IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANNER OF TREATING BEETROOT AND ALL OTHER SUGARY AND FECULENT VEGETABLES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hugues Champonnois, of Chaumont, Civil Engineer,
and Jean Baptiste Bavelier, of Dijon, Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANNER OF TREATING BEETROOT AND ALL OTHER
SUGARY AND FECULENT VEGETABLES."
Sealed the 3rd November 1854, and dated the 25th July 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hugues Champonnois
and Jean Baptiste Bavelier at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 25th July 1854.
We, HUGUES CHAMPONNOIS, of Chaumont, Civil Engineer, and JEAN BAP-
TISTE BAVELIEB, of Dijon, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANNER OF TREATING BEETROOT AND
ALL OTHER SUGARY AND FECULENT VEGETABLES" to be as follows:-
Our Invention has for its effect the extraction from beetroot and other
sacharine and feculent vegetables nearly the whole of the fermenting matters,
and converting them into alcohol in a nearly absolute degree by a particular
method of fermentation. Our principle is based on the maceration by the
vinasse and continuous fermentation. For the first operation the beetroot cane
or any other sacharine vegetables are divided, placed in a vat, and methodically
washed by the boiling vinasse from the still. The result by this method is
economy of water, and heat to raise this water to the required temperature,
rendering useful the elements contained in the viuasse to act chemically in the

page_text: maceration, and to predispose the sacharine matter to ferment, and recon-
struction of the vegetables or plants in all their qualities as nutritive food for
animals. For the second operation the vats are united by pipes and taps, so as
to allow the separation from one to the other. When a vat is in active fer-
mentation, or has finished fermenting, it is divided into an empty vat, and the
juice introduced as fast as it is produced. In this manner the juice to he
fermented is immediately brought in contact with a large activé mass, which
determines and forces the fresh juice to a regular fermentation, (by this process
there is neither stoppage nor slowness, therefore no subsequent alterations
follow.) This mode of fermentation applies equally and with the same success
to solid and coarsely divided as well as farinaceous substances, treated in this
method to clear wort or clammy matter.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Hugues Champonnois and Jean Baptiste Bavelier in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th January 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, HUGUES
CHAMPONNOIS, of Chaumont, Civil Engineer, and JEAN BAPTISTE BAVELIER, of
Dijon, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did; for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto them,
the said Hugues Champonnois and Jean Baptiste Bavelier, Her special licence
that they, the said Hugues Champonncis and Jean Baptiste Bavelier, their
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as they, the said
Hugues Champonnois and Jean Baptiste Bavelier, their executors, adminis-
trators, 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 MANNER OF TREATING BEETROOT AND ALL
OTHER SUGARY AND FECULENT VEGETABLES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that they, the said Hugues Champonnois and Jean Baptiste Bavelier, by an
instrument in writing under their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same,

page_text: was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendár months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that they, the said Hugues Champonnois and Jean
Baptiste Bavelier, do hereby declare the nature of their said. Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our Invention consists of two principal parts, viz., first, an improved
method of maceration, or extracting of the saccharine principle from beetroot
or other vegetable substances containing saccharine matters; and, second,
an improved mode of fermentation for the worts or juices obtained from all
sorts of vegetable substances containing feculent or saccharine principles.
Both parts united, or either of them seperately, may be applied for the
manufacture of vinous liquors suitable for distilling, whether these vinous
liquors, worts, or mashes are obtained from grains or any other vegetable sub-
stances containing feculent or saccharine matters, such for instance as beetroot,
topinambours, sorgho, mais, sugar-cane, &c..
Our improved method of maceration consists of extracting the saccharine
principles from beetroot or other vegetable substances containing saccharine
matters by the aid of the spent wash (vinasse), obtained from the distillation of
the said saccharine juices of the said vegetable substances; or in other words,
by applying to the said substances juices of the same nature as those contained
in them, but which juices have been previously deprived of their saccharine
principles. This part of our Invention we effect in the following manner :-
The beetroot or other vegetable substances from which the saccharine prin-
ciples are to be extracted are cut into thin slices, or otherwise brought into a
suitably divided state, and in this state thrown into a tun or other suitable
vessel, provided with a perforated false bottom placed in the interior of the tun
at a suitable distance from the real bottom. The tun being nearly filled with
the materials, another perforated plate is placed over these latter and properly
fixed, in order to prevent the divided vegetable substances in the tun from
removing; two, three, or more tuns are arranged in a similar manner, and are
made to communicate with each other by means of pipes leading from the open
distances between the two bottoms of one vessel to the upper part of another
vessel, where the pipes open just above the perforated covering plate. The
pipes aro provided with proper cocks. Two or more of these tuns having been
arranged in the manner just mentioned, the spent wash (vinasse) in the hot
state, as the same comes from the still, is poured over the substances contained
in the first tun; which spent wash being obliged to percolate through the entire

