IM- PROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING AND TREATING COAL GAS, SULPHURETTED HYDROGEN, AND OTHER GASES CONTAINING SULPHURETTED HYDROGEN, AND IN OBTAINING SULPHUR, SULPHURIC, AND OTHER ACIDS IN SUCH TREATMENT
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Isham Baggs, of Cambridge Terrace, in the County
of Middlesex, Practical Chemist, and William Simpson, of Tovill Upper
Mills, in the County of Kent, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING AND TREATING COAL GAS, SULPHURETTED HYDROGEN,
AND OTHER GASES CONTAINING SULPHURETTED HYDROGEN, AND IN OBTAINING
SULPHUR, SULPHURIC, AND OTHER ACIDS IN SUCH TREATMENT."
Sealed the 9th October 1863, and dated the 16th April 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Isham Baggs and William
Simpson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 16th April 1863.
We, ISHAM BAGGS, of Cambridge Terrace, in the County of Middlesex,
Practical Chemist, and WILLIAM SIMPSON, of Tovill Upper Mills, in the
County of Kent, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING AND TREATING COAL GAS, SUL-
PHURETTED HYDROGEN, AND OTHER GASES CONTAINING SULPHURETTED HYDROGEN,
AND IN OBTAINING SULPHUB, SULPHURIC AND OTHER ACIDS, IN SUCH TREATMENT,"
to be as follows:-
The main objects of our Invention are two-fold, firstly, the depriving of coal
gas of elements which render it injurious to the animal and vegetable kingdom,
and secondly, the manufacture of useful products from or with the elements
of which the coal gas has been deprived.

page_text: Our Invention is carried into effect in manner hereafter stated. We refer
only to coal gas in the following description, but our treatment applies
equally to sulphuretted hydrogen, and to other gases containing sulphuretted
bydrogen. We cause the coal gas to come into contact, by blowing or
otherwise, with metallic compounds, whereby the injurious adulterative matters
are separated by decomposition or appropriation. The metallic compounds
employed are mainly metallic oxides and salts, whether neutral salts, super
salts, or sub salts, having a strong affinity or attraction for sulphur, carbonic
acid, and other impurities, and which are themselves susceptible of renovation
or recovery. The oxides and salts of copper, lead, magnesia, and other bases
may be used for these purposes. For instance, in purifying coal gas, the gas
may, by our Invention be passed through ore in contact with solution of
sulphate of copper, or sulphate of copper and oxide mixed, the oxide being
maintained in suspension by constant agitation. Such a mixture or solution
will decompose sulphuretted bydrogen, forming with the sulphur sulphide of
copper. This latter being roasted with access of air produces either sulphato
of copper again or oxide, or a mixture of the two, according to the heat
employed or the time consumed. Other salts of similar power may be used
in a similar manner. To abstract the carbonic acid from coal gas, the latter
is made to pass through water containing a metallic oxide in suspension.
Oxide of zinc, copper, or other metal will answer the purpose. When the
oxide is saturated with gas the latter is driven off, and the oxide recovered by
exposing the carbonate so produced to a red heat. In some cases however wo
use magnesia for this purpose.
Another means of effecting the depuration of the gases is by exposing the
cleansing materials above named and referred to in a stato of powder formed
into a porous mass by the addition of foreign matters, such as breeze, pumice-
stone, and other suitable substances, the gas being caused to permeate or
filtrato through the mass. We treat gases containing sulphuretted hydrogen,
in order to obtain sulphuric acid, by passing such gas through a sulphate either
in a state of solution, or suspended in water, or otherwise capable of being
"acted upon to produce the desired effect. We prefer using anhydrous sulphato
of copper for this purpose, so as by successive additions of the salt and successive
or continuous decomposition to produce a concentrated acid. The sulphate of
copper in the above process is recovered by exposing the precipitated sulphide
of copper to the heat of a calcining furnace with proper access of air until
a sufficient quantity of oxygen has been absorbed to effect the transformation.
Sulphur becomes precipitated when the gas containing sulphuretted bydrogen
is passed into a solution of a metallic super salt, as, for instance, the persulphate

