IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SYRUP AND SUGAR
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 66, Chancery Lanc, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF SYRUP AND SUGAR."-A communication from abroad by Narcisse
Pigeon, of Brooklyn, in the State of New York, United States of
America:
Sealed the 16th March 1869, and dated the 16th October 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 16th October 1868.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
3 Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF SYRUP AND SUGAR," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a new process of making a pure syrup and
crystallizable sugar syrup from substances whether extracted from

page_text: Indian corn, cereals, or other analogous vegetable product having a
chemical formula of C, H, O 1º, or closely allied thereto. It also
relates to a process for making a hard crystallized sugar from such
syrups. Starch and cellulose in a nearly solid state are the ordinary
substances from which it is proposed to make the pure syrup and the
crystallizable sugar syrup. Starch is made from grain in the usual
and well-known manner, taking care to obtain as much cellulose as
possible. I not only employ that part of the grain which is starclı, but
also other parts, principally the woody fibres of the grain. Having
obtained the coarse starch and cellulose, the substance is mixed with
warm water either not acidulated or only slightly acidulated with
sulphuric or tartaric acid. No acid is used in the conversion of the
grain into starch, or if used it is only in minute quantities, and
thus the crystallization is facilitated. By this process also grain rich in
convertible matter, as rice, can be immediately converted into sugar, the
gluten staying in the bags of the bag filter. As no acid is employed in
the boiling vessel no bad taste and no hurtful products can be created.
The mixture above described is put into the boiling vessel, and after
hermetically closing the vessel it is submitted to a high heat of not.
less than 325° Fahrenheit. The object and effect of applying this heat
are to avoid the hurtful action of the acids, and to convert the cellulose
and dextrine wholly into sugar. The sweet liquor is drained from the
vessel and as (in any case) there must be always at least traces of acid
it is saturated with carbonate of lime, which is the first but imperfect
neutralizations. The liquor is then filtered through bag filters, and
submitted again with fine bone dust and sometimes with prismatic sugar
to the action of the great heat in the boiling vessel. It is filtered again
and concentrated to 20 Beaumé cold, and allowed to stand in a receiver
at a heat not less than 120° Fahrenheit. It is then filtered through
animal charcoal and neutralized again at the same time by pure hydrate
of soda. The liquor is boiled to about 38° Beaumé cold, and allowed to
crystallize in large moulds.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of "tlic conditions of thie Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Newton in. the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 15tli April 1869..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County. of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
of
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of October, in the year
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-second
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special licence
that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such othiers as I; the said William Edward Newton, my.
executors, administrators, and assigns; should' at any time agree with,.
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend,, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of: Man; an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OP SYRUP AND SUGAR," being, a communication to me:
from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I; the said
William Edward Newton, my executors or. administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In--
vention, and in what manner the same was to be performed; and
cause the. same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar montlis.next and immediately after the date of the said Eetters...
Patent.
NOW KNOW. YE,,that I, tlie said" William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said. Invention, and in what manner the same-
is to be performed, to, be particularly: described. and. ascertained. in and
by the following statement, reference being. had. to the Drawing, here--
unto annexed, and to the letters and. figures. marked. thereon (that is to.
say):-
This Invention relates to a new process of making a pure syrup and
crystallizable sugar syrup from substances whether extracted fron Indian
corn, cereals, or other analogous vegetable product having a chemicali

