IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & C° Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings, London, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR
AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR," and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement.
This invention has for its object to produce sugar directly from sugary substances
by means of an improved process without resorting to the numerous intermediate
processes heretofore employed; and it consists partly in freeing the sugary
substances from their water by means of vaporous spirits or alcohol-steam, and
then subjecting the substances thus freed from their water, to the action of hot
liquid alcohol in order to extract therefrom the sugar only, by forming a sugáry
solution or alcoholic liquor, and to rob them of none of their azotic component parts
or nutritive salts which will render them valuable as food for cattle after all the
sugar is extracted therefrom; and it also consists in passing the alcoholic liquor,
or sugary solution, through a suitable filter to neutralize such acid salts as may be
contained therein, before separating the alcohol from the sugar in the said alcoholic
liquor. The said invention moreover comprises the improved apparatus herein
described.
Before entering into a detailed description of my improved process of and
apparatus for producing sugar from sugary substances as above mentioned, I will.
first state the principles upon which my invention is based, that is to say-
First. The juice of beet-root, sugar-cane, and other sugary substance, contains
chiefly crystallizable sugar, while uncrystallizable sugar is caused to originate
therein partly from the present mode of treatment, and partly by reason of the
changing or "inverting " action of acids which will assume a concentrated form
when the juice is concentrated, dried or evaporated. Therefore, in order to obviate
these difficulties it is desirable to have a suitable means for gradually removing the .
water from the juice of the sugary substances, without causing any concentration
of the acids to take place, and then, by means of a suitable solvent, to extract the

page_text: "
sugar from the said substances so as to obtain the sugar in a pure and crystallizable
state practically unmixed with acids.
Second. As stated in the preceding paragraph the removal, by means of a drying
process, of the water contained in the sugary substances cannot be recommended,
and neither will it be recommendable to extract, by means of a solvent, such as
alcohol, the sugar contained in the dried substances, firstly, because of the concen-
tration of the juice of the sugary substances (which concentration results from the
drying process) causing the concentrated acids to act with a changing or inverting
effect upon the crystallizable.sugar, and then, because of a thorough extraction of
the sugar from the coagulum of the protoplasm being hardly ever attainable. By 1
subjecting, however, the sugary substances to the action of alcohol-steam obtained
from highly rectified alcohol, so that the said alcohol-steam is continually supplied
to and passed through the said substances, the latter will be freed rapidly from
their water. The albuminates, vegetable jellies, or pectous substances, and gummous
combinations are gradually precipitated to form thin flakes in the juice of the
sugary substances as the latter are freed from their water, the cellular membranes
are burst in consequence of the withdrawal of the water, and the cells are opened
and the water therein is replaced by alcohol. Volatile acids are carried off by the
alcohol-steam, non-volatile acids are hardly ever present in the sugary juice, and
if present, are mostly insoluble in alcohol. By continually impregnating, with
highly rectified alcohol, sugary substances previously freed from their water and
opened by means of alcohol-steam, all the sugar contained in the said substances
may be caused to combine with the alcohol so as to form therewith an alcoholic
solution while the pectous and gummous substances, albuminates, and practically
all the acids and salts, will remain in the residuary mass of the sugary
substances.
. '
Third. Passing an alcoholic solution of sugar obtained by extracting the sugar,
by means of alcohol, from sugary substances previously freed from their water by
'means of alcohol-steam, and containing small quantities of non-volatile acids or
acid salts, through a filter composed of lime or chalk, will cause the acids or acid
salts contained therein to be bound or neutralized, and sugar will hardly be lost by
reason of lime-saccharate being formed. The sugar from the alcoholic solution or
liquor thus freed from its acids or acid salts may then be obtained in a practically
pure state by separating the alcohol from the solution or liquor.
Fourth. The alcohol which may have remained in the residuary mass of sugary
substances after the latter have been treated as mentioned in the preceding
paragraphs, may be expelled therefrom by converting it into alcohol-steam when
the remaining mass of the said substances will form a material containing, in a
concentrated form, all the nutritious matter of the original sugary substances, with
'the only exception of water and sugar.
Fifth. The sugar arrested as saccharate in a filter composed of lime or chalk,
'may be obtained therefrom in the usual and well-known manner, and the salts
that may have been formed in such filter, will be valuable for manuring purposes.
