IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING HYDROCARBON BODIES OR SUBSTANCES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, JOHN KINGSFORD FIELD, of Lombard Road, Battersea, in the County of
Surrey, Manufacturing Chemist, do hereby declare' the nature of my invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING HYDROCARBON BODIES OR SUBSTANCES," to be as
follows:-
"
My invention is designed to treat hydrocarbon bodies or substances either of a
solid or dense nature (such as paraffine scale, earth wax, earth wax-distillate,
petroleum-residuum, tar-residuum, &c.) also of a liquid nature, (such as mineral
lubricating oil). By the treatment by my process of the former character of solid
or dense hydrocarbons for the production of wax I obtain a product of great
purity, density, and good color and by my treatment of the latter character of
hydrocarbons I obtain colorless and odorless products,
Taking earth wax as an example :
I first free it from water by any well known method and then acidify the same
with, say, from 5 per cent. to 8 per cent. (more or less) of fuming sulphuric or
Nordhausen acid. I then decaut and add about three times (more or less) of its
bulk of either shale or petroleum spirit or naphtha or like suitable solvent and
then in the same (or after conveyance to, a separate) vessel or vessels well agitate
the whole with from 15 per cent. to 30 per cent. (more or less) of bleaching
inaterial or decolorant, such as animal charcoal, the residuum resulting from the
manufacture of ferrocyanide of potassium, fullers earth, silicate of magnesia, &c,
either separately or any of them or all of them in combination.
When suitably treated after being decanted and filtered I distill off the naphtha
or solvent and acidify the product with, say, from 2 per cent. to 6 per cent. (more
or less) of fuming sulphuric acid and then decant and agitate with from 10 per cent
to 20 per cent. (more or less) of bleaching material as before described.
For treating lubricating oil I proceed as above, but use acid in the proportion of
from 20 per cent. to 50 per cent. (more or less, depending on the nature of the oil)
agitating with bleaching material and treating as before described.
In treating paraffine scale, earth wax-distillate, petroleum or tar residuum, I may
or may not omit the acid treatment and dissolve the substance in, say, 50 per cent.
to 200 per cent. (more or less) of shale or petroleum spirit or naphtha, and then
well agitate with from 10 per cent. to 20 per cent, (more or less) of bleaching
material as before described.

page_text: I use these materials in any single form or in suitable mixtures both in this as
in the former case till the products are sufficiently decolorized or bleached, the
process being repeated till this is effected.
I then decant and filter the bleached product from the bleaching materials which
may, if capable, be used in further operations.. After transferring the solution to
a still, I distill off the solvent up to from 90° to 140° Celsius (more or less)
according to the hardness of the refined product required and the boiling point of
the solvent employed, and store such condensed solvent for further use. Care must
be taken to leave sufficient solvent in the material so as to allow of its being easily
pressed.
The spirit or solvent remaining in the material being of heavy gravity little, if
any, is lost by evaporation.
After the material is run into moulds the cakes are pressed in the usual way and
the product treated with a small amount (as may be found needful) of any one or
a mixture of the before named bleaching or decolorizing agents.
The softer portions of the cakes with the remaining solvent are transferred into
a still and the solvent either wholly or partially distilled off; in the first case the
product would be treated afresh as paraffine scale, and in the second case again
subjected to the press and subsequently treated as above.
As regards the treatment of oil by my process, it can be repeatedly so treated
as to part with its dense coloring matters and become quite colorless.and odorless.
As regards the other materiale produced by my treatment I find that I economize
time, labor, and expense in producing a refined product in as much as in general
one pressing is sufficient, leaving a clear, pure, and solid wax capable of use for the
manufacture of candles, tapers, and the like, electrical uses, and other applications
in the arts, as will be understood.
i