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Isham Baggs and William Simpson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th October 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ISHAM
BAGGS, of Cambridge Terrace, in the County of Middlesex, Practical Chemist,
and WILLIAM SIMPSON, of Tovill Upper Mills, in the County of Kent,
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing dato the Sixteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Isham Baggs and William Simpson, Her special licence that we,.
the said Isbam Baggs and William Simpson, our executors, administrators,.
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Isham Baggs and William Simpson,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING
AND TREATING COAL GAS, SULPHURETTED HYDROGEN, AND OTHER GASES CONTAINING.
SULPHURETTED HYDROGEN, AND IN OBTAINING SULPHUR, SULPHURIC AND OTHER
ACIDS, IN SUCH TREATMENT," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said Isham Baggs and William Simpson, or one of us, our or one of our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or one
of our or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Isham Baggs and William Simpson,
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 thercof, that is to say:-
The main objects of our Invention are two-fold, firstly, the depriving of coal

page_text: gas of elements which render it injurious to the animal and vegetable kingdom;
and, secondly, the manufacture of useful products from or with the elements
of which the coal gas has been deprived.
Our Invention is carried into effect in manner hereafter stated. We refer
only to coal gas in the following description, but our treatment applies equally
to sulphuretted hydrogen and to other gases containing sulphuretted bydrogen.
We cause the gas to come into contact with metallic compounds, by blowing
or otherwise, whereby the injurious adulterative matters are separated by
decomposition or appropriation. The metallic compounds employed are mainly
metallic oxides and salts, whether neutral salts, super salts, or sub salts,
having a strong affinity or attraction for sulphur, carbonic acid, and other
impurities, and which are themselves susceptible of renovation or recovery.
The oxides and salts of copper, lead, magnesia, and other bases may be used
for these purposes. For instance, in purifying coal gas, the gas may by our
Invention be passed through or in contact with solution of sulphate of copper,
or sulphate of copper and oxide mixed, the oxide being maintained in suspension
by constant agitation. Such a mixture or solution will decompose sulphuretted
bydrogen, forming with the sulphur sulphide of copper. This latter being
roasted with access of air produces either sulphate of copper again or oxide,
or a mixture of the two, according to the heat employed or the time consumed.
Other salts of similar power may be used in a similar way. To abstract
the carbonic acid from coal gas, the latter is made to pass through water
containing a metallic oxide in suspension. Oxide of zinc, copper, or other
metal will answer the purpose. When the oxide is saturated with gas tho
latter is driven off, and the oxide recovered by exposing the carbonate so
produced to a red heat. In some cases however we use magnesia for this
purpose.
Another means of effecting the depuration of the gases is by exposing the
cleansing materials above named and referred to in a state of powder formed
into a porous mass by the addition of foreign matters, such as breeze, pumice-
stone, and other suitable substances, the gas being caused to permeate or
filtrate through the mass. We treat gases containing sulphuretted bydrogen,
in order to obtain sulphuric acid, by passing such gas through a sulphate
either in a state of solution, or suspended in water, or otherwise capable of
being acted upon to produce the desired effect. We prefer using anhydrous
sulphate of copper for this purpose, so as by successive additions of the salt
and successive or continuous decomposition to produce a concentrated acid.
The sulphate of copper in the above process is recovered by exposing the
precipitated sulphide of copper to the heat of a calcining furnace with proper

page_text: access of air until a sufficient quantity of oxygen has been absorbed to effect
the transformation. Sulphur becomes precipitated when the gas containing,
sulphuretted hydrogen is passed into a solution of a metallic super salt, as, for
instance, the persulphate of iron. We obtain nitric and acetic acids in the
course of our treatment where we
the sulphuretted hydrogen.
employ nitrates and acetates to act upon
Insoluble metallic salts, such as sulphate of lead, when used in this way
should be employed in a state of mixture with water, or as a thin paste, .or
finally in a moistened state, upon the shelves of a dry lime purifyer. In every
case the resulting sulphide produced from the purification of the gas is to be
separated as far as possible, by subsidence or filtration, from the liquid portion
of the product, and then, either with or without subsequent wasbing, the
sulphide is to be subjected to the heat of a caleining furnace, or other con-
venient source of heat, for two or three hours or more, till oxidation has moro
or less completely restored them to their original condition, and rendered them
fit for the purification of further portions of gas. The liquid or soluble
compounds resulting from the purification of coal gas by any of these substances
are to be boiled down or concentrated in order to obtain the valuable acids or
the salts of ammonia produced in the process. The method of recovery bere
described may be repeated ad infinitum.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we do not claim the
employment of oxide of iron used as such; but we claim as our Invention, the
employment of metallic salts and oxides or bases, in manner herein-before
described, for the purification and treatment of coal gas, sulphuretted hydrogen,
and other gases containing sulphuretted bydrogen, and the obtaining of sulphur,
sulphuric and other acids, in such treatment, when the use of such metallic
salts, oxides, and bases for such several purposes is combined with the after
process of restoration herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Simpson, have bereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of October, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-three.