Now, in accordance with the above stated principles, or motives, my said
improved process of producing sugar from sugary substances is as follows:-
The sugary substances, (such as shavings of beet-root, triturated beet-root or
sugar-cane, glucose, or other equivalent and preferably comminuted materials) are
placed in a suitable receptacle and subjected to the action of alcohol preferably in
a highly rectified state so that when the said alcohol is converted into steam, the
alcohol-steam thus produced will carry off the water contained in the said sugary
substances. The alcohol may be so supplied that on entering the said receptacle
containing the sugary substances, it will at once be converted into alcohol-steam,
and the latter is then passed through the said sugary substances to combine with
the water contained in the latter and thus to free the same of their aqueous
component parts. The alcohol-steam laden with the water with which it has
combined during its passage through the said receptacle containing the said
sugary substances, is then conducted into a suitable refining-apparatus to be.

page_text: rectified again, and 18 passed through a suitable niter containing nine or chank fo
the purpose of neutralizing such volatile acids as may-have combined with the said
alcohol-steam during the combination of the latter with the water of the sugary
substances. The alcohol-steam may then be subjected to another process of
dephlegmation by passing it through a suitable cooling or dephlegmating-apparatus.
The said steam being now in a highly rectified state again, is then passed through
another suitable cooling-apparatus, or condenser, and transformed into its original
liquid state again. In this state, and while yet comparatively hot, it may again be
supplied to the said receptacle containing the sugary substances, and there be
applied, in the manner above described, to free the said substances from another
part of their water. The sugary substances are thus kept continually in an
atmosphere of alcohol-steam, and in such atmosphere they are rapidly freed from
their water, without there being any considerable amount of heat required for
converting the alcohol into steam, as I condense the circulating alcohol so as to
give it a temperature of about from 120 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, while, as is
well-known, highly rectified alcohol allows of being converted into steam when its
temperature is raised to only a few degrees more. I continue in this manner until
all the water contained in the said sugary substances, is removed. This being.
accomplished the said sugary substances thus freed from their water, are subjected
to the action of hot liquid alcohol in order to extract the sugar contained therein,
and for this purpose I thoroughly mix the said substances with the said hot
alcohol, and pass the alcoholic solution of sugar, or liquor, thus obtained into a
suitable heated vessel. In this vessel the alcohol contained in the said solution
of sugar, or liquor, is transformed into alcohol-steam, and the latter is conducted
from the said vessel to some suitable condenser to be transformed into its former
liquid state again, while the sugar contained in the said liquor remains alone in the"
said vessel. The condensed alcohol may be supplied again to the receptacle
containing the sugary substances to form another solution with the sugar contained
in the said substances, and the said solution will then be treated again in the
same manner as described. The alcohol-steam from the vessel containing the
alcoholic liquor, is condensed so that it will have a temperature of about from 120
to 150 degrees Fahrenheit and will not require heating when applied again for the
purpose of extracting further quantities of sugar from the sugary substances."
I continue in this manner until all the sugar contained in the said sugary substances
freed from their water as described, is extracted therefrom.-The alcoholic liquor
obtained by treating the said sugary substances with hot alcohol in the manner
described, is passed through a filter composed of chalk or lime before it is allowed
to enter the said vessel in which the sugar is separated from the alcohol, in order
to neutralize such acid salts as may be contained in the said alcoholic liquor. All
the sugar having been extracted from the said sugary substances, the latter are
subjected to the action of heat to free them from the remaining traces of alcohol,
and will form a very nutritious food for cattle having lost hardly any of their
azotic component parts, or of their nutritive salts.
To enable others skilled in the art to better understand the nature of my
invention I will now proceed to describe the same when carried into effect by
applying the apparatus shown in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is
a front view, partly in section, of my improved apparatus for producing sugar
from sugary substances, while Figure 2 is a plan-view of the main parts of the
same such as are required for setting clearly the nature of my invention.
