Year: 1886

page_text: I then inject a blast of hydrochloric acid gas into the retort, after which I inject a
blast of high pressure steam to absorb the hydrochloric acid. I then allow the chared
mass to cool in the retort down to about 300°, before discharging.
The carbon should then be drawn from the retort and ground to a fine powder
for use.
The mixed gases from the retorts are passed through suitable condensers to aborb
the ammonia and oil. The uncondensed gases are then consumed in a furnace.
The dung of either horses, cows, or sheep answer the purpose for forming the
magma, or a mixture of all the three answers the purpose very well.
Hardwoods make the best sawdust for the purpose but pine woods answers the
purpose very well.
Ground peat, or spent tan, may be substituted for, or mixed with the sawdust.
The finer the iron turnings are the better do they answer.
In making decolorizing charcoal; blood should be substituted for the iron turnings,
and only one half the above quantity of ground chalk and clay should be used, and
an equal quantity of ground bones substituted, so that the following would be the
formula for decolorizing carbon for syrups.
100
Depurating Carbon when properly manufactured as above described, is eight times
more powerful or energetic as a deodorizer, decoloriser and deficator than wood or
peat charcoal; that is to say, that one measure of depurating charcoal will deodorize
and deficate the same quantity of foul liquids that eight measures of wood or peat 3
charcoal could do.

page_text: I provide and mix the following substances in the following proportions, but the
proportions may be varied to meet special cases.
PER CENTAGES.
Ground chalk or limestone
-
"
Clay
Coal
"2
Wood sawdust
Animal dung
Blood
Iron Turnings
-
16 parts by weight.
-
6
"
"
>>
->>>
12
"
"
"
-
20
"
"
""
-
40
"
"
>>
->
4
"
"
"
-
""
"
"
100
I first dry the chalk and clay and then mix and grind these substances into a fine
powder along with the coal, and then mix the saw-dust with the powder. I then mix
the Blood, animal dung and iron turnings together, I then mix all those substances
together until they are thoroughly incorporated, and formed into a stiff paste or
dough, I then mould the dough into bricks or convenient lumps for drying, I then
submit the dried lumps to destructive distilation in close retorts at low temperature
and high pressure (high pressure in this specification means any pressuo above
two pounds on the square inch) After the volatile gases are all discharged from the
lumps, I reduce the pressure, and calcine the lumps at high temperature under low
pressure. I then inject a blast of hydrochloric acid gas into the retort, After which
inject a blast of high pressure steam to absorb the hydrochloric acid, I then allow
the chared mass in the retort to cool down to about 300° degrees Fah. before dis-
charging, The carbon should then be drawn from the retort and ground to a fine
powder for use.
The mixed gases from the retort are passed through suitable condenser to extract
the ammonia and oil. The uncondensed gases are then consumed in a furnace.
The dung of either horses, cows, or sheep answer the purpose for forming the
magnia, or a mixture of all the three answers the purpose very well.

page_text: Hardwods make the best sawdust for the purpose but pine woods answer the
purpose very well.
Ground peat or spent tan, may be substituted for, or mixed with the sawdust,
The finer the iron turnings are the better do they answer.
In making decolorizing carbon, blood should be substituted for iron turnings and
only one half of the above quantity of chalk and clay should be used, and an equal
quantity of ground bones should be substituted, so that the following would be the
formula for decolorizing carbon.
100
Referring to the sheet of drawings, A is a verticle section of the body of the retort,
the outer shell may be made of cast iron or boiler plate and lined with fire brick or
other refractory material, B is a moveable furnace grate which can be pushed in and
drawn out through the mouth piece C. D is a horozontal iron retort supported on a
brick arched rib, the retort D is furnished with a moveable iron trough inside for
decomposing salt by sulphuric acid, D' represents a cross section of the salt
decomposing retort.
In operating with the above retorts, I first put the furnace grate B on the bottom
of the retort A and fill it with dry wood chips and coal, I then charge the body of
the retort A through the openings E, E, with the prepared dried lumps, and fill the
trough D in the decomposing retort with salt, and fill the vessel Y with sulphuric
acid, and fill the decomposing vessel O with a saturated solution of salt (chloride of
sodium).
I then kindle the wood and coal in the grate B, and as soon as the fire is fairly
kindled I close all the lids of the retorts and at the same time I turn a blast of air on ;
from a blowing engine, the air enters the pipe F which is enclosed inside the con-
denser G, the air travels up the pipe F and down F¹ and enters the furnace by the
opening H in the discharging tube I, the hot gases from the furnace together with an
occasional blast of high pressure steam from the superheater a travels up through the
mass in the retort and distills off the volatile vapours and gases from the mass in
the retort, the gases and vapours force their way through the pipe J into the con-
denser G where they are partially condensed and cooled by the internal blast
pipes F F, at the same time the hot vapours heat the blast air before it enters the
furnace.
The tar, oil, and gases, pass out of the condenser G by the pipes K, K, into the
vessel L, the uncondensed gases escape from the vessel L by the pipe M and enter
the multitubular condenser Ñ N¹ and travel downwards till they reach the decomposing
vessel O, which is filled with a saturated solution of chloride of sodium, the cooled
gases from the condensers N N¹ enter the decomposing vessel O at the point R under
the diaphragm plate represented between S and T, into which a number of small
short tubes T, are inserted together with a few larger and longer tubes S, the gas
displaces the liquor between the plate and the lower ends of the small, short tubes T,
and
passes up through these small tubes in numerous small bubbles, the liquor from
the condensers N N enters the decomposing vessel at the point d, the combined
action of the gases and liquor decomposes the salt into bicarbonate of soda and
chloride of ammonium, the precipitated bicarbonate passes down through the larger
tubes S into the vessel U while the gas and liquor passes up through the small

