Improvements in Extracting Metals and other Substances from Ores or Minerals.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 1st June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 27th Feb., 1892-Accepted, 28th May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Extracting Metals and other Substances from
Ores or Minerals.
I, HERMANN NIEWERTH, of Remscheid, in Rhenish Prussia, in the Empire of
Germany, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of this invention is a new method for obtaining metals, half metallic
elements and other minerals which is particularly advantageous if the materials to
However this
be obtained are metals of the alkalies, alkaline and other earths.
method may also be applied with advantage for obtaining other metals or half
metallic elements.
In order to better explain the nature of my invention, I will describe as an
instance how aluminium is obtained thereby.
For carrying out this method a closed oven is employed consisting of three
departments. Two of the latter serve as charging hearths, one of which is
intended to receive the aluminium ores or salts, the other to receive the reducing
agent.
The third department serves as the reducing furnace in which the separation of
the metallic aluminium is effected.
For instance as aluminium ore, fluoride of aluminium may be used, and as
reducing material, zinc.
The ore and reducing agent are separately fused, the one material being
then fed to one of the charging hearths, the other being fed to the second charging
hearth.
Both charging hearths are raised to such a temperature that the materials
introduced volatilize and enter the reducing furnace (also heated to a high degree
of temperature) in a gaseous condition by means of suitable openings.
The wall of the reducing furnace is surrounded by a circular mantle of metal or
other conductor of electricity which is hereinafter called "the mantle."
A pipe of dielectric but refractory material is led through the reducing furnace
in which is arranged a body which is a good conductor of electricity and not easily
fusible, so as to be within the mantle, and which is hereinafter described as "the
conductor."
"The mantle" is connected by means of an outer wire to one pole of any
is connected
generator of frictional or induced electricity, while the conductor
33
to the other pole by means of a wire passing through the pipe in the furnace.
When the oven is in use permanent discharges take place in the space
between the conductor and the mantle. Such discharges are either invisible or
sparking.
The latter take place when the pipe led through the furnace and the wall of the
latter which is within the mantle are made of conducting material.
A re-action takes place in the reducing furnace under the influence of the heat
and electrical induction the ultimate result of which is the production of metallic
aluminium which is separated from the other materials and collected in a fused state.
at the bottom of the furnace.
Instead of a generator producing frictional electricity an inducing machine
producing induced sparking electricity may be used, such as Ruhmkorff's coil.
It is essential that the electricity applied be either frictional or induced.
Instead of using charging hearths the two materials, (ore and reducing agent)
may be fed direct to the reducing furnace by constructing the oven (say iby

page_text: the use of a partition) -so that the two materials remain separated until
volatilization.
In a modified manner, the ore to be reduced, say cryolite, may be spread on the
bottom of the furnace, or may be introduced therein in suitable vessels, the
reducing agent passing through or over such material in a gaseous form.
Instead of fluoride of aluminium, compound salts, such as aluminium-sodium-
fluoride, or chloride of aluminium, or compound salts such as aluminium-sodium-
chloride, or generally any suitable salt of aluminium may be used.
Instead of zinc any other metal or other material may be used, which is able to
absorb, or change the second body contained in the salt of aluminium.
To prevent the introduction of atmospheric air in the oven in case a Vacuum
should be formed therein, the oven is connected to an open vessel containing
glowing coke.
If a vacuum is created, atmospheric air is sucked through the glowing coke
and is changed by the latter to carbonic oxide gas which is not injurious to the
process.
Instead of coke any other material may be placed in the vessel which will change
the air into a gas uninjurious to the process.
In many cases, as for instance in obtaining metallic sodium, both bodies (ore and
reducing agent) may be used in a solid form, and both heated to the required
temperature and the discharge of induced or frictional electricity be passed
through it.
The heat may be introduced through the shell of the oven, or coal mixed with
the materials or through gases brought into the furnace.
In other cases this method may be applied by heating the ore near the melting
point, or in case the ore should volatilize before reaching the melting point, the ore
may be lieated nearly to the temperature of volatilization. In these cases the ore is
also reduced under the influence of the heat, and the excited frictional or induced
electricity.
This method may also be used in obtaining many half metallic and non-metallic
bodies. For instance silicon may be obtained by application of the before
mentioned electricity, either from chloride of silicon, fluoride of silicon, &c.
Dated the 1st day of June 1891.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Extracting Metals and other Substances from
Ores or Minerals.
I, HERMANN NIEWERTH, of Reinscheid, in Rhenish Prussia, in the Empire of
Germany, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is a new method of and apparatus used therein for
obtaining metals and metalloids particularly the metals of the alkalies and alkaline
and other earths and it is designed
a) To simplify and cheapen the extraction of metals which is due among other
reasons to the reduced amount of heat required as compared with other
methods
b) To increase the number of classes of ores and reducing agents which may
be used for the extraction of metals.
These purposes are obtained by the application of frictional electricity or induced
electricity heat being applied simultaneously.
To generate frictional electricity a frictional generator or influence machine is

