A Process of Extracting, Purifying, and Saving the Fat or Grease from Wool, and for Cleaning the Wool by the use of Benzole (Benzene) or any other Spirituous Liquid suitable for Dissolving the Fat or Grease.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Aug., 1892-Accepted, 24th Sept.. 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Process of Extracting, Purifying, and Saving the Fat or Grease
from Wool, and for Cleaning the Wool by the use of Benzole
(Benzene) or any other Spirituous Liquid suitable for Dissolving
the Fat or Grease.
We JAMES TRENT of Christchurch in the Colony of New Zealand, Gentleman,
and GEORGE HENDERSON of Christchurch in the said Colony of New Zealand,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of our 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 relates to a process, whereby the fat or grease is extracted from
wool and purified, and the wool cleaned or scoured at a low cost and without
the use of alkali, by means of benzole (benzene) or any other spirituous liquid
suitable for dissolving the fat or grease, thereby producing a far better sample
than by any other process heretofore adopted.
By this process two very great advantages are derived viz.: (1) the spirituous
liquid is retained and may be used repeatedly; (2) the fat or grease from the wool
is saved.
Having thus described the nature and object of our invention, we will now
proceed to describe the manner in which the same is to be performed.
The wool is soaked or immersed in benzole (benzene) or any other spirituous
liquid suitable for dissolving the fat or grease therein, the said spirituous liquid
being contained in any suitable receptacle in order to thoroughly saturate the
wool; the quantity of spirituous liquid required varying according to the condition
of the wool to be operated upon. After the wool is thus soaked, immersed or
saturated, it is then compressed or squeezed by means of a press, or by rollers or
other suitable means whereby to thoroughly drain the same; it is then exposed
to the atmosphere or passed through a suitable drying operation after which it is
ready for baling or further use as may be required.
The liquid is allowed to remain in a vat or other receptacle sufficiently long to
permit of the dirt settling, when the said liquid is drawn off into a still and sub-
mitted to heat, in order to separate the natural fat or grease of the wool from the
spirituous liquid; the fat or grease remaining in the still whilst the spirit passes off
in the form of vapour, which condenses into a receiver and is then ready for use
again.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
The process of extracting, purifying and saving the fat or grease from wool, and
for cleaning the wool by the use of benzole (benzene) or any other spirituous liquid
suitable for dissolving the fat or grease, whereby the said spirituous liquid is
retained and may be used repeatedly, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 7th day of July A.D. 1892.
JAMES TRENT.
GEORGE HENDERSON.