Improvement in the Treatment of Peat Moss, for the Manufacture of Moss Litter and like Products.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Apr., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 24th Jan., 1896-Accepted, 25th Apr., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in the Treatment of Peat Moss, for the Manufacture
of Moss Litter and like Products.
I, ARCHIBALD ANDERSON DICKSON, of the Bank of Commerce Building, in
the City of Toronto, County of York and Province of Ontario, in the Dominion of
Canada, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of peat moss into litter for horses and
cattle, and for other purposes, and consists, mainly, in the treatment of the raw
material whereby the surplus moisture is eliminated, and packing and baling for the
market is facilitated.
Peat moss, i.e. those mosses, and vegetable fibres which grow and form-more
or less into sod-upon the surfaces of peat bogs, or fresh water marshes, is now
recognized as of great value-when properly dried and treated-
-as a substitute for
straw in litter, or bedding for live stock, and I propose to use it for this as well
as for several other commercial purposes, where a clean vegetable fibre of high
absorptive qualities may be found desirable.
Quantities of sun-dried peat moss have been made in Europe and put to successful
use as litter &c., but so far as I am aware, no practical attempt has been made
towards reclaiming this material and manufacture it for any of the purposes alluded
to by artificial or mechanical means.
This has been almost entirely due to the want of means and methods whereby
the raw peat moss may be expéditiously prepared and uniformly dried to meet the
requirements of the market.
By my invention I am enabled to supply this want, and by overcoming the
existing objections, to produce this valuable material in any desired condition
and degree of dryness, at small cost, and with the minimum expenditure of time
and band labor.
In reclaiming the peat moss in the first instance from the surface of the bog
I prefer to cut it into blocks, by any known or preferred means-but I may remove,
or gather the moss and fibrous matter in an approximately loose state by raking,
scooping, or other means.
In some instances, I may allow the excavated moss to drain or partially dry
upon the marsh, or upon conveniently erected staging, and expose it for a time to
the action of the sun, or atmosphere, but ordinarily my process will render this
unnecessary.
I then "pick" it so as to remove the sticks, and break the mass up into a loose
fibrous condition.
The resultant clean moss is then ready for drying, and this I prefer to accomplish
by feeding it in layers of convenient depth upon an endless carrier, constructed so
as to ensure the thorough permeation of air through the moss, which carrier
I arrange to travel within a chamber constructed by preference in tubular or tunnel
form, and practically covered upon all sides so as to form a close passage for
a blast, or current of dry hot air forced or drawn therethrough from any suitable
source of heat.
I prefer to employ direct heat from a furnace, having a suction fan exhausting
the heat directly from the fire chamber, and also drawing and mixing a regulated

page_text: quantity of cold air therewith, and forcing the blast through the closed chamber
or tunnel, for the purpose of drying the peat moss on the internal carrier.
I also prefer that the moss shall be fed on to the carrier at one end of the
chamber or tunnel, and that the hot blast shall enter it at the opposite end, and that
the carrier shall travel in opposition to the blast, so that the moss shall constantly
advance towards the hottest area, which will thus be at the entrance of the blast
and point of discharge of the moss.
The hot air tunnel may have single, double or multiple chambers or divisions and
the internal carriers be multiplied, and run side by side, or one above the other,
according to the capacity required; and the introduction of cold air will be
regulated so as to vary the intensity of heat according to the degree or percentage
of moisture to be eliminated. The means employed may also vary according to
judgment. The carriers may be driven by an arrangement of drive chains and
sprockets, or by gearing, belting or other suitable mechanical means, preferably
such as will allow the speed of the carriers to be regulated according to the time
required to expose any given lot of moss to the drying process.
The peat moss having been dried as above, on being discharged from the hot
air chamber or tunnel, (at the end of travel of the internal carrier) is preferably
taken up by another carrier, and from this discharged into an elevator which feeds
the dried moss to the packing and baling mechanism.
I prefer to have separate devices for packing the loose fibre in regular quantities,
then pressing into the final size or weight of bale, then tying the bale, and
discharging it finished and ready for shipment, by corresponding successive
operations and with power applied from one source.
This sequence of operations I prefer to perform by means of an annular inter-
mittently rotating table, having four equi-distant molds, each of which is filled in
succession with the raw material, and packed by means of a plunger, and as each
filled mold leaves the point where it gets its charge, it goes to a point where the
final compression takes place, thence to the point where the ties are put on, and
from this to the point of discharge of the finished bale.