page_text: formula of C2, H10, O10, or closely allied thereto. It also relates to a
process for making a hard crystallized sugar from such syrups. Starch
and cellulose in a nearly solid state are the ordinary substances from
which it is proposed to make the pure syrup and the crystallizable sugar
syrup. I first state herein the steps of the process, and will repeat those
steps in connection with the working directions as to the proportion of
materials and the use of the apparatus to be employed.
First, for the extraction and preparation of the substances to be
sacharified. Starch is made from grain in the usual and well-known
manner, taking care however to obtain as much cellulose as possible.
In this respect the process therefore somewhat differs from the usual
methods of making sugar syrups from grain or potatoes, as I not only
employ that part of the grain which is starch, but also other parts prin-
cipally the woody fibres of the grain. Having obtained the coarse starch
and cellulose, &c., these substances are mixed with warm water, either
not acidulated or only slightly acidulated with sulphuric or tartaric acid,
in the manner herein-after described. The difference in this respect
between other processes and the present is that in the present no acid
is used in the conversion of the grain into starch; or if used it is only
used in minute quantities, and thus by creating no intermediate product
the crystallization is facilitated. By this process also grain rich in con-
vertible matter, as rice, can be immediately converted into, sugar, the
gluten staying in the bags of the bag filter. As no acid is employed in
the boiling vessel no bad taste and no hurtful products can be created.
The mixture above described is put into the boiling vessel, and after
hermetically closing the vessel it is submitted to a high heat of not less
than three hundred and twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit, in the manner
herein-after described. The object and effect of applying this heat is to
avoid the hurtful action of the acids, and to convert the cellulose and
dextrine wholly into sugar, in the manner herein-after described. The
sweet liquor is drained from the vessel, and as (in any case) there must
be always at least traces of acid it is saturated with carbonate of lime,
which is the first but imperfect neutralization. The liquor is then
filtered through bag filters, and submitted again with fine boue dust and
sometimes with prismatic sugar to the action of the great heat in the
.boiling vessel. It is filtered again and concentrated to twenty Baumé
cold, and allowed to stand in a receiver at a heat not less than ono
hundred and twenty degrees Fahrenheit. It is then filtered through

page_text: animal charcoal, and noutralized again at the same time by pure hydrato
of soda. This second neutralization renders the liquor entirely freo
from any acid and thus favors crystallization. The liquor is boiled to
about thirty-eight degrees Baumé cold, and allowed to crystallize in
large moulds.
I will now explain the working rules of the method of using the appa-
ratus, hereafter described, which is to be employed for boiling:-Tho
substances to be sacharified are generally extracted from corn or other
vegetable product in the modern and well-known method of making
starch, using in steeping a weak solution of caustic soda. The puri-
fication of the matter is effected by washing it upon inclined tables or
spouts as practised in starch factories. The gluten and lighter matters
are carried off and let fall into a wooden vessel. The gluten after being
washed may be used for making a cheap but nutritious bread. The
fecula and cellulose from the tables are washed first with alkaline water,
and then several times with pure water. They are then treated with
hydrochlorio ar sulphuric acid. About one per cent. of such acid is
mixed with the amylaceous substance, which if in a dry state has been
diluted in less than its own weight of water. After standing twenty-
four hours the matter is washed with pure water. It will be seen from
tho above that an alkali and an acid are employed alternately. What ono
substance will not decompose and purify the other will. I would here
observe that I am aware others have employed an alkali alone or an
acid alone. For forming the mixture that is to be introduced into the
boiling vessel I put two hundred pounds of the convertible matter into
three hundred and twenty pounds of water, with one-half of one per
cent, of sulphuric acid to every two hundred pounds of the matter, and
with about one-half of one per cent. of superphosphate of lime: This
mixture is to be boiled at a high heat, but to produce a perfectly crys-
tallizable sugar syrup the heat is increased to not less than three hundred
and twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit, and the convertible matter having
been prepared as aforesaid no acid is added in the boiling vessel;
cellulose and other matters are entirely converted (cellulose begins to
be converted at three hundred and twenty-four degrees), the production
of sulphoglucic acid being thus avoided.