page_text: mass of the said substances, expels the saccharine juice contained in them, and
takes the place of these juices, which are compelled to pass by means of the
above-mentioned pipe, either to the upper part of a second tun, or to one of the
fermenting vats; the upper part of the pipe being provided with a cock, by
means of which the communication may be established at pleasure, either
between two macerating tuns or between one macerating tun and one of the
fermenting vats. As long as the juice that runs off' is of the required strength;
the same is directed to the fermenting vats; but as soon as the same becomes
too weak for being applied advantageously to distillation, the juice is conveyed
to the upper part of the next macerating tun, which tun has been filled pre-
viously with fresh materials, in the manner as has been described, whereas the
first tun is emptied and filled again with fresh materials. We must indicate
here, that it may be necessary to heat the weak juice running off from the first
macerating tun before passing the same to the second tun, which heating may
take place by passing the juice in a suitable heating vessel, or by any other
suitable means. It will be readily understood that by this process a continuous
macerating or extracting of the saccharine juice of the vegetable substances
will take place by means of the spent wash proceeding from the still, this
spent wash forcing the saccharine juice from out the said vegetable substances;
which juice, as long as it has the required strength, is conveyed to the fer-
menting vats; whereas, as soon as the same is no more of the required strength,
the same is poured over fresh materials, of which the juice is to be extracted,
contained in another macerating tun.
We have to observe here, that for the putting into operation of a distillery,
when consequently no distillation having yet taken place no spent wash is
existing, we use heated water instead of spent wash for putting the macerating
tuns into activity; but as soon as a sufficient quantity of spent wash has been
produced, this is at once employed for the macerating process.
We will now describe the second part of our Invention, namely, our mode
of fermentation:-This our mode of fermentation consists in utilizing as a
fermentative agent the fermentative power acquired by juices or worts in actual
fermentation.
In order to do this, the lower part of two or more fermenting vats com-
municate by means of pipes provided with cocks, by means of which the
communication between one or more of these vats may be established at a
proper moment as soon as the juice in one of the fermenting vats is in full
fermentation, which for the first time may be established by any of the known
One half of the juice is conveyed by the above-mentioned pipe to the
next fermenting vat; after which, fresh juice is introduced by small portions in
ineans.

page_text: both vats, by which means the fermentation will continue in both vats; and will
cease only when a full vat is left for distilling. Two or more fermenting vats may
be arranged in this manner; but for a regular and continuous operation for a
distillery, at least four fermenting vats are required; the fermentation may be
regulated at pleasure by the quantity, the strength, and the degree of heat of
the juice introduced in the vats.
This mode of obtaining a continuous fermentation may be applied to all sorts
of saccharine or feculent juices, whether they proceed from grains, potatoes,
syrups, &c., or whether the matters are in a liquid, or in a pasty, or clammy,
or coarsely divided state, or whether they are roots or plants containing sugar,
and being simply in a divided state, and made to ferment in the juices of
preceeding operations, and distilled in this state.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
putting the same into operation, we wish it to be understood that what we
claim as our Invention consists of,-
First, the method of maceration, or extracting the saccharine juices from
vegetable matters containing sugar, by means of juices of the same nature, but
which have been previously deprived in part or entirely of the sugar they
originally contained.
Second, the mode of utilizing the fermentative power of liquors in actual
fermentation as a means of producing fermentation in other suitable liquors.
In witness whereof, we, the said Hugues Champonnois and Jean Baptiste
Bavelier, have hereunto set our hands and scals, this Nineteenth day
of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-five.
HUGU
CHAM UNNOIS.
JEAN BAPTISTE BAVELIER.
(L.S.)
(L.8.)