The drying, pressing and baling of the peat moss thus goes on continuously
from the point of feeding the raw undried material to the carrier in the hot air
tunnel, to the point of discharge of the finished bale of moss litter from the table..
Although esteem the arrangement above described to be eminently suitable for
the purpose in view, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the
details thereof, as these may be varied or modified in any suitable manner without
departing from the principle or sacrificing the advantages of my invention.
Dated this Eleventh day of April 1895.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in the Treatment of Peat Moss, for the Manufacture
of Moss Litter and like Products.
I, ARCHIBALD ANDERSON DICKSON, of the Bank of Commerce Building, in
the City of Toronto, County of York and Province of Ontario, in the Dominion of
Canada, Manufacturer, 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 manufacture of peat moss into litter for horses and
cattle, and for other purposes, and consists, mainly, in the treatment of the raw
material whereby the surplus moisture is eliminated, and packing and baling for the
, market is facilitated:
Peat moss, i.e. those mosses, and vegetable fibres which grow and form-more or

page_text: less into sod-upon the surfaces of peat bogs, or fresh water marshes, is now
recognized as of great value-when properly dried and treated as a substitute for
straw in litter, or bedding for live stock, and I propose to use it for this, as well
as for several other commercial purposes, as the binding material for fertilizers,.
stock for paper and mill-board, packing for perishable products, textiles (ready for
bleaching,) &c. where a clean vegetable fibre or one of high absorptive qualities
may be found desirable.
Quantities of sun-dried peat moss have been made in Europe and put to
successful use as litter &c., but so far as I am aware, no practical attempt has been
made towards reclaiming this material and to manufacture it for any of the purposes
alluded to, by artificial or mechanical means.
This has been almost entirely due to the want of means and methods whereby the
raw peat moss may be expeditiously prepared and uniformly dried to meet the
requirements of the market.
By my invention I am enabled to supply this want, and by overcoming the
existing objections, to produce this valuable material in any desired condition and
degree of dryness, at small cost, and with the minimum expenditure of time and
hand labor.
It must be understood that my invention is equally applicable for drying, and
treating other materials in which a large amount of moisture is found to be present,
but for clearness of description I will here confine myself to a description of its
application to peat moss, as skilled persons can readily apply my means and
methods to analogous uses.
In reclaiming the peat moss in the first instance from the surface of the bog,
I prefer to select only the "sphagnum palustre" or undecomposed strata, and cut
it into blocks, by any known or preferred means, but I may remove, or gather
the moss and fibrous matter in an approximately loose state by raking, scooping, or
other means.
(In some instances, according to the varying conditions, and quantities of existing
moisture in the material at different bogs, or when the exigencies of manufacturing
may permit or require it, I may allow the excavated moss to drain or partially dry,
upon the marsh, or upon conveniently erected staging, and expose it for a time to
the action of the sun, or atmosphere, but ordinarily my process will render this'
ünnecessary.)
I then "pick" it so as to remove the sticks, and break the mass up into a loose
fibrous condition.
The resultant clean moss is then ready for drying, and this I prefer to accomplish
by feeding it in layers of convenient depth upon endless carriers, constructed so as
to ensure the thorough permeation of air through the moss, which carriers I arrange
to travel within a chamber constructed by preference in tubular or tunnel form,
and practically covered upon all sides so as to form a close passage for a blast, or
current of dry hot air forced or drawn therethrough from a furnace or any other
suitable source of heat.
I prefer to employ direct heat from a furnace, having a suction fan exhausting
the heat or the products of combustion directly from the fire chamber, and also
drawing and mixing a regulated quantity of cold air therewith, and forcing the
blast through the closed chamber or tunnel, for the purpose of drying, the peat
moss on the internal carrier.
I also prefer that the moss shall be fed on to the carrier at one end of the
chamber or tunnel, and that the hot blast shall enter it at the opposite end, and
that the carrier shall travel in opposition to the blast, so that the moss shall
constantly advance towards the hottest area, which will thus be at the entrance of
the blast and point of discharge of the moss.
