IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTRACTING COLORING MATTERS
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, AIME
BOURA, of Rathbone Place, in the County of Middlesex, Dyer and Scourer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Nineteenth day of August, One thousand eight hundred
and forty-seven, in the eleventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs
and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Aimé Boura, my exors,
adiñors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I,. the said Aimé Boura, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Aimé Boura, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any,
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTRACTING COLORING MATTERS;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Aimé Boura,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Aimé Boura, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference_being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, 5
the manner in which the same is to DO
JIH-0, aIv
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference_being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING:
Figure 1 shows a side elevation of apparatus suitably arranged for carrying
out my Invention; Figure 2 shows a section thereof; Figure 3 shows the
apparatus in the position for discharging the spent matter. In each of these
Figures the same letters are used to indicate similar parts. a, a, is a vessel
so constructed that it may be closed steam-tight, and allow of matters from
which color is to be extracted being, when combined with water, boiled by the
action of free steam, and it is so hung on hollow trunions or axes as to allow
of the mouth of the vessel being turned downwards to discharge the spent
matter from which color has been extracted. 6 is a steam pipe connected
with a hollow axis c, by which steam may be admitted (from a steam boiler),
which I recommend should be about ten pounds on the square inch, but this
may be varied.
The steam pipe descends to the lower part of the vessel, as
shown, and then is made into a flat coil and perforated with numerous
small holes. d is a pipe by which water is supplied to the vessel a, so that
the matters from which color is to be extracted may be combined or mixed
therewith, in order to the same being caused to boil by the action of free
steam. e is a partition of fine woven wire cloth, on which the matter to be
operated on rests, and through which the coloring matter, combined with
the water employed, passes. f is the cover of the vessel, which is ground
to fit in the groove formed around the upper part or mouth of the vessel a, a
washer being used between the surfaces, and the same is securely fixed by
means of the screw and bridge g, h. In the cover of the vessel a is a small
vent or steam pipe, by which a small jet of steam is allowed to flow off during
the boiling process, which I find to be of benefit to the process. i, j, are two
gauge cocks. k is a pipe readily affixed to the bottom of the vessel by a
screw coupling, so as readily to be detached when the vessel is to be turned over
to empty the same. The pipe k is for discharging the water with the coloring
matter into a vessel placed in any desired position, the pressure of steam in
the vessel a being capable of raising the liquid to a considerable height above
the vessel a, and according to the pressure of the steam for the time being
employed. In place of using the pipe at bottom for conveying off the

page_text: coloring matter when extracted, it may be applied to the hollow axis when
the water pipe is attached, as shown at Figure 4, where k is the pipe with the
cock for stopping it. Should this arrangement be preferred, then I recom-
mend a cock k* to be used at bottom to draw off any water used in cleansing
the vessel a. The arrangement of vessel shown is about thirty inches in
diameter, and the other parts are in proportion, but the dimensions may be.
varied.
In carrying on the process according to my Invention by the aid of this
apparatus, supposing I am about to extract coloring matter from logwood or
other matters, I take such logwood or other matters in the same state as if
about to extract color therefrom by the ordinary process in open pans; and
the cover of the vessel a being off, I fill the vessel rather more than above the
axes with the material; water is then to be run in, so to soak the material;
the cock of the water pipe is then to be shut off, the steam cock is to be
opened, and steam allowed to flow in and boil the water. With the size of
the apparatus above mentioned, and working with steam of about ten pounds.
pressure, the process lasts about twenty minutes, the steam escape pipe in the
cover of the vessel allowing of a constant small jet of steain passing away
during the boiling. The boiling process being then completed, I close the
cock of the steam escape pipe and open the cock on the pipe k, in order that
the colored extract may be driven out of the vessel a by the pressure of steam
therein, the color liquor being pressed out of the matter from which it has been.
extracted and strained through the wire cloth partition; and when the liquor
has been driven out from the vessel, I close the steam cock and the cock on
the pipe k, and open the steam escape pipe on the cover, and then run in a
fresh quantity of water, so as again just to cover the matter from which color
is to be extracted; and having shut off the water cock I again open the steam
cock and boil the water, allowing the steam to act for about twenty minutes,
and the product is to be driven off in the same manner as before described in
respect to the first product, and I apply a third charge of water, and again
operate in the same manner as above described; and when I have driven off
the third product, I discharge the vessel a of the spent matter, for which
purpose I stop the flow of steam into the vessel a; then I take off the cover
and disconnect the pipe k; the vessel is then to be turned over, so as to dis-
charge the contents; after which the process above described will be repeated
on fresh matter put into the vessel a. The products of coloring matter thus
obtained are then to be treated and employed as when extracted by any of the
processes heretofore resorted to; but the products obtained by me will be found
more concentrated and of brighter color:

page_text: I would remark, that I am aware that free steam has before been allowed to
flow into a chamber. where logwood or other matter is contained, with a view
to extract coloring matter therefrom, but not so arranged or worked as to
allow of the matters containing coloring matter being mixed and covered
with water, and the same caused to boil by admitting free steam to boil the
same.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I would remark, that I
do not confine myself to the precise details in the construction of the apparatus
or in conducting the processes herein described, so long as the peculiar cha-
racter of my Invention, or any part thereof, be retained. But what I claim is,―
First, the mode of constructing a closed vessel a, when, for the purpose of
extracting coloring matter, that it may be turned over to discharge the spent
matter, and yet have suitable arrangements for admitting water and steam.
Secondly, I claim the use of an escape jet of steam from a closed vessel,
where matters are being boiled for the purpose of obtaining coloring matter
therefrom.
And thirdly, I claim the extracting of coloring matters by boiling the
matters from which they are obtained in water in a close vessel by free steam,
as herein described.
And I also claim the removal of coloring matters from a closed vessel,
wherein it has been extracted, by causing steam to drive it out of such vessel
above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Aimé Boura, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.