The Manufacture of Charcoal from Sawdust, Wood Shavings, and the like, and the Treatment of Wine, Alcohol, Brandy, Cider, Beer, and other Matters therewith.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Dec., 1891-Accepted, 9th Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
The Manufacture of Charcoal from Sawdust, Wood Shavings, and the
like, and the Treatment of Wine, Alcohol, Brandy, Cider, Beer,
and other Matters therewith.
I, FULBERT LEON CALMANT of 135 Rue St. Charles, Paris in the Republic of
France, Cheinist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the manufacture and use of charcoal derived from saw-
dust, shavings, turnings and dust from grinding and rasping of all sorts of barked
wood, for the treatment of wine, cider, and beer of bad Havour acquired from casks
or from defects caused by the vinification having taken place under bad climatic
conditions or other variable causes. I also apply it to the purification of low wine,
of crude alcohol, of alcohol in various stages of manufacture, of brandy and of
waters; also syrup glucose, molasses &c.
I divide the sawdust shavings, and the ground or rasped wood into two classes;
these two classes are the soft woods and the hard woods."
The sawdusts of the first and second class, as well as the wood reduced to grains
by grinding or rasping should be passed through a first coarse sieve which retains
the chips of wood stones and other large foreign matter and then to a second very
fine sieve which only allows the wood powder and the pulverulent calcareous matter
attached to the wood to pass through; this preparatory process allows the sawdust
or grain from the grinding or rasping of the wood to be obtained almost pure.
The sieves should be made mainly of wood.
The sawdust and the ground or rasped wood having been prepared as above
described is put according to the class of wood in earthenware, plumbago, or cast
iron crucibles and placed in a carbonising furnace: furnaces such as those used for
the manufacture or revivification of animal black may be employed.
The temperature for the carbonisation of soft or hard woods should be about
seven hundred degrees Centigrade and the duration of the carbonisation about one
hour for crucibles containing ten litres.
When the crucibles are taken out of the furnace and cooled their contents are
emptied onto a very fine sieve and rapidly agitated in order that the charcoal may
not absorb the humidity of the atmosphere and in consequence lose to a great extent
its power of absorbtion; this sieving has for its object the separation of the charcoal
powder and the removal of the last traces of the calcareous powder attached to the
wood and detached by carbonisation.
It is then only necessary to place the charcoal in hermetically sealed cases.
The charcoal obtained in this state is very pure and should not cause effervescence
with hydrochloric acid.
To carbonise shavings and turnings the procedure is as follows:--
The shavings are subjected to an air blast in order to detach all dust. Each kind
of wood is treated separately.
The shavings deprived of dust are placed in a cast iron cylinder 30 centimetres
high and 25 centimetres in diameter without bottom: this cylinder rests on the
lower plate of a press, the top plate of which is replaced by a plunger 23 centimetres
in diameter. This plunger descending onto the shavings compresses them forcibly,
and when the workman placing the shavings into the cylinder sees that it is
full he withdraws it from the press and places it on an earthenware or cast iron
crucible of the same shape as the press cylinder but having a little larger
diameter in order that the air may escape from the crucible and by means of
hand pressure he forces the compressed shavings into the crucible.

page_text: The crucibles filled with pressed shavings are carried to the carbonising furnace
and submitted to exactly the same temperature as the sawdust and the wood
reduced to grains by grinding and rasping.
The duration of the carbonisation is the same as for the sawdust.
After the cooling of the crucibles the charcoal from the shavings is taken to
a mill to break up the mass of carbonised shavings and to reduce it to a similar
size to that from the grains of sawdust.
The mill should be closed and receive the charcoal from the crucibles by an
opening situated in the upper part of the mill which is shut immediately after
the carbonised shavings have been put in.
The charcoal coming from the mill
to separate the charcoal powder and
carbonised shavings.
quickly placed on a fine sieve in order
the calcareous powder attached to the
It is then only necessary to place the charcoal thus obtained in hermetically
closed vessels.
I have found that there is an increase in the power of absorbtion resulting
from the greater surface given to the charcoal obtained from sawdust and chips,
and also ground and rasped wood and in the heat at which these sawdusts
and shavings, ground and rasped wood have been carbonised.
By the descriptions given above of the carbonisation of sawdusts and shavings
as well as of wood reduced to grains by means of grinding and rasping it may
be seen that I treat soft or hard woods at about 700° of heat; the reasons are these.
The soft or hard woods divided into dust, shavings or grains submitted to 700° of
heat are entirely carbonised and do not consequently contain red charcoal, also the
particles of wood having a very equal and almost mathematical interstitial
regularity, the tarry vapours are easily given off and hard charcoal having no
porosity or absorbing power is not produced; lastly at this temperature the
calcareous and siliceous matter is easily detached in the sieve; the charcoal is pure
and very light and with the maximum power-of absorbtion.
