US494349A - Bernhard rxsing - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

B. ROSING. PROCESS OF EXTRAOTING LEAD PROM ITS ORES.

No. 494,349. Patented Mar. 28, 1893.

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NITE TATES PATENT OXTFFIGE.

BERNHARD ROSING, OF OHARLOTTENBURG, GERMANY.

PROCESS OF EXTRACTING LEAD FROM ITS ORES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 494,349, dated March 28, 1893.

Application filed April 22, 1892. Serial No. 430,254. (No specimens.) Patented in Germany February 5, 1892.110. 64,615; in France February 5,1892, No. 219,175; in Belgium February 5,1892, No, 98,235; in Sweden February 5,1892, No, 3,940; in Spain March 18,189Z,No. 12,984, and in Italy March 31,1892, XXVI, 31.236, and LXI, 222.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BERNHARD RESSING, doctorof philosophy,asubjectof theKing of Prussia, residing at N 0. 14:9 Berlinerstrasse, Charlottenburg, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to the Extraction of Lead from its Ores or from other Plumbiferous Materials, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in Germany February 5, 1892, No. 64,615; in France February 5, 1892, No. 219,175; in Belgium February 5, 1892, No. 98,235; in Sweden February 5, 1892, No. 3,940; in Spain March 18, 1892, No. 12,984, and in Italy, March 31,1892, Vol. XXVI, No. 31,236, and Vol. LXI, No. 222;) and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to the extraction of lead from its ores or from other plumbiferous materials, and more especially to the extraction of lead by what is known as the double decomposition process, whereby the lead is obtained in a metallic form by the reaction of an oxygen compound of lead upon a sulphide of lead or a sulphide compound of lead. The oxygen compounds of lead heretofore employed in this process were derived from various sources, as for instance, by roasting lead ores, or from fine dust, slags, or gangue or litharge and lead sulphides, these compounds generally containing lead oxide or sulphate. In the reaction that ensues, when an oxygen lead compound is broughtin contact with a lead sulphide, the oxygen of the former combines with the sulphur of the latter to form sulphurous acid which escapes with the other gases and products of combustion to a condenser, and thence to the chimney of the furnace whether reverberatory or other, the lead in both materials being separated in a metallic form. This is also the case when the oxygen lead compound contains lead sulphate, the sulphur of the latter combining with the oxygen of the former to form sulphurous acid. These reactions take place according to the following equations:

This process of extracting lead by double decomposition presents many inconveniences and gives rise to serious losses. In the first place, in carrying out this process the roasting of the materials and the double decomposition require a comparativelylarge expenditure of fuel, and during the process of roasting some of the lead is volatilized, while if silver is present and the temperature is not properly regulated the latter is also volatilized and passes over with the gases and products of combustion. On the other hand, the process requires time and is very laborious. Finally, during the reaction and formation of sulphurous acid gas the latter escapes with other gases and the products of combustion by which said sulphurous acid gas is not only largely contaminated but greatly attenuated, so that its separation from the foreign gaseous products of combustion becomes very difticult and costly.

The object of my present invention is to obviate the difficulties and inconveniences above referred to, and consists in a process and in the provision of means whereby the double decomposition may be effected without the use of fuel in a rapid and economical manner, so that the sulphurous acid gases formed are obtained in a substantially pure state for use as may be desired, or for conversion intosulphuric acid.

In carrying out my improved process I combine the oxygen and sulphide of lead compounds under such conditions that the double decomposition will be effected by the heat generated by the reaction without the application of artificial heat. To this end I smelt the oxygen compound of lead and-then cause the same to flow onto thesulphide or sulphide compound of lead which I preferably preheat, or the heated sulphide or sulphide compound of lead may be brought into contact or mixed with the fluid oxygen compound of lead, the result of which is an instantaneous and very violent reaction under evolution of a great amount of heat sufficient to maintain thereaction to'completion, so that the application of heat is avoided and consequently the sulphurous acid gases are not contaminated by any foreign gases or products of combustion and may be readily condensed for useorconverted into sulphuric acid. This reaction taking place instantaneously proceeds very rapidly so that a very notable saving intime and labor is also effected.

The process of double decomposition described may also be carried out by combining the oxygen compound of lead with a carbon or carbonaceous material, in which'case carbonic acid gas and carbonic oxide will be formed by the reaction, as is well known.

Any suitably constructed furnace may be employed in carrying out my-inventionn Referring now to the accompanying drawings Figures 1 and 2 are vertical longitudinal sections taken respectively on lines ab, and c-cl, of Fig. 3, of a furnace especially designed for carrying ontmy improved process of double decomposition. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal section of thefurnacetaken on line fg, of Fig. 4, which latter is a vertical transverse section of said furnace.

As shown in Fig. 3, the furnace-is divided into two compartments or chambers, K, and H, by a partition wall, W, said-chambers having at eachend a'short or stub flue,h,h and 70, 765, respectively, and in the side *walls'of said chambers areprovided charging or workingholes, T, T, and T, T, respectively, normally closed 'by suitable doors, not shown. The hearth of these chambers isso constructed as toincline toward -.a tap hole, a, whi'ch;is thus locatedat thepoint ofegrea'test depth of the chambers, the hearth forming a pocket at thatpoint for the collection of the metallic lead which isdrawn off from'timetotime, or after each operation of double decomposition. The furnace is adapted to 'revolve about a vertical axis or journal, Z, and is also adapted -to=be raised above the flue connections and lowered'again. Any suitable means may be provided for=revolving the furnaceabout its axis, Z, and'raising and lowering the same.

