Improvements in and Apparatus for the Treatment of Sulphate of Sodium for the Manufacture of Sulphide of Sodium therefrom.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Oct., 1886.
Complete Left, 29th July, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 6th Sept., 1887.
Improvements in and Apparatus for the Treatment of Sulphate of
Sodium for the Manufacture of Sulphide of Sodium therefrom.
°
We, FREDERICK HERBERT GOSSAGE of Widnes in the County of Lancaster, Chemist
and THOMAS TRAIN MATHIESON of Widnes aforesaid Soap Manufacturer and JOSEPH
HAWLICZEK of Widnes aforesaid Chemist do hereby declare the nature of this Invention
to be as follows
-
The object of our Invention is to so manufacture Sulphide of Sodium from Sulphate
of Sodium as to overcome the difficulties hitherto attending the said manufacture and
to economically produce a pure or approximately pure Sulphide of Sodium without
the injury to the furnace and the contamination and waste of the Sulphide which
results from the ordinary mode of manufacture.
According to our Invention we take the Sulphate of Sodium (salt cake) and mix
with it suitable carbonaceous matter and we place this mixture in a furnace or
apparatus containing coke or other suitable carbonaceous matter maintained at a red
heat. The mixture fuses and passes down through the coke or the like the reduction
into mono sulphide is effected thereby without the sulphide coming into contact with
the lining of the furnace whereby destructive action thereof on the furnace and loss
and contamination of alkali are prevented and we are enabled to produce a Sulphide
of Sodium suited for the manufacture of pure Soda products.
We prefer to use a furnace of a shape somewhat resembling that of a lime kiln
closed at bottom but having discharging doors therein. There are air openings about
midway in the height of the furnace for admitting air for combustion of the coke or
the like and fusion of the material being treated, the lower part of the furnace from
which air is excluded being that in which the reduction from Sulphate to mono
sulphide takes place. The coke or the like saturated with Sulphide of Sodium is
drawn off and kept from the air and when cool is lixiviated and the liquor can be
used for the manufacture of pure soda products. The coke or the like remaining may
be used over again.
J. HENRY JOHNSON,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C.,
Agent for F. H. Gossage, T. T. Mathieson
and J. Hawliczek.

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Sodium for the Manufacture of Sulphide of Sodium therefrom.
We FREDERICK HERBERT GOSSAGE of Widnes in the County of Lancaster Soap
manufacturer and THOMAS TRAIN MATHIESON of Widnes aforesaid Chemical Manu-
facturer and JOSEF HAWLICZEK of Widnes aforesaid chemist do hereby declare the
nature of our said Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
แ
:-
The object of our Invention is to so manufacture Sulphide of Sodium from Sulphato
of Sodium as to overcome the difficulties hitherto attending the said manufacture and
to economically produce a pure or nearly pure Sulphide of Sodium without the injury
to the furnace and the contamination and waste of the Sulphide which results from
the ordinary mode of manufacture.
According to our Invention we take the Sulphate of Sodium (commonly termed
Saltcake" and mix with it suitable carbonaceous matter and we place this mixture
in a furnace or apparatus containing coke or other suitable porous carbonaceous matter
maintained at a red heat. The mixture fuses and passing down through the porous
cake or the like the reduction into mono-sulphide is effected thereby without the fused
sulphide coming into contact with the lining of the furnace whereby the destructive
action thereof on the furnace is prevented and we are enabled to produce a Sulphide
of Sodium suitable for the manufacture of pure Soda products.
We prefer to use a furnace resembling a lime kiln closed at the bottom but having
discharging doors therein. There are air openings about midway in the height of the
furnace for admitting air for combustion of the coke or the like and fusion of the
mixed material being treated. The lower part of the furnace from which air is excluded
is the part in which the reduction from Sulphate to mono Sulphide takes place. The
coke or the like saturated with Sulphide of Sodium is drawn off and kept from the
air and when cool is lixiviated and the liquor used for the manufacture of pure Soda
products. The coke or the like remaining after the lixiviation may be used over
again.
In carrying out our Invention we preferably use small coke or dust of small coke
for mixing with a suitable quantity of Sulphate of Sodium. This mixture we charge
into the furnace hereinafter more particularly described which in starting is filled
with the coke heated to red heat. The Saltcake is by that means brought to fusion
and is, in running down over the heated coke, decomposed to mono-sulphide and
absorbed by the excess of coke allowing none of the fused mass to come into contact
with the lining of the furnace. In order to have at all times an excess of coke in the
furnace we add along with the mixture a quantity of coke in lumps sufficient in
quantity to maintain the combustion and also for taking up the excess of fused Sulphate
of Sodium in order to prevent any accumulation of fused Sulphide at the bottom of
the furnace.

page_text: We use for carrying out our process a furnace which somewhat resembles a lime
kiln. The furnace we divide into two distinct working parts. The top part we call
the "fusion zone," in which the mixture of Sulphate of Sodium with coke is fused by
admitting air through the holes provided to maintain the combustion of one part of
the coke. These air holes are placed about midway in the height of the furnace. The
fused Sulphate of Sodium in running down over the remainder of the coke is decom-
posed and absorbed by the excess of coke.
When charges are drawn at the bottom of the furnace the fused mixture is gradually
descending in the furnace and entering the second part of the furnace which we call
the "reduction zone." From this part all the air is excluded and the formation of
Sulphide of Sodium from the Sulphate is completed. The furnace has discharging
doors provided at the bottom for the purpose of drawing the coke which is now
saturated with sulphide of Sodium.
We allow the charge to cool excluding excess of air before lixiviation in order to
prevent the reoxidation of the Sulphide of Sodium.
If the crude Sulphide of Sodium is lixiviated in the way described in the Specifica-
tion of Letters Patent No. 227 of 6th January 1886 and further treated in the same
way, we are enabled to produce pure Soda products in combination with the recovery
of the Sulphur used in the manufacture of the Sulphate of Sodium.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is :-
First: The process for the manufacture of Sulphide of Sodium from Sulphate of
Sodium substantially as herein before described.
Second-The apparatus for effecting therein the reduction of Sulphate of Sodium
to Sulphide of Sodium substantially as hereinbefore described.