The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1859-03-01
Wannfsctnra o. Coal OIL.

tMr. james Young, of Manchester, England
has recently patented both in England
and the United States, a process for producing
coal oil, and as this is q subject in which
| many of our readers are interested, we pro-
pose to describe this method
The invention consists in treating bitumi-
nous Goals in such manner as 10 obtain there
from an oil containing parafine, and the
process is substantially as follows:
The Goals are to be broken into small
pieces Of about the size OF hens egg, or
less, for the purpose Of facilitating the oper-
alton The coal is then put in common
gas retort 70 which is attached worm pipe,
passing through refrigerator, and kept at q
temperature of about IS deg Fab, by a steam
frigerator should not be made too low, lest
the product of distillatlon should CONCEAL,
and stop up the pipe.
The retort being closed in the usual man
ner is then gradually heated up to low
red heat, at which it is to be kept until vola-
tile products cease to come of Care must
be taken to keep the temperature of the re-
tort from rising above that of a low red heat,
80 as to prevent as much as possible, the
desired products ofthe process being CONVEX
ted into permanent gas. The coke or resi-
due may then by Withdrawn from the retort
which being allowed to cool down below a
visible red heat(to prevent waste OF the fresh
material to be introduced) may be again
charged with quantity of Goals, to be treat.
ed in like manner.
The crude paratiine oil distilled or driven
Oft from the Goals as a vapor, will be con-
densed into liquid in passing through the
cold worm pipe, from which it will fall into
vessel which must be provided to receive
it.
lie then puts the oil into a cistern, and
heats it by steam pipe or otherwise to a
temperature of about $50 Q Fab When thus
heated, water and undissolved Impurities
contained in the oil will separate more read
lily from it than when cold, and the oil being
left in II state of rest, and kept warm for
about day, many of these impurities will
fall to the bottom of the cistern, and the oil
may then be run off into vessel leaving the
residuum behind
He then distils the oil in an iron still
with a worm pipe connected to it, passing
through a refrigeratory apparatus, as before
mentioned, the refrigerator being kept ut or
about the temperature Of So Fab When
the whole of the oil has been distilled over,
it will be found that it still contains some dry
carbonacious residuum, which should be ia
ken out before the still is again used. The
oil is to be run from the condencing appara-
tus as it distlls over, into leaden vessel
where to each one hundred gallons he adds
ten gallons of the oil of vitriol of commerce
Alter this mixture has been well stirred for
about an hour, it is allowed to remain at
rest for about twelve hours SO that the oil of
vitriol. and impurities with which it has
combined, may settle at the bottom He
then draws Oft the supernatent oil into an
iron vessel, and to each one hundred GAL
Ions he adds four gallons of caustic soda ola
specific gravity 1900, water being 1000.
The soda and oil are stirred together for
about an hour, so as to naturallze any acid
which may remain in the oil and also take up
any impurities capable of combining with it,
after which the contents of the vessel are al
lowed to remain at. rest for about six or eight
hours, so that the solution of soda may sub
side, and then the supernatent oil is to be
drawn Oft and again distilled in the same
manner
Parafline OIL obtained from the last men,
toned distillation, contains fluid more 70.
latile than parafine, and he separates con.
siderable portion of this fluid from the oil,
and obtains in a separate state as follows
He puts the oil into an iron still connected
with worm pipe passing through refrige-
ratory apparatus, adding to the oil half of
Its bulk OF water, and boiling the contents of
the still for twelve hours, adding water from
time to time so as to keep the same proper
tions of the oil and water in the still The
volatile fluid will pass over along with steam,
and can be condemned in the worm pipe by
the refrigeraiory apparatus This fluid will
be clear and transparent, and as it is lighter
than water, it separates on standing from the
water with which it will be mixed las it leaves
worm pipe of the STILL
This riuid may be burnt for the purpose
Of illumination or applied to any other use
The last named process will separate the
greater portion of the volatile fluid from the
OIL but larger quantity may be separated
by prolonging the operation. The oil left in
the still after the completion of the process
lastly described, is then to be carefully sep
arated from all the remaining water upon
which it will float and conveyed into lead
en- vessel, where to each one hundred gallons
is added two gallons of oil of vitriol This
mixture is to be we'll stirred for six or eight
hours, after which it is allowed to rest un-
disturbed for twenty-four hours, in order
that the vitrlol may settle to the bottom OF the
leaden vessel, carrying with it the impuri
ties with which it was combined
The superratant oil is now to be drawn off
into another vessels, and to each one hundred
gallons there is added IS pounds Of chalk
ground up with little waiter into a thin
paste. The oil and chalk are then to be well
agitated until the oil becomes freed from all
sulphurous acid. This oil is to be kept warm
say at 100 degrees Fab, in any convenient
vessel for about a week, to allow Impurities
to settle, and it is then fit to be used for
Intoxicating purposes either by itself or NIX.
ed with an animal or vegetable oil, or it may
be burned by itself in argand lamps for the
purpose of illumination, and this oil may be
further purified, if required by distilling it
over again To extract paratiine from the
purified oil obtained in the manner desert
bed, the oil is to be cooled to a low temper
AZURE, say to 30 or 40 degrees Fah., and the
lower the temperature the larger will be the
quantity of parafhne separated from the
OIL
In this way paralline is made to crystal
ize and in this state it may be separated
from the oil by filtration through wooden or
other cloths, and squeezing it in powerful
press, by which means it will be made suf-
ticiently pure to be Employed for lubricating
and some other useful purposes. But the
paraflne may be further purified, if required,
by treating it several times at a temperature
Of about 1909 Fab. alternately with its low
bulk of oil of vitriol and with similar
quantity ola solution of caustic soda (of the
specific gravity already mentloned) until the
paraiIine ceases to render the oil Of vitriol
black 1t is then to be washed in solution
of soda, and lastly with boiling water, until
the water ceases to change the color of red
litmus paper.
The portion remaining will contain a
much larger proportion ofparafiiine than the
paraftine oil at first put in the still contained.
This residue being then distilled over in a
separate vessel, and allowed to cool, par
aiiine may be separated by filtration and
squeezing in cloths, and also purified by