page_text: նե mauced erectricity IS Obtained by a spark induction COIL OI
Ruhmkorff's or other equivalent system.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the arrangement for carrying my inven-
tion into effect.
Figure 1 shows a vertical section.
Figure 2 shows a horizontal section of the said furnace.
Figures 3 and 4 show modifications of the reducing chamber.
A is the reducing oven while B and C are charging hearths to receive the ore
and the reducing agent respectively.
For instance if aluminium is to be extracted from fluoride of aluminium, zinc
being used as the reducing agent, both materials may be brought one into each of
the charging hearths B, C, in fuzed condition volatilized by the application of
heat and led through orifices into the reducing chamber A which has also been
brought to the right temperature.
A mantle m, or similar device of metal or any other efficient conductor of
electricity is inserted into the wall w of the reducing oven, see Figure 2.
Opposite the mantle m and within a tube of dielectric but refractory material
is situated a body which is a conductor of electricity and not casily fusible.
However if the process is carried out at a comparatively low temperature, this
body k may be arranged isolated from the wall of the furnace without the use of
the pipe r.
The mantle m is connected to one pole and the body k to the other pole of a
generator of electricity before mentioned. In consequence when the oven
worked constant discharges of electricity take place thus influencing the materials
in the chamber A and producing as an ultimate result metallic aluminium.
In a modified manner the tube may be omitted and the electrodes may be
arranged in the reducing oven A', see Figure 3, the electrodes & being
connected to the poles of the before mentioned generator of electricity or a
conducting wire may be led through the chamber A", see Fig. 4, the other
conducting wire being connected to a metallic surrounding shell of the wall of the
furnace A. In suitable cases the wall of the furnace A may be made entirely of
metal.
Instead of arranging the oven horizontal it may be arranged oblique; or
vertical (as a shaft furnace). Instead of using separate charging hearths the ore
and the reducing agent may be brought direct into the reducing oven which may
be arranged correspondingly, or as an alternative the ore to be reduced may be
spread out in the oven or introduced in suitable vessels into the same, it being in
both cases heated fuzed or volatilized and in the latter case the reducing agent
may pass through or over such material in a gaseous form.
Instead of fluoride of aluminium being used, cryolite, chloride of aluminium,
aluminium sodium chloride, argillaceous earth, kaolin or any other salt of aluminium
may be used.
Instead of zinc, any other metal or other single or compound body may be used,
which is capable of chemically combining with the elements with which the
aluminium is combined in the ore. Therefore gases may be used as reagents (for
instance hydrogen gas, carburetted hydrogen gas, carbonic oxide etc.) which may
be fed direct over the ore or through the ore when the latter is fuzed.
When the reducing agent is solid it may be brought under direct contact with
the ore the process being then carried out as before described. For instance
kaolin may be mixed with coal, the mixture heated and acted upon by electricity
either frictional or induced. The resulting product is metallic aluminium.
For the extraction of metallic sodium a suitable salt of sodium, for instance
carbonate of sodium may be advantageously mixed with coal, the mixture heated
and acted upon by electricity, frictional or induced, the resulting product being
metallic sodium.
In a manner similar to that described for the extraction of aluminium, other

page_text: metals may be extracted from their ores. By means of the new process, ores may
be treated without preliminary process, while the yield is very high.
The described process allows generally the use, as ore and reducing agent, of
such materials which could not be used at all hitherto, or only in such cases, where
a high temperature was produced by the free use of fuel, or by the current of a
magneto-electric or dynamo electric machine or by frictional electricity.
In the same manner as the metals, the metalloids may be obtained; for instance
silicon from chloride of silicon, fluoride of silicon etc.
Owing to the rapidity with which the chemical reaction takes place, according
to this process; it may happen that a vacuum is formed in the oven, which may
result in the suction of atmospheric air. This must be prevented because the
oxygen of the air which has been sucked in, would under the influence of the heat
in the furnace and the electric excitement act as oxidising agent upon the metal
or metalloid obtained. This may be avoided by connecting the oven with a
cylinder, Figure 2, which is filled with glowing coke. If a vacuum is created,
the atmospheric air is sucked into the furnace through the cylinder, and changed
into carbonic oxide by its passage through the glowing coke. This gas has no
oxidising effect and is therefore not injurious to the process. Instead of filling the
cylinder with coke it may be filled with any other substance, which changes the
passing air into a gas innocuous to the process.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1st. A method of and process for the extraction of metals and metalloids,
particularly of the metals of the alkalies, alkaline, and other carths, according to
which the metal or metalloid is obtained by allowing the ore containing the metal
or metalloid and the reagent which is to separate the materials combined
therewith, to act upon each other in a suitable receptacle under the influence of
heat and frictional electricity (generated by a frictional or influence machine)
or induced electricity (generated by a Ruhmkorff spark induction coil or similar
apparatus).
2nd. In connection with this process the changing of the atmospheric air, which
may have been sucked in by the accidental creation of a vacuum in the reducing
chamber, into carbonic oxide or any other gas innocuous to the process, to prevent
the air acting as an oxidising agent upon the metal or metalloids, produced in the
furnace.
3rd. For the carrying out of such a process a furnace or apparatus consisting of
two separate hearths or chambers for the reception and volatilisation respectively
of an ore and a reagent and a combined reducing oven or chamber in communi-
cation with the said separate hearths or chambers and in which the said volatilised
re-agents may mingle and react under the action of electrical discharges from poles
or electrodes situated either within the said reducing chamber or from one pole
within and one pole without the said chamber, substantially as herein described and
illustrated.
4th. For the carrying out of such a process, a furnace or apparatus consisting of
an oven or chamber in which an ore and a reagent may be severally placed or
mixed and subjected to heat, the said oven or chamber being provided with two
poles or electrodes situated either within the said chamber, or one pole within and
one without the said chamber, between which electrical discharges take place
through the interior of the said chamber to facilitate the reaction of the said
re-agents upon one another, substantially as herein described and illustrated.
D1...
1905
FELL & WILDING,
Agents for the Applicant.