NITEOGENOUS MANUEES. 245 



neutral, is placed in the receivers arranged in diffusion battery style, 

 where they are methodically exhausted by water charged with 

 ammonia, which facilitates the solution of nitrogenous matters. The 

 gas is extracted from the final product for re-use. But only 

 nitrogen in humic acid combination is obtained, which restricts 

 its use in the manufacture of chemical manures, and the value of 

 which does not exceed that of organic nitrogen {vide infra). The 

 value of the organic nitrogen of manures is increased by converting 

 it into ammoniacal compounds. Eickmann, D.E.P. No. 8238, sub- 

 mits peat previously heated to from 350'' C. to 800° C. to the action 

 of a mixture of air and steam ; but, as already mentioned, a great 

 part of the ammonia is destroyed at such high temperatures, so 

 •that the yield is very poor. Waltereck, French patent 345,399, 

 obtains better results by heating peat mixed or not with other 

 carbonaceous matters to a maximum temperature of 300° to 500° C, 

 at which the mass is not incandescent. The mixture of air and 

 steam heated to 300° C. (572° F.) is brought in contact with the 

 peat in vertical iron retorts surrounded by refractory stones. The 

 temperature of the mass rises naturally up'^to 400° C. (752° F.) ; the 

 heating of the arriving gas is stopped, the heat produced by the 

 reaction being more than sufficient to maintain the heat at a suit- 

 able degree. The arrival of the air is so timed as to oxidize com- 

 pletely the carbon of the charge in three to six hours. The quantity 

 of steam should be proportional to the temperature. The inventor, 

 cert, of addition No. 6407, has been enabled to suppress all fuel by 

 replacing the steam with very finely pulverized water in the current 

 of air injected. The ammonia is extracted from the combustion 

 gas by cooling with or without bubbling ; ammoniacal liquors are 

 thus obtained utilized as usual. As Muntz and Laine have deter- 

 mined, yields much superior to those by dry distillation have been 

 obtained where the coke retains 1 per cent of nitrogen ; a peat con- 

 taining 2 per cent of nitrogen abandons 1-6 to 1^8 per cent in the 

 ammoniacal liquor. 



Muntz and Girard distil peat (previously dried and crushed i) 

 in a current of superheated steam. Water gas, mixed with am- 

 moniacal vapours, tars, pyroligneous products, are produced. The 

 combustible gas is used to heat the retorts ; the distillation products 

 treated by bicarbonate of soda residue from the extraction of the 

 ammoniacal liquors yield NH3 and COo, re-entering into the manu- 

 facture ; and acetates of lime and soda, methylic alcohol, and analo- 



^ The diying of peat is a costly item even ^Yhen air dried. But here in wet 

 seasons in many peat districts it cannot be air dried ; resource must therefore be 

 had to artificial diying, and the whole manipulations— making and maintaining 

 i-oad to moss, casting, spreading, turning, cocking, carting, stacking, and crushing 

 the peats— bring peat too near the price of coal for its treatment to prove re- 

 munerative. — Tr. 



