Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Artificial Fuel.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Artificial Fuel.
F
I, ERICH SPRINGBORN, of 203, Burdett Road, Bow, in the County of London,
Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object to produce a combustible material of good
quality from solid or semi-solid substances such as sewage or other refuse matter,
earths or rocks of a non metallic or carbonaceous nature such as marl, dolomite,
basalt, certain clays, the silt of rivers or lakes, and other earths of vegetable
origin. A further object of my invention is to treat such substances in the solid
state without pulverizing or breaking them up. In the treatment of substances
of great density however, I sometimes find it necessary to crush or pulverize
the same.
My invention is also applicable to the treatment of low class natural fuel for
the purpose of improving its value or efficiency.
According to my invention I immerse the said solid substances in an aqueous
solution of sugar the strength of which varies according to the quantity of
calcium or calcium compounds and of silicates present in the substance. For
general purposes, as in the treatment of river silt, I use a solution of about the
following proportions:
Water
Sugar
100 lbs.
4 to 16 ozs.
After the substance has been immersed in this solution for a period of from one
to three hours during which it is maintained at a temperature of from 30° C. to
100° C., the time and temperature depending upon the density of the substance
and also upon the quantity of calcium compounds and silicates therein, I draw
off the solution or remove the substance therefrom.
I then immerse the substance in a liquor consisting mainly of coal tar to
which I prefer to add a certain quantity of petroleum and also a small quantity
of tallow for the purpose of retarding the volatilization of hydrogen and hydro-
carbons. In some cases I may dispense with the petroleum, or I may employ
heavy petroleum and tallow and no coal tar. Instead of the tar or petroleum I
may employ any other oils. I may replace the tallow or some of it with paraffin
or other wax or with resin. In some cases I may add to this liquor a short time
after the substance has been immersed therein, å small quantity of sodium
chloride or sodium bicarbonate or potassium nitrate dissolved in water; but
this is not necessary if the substance itself contains sodium chloride or a similar
salt.
The substance is maintained in this liquor for a period of from two to three
hours at a temperature of from 25° C. to 40° C. according to the density of said
substance and the compounds or elements forming the constituent's thereof. The
liquor is then drawn off, or the substance is removed therefrom and allowed
to dry, when it is ready for use as fuel.

page_text: Some of the substances above indicated are of such a nature as to be partly
or even wholly disintegrated by the solutions or liquor, and in such cases I
employ for effecting the immersions a vat or receptacle having a false bottom
consisting of a sieve or grating that will allow very fine particles to pass through
but will support practically the whole of the substance in the form of lumps
or particles of various sizes. The fine particles, and if desired also the lumps
of material, can afterwards be moulded or pressed into briquettes.
In treating low class fuel, such as coal containing carbonaceous and calcium
compounds, which coal when burnt alone would yield a large amount of ash,
I crush or pulverize the same to a greater or less degree of fineness according to
its density and then subject it to the above described treatment.
In dealing with pulverized or other substances in a finely divided state I
sometimes increase the amount of tar and decrease or dispense with that of the
petroleum and in certain cases I may require to use an agglomerant. With
pulverized substances that contain very little carbon I sometimes mix from one
to three per cent. (by weight) of soot before immersing the same in the sugar
solution.
When treating semi-solid substances or substances containing water I may
mix dry sugar therewith if there be sufficient water to dissolve the same, or I
may treat said substances with a sugar solution of greater strength than that
above mentioned.
Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Artificial Fuel.
I, ERICH SPRINGBORN, of 137, Fenchurch Street, in the County of London, and
late of 203, Burdett Road, Bow, in the County of London, Chemist, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement: -
This invention has for its object to produce a combustible material of good
quality from solid or semi-solid carbonaceous substances such as sewage or other
refuse matter, earths or rocks of a non-metallic or carbonaceous nature such as
certain clays containing a low percentage of silicate and also those containing
bituminous substance, the silt of rivers or lakes containing vegetable or bitu-
minous matter, and other earths of vegetable origin. A further object of my
invention is to treat such substances in the solid state without pulverizing or
breaking them up. In the treatment of substances of great density however,
I sometimes find it necessary to crush or pulverize the same.