Reference being had to the accompanying drawing A represents an air-tight
receptacle made of copper or other suitable metal, having a conical sieve-bottom a,
and provided with the steam-pipe 6 which is arranged in the shape of a serpentine
near the sides of the bottom of the receptacle A and supplied with steam from any
suitable source. c is a removable bottom-piece, or plug, suitably fastened in the
lower end of the receptacle A, and d is a pipe connecting the latter with a refining-
apparatus B of the usual and well-known construction. C is an outlet-pipe from
the refining-apparatus B in which is inserted a filter K containing pieces of lime or
712

page_text: -
chalk, and D is a cooler, or dephlegmating-apparatus, entered by the said pipe C.
The cooler D is of the usual and well-known construction, being provided with two
partitions connected by a series of pipes open at both ends, and the cooling-water
from any suitable source entering the space between the said partitions through
the pipe a¹ and flowing off through the waste-delivery, or overflow-pipe a². b³ is
a pipe connecting the cooler D with the refining-apparatus B, and 6¹ is a pipe
connecting the said cooler D with the cooler or condenser, E, which may be of any
convenient and well-known construction. In the present instance the said
condenser E is supplied through the pipe e¹ with cooling-water from any suitable
The
source while the waste-water flows off through the overflow-pipe e.
condenser E is arranged upon an air-tight reservoir F which serves for the
reception of condensed alcohol. f is a pipe connecting the reservoir F with the
lower part of the receptacle A, the said pipe being provided with the stop-cock fl
and the non-return or check-valve f*. is a connecting-pipe between the upper
part of the receptacle A and the reservoir F which is provided with the stop-
cock f and is partly constructed in the form of a serpentine so as to offer an
extensive area to the heating action of steam or hot water which may be supplied,
if required, to its surrounding steam or hot water-chamber f* from any suitable
source. His a filter containing pieces of lime or chalk, or any suitable material
impregnated with a solution of lime, and I is a vessel having double walls for the
reception of hot water or low pressure steam from any suitable source, and being
provided, at its lower end, with a removable bottom, or plug, is, held and packed
therein in any convenient and well-known manner. G is a telescopic siphon-pipe
which can be adjusted in a vertical direction and is provided with the stop-cock g'
and a suitable check-valve. This siphon-pipe G connects the lower part of the
receptacle A with the filter H, while the connection between the latter and the
vessel I is established by means of the connecting pipe h¹ in which is inserted an
areometer of the usual and well-known construction. is a pipe connecting
the vessel I with the condenser E, and J is an air-pipe between the reservoir F
and the receptacle A. The pipe J near its end adjacent to the receptacle A, is
provided with a stop-cock and, near its middle, is entered by the serpentine-pipe,¹
which is open at its outer end and surrounded by a suitable water-chamber, the
latter being supplied with cooling-water from any suitable source through the
pipe, the waste-water flowing off through the overflow-pipe j³. d' is an overflow-
pipe connected with the lower part of the refining-apparatus B.
Having thus described the general construction of my improved apparatus adapted
for carrying into effect my said improved process of producing sugar from sugary
substances, I will now proceed to describe its operation when employed for the
purposes of my invention.
The receptacle A having been filled to about three fourths of its height with the
comminuted sugary substances, steam is supplied to the serpentine pipe b and the
stop-cock f of the pipe fis opened so, that the highly rectified alcohol which is
contained in a liquid state in the reservoir F, will run down through the pipe f
into the lower part of the receptacle A where it is at once converted into alcohol
steam by the heated serpentine pipe b. The alcohol-steam thus produced will pass
in an upward direction through the mass of comminuted sugary substances within
the receptacle A, and absorb part of their water, whereupon it will enter the
pipe d and, pass through the same, to the refining-apparatus B in which it will
rise and, in the manner well-known, be freed from the greater part of its water
the latter flowing down into the lower or bottom-part of the refining-apparatus to
be educted therefrom through the waste-delivery, or overflow-pipe, d', after it has
risen therein to a certain height. The alcohol-steam leaves the refining apparatus B
through the pipe C in a considerably rectified state, passes through the lime or
chalk-filter K which wil absorb such volatile acids as may have combined with
the alcohol-steam during its passage through the sugary substances, and then
enters the cooler, or dephleginating-apparatus, D, where it is freed from the
remainder of its aqueo: s parts, or phlegm, the latter being returned through the

page_text: pipe 6 to the refining-apparatus B while the alcohol-steam which is now in a
highly rectified state again, passes through the pipe 61 and enters the cooler, or
condenser, E, to be condensed into its original liquid state and then he delivered
into the reservoir F again, whence it will commence, through the pipe ƒ, the same
circulation as above described until it has absorbed and carried off all the water
contained in the sugary substances.-The pipe f is provided with a check-valve f*
in order to prevent the alcohol-steam produced in the lower part of the receptacle A,
from throwing back the alcohol in the pipe finto the reservoir F and the parts
connected therewith.