Properties of charcoal obtained from sawdust and shavings and from the grinding
or rasping of all barked soft or hard woods :-
I have convinced myself after numerous experiments that charcoals obtained
from sawdust and shavings and from the grinding or rasping of soft woods have
great absorbing powers for oily, fatty and mucilaginous bodies; but that their
disinfecting properties are weak whilst charcoals produced from the sawdust and
shavings and also from the grinding or rasping of hard woods are less absorbent but
possess much greater disinfecting powers; also knowing these two different
qualities and their union being almost always necessary I mix the charcoals in
certain proportions according to the object for which they are intended.
Thus for the treatment of the bad flavours of wine often due to the casks, I mix
the charcoal in the following manner: one part of charcoal obtained from soft
woods such as fir, lime poplar &c. and three parts of carbon obtained from hard
woods such as oak, beech, lignum-vitae, box, sorb &c.
If crude alcohols, or alcohols in various stages of manufacture or brandy are to
be treated, the mixture of charcoals should be half from soft wood and half from
hard wood.
For low wines of beet and other low wines the charcoal is mixed in the following
proportions three parts of soft wood and one part of hard wood; the same pro-
portions are used for ciders and beers of bad flavour.
For syrup, glucose and molasses charcoals obtained from hard wood are
preferable.
Water filters may be made of mixtures in all proportions.
I use sawdust and shavings and wood reduced to grains by means of grinding or
rasping to produce charcoal because soft or hard wood thus divided before
carbonisation produces a light and very divided charcoal the pores of which are not
obstructed with charcoal powder as is the case when charcoal is ground, which
produces a compact, beavy and much less porous grain.

page_text: Also the powder causes greater loss in grinding the charcoal than in carbonising
wood previously reduced to the required size.
Lastly by my process the wood reduced to dust, shavings or grains by grinding
or rasping being always stripped of its bark the carbon so obtained does not contain
any calcareous matter and produces a pure charcoal, which does not give any
reaction with hydrochloric acid.
My invention therefore avoids the washing of the charcoal in hydrochloric acid, a
long and difficult and at the same time costly washing and allows of the utilisation of
charcoal from sawdust, shavings or from ground or rasped wood for liquids containing
acid substances, such as wine, cider, beer, &c., whilst ordinary wood charcoal being
manufactured from wood and branches covered with bark contains considerable
quantities of calcareous matters which render them unfit for the purposes above
mentioned.
Dated this 5th dor of Moch 1801
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
The Manufacture of Charcoal from Sawdust, Wood Shavings, and the
like, and the Treatment of Wine, Alcohol, Brandy, Cider, Beer,
and other Matters therewith.
I, FULBERT LÉON CALMANT, of 135 Rue St. Charles, Paris, in the Republic
of France, Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention 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 the manufacture and use of charcoal derived
from sawdust, shavings, turnings and dust from grinding and rasping of all sorts of
barked wood, for the treatment of wine, cider, and beer of bad flavour acquired
from casks or from defects caused by the vinification having taken place under bad
climatic conditions or other variable causes. I also apply it to the purification of
low wine, of crude alcohol, of ordinary or rectified alcohol, of brandy, and of
waters; also syrup, glucose, molasses, oils, butters, fats &c.
I divide the sawdust, shavings, and the ground or rasped wood into two classes;
these two classes are the soft woods and the hard woods.
The sawdusts of the first and second class, such as the wood reduced to grains
by grinding or rasping should be passed through a first coarse sieve which retains
the chips of wood, stones and other large foreign matter and then to a second very
fine sieve which only allows the wood powder and the pulverulent calcareous
matter attached to the wood to pass through; this preparatory process allows the
sawdust or grain from the grinding or rasping of the wood to be obtained almost
pure.
Each sort of wood must be sieved separately.
The wood reduced to grains having been prepared as above described is put
according to the class of wood in earthenware, plumbago, or cast iron crucibles and
placed in a carbonising furnace; furnaces such as those used for the manufacture or
revivification of animal black may be employed.
The temperature for the carbonisation of soft or hard woods varies from between
about four hundred to one thousand degrees Centigrade and the duration of the
carbonisation is from nearly one hour for crucibles containing ten litres.
When the crucibles are taken out of the furnace and cooled their contents are
emptied onto a very fine sieve and rapidly agitated in order that the charcoal may
not absorb the humidity of the atmosphere and in consequence lose to a great
extent its power of absorbtion; this sieving has for its object the separation of
the charcoal powder and the removal of the last traces of the calcareous powder
of the wood detached in consequence of carbonisation.

page_text: •
It is then only necessary to place the charcoal in hermetically sealed cases.
The charcoal obtained in this state is very pure and should not cause effervescence
with hydrochloric acid.
To carbonise shavings and turnings the procedure is as follows:-
The shavings must be submitted to a beating in the open air in order to detach
all dust. Care must be taken to separately treat each kind of wood.
The shavings deprived of dust are placed in a cast iron cylinder for example
30 centimetres high and 25 centimetres in diameter without bottom; this cylinder
rests on the lower plate of a press, and receives a plunger 23 centimetres in diameter.