In Fig. 2 I have shown thejournal, Z, provided with a gear wheel, L, meshing witha pinion,M,'the shaft of which mayberevolved from any suitable prime motor, andinisaid figure I have shown the journal, Z,.as c011- structed in the form of a pistonfitted and working 'in a hydraulic'cylindelyO, for the purpose of raising and lowering'the furnace by hydraulic pressure in a well known manner, and these devices are 'only given asan example, as various other forms of mechanisms'well'known in the arts may be employed for revolvingand raising and lowering the furnace.

Thestub flues, h, and h, as well as thestub flues, 7c, and k, are adapted to be brought intoregister'with a feed hopper, G, and flue, S, or with the fines, E,'F, by properly positioning the furnace, and said flues have their compound of lead, the flue, S, leads to a con-.

denser or other apparatus for the reception of the sulphurous acid gases, the flue, E, is connected with the chimney of the furnace, not shown, while the flue, F, leads to the fire place, F'-,"Fig. 1.

The operation of the furnace is as follows: Assuming that the chambers, H, and K, are both charged :with sulphide of lead or a sulphide'com'pound oflead, as-for instan'ce,igalena, the chargein chamber, -I-I, having been heated while the-charge in chamber, K, Fig. 3, is being heated bythefuelin thefireplace, F, the heat and productstof combustion-em tering'chamber, K, through the flues, F, k, and passing out to .the chimney through fiues, 70, E, the chargesxof materialbeingintroduced into the'said chambers through thecharging or working apertures, T, T, and T, T, :respectively. The=cover from the, feed hopper or flue, G, is now removed and a suitable charge of an oxygen compound of lead, as "for instancelitharge, iscausedto flow onto the galena in said chamber, H,:a violent reaction will .at once @ensue under-evolution of heat and formation of sulphurousiacid gas-which escapes through flue=S,-the lead ingboth'materials separating'in theform ofiaimetal and collectingzabont theitap-hole, a. When lithe reactioncommences =t0 subsideit-ma'y "be activated by working up (stirringlthe: materials) which can be done .through the working holes, T, T, until the reaction is completed, the lead being drawnoif fromitimetotime, mat the completion .of the reaction as may be found necessary. The heat evolved by the reaction'is more than sufficientito =maintain the materials at the proper temperature to thecompletion of thedouble decomposition, sothat'no'fuel is'usedinthis operation, whereby the sulphurous acid gases,-or the carbonic acid gases incase a carbon is used instead of asulphide, are obtained in a substantially pure form. Duringthe processof decomposition, which as stated,lproceeds not only :very energetically but also very rapidly as compared with .the time required-in the practice heretofore,:the:galena in chamber,

K, is'beingh eated andprefera'blytoa temperature approximating a roasting temperature, the feed flue :or-hoppenG, being'of course closed during the reaction. The 'furnaceis now elevated aboveits connections and turned one hundred and 'eightydegrees, and while in this elevated. position the residues in chamber, H, are'withdrawn through either or both of the sub flues, h, and h and the furnace is again lowered,so that the last-named lines will now be in communication with the tines, F, and E, respectively, while the stub lines, is, and It, will be in communication with the flues, S, and the feed hopper or flue, G, molten litharge being introduced through the latterinto chamber, K, to repeat the reaction above described. It will thus be seen that while double decomposition without fuel is going on in one of the furnace chambers the sulphide of lead material is being heated in the other, so that the process is a substantially continuous one, the litharge or other oxygen compound of lead being smelted in a suitablefurnace or smelter.

The loss of heat during the short time required to discharge the contents of one chamber and recharge the same with sulphide material is insignificant, and of no importance, more especially in view of the fact that during the reaction more than sufficient heat is generated to compensate this loss and sustain the reaction to completion.

Although I prefer to preheat the sulphide material for the reason that the reaction is more energetic and more rapid and takes place under a greater initial evolution of heat, yet the said preheating is not absolutely necessary. It will be readily observed that a loss of lead by volatilization cannot take place in this process, nor is this the ease with silver, should any be present in the lead compounds,

so that the latter can be readily obtained by well known means.

In case the residues of the double decomposition should contain lead or silver or both in such quantities as to warrant their extraction, this may be effected in the blast furnace in a well-known manner, or by other means.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isy 1. In the extraction of lead, the hereindescribed improvement, which consists in bringing a molten oxygen compound of lead into contact with a decomposing agent that will liberate the lead from said oxygen compound, the decomposition being effected solely by the heat of the molten oxygen compound and the heat generated by the reaction,

2. In the extraction of lead the hereindescribed improvement, which consists in bringing a molten oxygen compound of lead, as litharge, in contact with a sulphide or sulphide compound of lead, as galena, the decomposition being efiected solely by the heat of the materials and the heat generated by BERNHARD RosINe.

the reaction.

Witnesses:

RICHARD SCHMIDT, GEoRe SCHNEIDER.

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