All the water having thus been removed from the sugary substances, the cock f¹
of the pipe fis closed, the steam entering the serpentine pipe b is cut off, and the
cock of the pipe f is opened so that the liquid alcohol will now flow down
upon the sugary substances and thoroughly soak or impregnate the same in order
to extract the sugar therefrom by forming an alcoholic solution, or liquor, with the
sugary component parts of the said sugary substances. The liquid alcohol from
the reservoir F enters the receptacle A at a temperature of about from 120 to
150 degrees Fahrenheit, and such temperature may be readily maintained by
.condensing the alcohol-steam in the condenser E so as to give it the said
temperature, but in case of an artificial heating of the liquid alcohol being required,,
steam or hot water may be supplied to the chamber f* surrounding the serpentine-
part of the pipe f³, as will be readily understood. As the alcoholic. liquor in the
receptacle A commences gradually to rise, the cock g₁ of the siphon-pipe G is
opened, and when the level of the alcoholic liquor has risen to a line above the
upper end of the said siphon-pipe, the said liquor will be drawn through the
siphon-pipe G and flow through the lime or chalk-filter H to neutralize such acid
salts as may have combined with the alcoholic liquor. The latter will then pass
into the heated vessel I where the alcohol is separated from the sugar by converting
the former into alcohol-steam which will ascend through the pipe leading to the
condenser E, to be condensed into liquid alcohol and delivered into the reservoir F
again whence it will commence, through the pipe f, the same circulation as above
described until it has extracted all the sugar from the sugary substances in the
receptacle A. This may be readily seen from the indications of the areometer h³
inserted in the pipe as is well understood. The alcohol returned to the
reservoir F from the vessel I, will require no rectification whatever, since it has
not absorbed any water during its circulation as an extracting agent. The sugar
from the sugary substances is thus collected in a pure state in the vessel I and
may be readily obtained therefrom by removing the bottom i³.
.
The air-pipe J between the reservoir F and the receptacle A, by opening its
stop-cock during the extraction of the sugar from the sugary substances, serves the
purpose of maintaining the circulation of the liquid alcohol and the operation of
the siphon G, as will be readily understood. The serpentine pipe j¹ forming a
part of the said air-pipe, is provided in order to prevent from escaping such
alcohol-steam as might enter the pipe J from the reservoir F, by condensing the
said steam into liquid alcohol again and returning the latter through the inclined
part of the said pipe J to the said reservoir F.
All the sugar having been extracted from the sugary substances in the
receptacle A the stop-cocks of the pipes f, f, G, and J, are closed and steam is
supplied to the serpentine pipe 6 again in order to free the said extracted
substances from the remaining traces of alcohol which will be converted into
alcohol-steam and pass through the pipe d, the refining column B, pipe C and
other parts to the condenser E where the steam is condensed into liquid form and
delivered into the reservoir F. The residuum of the sugary substances is then
taken out of the receptacle A by removing the bottom c of the latter, and may
be pressed into cakes, stored away, and afterwards used as a most valuable food
for cattle.
I am well aware of the fact that heretofore various experiments have been made
to extract, in a direct way, the sugar from sugary substances by means of some

page_text: suitable solvent, but all such experiments have failed, partly for the reason that
the sugar extracted would combine with the non-sugary component parts of the
sugary material and thus render a subsequent refining indispensable, and partly
because the sugar itself would change into inverted sugar which would cause a
considerable loss of crystallizable sugar. It is also known to me that alcohol has
been used experimentally for the purpose of insulating the sugar from sugary
substances, but all the attempts made in this respect have failed, likewise. In one
instance, it has been tried to macerate by means of alcohol the dried shavings of
beet-root but such process would allow of insulating a limited percentage only of
the crystallizable sugar originally contained in the said sugary substances, since,
firstly, in consequence of the drying of the latter the acids were concentrated in
the juice and would act so as to change or "invert" the sugar, and, then, for the
reason that in consequence of drying the said sugary substances by means of a
drying process, the albuminates and the protoplasm would coagulate and close the
cells, and the latter would thus retain part of the sugar so that a complete
extraction was utterly impossible.-I am also aware of another experiment that
has been made to extract the sugar by means of alcohol, but in this instance the
sugary substances were previously treated with lime, and the residuary mass
obtained therefrom could not be used as food for cattle. In a third instance
which I am aware of, alcohol has been used in the manufacture of sugar as a
refining or precipitating agent with a view to dispense with the bone-black
generally used for refining sugar.
