IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING BLOOD FOR AGRICULTURAL AND OTHER PURPOSES."
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ignatius Steiner, of the City and County of
Dublin, Ireland, for the Invention of ** IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING
BLOOD FOR AGRICULTURAL AND OTHER PURPOSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ignatius Steiner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th April 1875.
I, IGNATIUS STEINER, of the City and County of Dublin, Ireland,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN TREATING BLOOD FOR AGRICULTURAL AND OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to an improved treatment of blood to dry or
prepare the same for use for agricultural and other purposes.
Blood is generally dried either by exposure to the air or wind or to
artificially heated air. Both these methods are however very objection-
able for many reasons, amongst others on account of their noxious
character which is due to the partial decomposition of the soft matter

page_text: during manipulation, whereby the air is continually poisoned and great
injury is done to health.
By the adoption of my Invention these disadvantages are all avoided.
The blood is at once rendered insoluble and also nearly devoid of smell,
so that the operation is innocuous and may be carried on without the
liability of any obnoxious results. I treat the blood with perchloride
of iron, which I can manufacture in large quantities simply and
cheaply; I mix from 1 per cent. to 6 per cent. by weight, as re-
quired of perchloride of iron (either in a liquid or solid condition) with
the blood. The latter coagulates immediately, and during the mixing
forms into small lumps. When the whole mass is in this condition it is
removed from the mixing tank, and being insoluble and odorless is
spread out and exposed for a short time to the wind or moderately
warmed air, whereby it is rendered perfectly dry, so that if necessary it
could be ground to a fine powder.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Ignatius Steiner in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 19th October 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, IGNATIUS
STEINER, of the City and County of Dublin, Ireland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Ignatius Steiner, Her special
licence that I, the said Ignatius Steiner, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or, such others as I, the said Ignatius Steiner, my ex-
ecutors, 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 TREATING BLOOD FOR AGRICULTURAL AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Ignatius Steiner, my executors

page_text: or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 I, the said Ignatius Steiner, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to the treatment of animal blood for the
purpose of obtaining a dry product, rich in ammonia and organic matter,
and especially valuable as a manure. I treat the blood either in its
natural state or after the serum has been allowed to drain from the more
solid parts (the clot) with a solution of iron perchloride in a manner to
be presently described.
"
The iron perchloride solution I prepare by dissolving in heated
hydrochloric acid, iron peroxide orcs, such as "bog ore," brown hematito
or hydrated iron peroxide or other matter rich in readily dissolvable iron
peroxide such as that known as "purple orc (the residue from copper
precipitating works). If the orc or other substance used contains also
iron protoxide then I add nitric acid to the hydrochloric acid to convert
the protoxide into peroxide. I may also use sulphuric acid with the
hydrochloric acid, when a quicker and more complete dissolving action
is to be effected.
Having obtained a saturated solution as above described, I prepare
the blood for treatment by placing it in a suitable vessel provided with
apparatus for thoroughly mixing the material. I then add such a
quantity of the solution that the iron salt contained will be in the
proportion of from one to six per cent. of the weight of the mixing
charge of blood or clot, and by thoroughly mixing the whole together
the blood or clot is within a short time coagulated and by the same
operation completely deodorized. I attach importance to the complete
mixing together of the solution and blood or clot, as the more effectually
this is done the smaller and easier to dry are the grains resulting from
the coagulation.

page_text: The water of the blood, which after the operation of mixing adheres
mechanically to the coagulum, I now expel cither by pressure or by
centrifugal power, and the resulting product is for all practical purposes
I however to get rid of whatever remains of moisture
expose it on dry floors or shelves for a short time and the process is 5
fit for use.
complate
1st. The quickness and precision of the operations.
2nd. The prevention of decomposition and putrefaction and the con-
sequent retention of ammonia during the
process.
And, 3rd. That the resulting product is perfectly dry and in a state
suitable for mixing with artificial manures, and is capable when exposed
to the natural actions of the soil of becoming easily assimilated by vege-
tation.
Having described the nature of the Invention and the manner of 1
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to
be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,
the treatment of animal blood by means of the iron salt above men-
tioned, as and for the purpose herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ignatius Steiner, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.