This plunger descending onto the shavings compresses then forcibly, and when
the workman placing the shavings into the cylinder sees that it is full he with-
draws it from the press and places it on an earthenware or cast iron crucible of
the same shape as the press cylinder but having a little larger diameter in order
that the air may escape from the crucible, and by means of hand pressure he forces
the compressed shavings into the crucible.
The crucibles filled with pressed shavings are carried to the carbonising furnace
and submitted to exactly the same temperature as the sawdust and the wood
reduced to grains by grinding and rasping.
The duration of the carbonisation is the same as for the sawdust.
After the cooling of the crucibles the charcoal from the shavings is taken to a
mill to break up the mass of carbonised shavings and to reduce it to a similar size
to that from the grains of sawdust.
The mill should be closed and receive the charcoal from the crucibles by an
opening situated in the upper part which is shut immediately after the carbonised
shavings have been put in.
The charcoal coming from the mill is quickly placed on a fine sieve in order to
separate the charcoal powder and the calcareous powder attached to the carbonised
shavings.
It is then only necessary to place the charcoal thus obtained in hermetically
closed vessels.
This charcoal from shavings should be as pure as that obtained from sawdust or
from ground or rasped woods if prepared as above described.
One of the characteristic features of my invention is an increase in the power of
absorbtion resulting from the greater surface given to the charcoal obtained from
sawdust and chips, and also ground and rasped wood. The soft or hard woods
divided into dust shavings or grains submitted to suitable temperatures are entirely
carbonised and do not consequently contain red charcoal, also the particles of wood
having a very equal and almost mathematical interstitial regularity, the tarry
vapours are easily given off and hard charcoal having no porosity or absorbing
power is not produced; lastly after carbonisation the calcareous and siliceous
matter is easily detached by sieving the charcoal is pure and very light and with
the maximum power of absorbtion, disinfection and purification.
The temperature of carbonisation varies according to the wood and the use for
which the charcoal is intended; thus for the treatment of wines, ciders, beers it
should be from 700 to 800 degrees Centigrade, for the treatment of alcohols from
800 to 1000° C., for oils and fatty bodies a temperature of about 600° C. is
sufficient.
I have convinced myself after numerous experiments that charcoals obtained
from sawdust and shavings and from the grinding or rasping of soft woods have
great absorbing powers for oily, fatty and mucilaginous bodies, but that their
disinfecting properties are weak whilst charcoals produced from the sawdust and
shavings and also from the grinding or rasping of hard woods are less absorbent
but possess much greater disinfecting powers; also knowing these two different
qualities and their union being almost always necessary I mix the charcoals in
certain proportions according to the products to be treated.
Thus for the treatment of the bad flavours of wine often due to the casks, I mix
the charcoal in the following manner: one part of charcoal obtained from soft

page_text: woods such as fir, lime poplar &c. and three parts of charcoal obtained from hard
woods such as oak, beech, lignum-vitae, box, sorb &c.
If ordinary or rectified alcohols or brandy oils or fatty bodies are to be treated,
the mixture of charcoals should be half from soft wood and half from hard
wood.
For washes and other low wines the charcoal is mixed in the following pro-
portions: three parts of soft wood and one part of hard wood; the same proportions
are used for ciders and beers of bad flavour.
For syrup, glucose and molasses charcoals obtained from hard wood are
preferable.
Water filters may be made of mixtures in all proportions.
I use sawdust and shavings and wood reduced to grains by means of grinding or
rasping to produce charcoal because soft or hard wood thus divided before
carbonisation produces a light and very divided charcoal the pores of which are
not obstructed with charcoal powder as is the case when charcoal is ground, which
produces a compact, heavy and much less porous grain.
Lastly by my process the wood reduced to dust, shavings or grains by grinding
or rasping being always stripped of its bark the carbon so obtained does not contain
any calcarcous matter and produces a pure charcoal, which does not give any
reaction with hydrochloric acid.
My invention therefore avoids the washing of the charcoal in hydrochloric acid,
a long and difficult and at the same time costly washing and allows of the
utilisation of charcoal from sawdust, shavings or from ground or rasped wood for
liquids containing acid substances, such as wine, cider beer, &c., whilst ordinary
wood charcoal being manufactured from wood and branches covered with bark
contains considerable quantities of calcareous matters which render them unfit for
the purposes above mentioned.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
-
1. The method of manufacturing pure charcoal consisting in separately carbonising
woods of different sorts previously barked and reduced to grains, this carbonisation
taking place at the degree of temperature required according to the nature of the
wood and the use for which the charcoal is intended.
2. The combination of charcoals from different woods in varying proportions
according to the use for which the charcoal is intended.
3. The application in commerce of the charcoal thus obtained as a disinfecting
absorbing, filtering and purifying agent all substantially as described in the present
Specification.
'
Dated this 1st day of December 1891.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.