IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING FATTY AND OILY BODIES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Gwynne, of Mortimer Street, Cavendish
Square, in the County of Middlesex, Esquire, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING FATTY AND OILY BODIES."
Sealed the 1st May 1866, and dated the 2nd February 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Gwynne at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 2nd.
February 1866.
I, GEORGE GWYNNE, of Mortimer Street, Cavendish Square, in the County
of Middlesex, Esquire, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING FATTY AND OILY BODIES," to be as follows:
In 1854 Richard Albert Tilghman obtained'a Patent (No. 47) for "A New
Method of Obtaining Free Fat Acids and Solution of Glycerine" from'
natural fats and oils by "the action of water at high temperature and pressure,"
and in 1856 George Tomlinson Bousfield obtained a Patent (No. 358) for a
like process, but at a lower temperature' and pressure than those recommended'
by Mr. Tilghman.

page_text: To prevent a useless repetition of words I shall call Mr. Tilghman's process
and all other processes of an analagous nature by the name of the water
process. As a process for obtaining "solution of glycerine "the water process
is a good one, but it is a failure as far as the manufacture of candles is con-
cerned. The fat acids obtained by this process require to be distilled before
good candles can be made from them, and when so treated the product is of
such an inferior quality as to make the water process an unprofitable one in
England; various plans have been suggested both in this country and upon
the continent for remedying the defect here alluded to. One party proposed
to treat the fatty or oily matter when at the temperature of 500" Faht. with
one per cent. of concentrated sulphuric acid, and then to subject it to the water
process; another party proposed to mix a little sulphuric acid with the water,
by the action of which the fatty matter was converted into fat acids and
solution of glycerine; while a third party proposed to mix a little lime with
the aforesaid water instead of a little sulphuric acid; but all these plans
turned out unsuccessful. Now I have discovered that if the fat acids in
question are subjected to a further treatment by certain acids the defect
before alluded to will be remedied, and the water process made a profitable
one.
My Invention therefore consists in treating the fat acids obtained by the
water process with certain acids. The acid which I have found most advan-
tageous to employ, not only on account of its cheapness but for its strong
chemical action, is sulphuric acid.
;
I will now describe a method of treating the fat acids which I have found
to answer well. I take the fat acids obtained by the water process, and if
they are not of the temperature of 240" Faht. I raise them to that temperature;
I then pour upon them six pounds of concentrated sulphuric acid for each
112 pounds of fat acid; I stir well, not only during the time the acid is
being added, but for a quarter of an hour afterwards I then leave the
matter under process until the dregs have settled to the bottom of the vessel
in which the operation is performed; I then draw off the fatty matter;from
the dregs and thoroughly wash it, and after washing I distil it in an atmo-
sphere of steam. This process may be varied without materially affecting. the
result. As a general rule it may, however, be stated that the higher the tempe-
rature of the fat acids the less will be the quantity of sulphuric acid required.
Instead of treating the fat acids in the manner herein-before described, they
may be at once transferred into the still, and about one per cent. of concen-
trated sulphuric acid added to them there, and then forthwith distilled
without any washing at all. A certain amount of benefit can be attained by

page_text: boiling for some hours the fat acids obtained by the water process with half
their bulk of water, to which some sulphuric or other suitable acid has been
added..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Gwynne in the Great Seal Patent Office. on the
8.1st July 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
GWYNNE, of Mortimer Street, Cavendish Square, in the County of Middlesex;
Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria; by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said George Gwynne, Her special licence that I, the said
George Gwynne, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said George Gwynne, my executors, administrators, 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 TREATING FATTY AND OILY BODIES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Gwynne, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seats, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters;
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Gwynne, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following:
statement:-
In 1854 Richard Albert Tilgman obtained a Patent for "A New Method
of Obtaining Free Fat Acids and Solution of Glycerine" from natural fats
and oils by "the action of water at high temperature and pressure," and "
in 1856 George Tomlinson Bousfield obtained a Patent for a like process,

page_text: but at a lower temperature and pressure than those recommended by
Mr. Tilgman.
To prevent a useless repetition of words I shall call Mr. Tilghman's process.
and all other processes of an analogous nature by the name of the water
process. As a process for obtaining "solution of glycerine" the water process
is a good one, but it is a failure as far as the manufacture of candles is
concerned. The fat acids obtained by this process require to be distilled
before good candles can be made from them, and when so treated the product
is of such an inferior quality as to make the water process an unprofitable
one in England; various plans have been suggested for remedying the
defect here alluded to. One party proposed to treat the fatty or oily matter
when at the temperature of 500° Fahrenheit, with one per cent. of concen-
trated sulphuric acid, and then to subject it to the water process; another
party proposed to mix a little sulphuric acid with the water, by the action of
which the fatty matter was converted into fat acids and solution of glycerine;
while a third party proposed to mix a little lime with the aforesaid water
instead of a little sulphuric acid; but none of these plans have turned out
successful. Now I have discovered that if the fat acids obtained by the
water process are subjected to a further treatment by certain acids, the defect
herein-before alluded to will be remedied.
My Invention therefore consists in treating the fat acids obtained by the
water process with certain acids. The acid which I have found most advan-
tageous to employ, not only on account of its cheapness but for its strong.
chemical action, is sulphuric acid.
I will now describe a method of treating the fat acids obtained by the
water process, which as far as my experience goes is the best one which can
be employed. I take the fat acids in question, and if they are, not already of
the temperature of 300° Fahrenheit, I raise them to this temperature,; I
then pour upon them in divided streams three pounds of concentrated sulphuric
acid for each one hundred and twelve pounds of fat acids; I then leave
them to repose until the dregs have settled to the bottom of the vessel in
which the operation is performed; I then draw off the fatty matter from the
dregs and thoroughly wash it, and after washing I distil it in an atmosphere
of steam. As the washing and distilling are known operations I need not
further allude to them here. I remove the dregs into another vessel, and after
thoroughly washing them, I distil them in a cast-iron still in an atmosphere
of steam. The process just described may be varied, but not I think with
advantage.
Although I do not recommend it, still a certain amount of benefit can be

page_text: obtained by boiling for some hours the fat acids obtained by the water process
with half their bulk of water to which some sulphuric or other suitable acid
has been added.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Gwynne, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
JAMES GRANT,
Tailor,
Dundee.
GEORGE GWYNNE. (L.s.)