The means employed, may also vary according to judgment, but I prefer to make'
the tunnel carriers either of perforated plates, or of sections of wire netting, in
order that the hot air may pass through and permeate the material under treatment
from all sides as it lies on the carriers, and these carriers may be driven by an

page_text: arrangement of drive chains and sprockets, or by gearing, belting or other suitable
mechanical means, preferably such as will allow the speed of the carriers to be
regulated according to the time required to expose any given lot of material to the
drying process.
The peat moss having been dried as above, on being discharged from the hot air
chamber or tunnel, (at the end of travel of the internal carrier) is preferably taken
up.by another carrier travelling at a right angle to the axis of the tunnel, and
then discharged into an elevator which feeds the dried material to the packing and
baling mechanism.
To pack and bale the material after it has been treated as above described,
I prefer to employ a series of devices, for first disposing the loose material into
regulated quantities, then pressing same into the final size or weight of bale,
and then tying and discharging the bales finished and ready for shipment,-the
whole progressing by successive operations and with power applied from one
source.
(1 do not limit myself, however, to such a sequence of operations, as surroundings
and special conditions may render it desirable to store the dried loose material for
a time at any of the stages between drying and final delivery in bales.)
For more complete comprehension of my invention reference must be had to the
accompanying drawings forming part of this Specification, in which similar letters
of reference indicate corresponding parts.
In Figure 1, I have indicated in diagrammatic form, a plant which will be found
suitably arranged for carrying out my complete process,-Figure 2 being a
longitudinal sectional elevation of the breaking up and drying apparatus, and
Figure 3 a sectional plan view of part of same.
The arrows shown in strong lines indicate the direction of travel of the moving
mechanism, and the dotted arrows relate to the air current or blast.
The letter F indicates a hopper into which the cut moss, or other raw material is
placed in this is a picker G for removing the sticks and useless roots, and H is any
suitable travelling carrier for conveying the material to the drying mechanism.
D is a horizontally-arranged chamber or tunnel, in which I arrange one or more
endless carriers d, and gear same to travel at any regulated speed. The tunnel D
has a yielding door at this end,-and said tunnel may be of any desired section
and length, and is closed upon all sides so as to form a passage for a blast, or
current of air of regulated temperature, or for the products of combustion drawn
direct from a furnace A.
or
A suction fan C is placed preferably in a conduit A¹ connecting the furnace
with the tunnel D, and not only draws the hot air, or products of combustion from
the fire, but also draws a quantity of cold air through inlets a, a, (preferably
located in the conduit A, and provided with separate regulating doors
shutters b, b,) and forces the tempered blast through the tunnel. A' is the smoke.
pipe having a suitable damper whereby the entire products of combustion (if free
enough from carbon) may be utilized, and A³ is a coil, or pipe, leading from the
boiler, for utilizing the heat from the exhaust steam, in the drying operation.
It is essential that the moss be fed on to the carrier at one end of the chamber
or tunnel, and that the hot blast shall enter it at the opposite end, and that the
carrier shall travel in opposition to the blast, so that the moss shall constantly.
advance towards the hottest area, which will, thus be at the entrance of the blast
and point of discharge of the material. d indicates the outlet for the moisture
and vapors arising from the drying process. Suitable conductors will be provided.
The result of this method is that the damp vapors are constantly forced
backwards and away from the drier or more forward material, and all chance of the
moss re-absorbing any of the moisture thus avoided.
The hot air tunnel may have single, double or multiple chambers or divisions,
and the internal carriers be multiplied, and run side by side, or one above the other,
according to the capacity required, but it is not intended to throw the moss (in such
an arrangement) from one carrier to another or to agitate it in any way while

page_text: passing through the drying tunnel, as this would tend to break the fiber, and—in
some classes of raw material-liberate valuable gases; therefore the travel will be
simply in a straight line from one end of the tunnel to the other.
The peat moss having been dried as above, on being discharged from the hot air
chamber or tunnel, (at the end of travel of the internal carrier) is preferably
taken up by another carrier E travelling by preference at right angles to the axis.
of the tunnel, upon which carrier it may be cooled before being baled or otherwise
disposed of.
Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1, I will describe the packing and baling
devices and their operation.
G¹ here represents the engine or source of power; and F¹ an elevator supplied
by the carrier E.
The elevator F here feeds the dried peat moss to a point 1 on an annular
intermittently-rotating table or platform H having four equi-distant moulds or
pockets, where it falls (directly, or through an intermediate hopper) into the
mould at that point, and is packed or tamped therein by a suitable packer or
plunger K, until the predetermined quantity of moss to make up the bule has.
accumulated.
