.
A communication from abroad by WILLIAM JOHN WILLIAMS, of Camden, in the State
of New Jersey, United States of America.
1, PHILIP MIDDLETON JUSTICE of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane in the County of
Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, 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 utilization of wool waste, wool, hair, blood, tankage
and other suitable nitrogenous materials for the manufacture of fertilizers by proper
treatment in combination with phosphates of alumina or iron, or both.
I will proceed to describe the manner of carrying the invention into effect in my
correspondent's own words, which are as follows:-
I first take the wool-waste, wool, hair, blood, tankage or other suitable nitrogenous
matters and treat them with sulphuric acid, preferably "chamber-acid" of about fifty
degrees (50°) Beaumé, although it may be concentrated as high as sixty six
degrees (66°) Beaumé. The nitrogenous matters are rendered by this sulphuric acid
treatment more soluble and available as plant food, and are held in solution or
suspension or partly in solution and partly in suspension in the acid, so that they
can be more thoroughly and intimately mixed or incorporated with the other
ingredients of the fertilizer. I then separately take the phosphate of alumina or
phosphate of iron or mixtures of the two phosphates, and after they have been
calcined and finely pulverized they are mixed with water, whereby the mass,
although not dissolved is made sufficiently fluid to flow to the mixer, where the
nitrogenous matters and sulphuric acid prepared as above described, are thoroughly
incorporated with the phosphates. Afterwards the mixture is allowed to dry at
a gentle, steady heat not exceeding one hundred and eighty degrees (180°)
Fahrenheit.
The quantity of water to be added to the phosphates should be sufficient to
enable the mass to set or harden on drying. I find that the minimum quantity
required is about six to eight parts water to about twenty parts of phosphate of

page_text: alumina and iron to obtain a dry hardened product from the mixture of the
phosphates with the nitrogenous matters and sulphuric acid. A small excess of
water is no disadvantage except that the mass then takes longer to harden and
"set" in a dry and merchantable condition, but if too little water be present the
mass can then only be dried by the application of so much heat that the phosphoric
acid is rendered insoluble and of no (or less) value as a fertilizer.
While I do not desire. to restrict myself to specific proportions of the different
materials, I may mention the following as an example which will give satisfactory
results.
Two thousand pounds (2000 lbs.) of alumina and iron phosphates mixed with six
to eight hundred pounds (600 to 800 lbs.) of water making from 2,600 to
2,800 pounds of phosphate and water. With this should be incorporated about
3,600 to 3,700 pounds of nitrogenous matter and acid composed of about 1,600 pounds
of wool-waste or other nitrogenous material in about 2,000 to 2,100 pounds of
acid of 50° Beaume. The phosphates are reckoned on a basis of 18 to 50 per cent. of
phosphoric acid.
The quantity of acid and nitrogenous matter will vary according to the per centage
of nitrogen in the wool or other material, and the quantity of nitrogen required in
the fertilizer.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
The herein described mode of producing fertilizers, said mode consisting in first
treating nitrogenous matters with sulphuric acid, separately mixing water with
calcined phosphate of alumina or iron or a mixture of the two, and then thoroughly
incorporating the mixture of sulphuric acid and nitrogenous matter with the phosphate
in the water.
Dated this 27th dox of Desenih 1000