IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING COPPER AND ZINC FROM THEIR ORES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Bethell, of No. 8, Parliament Street,
Westminster, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN OBTAINING COPPER AND ZINC FROM THEIR ORES." - A communi-
cation.
Sealed the 23rd April 1853, and dated the 15th February 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Bethell at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 15th February 1853.
I, JOHN BETHELL, of No. 8, Parliament Street, Westminster,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING COPPER AND ZINC FROM THEIR ORES," and
which is a communication to me from a foreigner residing abroad,
to be as follows:-
My Improvements in Obtaining Copper and Zinc from its Ores
consist in a more economical method of treating such ores, whereby
copper or zinc is obtained at much less cost than by the processes
now used.

page_text: Having had the copper ores crushed or reduced to powder, I mix
together a small portion of rich ore with several portions of the
poor copper ores, which contain much sulphur; as for instance, I
take one ton of sulphuretted copper ore, containing about 12 per cent.
of copper, and I mix it intimately with about 3 tons of the poor
Cornisli ores, which contain a great deal of sulphur, or it may be
mixed with 3 tons of any sulphuretted ore, as iron pyrites, sulphuret
of lead, &c. &c.
This mixture is roasted in a common reverberatary furnace, but
allowing a free current of air to pass over it, and not permitting the
flame of the fire to come in contact with the ore itself.
During the roasting, which will last about 2 or 3 hours, the orc
is frequently stirred about, and prevented from agglutinating
together, and the heat is not allowed to become great enough to
sublime the sulphur in the ores. After this roasting, the mixture is
withdrawn into a tank or cistern made of stone, and to it about 4
parts of boiling hot water is to be added, and the whole stirred
about for some time. This water will dissolve out the sulphate of
copper that has been formed by the roasting above described...
The solution of sulphate of copper is then to be drawn off into
another tank or cistern, and to it as much slaked line must be
added as will be sufficient to combine with the sulphuric acid; thus
forming sulphate of lime, and the copper which was before combined
with the sulphuric acid is then precipitated as oxide of copper,
which can be reduced to metallic copper by any of the processes
now well known in the copper smelting trade.
When the copper ores operated upon contain much arsenic or
phosphoric acid, it is necessary to add about 5 per cent. of small coal
to the mixture of ores before they are roasted.
In some cases, and where there is not sufficient sulphur in the
ores themselves to convert all the copper into sulphate of copper,
then I add to the roasted ore, immediately after roasting, a sufficient
quantity of sulphuric acid to convert the remainder of the copper
in the ores into sulphate of copper, and proceed afterwards as above
directed; or if muriatic acid can be obtained at less cost than sul-

page_text: phuric acid, then I use muriatic acid instead, which answers just as
well, only making muriate of copper instead of sulphate of copper.
. I. also find that it answers better to use sea water for dissolving
out the sulphate of copper instead of common water.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said John Bethell in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 15th August 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, JOHN
BETHELL, of Number 8, Parliament Street, Westminster, Gentle-
man, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three,
in the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto him, the said John Bethell, his
executors, administrators, and assigns, Her special licence that
he, the said John Bethell, his exccutors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as he, the said John Bethell, his executors, ad-
ministrators, 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 OBTAINING COPPER AND ZINC FROM THEIR ORES"
(being a communication to him from abroad), upon the condition
(amongst others) that he, the said John Bethell, by an instrument
in writing under his hand and seal, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Bethell, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:
Having had the copper ores crushed or reduced to fine powder,
I mix together several portions of the copper ores which contain
much sulphur; or I mix an ore containing little or no sulphur with
about three tons of any sulphuretted ore, as iron pyrites, sulphuret
of lead, &c.
This mixture is to be slowly roasted in a common reverbarotory
furnace, but allowing a free current of air to pass over it, and not
permitting the flame of the fire to come in contact with the orc
itself.
During the roasting, which will last about two or three hours,
the ore is frequently stirred about and prevented from agglutinating
together, and the heat is not allowed to become great enough to
sublime the sulphur in the ores.
After roasting in this manner for some time, I sometimes find it
necessary to add about twenty per cent. of small coal, and a little
sulphuretted ore, mix well together, and then roast the mixture
again rapidly in the open air.
After this roasting or roastings, the mixture is withdrawn into a
tank or cistern made of stone or wood, and to it about four parts
of boiling hot sea or salt water is to be added, and the whole stirred
about for some time.
The water must be either sea water, or water in which salt has
been dissolved, until it is of the specific gravity of from fifteen
This water will
degrees to twenty-five degrees by the areometer.
dissolve out the sulphate of copper that has been formed by the
roasting above described.
This solution is then to be drawn off into another tank or cistern,
and to it as much slaked lime must be added as will be sufficient
to combine with the acids, and the copper which was before com-
bined with the acid will be precipitated as oxide of copper, and

page_text: which can then be reduced to metallic copper by any of the processes
now well known in the copper smelting trade.
I make zinc from its ores by the same process, and in precisely
the same manner.
If necessary, I use sulphuric or muriatic acids for transforming
oxide of zinc into sulphate or chloride of zinc.
I claim as my Invention the obtaining of copper and zinc from
their ores in the manner above described.
JN. BETHELL. (L.S.)