An operator stationed here then causes the table to rotate a quarter of a circle,
which action brings the first-named mould and partially formed bale to the point 2,
where suitable pressing mechanism, free of the table and independent of the mould,
is brought into action by another operation which compresses the bale into its final.
A second
dimensions. Packing of a second bale meanwhile goes on at the point 1.
quarter-circle movement of the table H¹ brings up the second bale to the
point 2 and (the pressing mechanism being simultaneously released) the pressed.
bale passes on to the point 3 where the bale ties are put on.
A third movement of the table brings the tied and finished bale to the point 4.
where the mould is opened, and the bale removed or discharged.
The table is preferably rotated from the same source of power as the carriers, and
is preferably furnished with suitable clutch devices by which it can be held stationary,.
or rotated at will.
From the above it will be seen that the drying, pressing and baling of the peat
moss &c. may go on continually from the point of feeding the raw undried material
to the carrier in the hot air tunnel, to the point of discharge of the finished bale of
moss litter from the table.
Although esteem the arrangement of mechanical devices above described, to be-
the most suitable for the purpose in view, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the details thereof, as these may be varied or modified in the
described or any other suitable manner without departing from the principle or
sacrificing the advantages of my invention.
I especially disclaim all drying systems where the operation is to so modify and
vary the heat of the air current applied to the material during its course through
the drying chamber, that as the material gets drier the heat will be reduced :-and
I also disclaim all arrangements whereby in one and the same drying chamber
hot air, or gas, of differing degrees of temperature is admitted at different points in
such chamber, the hottest air at the point where the material under treatment is
the wettest, and air of successive lower temperatures at points where the material
becomes successively drier.
Such arrangements, while perhaps suitable for drying grain, and like products or
hard materials in which the quantity of moisture is comparatively small, and which
have practically no power of re-absorption, would fail if applied to the drying of
mosses, or fibrous materials which have high absorptive qualities, whereas by my
method, the hot blast constantly forces the moist vapors backwards, or towards the
inlet point, and they are instantly carried off. The material under treatment is
consequently relieved of its moisture gradually as it is advanced towards the
hottest area, and is thus easily brought to the desired degree of dryness, and
prevented from re-absorbing that moisture from which it has been relieved,-which

page_text: is an indispensable factor in the treatment of materials such as I have mentioned,
for any of the purposes enumerated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The method of treating peat mosses, or like materials, for the purpose of
reducing their constituent moisture to a regulated degree, which consists in subjecting
the same to the drying action of a regulated blast or current of heated air in
a practically closed chamber or tunnel, (such heated air being admitted at one
end and liberated at the other,) while such. material is moved therethrough on a
carrier travelling at a regulated speed in opposition to such air blast or current,-
such movement of material commencing at the feed-ingress and coolest end of the
chamber or tunnel, and progressing towards the point of egress and hottest area,
or opposite end of same, whereby the damp vapors are constantly driven off
from the dried material and prevented from being re-absorbed therein,-substantially
as set forth.
2. The method of treating peat moss for the manufacture of moss litter and
like products, which consists in first cutting the moss from the bog or marsh,
breaking it up and removing the sticks, and then subjecting it to the action of
a blast or current of hot air in a practically closed chamber or tunnel, to deprive it
of surplus moisture, and then compressing it into bales or packages,-substantially
as set forth.
3. The method of treating peat moss for the production of moss litter and the
like, which consists in feeding the moss in a broken condition into a chamber or
tunnel, carrying the same therethrough in opposition to a blast or current of hot
air, and packing and pressing the resultant dried moss into bales by successive
automatic operations, substantially as set forth.
4. The herein described combination of drying, conveying, packing and baling
apparatus, for the purpose set forth.
5. The herein described combination of breaking and picking mechanism, and
drying apparatus, for the purpose set forth.
6. The drying apparatus, consisting, essentially, of the tunnel having internal
carrier, a furnace or other source of heat, and means for creating a blast, or forced
draft, of tempered air, and passing it through such tunnel, substantially as
described.
7. The packing and baling apparatus, consisting, essentially, of a press or plunger,
a rotatable table or platform, and suitable molds, or forming devices carried by said
platform and arranged in such manner that they may be brought successively into
action, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 29th day of December 1895.
ARCHIBALD A. DICKSON.