William Champion (metallurgist)

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William Champion (born 1709 died 1789) is credited with patenting a process in Britain to distill zinc from calamine using charcoal in a smelter. He had visited Zawar mines in India where he had seen a similar process in action. The distillation process produced around 400 Kg of zinc per charge from six crucibles located in the furnace. The zinc was collected by iron tubes into water. The patent was awarded in 1738 but the process was energy inefficient.

His brother John Champion developed a refined process and patented in 1758 the calcination of zinc sulfide to oxide for use in the retort process. The English zinc industry was concentrated in and around Bristol and Swansea.

Champion also had factories which used the zinc produced to manufacture brass, which was in high demand. Unfortunately Champion was not a successful businessman and his competitor Brass Battery, Wire & Copper Company of Bristol successfully persuaded the Lord's Committee of the Privy Seal that he had created a monopoly. In 1768 he is dismissed by his partners and declared bankrupt.