page_text: tubes T, the unabsorbed gases consisting chiefly of nitrogen and hydrocarbons, escape
by the valve V on the top of the vessel O and are conducted to the boiler furnace;
The overflow liquor is conducted into the vessel W.
A constant current of air passes up through the pipes P, P, in the condensers N NT
and escapes by the chimneys Q, which cools the gases inside the condensers The
entire cooling surface of the condensers should not be less than 4 superficial yards to
each cubic yard capacity of the retort, so that the gases should be thoroughly cooled
before they reach the decomposing vessel O.
The distilation can be carried on under any pressure required by weighting the
valve V The higher the pressure the better the results obtained but the pressure of
half an atmosphere on the retort is a very good working pressure, As soon as the
whole of the gases are discharged from the mass in the retort the valves X and V, V₁,
should be opened to relieve the retort from pressure, I then shut off the air blast
and open the valve in the bottom of the acid vessel Y and allow the sulphuric acid to
run slowly into the trough D containing chloride of sodum.
The acid decomposes the salt and the hydrochloric acid gas escapes by numerous
small holes in the ridge of the decomposing retort D, and spreads through the chared
mass in the retort A, and converts the oxides contained in the charcoal into chlorides
the action is assisted by a blast of superheated steam being blown in at the same time
from the superheater a, a.
As soon as the salt has all been decomposed the retort is allowed to cool down and
the grate B is withdrawn, the valve Z is then opened and the chared contents in the
retort fall through the short tube I into waggons placed under it. The charcoal may
then be ground and stored for use.
The decolorizing carbon should be washed with clean water before using it to
remove the soluble chlorides and render the carbon more porous.
The decomposing vessil O is then emptied, the liquid portion from the upper part
is first drawn off by the cock c, then the lower portion in U containing precipitated
bicarbonate of soda is drawn off by the cock e at the bottom, and filtered through
canvas cloth, dried, and calcined to reduce it to carbonate of soda (refined alkali).
The liquid portion being a solution of chloride of ammonium is evaporated and
cristallized in the usual way, The tar and oil is drawn off from the vessel L and
may be distilled and purified or otherwise disposed of these being by-products
resulting from the manufacture of depurating carbon. A retort of the demensions
shewn in the drawings will contain a charge of about 30 tons of dried lumps which
will produce about 20 tons of depurating carbon and sufficient ammonia and carbonic
acid to decompose one ton of salt in the decomposing vessel O and will require from
4 to 5 hundred pounds of salt in the retort D, and the same quantity of sulphuric acid
to be converted into hydrochloric acid.
quickly as may be desired,
When worked off quickly
cooled by a stream of cold
The charge in the retort can be worked off slowly or
the time can be regulated by the speed of the air blast,
under high temperature, the condensers N N' should be
water run into the top at b and allowed to run slowly down the tubes P, P.
Depurating carbon when properly manufactured as above described is eight times
more powerful or energetic as a deodorizer, decolorizer, and defecator, than wood or
peat charcoal, that is to say, one measure of depurating carbon will deodorize and
deficate the same quantity of foul liquids that eight measurs of wood or peat
charcoal could, and in addition it has oxydizing and purifying properties that wood or
peat charcoal do not possess, As a filtering medium for foul waters nothing hitherto
tried can equal it. When depurating carbon is ground to a fine powder and mixed
with sewage in the proportion of about 1 to 10 pounds per 1000 gallons according to
the strength of the sewage, it instantly deodorizes the sewage, causes a rapid
precipitation to take place of the solid matters held in suspension, it also precipitates
the whole of the phosphoric acid, and absorbs the greater portion of the salts of
ammonia and potash held in solution, no other form of carbon at present known acts
in such an energetic manner on sewage, nor is there any single substance known
equal to it for purifying sewage,

page_text: r
The precipitate of sewage formed by depurating carbon made as above described is
a valuable manure, but still more valuable for the oil it contains, and which can be
profitably distilled from the precipitate by means of the above described retort.
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 ;
1st. I claim the mixing of animal dung with sawdust or peat, and ground bones,
coal, chalk, blood and iron in the proportions and manner described in the foregoing
specification, to form depurating and decolorizing carbon.
2nd. I claim the particular method of distilling the dried carbonaceous lumps made
from the said mixture, under high pressure in a close retort and passing a blast of
hydrochloric acid gas through the mixture along with steam.
3rd: I claim the particular construction of the retort and combination of condensers,
for distilling the aforesaid mixtures as shown in the drawings, and particularly
described in the foregoing Specification.
4th. I claim the particular form of the decomposing vessel O with a diaphragın
plate in the centre with one set of small, short tubes for the gas to pass through
upwards and another set of larger, and longer tubes for the precipitate to pass through
downwards to the bottom of the vessel.