Pigments, Paint and Painting: A practical book for practical menTerry, George
Science
Pigments, Paint and Painting: A practical book for practical men
Terry, George
Paint; Painting, Industrial; Pigments
As is well known, human excreta contain a considerable proportion of
nitrogen, and there seems no reason why this should not be employed
in the manufacture of yellow prussiate. It is quite possible that
municipal bodies might find this a convenient and profitable plan
of disposing of a portion of the sewage with which they have to
deal. It is obvious to all persons who have given this subject much
consideration, that the nitrogen required in the manufacture of yellow
prussiate of potash might be obtained with comparative ease from the
surrounding atmosphere. Indeed, from a theoretical point of view this
seems a charming process. About fifty years ago the Society of Arts
awarded Lewis Thompson a medal in connection with this very process.
Thompson ignited a mixture of 2 parts pearlash, 2 parts coke, and 1
part iron turnings in an open crucible for a considerable time at a
full red heat. The resulting black mass was found to contain a large
quantity of ferrocyanide, together with excess of carbonate of potash,
&c. This process, or a similar one, in which a current of air was
passed over a mixture of charcoal and iron saturated with carbonate of
potash, was tried on a large scale for two years at Bramwell’s works
at Newcastle. About 1 ton of yellow prussiate was made daily by this
process; but it was not found to work profitably, and was eventually
abandoned, chiefly, it is said, owing to the large amount of fuel
required, and because the cylinders, whether of iron or fireclay, were
not able to stand for any length of time the intense heat to which they
were subjected.
The annexed illustrations, Figs. 14 to 17, show the arrangement of a
prussiate of potash furnace at Sir E. Buckley’s works, at Clayton,
Manchester, which are well designed to prevent nuisance: A, iron pot;
B, fire-place; _a_, cover of pot; _b_, stirrer; _c_, hinged pipe
conveying vapours to the flues; _d_, flues surrounding the pot, and
leading to the chimney-shaft; _e_, chain to lift up cast-iron vapour
hood.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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