page_text: apparatus in which the heat is applied to the substances to be operated
upon; Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the same..
A is a strong iron boiler or vessel, which is made in three sections,
cach two feet high and five feet in diameter. It is convex at each end,
and every part of its interior (when acid is used) is lined with lead, or
the vessel itself may be enamelled.. B is a strong lead pipe to introduce
the steam. The iron part or outside shell of the apparatus is perforated
with holes one-eighth of an inch in diameter to allow the air to escape.
A safety valve or steam gauge and a sugar pan thermometer should be
attached to the upper end or head of the apparatus. Into this boiling
vessel is conveyed the mixture prepared, as above described, either with
or without acid according to the intended application of the heat in the
boiling vessel, and which heat is applied in the following manner :-
First. A quantity of this mixture, containing two hundred pounds of
the convertible matter, is conveyed into the boiling vessel A. A further
quantity is then prepared and introduced, and so on successively until
twelve or fourteen hundred pounds of the convertible matter have been
conveyed into the boiling vessel. The apparatus A is then closed
hermetically, and the heat of its contents is gradually raised according
to the desired result, and a pressure is kept up generally from fifty to
ninety-five pounds to the square inch. When the conversion of the
matter is completed according to the desired quality of the sugar or
syrup, the steam is turned off, and the liquor is drawn out. The liquor
then ought to show about nine degrees Baumé warm. The saturation
is now effected, and the sweet liquor is filtered through bags. For
crystallization the clear liquor is brought back to the boiling vessel, and
submitted again to the action of the great heat with about five per cent.
of well purified bone dust. The crystallizability of the syrup is thus
augmented. It is then filtered again, and evaporated in an ordinary
evaporator such as is used for evaporating cane juice, the liquor is con-
centrated to twenty degrees Baumé cold, and allowed to stand for
precipitation. The syrup is then filtered through bone black, and
treated at the same time with hydrate of soda. This hydrate of soda is
put on the top of the charcoal in the filter at the same time that the
syrup is going in. This operation renders the syrup perfectly neutral,
and by the manner in which the hydrate is applied no glucic. acid is
formed, and in the boiling which is the next step no melassic acid is
created; this is the second or the perfect neutralization. The clear

page_text: syrup, perfectly neutral, free from salts or other impuritics is now boiled
in the vacuum pan to about thirty-eight degrees when cold, it is then
put into large moulds for crystallization. It must be always remembered
that to make this kind of sugar readily crystallizable it must contain no
dextrine or nearly none, and must be free from alkali or any acid, also
from sulphate of lime or other salts, and it must be worked in the same
manner as raw cane sugar would be, that is, it must be put into moulds,
drained and clayed. The 'temperature of the rooms in which the
crystallization is to take place should be about seventy-five degrees.
The moulds should be drained and clayed, and then they should be
placed in a room heated to about ninety degrees. This first crystal-
lization makes a sugar suitable for different purposes, such as to enrich
wine. When the syrup is made for brewers' use or other similar uses
twenty-five per cent. or more of dextrine is left in it, and after being
boiled at thirty-eight degrees in the vacuum pan it is let down in a
peculiar kind of mixer where it is cooled, and from which it is put into
barrels. The sugar thus produced is then subjected to a second crystal-
lization,
, with the addition of prismatic sugar in the proportion of at
least one-tenth. The mixed sugars are defecated, filtered, and submitted
to the great heat, and when a change takes place a hard well grained
sugar will be the result.
A good marketable sugar resembling in some respects Manilla
sugar is made by a single crystallization as follows:-When in the
above process the clear liquor is brought back with five per cent. of
charcoal to the boiling vessel, ten per cent. of prismatic sugar is added,
and the whole is submitted to the high heat. The then uncrystallizable
sugar becomes crystallizable to a certain extent.
I do not limit myself to the use of the precise apparatus herein
described for boiling, because one important and characteristic feature
of the process consists in applying the heat to the convertible matter
without any acid (or hardly any) in order to convert properly the said
matter into sugar, and this can be done in any apparatus in which the
heat can be applied, substantially in the manner and for the purpose
above described.
Having now described the Invention which has been communicated to
me as aforesaid, and having explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as
aforesaid,-

page_text: First. The within described process of manufacturing a pure syrup
and crystallizable sugar syrup from Indian corn or other similar
substances.
Second. The within described process of manufacturing a hard crystal-
lized sugar.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Fifteenth day of April,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)