Treatment of Sewage and Foul Water.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Mar., 1886.
Complete Left, 20th Jan., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 22nd Feb., 1887.
Treatment of Sewage and Foul Water.
We JOHN WILLIAM SLATER of No. 36 Wray Crescent Holloway in the County of
Middlesex Analytical Chemist and SAMUEL KILPIN PAGE of the Native Guano
Company's Sewage Works Aylesbury in the County of Buckingham Manager of the
said Works and WILLIAM STEVENS of No. 29 New Bridge Street in the City of
London Secretary to the Native Guano Company (Limited) and THE NATIVE GUANO
COMPANY (Limited) of No. 29 New Bridge Street in the City of London do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention consists in the preparation as hereinafter described of sulphate of
manganese and mixed sulphates of manganese and alumina and chloride of manganese
and mixed chlorides of manganese and aluminium for use in the treatment of sewage
and other foul water.
In preparing sulphate of manganese according to our invention we place a quantity
of sulphur in a crucible or other suitable vessel and over the sulphur we place a
quantity of black oxide of manganese. We then apply heat to the bottom of the said
vessel and after it has been heated to a sufficient degree and exposed for a sufficient
time to the action of the heat we cool the said vessel and its contents or allow them to
cool. The greater part of the manganese is thus converted into sulphate of
manganese which we lixiviate with water thereby obtaining a solution of sulphate of
manganese suitable for use in the treatment of sewage and other foul water. In some
cases we force air or steam into the black oxide of manganese in the said vessel while it
is being heated.
In preparing mixed sulphates of manganese and alumina according to our invention
we take either ground blast furnace slags (other than basic slag) or Eglinton clay or
beauxite or bauxite or other hydrate of alumina or any true clay which does not
contain carbonate of lime and mix the matter selected with black oxide of manganese
and treat the mixture as hereinbefore described with reference to the preparation of
sulphate of manganese alone and thus obtain mixed sulphates of manganese and
alumina.

page_text: In preparing chloride of manganese according to our invention we mix common
salt with black oxide of manganese and treat the mixture as hereinbefore described
with reference to the preparation of sulphate of manganese. Or we take a solution of
sulphate of manganese prepared as hereinbefore described and add a solution of
chloride of calcium thereto and thus produce a solution of chloride of manganese. Or
we add brine to a solution of sulphate of manganese prepared as hereinbefore described
and expose the mixture to a low degree of temperature whereby sulphate of soda is
caused to crystallize out leaving a solution of chloride of manganese.
In preparing mixed chlorides of manganese and aluminium we add Eglinton clay
or other aluminous mineral to the mixture of common salt and black oxide of
manganese and treat the mixture as herein before described with reference to the
preparation of sulphate of manganese.
Any of the preparations of manganese or of manganese and aluminium manu-
factured as herein before described are suitable for use either alone or in conjunction
with other agents in the treatment of sewage and foul water and the chloride of
manganese prepared as hereinbefore described may be used either in substitution for
or in conjunction with the chloride of copper in the process described in the pro-
visional specification filed with the application for Letters Patent No. 13750 dated the
eleventh day of November 1885.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Preparation of Materials for Use in the
Treatment of Sewage and Foul Water.
We JOHN WILLIAM SLATER of No. 36 Wray Crescent Holloway in the County of
Middlesex Analytical Chemist and SAMUEL KILPIN PAGE of the Native Guano
Company's Sewage Works Aylesbury in the County of Buckingham Manager of the
said Works and WILLIAM STEVENS of No. 29 New Bridge Street in the City of
London Secretary to the Native Guano Company (Limited) and THE NATIVE GUANO
COMPANY (Limited) of No. 29 New Bridge Street in the City of London 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 :-
Our invention consists in the preparation as hereinafter described of sulphate of
manganese and mixed sulphates of manganese and alumina and chloride of manganese
and mixed chlorides of manganese and aluminium for use in the treatment of sewage
and other foul water,

