A PROCESS WHICH EXTRACTS THE GREASY PARTICLES CONTAINED IN THE WATERS AFTER THE CLEANSING OF WOOLS BY THE MEANS OF SULPHATE OF ZINC AND ARSENICOUS ACID
Year: 1856

page_text: application for Letters Patent was not given within the time prescribed.
by the Act.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Jean Jules Robert at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th March.
1856.
I, JEAN JULES ROBERT, Architect, of 18, Portugal Street, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "A PROCESS WHICH EXTRACTS THE GREASY PARTICLES CONTAINED
IN THE WATERS AFTER THE CLEANSING OF WOOLS BY THE MEANS OF SULPHATE OF
ZINC AND ARSENICOUS ACID," to be as follows:-
Researches have been made up to this day to extract mechanically or by
precipitancy the greasy particles contained in the waters after the cleansing of
wools, to make them useful for other purposes.
. At the first series of trials, was used the modes of evaporation, which was
abandoned; at the second, the employment of strong acids. These several
attemps had no result. Sulphuric acid alone was continued to be employed at
Reims and Turcoing.
Having made several experiments to precipitate or to separate the greasy
particles which are in dissolution in the water to the state of salts or soaps, I.
have discovered the following general result, by means of which I transform, by
double decomposition, organic salts soluble into salts insoluble :-

page_text: 66
"General rule (or law). The greater part of salts formed by the combi-
"nation of metallic acids with the bases have the property of operating double
decomposition, and to exchange reciprocally their bases with the salts which
"are formed by the combination of greasy and organic acids with the bases of
"potash or soda, especially when they are AMORCES by the arsenicous acid, or any
"other combination, acid of metalloids amongst themselves. This law can
"be equally applied thus: 'arsenicous acid has the property of operating by
"itself double decomposition when it is put in contact with organic salts of
"potash or soda with other salts.
Amongst the various salts, the sulphate of zinc amorcè by arsenicous acid
possesses in a high degree the property of exchanging its basis with that of
soaps of potash or soda. It must be admitted that the following salts possess
the same properties, namely, the salts of lime, of magnesia, of copper, of alum,
of iron, of nickel, of cobalt, of antimony, of uranite, &c., and one must admit
that the acids of phosphor with oxygen and others have the same action as
arsenicous acid. This action is only an action of cataleptic force..
These chemical reactions operate the most easily at a temperature where
salts exhibit their highest degree of solubility in the water. For the sulphate
of zine the reaction takes place at about 60° Réaumur.
Starting from these principles, and from those of the solubility of soaps
with the basis of potash or soda in the water, as also of the insolubilities of
all other soaps, here is the process which I have adopted to extract the greasy
particles from the waters after. the cleansing of wools.
I make use of large washing tubs.made of the.wood of the fir tree, or of
other woods, the bottoms of which are grooved by a serpentine tubing of iron
or brass; perforated, &c. The waters after the cleansing of wools poured into
these tubs are heated by means of a generators of steam, which..is affixed to
the serpentine tubing, of which the-holes give it inlet.
When the temperature is at 60°: Reaumur. I throw into the tubs, the sul-
phate of zinc and arsenicous acid, mixed together. in the. proportion of, one-
thousandth parts. of the first to one part of the second. The reaction* com-
mences immediately the greasy parts, which are in dissolution are precipitated
and rise to the 'surface of the liquid....I.continue to add some of the mixture
till no more precipitate is produced. Four pounds of this mixture is generally
sufficient for two hundred gallons of water: To clear. this precipitate > after
having collected. it by means of a cullender, I place it in a larger cast-iron
boiler, with clear water and sawdust, in the proportion of four parts of the greasy
particles to one part of water, and one part and a half of sawdust. I boil the

page_text: whole together during six hours, and I pass it into a hot press, which causes
the greasy particles to ooze out.
Such is the complete process which I employ to operate the extraction of
the greasy particles contained in the waters arising from the washing of wools.
I reserve to myself the right of employing exclusively any other salts besides
the sulphate of zinc, and any other acid besides arsenicous acid, particularly
those above mentioned. This right is the result of the general law discovered
by me, is my property, and that the use of divers other acids and metallic salts
is only an application of the same general law. The reason why I prefer
sulphate of zinc and arsenicous acid-is in consequence of the cheapness of the
first and the powerful effect of the latter, but the use of others changes nothing
in the process, by which consists the Invention.