Improvements in or relating to methods of and means for separating or recovering mercury from finely ground substances such as ores

摘要

521,488. Mercury separation. WHITE, HUGHES, & CO., Ltd., and RAMSEY, B. W. Aug. 8, 1938, No. 3906. [Class 82 (ii)] Mercury in the free form is separated from a finely ground substance by blowing the substance in an air stream so as to strike one or more plates or elements of amalgamable metal (e.g., silver). The plates p may be arranged upwardly in one or more zig-zag formations (Fig. 2) the ground substance being introduced from the receptacle A into the air current from C. Alternatively the plates may be arranged so as to form a number of horizontal zig-zag paths side by side (Fig. 3) or superposed (Fig. 5). In Fig 6 the amalgamated plate takes the form of a drum G provided with squeegees S for removing the mercury deposited thereon and a collecting column D. In Fig. 9 the air stream traverses the passages 2, 3, 4, 6 and impinges upon the amalgamable plates p, p', pSP11/SP. A supplementary air current from passage 5 serves to prevent ore falling to the bottom of the vertical passage 3 with the agglomerated mercury from plate p. The amalgamating elements may be wire networks, and in the final stage or stages a continuous band may be used, which moves in and out of the air stream and has scrapers provided on the outside. Specification 464,675 is referred to.