Experiments have also been made to lixiviate with alcohol sugary substances in
their native state, but the alcoholic solution thereby obtained would contain about
fifty percent of water and considerable quantities of .non-sugary component parts
of the said sugary substances, particularly of salts soluble in aqueous alcohol, and
the said non-sugary component parts and salts could not be removed without
employing the usual and well-known processes, while, furthermore, in condensing
the watery alcoholic solution containing considerable quantities of volatile and
non-volatile acids and acid salts, a considerable part of the sugar was changed into
inverted sugar under the action of the concentrated acids.
I obviate all the above-mentioned difficulties by my improved process of
previously freeing the sugary substances from their water by means of alcohol-
steam, and then extracting by means of hot rectified alcohol the sugar from the
mass of sugary substances thus freed from their water, and separating from the
alcoholic liquor thereby obtained such acid salts as may be contained therein, by
passing the said alcoholic liquor through a filter composed of lime or chalk, while,
at the same time, I obtain by my improved process a valuable and nutritious food
for cattle by leaving in the residuary mass of the sugary substances nearly all their
original azotic component parts and nutritive salts.
I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do in no wise confine myself to the
employment of the improved apparatus hereinbefore described, for carrying into
effect my improved process of producing sugar from sugary substances, and that I
can make use of any suitable apparatus adapted for practising my said improved
process, without thereby deviating from the nature of my invention.
I wish it also to be understood that I propose to apply my improved process and
apparatus for producing sugar from sugary substances of any nature, and that I do
not limit my invention to producing a certain kind of sugar, but claim the
employment of the same for the purpose of producing cane-sugar, beet-sugar,
starch-sugar, or any other kind of sugar. When applying my improved process
and apparatus for the purpose of producing starch-sugar the sugary glucose is
treated in exactly the same manner as herein before described with reference to any
other sugary substances, and I obtain the starch-sugar in a pure state in the said
vessel 1, while dextrin and amylin will form the residuum of the extracted glucose
in the receptacle A.
I furthermore wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to converting
the alcohol into alcohol-steam as it enters the receptacle containing the sugary

page_text: substances, but that I may if desired mix the said substances with liquid alcohol
in the said receptacle and then convert the alcohol into steam so that the latter
will carry along with it, in the manner above described, the water it has absorbed
from the sugary substances, as will be readily understood.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is,
,
1. In the manufacture of sugar the process of freeing the sugary substances
from their water by means of alcohol-steam, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
•
2. In the manufacture of sugar the process of first freeing the sugary substances
from their water by means of alcohol-steam, and then extracting the sugar from
the said substances by means of rectified alcohol, substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
3. In the manufacture of sugar the process of first freeing the sugary substance
from their water by means of alcohol steam, then extracting the sugar from the
said substances by means of rectified alcohol, and finally passing the alcoholic
solution of sugar thus obtained, through a filter composed as described, substantially
as, and for the purpose, set forth.
4. In an apparatus for producing sugar from sugary substances, the combination,
with the receptacle A, of the reservoir F, the pipe f having the check-valve f* the
pipe d, the refining-apparatus B, and the filter K substantially as, and for the
purpose, specified.
5. In an apparatus for producing sugar from sugary substances, the combination,
with the receptacle A, of the reservoir F, the pipe f³, the air-pipe J having the
serpentine-pipe, and the siphon-pipe G, substantially as, and for the purpose,
set forth.
6. In an apparatus for producing sugar from sugary substances, the combination,
with the receptacle A, of the siphon-pipe G, the filter H,' and the vessel I,
substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
'Dated this 13th day of February 1884.