My invention is also applicable to the treatment of low class natural fuel for
the purpose of improving its value or efficiency.
According to my invention the substance is impregnated with saccharine
matter and with an inflammable hydrocarbon liquor to which it may be necessary
to add a chloride, carbonate or nitrate salt of an alkali. The substance is then
dried.
According to my invention I immerse the said solid substances in an aqueous
solution of sugar the strength of which varies according to the quantity of

page_text: of about the following proportions:
Water
Sugar
100 lbs.
4 to 16 ozs.
After the substance has been immersed in this solution for a period of from one -
to three hours during which it is maintained at a temperature of from 30° C. to
100° C., the time and temperature depending upon the density of the substance,
I draw off the solution or remove the substance therefrom.
I then immerse the substance in a liquor consisting mainly of coal tar to
which I prefer to add about 10% to 15% of petroleum and also about 3% to 5%
of tallow for the purpose of retarding or checking the volatilization of hydrogen
and hydrocarbon. In some cases I may omit the petroleum, or I may employ
about 90% of heavy petroleum and about 10% of tallow and no coal tar. Instead
of the tar or petroleum I may employ any other oils. I may replace the tallow
I
or some of it with paraffin or other wax or with resin. In some cases
add
may
to this liquor a short time after the substance has been immersed therein, a
small quantity of sodium chloride or sodium bicarbonate or potassium nitrate
dissolved in water; but this is not necessary if the substance itself contains
sodium chloride or similar salt such as ammonia salt. The proportion in which
the sodium chloride or sodium bicarbonate or potassium nitrate is used should be
from lb. to 2lbs. thereof to each ton of the material treated.
The substance is treated with this liquor for a period of from two to three
hours at a temperature of from 25° C. to 40° C. according to the density of said
substance and the compounds or elements forming the constituents thereof.
The liquor is then drawn off, or the substance is removed therefrom and allowed
to dry naturally or is dried in a kiln, when it is ready for use as fuel.
Some of the substances above indicated are of such a nature as to be partly
or even wholly disintegrated by the solutions or liquor, and in such cases I
employ for effecting the immersion of such substance, a vat or receptacle having
a false bottom consisting of a sieve or grating that will allow very fine particles
to pass through but will support practically the whole of the substance in the
form of lumps or particles of various sizes. The fine particles, and if desired
also the lumps of material, can afterwards be moulded or pressed into briquettes
and dried.
In treating low class fuel, such as coal containing carbonaceous and calcium
compounds, which coal when burnt alone would yield a large amount of ash,
I crush or pulverize such fuel to a greater or less degree of fineness according
to its density and then subject it to the above described treatment.
In dealing with pulverized or other substances in a finely divided state I
sometimes increase the amount of tar and decrease or dispense with that of the
petroleum and in certain cases it may be necessary to use also some well known
agglomerant.
With pulverized substances that contain very little carbon I sometimes mix
from one to three per cent. (by weight) of soot or similar form of carbon such as
ground graphite before immersing the same in the sugar solution.
When treating semi-solid substances or substances containing water I may
mix dry sugar therewith if the substance contains sufficient water to dissolve
the sugar; or I may treat said substance with a sugar solution of greater strength
than that above mentioned.
During the process the sugar in combination with the alkali salt, which latter
has either been added to the aforesaid liquor or is naturally present in the sub-
stance being treated, acts as a solvent for the lime contained in the substance
under treatment, thus dissolving the lime and enabling it to absorb or combine
with moisture from the substance while leaving the carbonaceous matter of
the said substance free to absorb the inflammable hydrocarbons.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. A process for the production of fuel from solid or semi-solid carbonaceous
substance of the kind referred to, which consists in treating the said substance
with saccharine matter and inflammable hydrocarbon to which a carbonate,
chloride or nitrate salt of an alkali may be added, substantially as and in the pro-
portions described for the purpose specified.
2. uel consisting of solid or semi solid carbonaceous substance of the kind
referred to, with saccharine matter, inflammable hydrocarbon and an alkali salt,
substantially as described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.