page_text: In preparing sulphate of manganese according to our invention we take a crucible
of iron or fire clay and place therein about thirty six parts by weight of sulphur and
over the sulphur we place about one hundred parts by weight of ground or powdered
black oxide of manganese and we either leave the mouth of the crucible uncovered or
we place a tile over it or otherwise cover it loosely so as to allow of access of air to
its contents. We then apply heat to the bottom of the crucible and heat the crucible
to dull redness and continue this heat for about three or four hours and then let the
crucible with its contents cool gradually until the whole of the contents are about the
temperature of the atmosphere. By this process the greater part of the black oxide
of manganese is converted into sulphate of manganese which we lixiviate with water
and thus obtain a solution of sulphate of manganese suitable for use in the treatment
of sewage and other foul water.
If the black oxide of manganese to be treated be of very hard texture or if it
contain manganite or if it be desired to expedite the process herein before described
we force air heated to a temperature of about four hundred or five hundred degrees
Fahrenheit or steam at about the same temperature or both air and steam into the
lower part of the charge of black oxide of manganese in the crucible during the said
process. If there be any indication of escape of sulphurous acid from the charge in
the crucible while the steam and air are being forced in we decrease the quantity
forced in until the escape of sulphurous acid ceases or we entirely stop the supply.
It is advantageous to keep up a very gentle supply of air or steam during the
cooling.
We are aware that it has been proposed to manufacture sulphate of manganese by
heating a mixture consisting of oxide of manganese and iron pyrites and powdered
clay or glass or certain other inert matters or a mixture of oxide of manganese and
iron in a fine state of division and sulphur and inert matter or a mixture of oxide of
manganese and sulphur and inert matter and we wish it to be understood that we do
not mix together the matters to be treated and that we do not mix inert matter there-
with but we use only sulphur and the oxide of manganese which we place separately
in the crucible that is we place the sulphur in the lower part of the crucible and the
oxide of manganese above the sulphur. By our method of manufacture there is less
risk of the sulphur being wasted and the process can be conducted in less time and at
less expense.
In preparing mixed sulphates of manganese and alumina according to our invention
we take about forty parts by weight of ground blast furnace slags (other than basic
slag) or about forty parts by weight of the mineral generally known as Eglinton
alum clay or about forty parts by weight of beauxite or bauxite or other hydrate of
alumina and grind the matter selected and mix it with about ten parts by weight of
ground or powdered black oxide of manganese and place the mixture in a crucible
containing about thirty six parts by weight of sulphur and so cover the crucible as to
leave but very slight means of access for air in order to avoid escape of sulphurous
acid and we then heat the crucible so charged and covered to about eight hundred
degrees Fahrenheit for about five to six hours and thus obtain mixed sulphates of
manganese and alumina.
In preparing chloride of manganese according to our invention we place about
thirty six parts by weight of sulphur in a crucible and over the sulphur we place a
mixture consisting of about three hundred parts by weight of common salt and about
one hundred parts by weight of ground or powdered black oxide of manganese and
cover the crucible so as to allow only very slight access of air to its contents and heat
it to about the temperature and for about the period herein before described with
reference to the preparation of sulphate of manganese. If it be found that any
chlorine is escaping from the crucible during the operation this is an indication that
the crucible should be more closely covered. According to another method of pre-
paring chloride of manganese by our invention we take a solution of sulphate of
manganese prepared as herein before described and add a solution of chloride of
calcium thereto and thus produce a solution of chloride of manganese. Or we add
brine to a solution of sulphate of manganese prepared as herein before described and

page_text: expose the mixture to a temperature not exceeding thirty degrees Fahrenheit whereby
sulphate of soda is caused to crystallize out leaving a solution of chloride of manganese.
We use the said solutions in the following proportions namely one molecule of
sulphate of manganese to one molecule of chloride of calcium or to one molecule of
common salt.
In preparing mixed chlorides of manganese and aluminium we add about one
hundred and thirty two parts by weight of Eglinton alum clay or other hydrate of
alumina in the form of powder to a mixture consisting of about three hundred parts
by weight of common salt and about one hundred parts by weight of black oxide of
manganese both in the form of powder and place the mixture in a crucible containing
about thirty six parts by weight of sulphur and cover the crucible and expose it and
its contents to about the same degree of heat and for about the same time as herein
before described with reference to the preparation of sulphate of manganese.
The proportions herein before stated are approximately those on which the several
materials when of ordinary quality may be used with the minimum of waste. As
however the quality (in other words the proportions of the constituents) of the black
oxide of manganese and furnace slags and Eglinton alum clay and bauxite or beauxite
vary considerably the proportions in which the said materials should be used vary
according to the composition or constitution of the samples selected for use and we
therefore do not limit ourselves to the use of the said materials only in the proportions
herein before stated. The proportions in which any given samples of the said minerals
may be most advantageously used may be readily ascertained by analysing them.
Instead of a crucible any vessel or apparatus in which the materials can be sub-
jected to the required heat with access of air to the extent hereinbefore indicated may
be used in any of the operations hereinbefore described in which we state that a
crucible is to be used.
Any of the preparations of manganese or of manganese and aluminium manu-
factured as herein before described are suitable for use either alone or in conjunction
with other agents in the treatment of sewage and foul water and the chloride of
manganese prepared as hereinbefore described may be used either in substitution for
or in conjunction with the chloride of copper in the process described in the provisional
specification and complete specification filed in application for Letters Patent No. 13750
dated the eleventh day of November 1885.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention and
the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that we claim as our said
invention :-
First The manufacture of sulphate of manganese as herein before described.
Secondly The manufacture of mixed sulphates of manganese and alumina as herein
before described.
Thirdly The manufacture of chloride of manganese as herein before described.
Fourthly The manufacture of mixed chlorides of manganese and aluminium as
herein before described.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.