A METHOD OF SEPARATING AND EXTRACTING THE GREASE AND OIL AND OLEAGINOUS MATTER PROM WATER, IN WHICH ANY SUCH MATTER MAY BE CONTAINED, MORE PARTICULARLY THE WATER-USED THE CLEANSING OF WOOL, SPUN WOOL, AND WOOLLEN CLOTH
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY SHEARMAN, of Shaftesbury Crescent, Pimlico, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Victoria, by Her Letters Patent
under the Great Seal of Great Britain, hearing date at Westminster, the
Seventh day of April, in the eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her
heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John Henry Shear-
man, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence, that I, the said
John Henry Shearman, my exors, admors, or assigns, or such others as I; the
said John Henry Shearman, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and all times during the
term of years. therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, cxer-
cise, and vend, within England and Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, an Invention of which I am possessed in consequence of a communica-
tion from a foreigner residing abroad, of "A METHOD OF SEPARATING AND
EXTRACTING THE GREASE AND OIL AND OLEAGINOUS MATTER PROM WATER, IN
WHICH ANY SUCH MATTER MAY BE CONTAINED, MORE PARTICULARLY THE WATER-USED
THE CLEANSING OF WOOL, SPUN WOOL, AND WOOLLEN CLOTH;" in which
said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said John
Henry Shearman, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled

page_text: in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery. within six calendar months next
immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and
by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said.
John Henry Shearman do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is described and ascer-
tained in the following explanation thereof, that is to say :-
The water in which. any grease, .oil, oleaginous or saponaceous matter is
contained, and more particularly the water that has been used in the cleansing
of wool, spun wool, and woollen cloth, is placed in large cisterns. The first
operation is to neutralize the alkali contained in the grease, oil, oleaginous or
saponaceous matter of the water; and any one or more of the acids capable of
saturating or neutralizing alkali, such as sulphuric acid, and which are well
known to chemists, are used and applied for the purpose of decomposition, as
the water varies in consequence of the bases of the soap and calcareous matter
therein being different. It will sometimes be necessary to use and employ
different acids one after the other, and the quantity used varies equally by
reason of the degree of alkali held in solution in the water; the proper acids to
be employed, and their quantities can only be ascertained by trial in each par-
ticular case by the use of the test paper, and other means well known to
chemists, the object to be obtained being the neutralizing or saturating of the
.. alkali matter that is present. After the action of the acids upon the alkali a
scum having the appearance of mud, more or less homogeneous, rises on the
surface of the water, which is taken off carefully by means of a large skimmer
..and put into a large leaden cauldron, or other. vessel not injuriously acted on
by the acid, which vessel is to be heated by steam or otherwise. The scum
produced by this first operation is heated to eighty degrees of Reaumur, that is,
two hundred and twelve degrees of Fahrenheit, and treated with muriatic acid
more or less diluted. The liquid still contained in this scum or mud is allowed
to settle or subside to the bottom of the cauldron or other vessel, from whence
it is withdrawn by a tap or by means of a pump; the residuum or matter
should be then boiled; and after several hours' ebullition the oil appears on
the surface, whence it is taken off from time to time as it presents itself by
means of a large copper shovel, and at last when it ceases to appear the residue
is submitted to the action of a strong press, in order. to extract all the oil
yet retained. The oil or grease obtained by this second operation is in an acid
state, being either stearic, mergaric, oleac acid, or a mixture, which is placed
in a copper cauldron which is heated to sixty or seventy degrees Reaumur, and

page_text: then mixed with powdered chalk, which is thoroughly to be incorporated with
it in order to neutralize all acidity as far as possible, which neutralization is to
be finished by the addition of zinc, either in shavings, filings, or fine powder.
This mixture is to be stirred during thirty minutes, and the degree of heat
during this time gradually increasing to the boiling point of water; it should
then rest for a few minutes, and boiling water to the extent of one-tenth of the
volume of the oil should be poured upon the mass; the whole should again be
mixed during twenty minutes, and then left for about two days, preserving
always a little heat under the cauldron so as to facilitate the precipitation of
the water and other matters. After such time the oil or grease can be drawn
off and used in trade.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in which
manner the same is to be performed, I hereby declare that what I claim as
the Invention intended to be secured, by the said Letters Patent is, the
operating on water containing grease, oil, oleaginous or saponaceous matter for
the purpose of extracting such grease, oil, oleaginous and saponaceous matter
therefrom, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Shearman, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Seventh day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.
J. H. SHEARMAN. (LS.)
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Seventh day of October; in
the year of our Lord 1845, the aforesaid John Henry Shearman, came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-five.