page_text: 0
Improvements in Treating Hydrocarbon Bodies or Substances.
I JOHN KINGSFORD FIELD, of Lombard Road, Battersea, in the county of
Surrey, Manufacturing Chemist do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING HYDROCARBON BODIES OR SUBSTANCES, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
My invention is designed to treat hydrocarbon bodies or substances either of a
solid or dense nature (such as earth-wax earth wax distillate, paraffin scale, petroleum
residuum &c) or of a liquid nature (such as mineral lubricating oil).
By the treatment of solid or dense hydrocarbons of the former character, by
means of my process, for the production of wax, I obtain a product of great purity,
density and good color and by my treatment of the latter character of hydrocarbons
I obtain colorless and odourless' products.
Taking the gross and impure class of solid hydro-carbons such as earth wax
I proceed as follows.
I take any desired quantity of the earthwax and free it from water and dirt by
heating it (preferably over an open fire) up to say 260° F. and maintain that heat
until the water is entirely expelled.
°
I then transfer it to a jacketted pan and treat it with from 5% to 8% (say 6%
as advantageous) of fuming sulphuric acid (Nordhausen) and keep it continually
agitated by any suitable or well known means until the froth caused by such
agitation is white, and at a temperature not exceeding 60° F above its melting
point.
It is then allowed to stand at a temperature of about 180° F. until the acid has
settled out which may be hastened by treating the solution with suitable alkali
such as caustic soda.
I then decant the solution into a closed steam jacketted vessel and add about three
times (more or less) of its bulk of either shale or petroleum spirit or naphtha and
well agitate the whole with say 15° (more or less) of bleaching material or
decolorant such as animal charcoal, the residuum from the manufacture of ferro-
cyanide of potassium, fuller's earth, silicate of magnesia etc either separately or
any or all of them in combination (and such bleaching agents or decolorants I here-
after designate "powder ") so as to remove the last traces of acid and I allow the
whole to stand say 24 hours (more or less) at a temperature of say 160° F.
I then draw off the solution into a closed steam jacketted vessel and digest it
with about 20% of the "powder." After standing say 12 hours I again treat the
solution with about 15% of the "powder" until it is absolutely free from acid.
After standing say 24 hours (more or less) the solution is filtered and transfered
to a still and the volatile solvent distilled off in the usual way, the color of the
wax at this stage being a light yellow. This product is then treated in a steam
jacketted pan with from 30% to 6% (more or less) of fuming sulphuric (Nord-
hausen) acid according to its color at a temperature of about 200° F and after
standing say, 24 hours it is drawn off and well agitated with say. 15%% "powder."
It is then passed through a steam jacketted. filter and the product is now
thoroughly bleached
to

page_text: For treating paraffin scale earth wax-distillate, petroleum or tar-residuum
I dissolve any of these in from equal to twice the bulk of the volatile solvent
adding according to the quality of the raw material say 10% to 25% of the
"powder," well agitating the same as described.
°
I may if desired acidify the substance as before described before treating as
above and for some qualities of paraffin scale where the impurity is excessive I find
it advantageous to acidify with about say 2% of fuming sulphuric acid and then
proceed as above.
<<
The mixture after settling is either drawn off, or better still filtered free from
the powder "transfered into a still and the solvent distilled off in the usual
manner up to say from 200° F to 300° F more or less according to the hardness of
the refined product required and the boiling point of the solvent employed the
same is then saved for further use after condensation.' Care must be taken to
leave sufficient of the solvent to admit of the product being easily pressed.
The spirit or solvent remaining in the material being of heavy gravity little if
any is lost by evaporation.
After the material is run into moulds the cakes are pressed in the usual manner,
the small remainder of solvent distilled off and the product treated with a small
amount (as may be found needful) of any of the bleaching or decolorizing agents
before described or a mixture of such.
The runnings from the press with the contained solvent are transfered to a still
and the solvent either wholly or partially distilled off.
In the first case the product would be treated afresh as paraffin scale and in the
second case again subjected to the press and subsequently treated as above.
As regards the treatment of heavy mineral oils which for example may be of a
gravity of from 8.65 to 9.15, I first acidify in a jacketted pan by preference sofas
to keep the temperature at a low point. In winter the natural temperature of
water circulating or standing round the pan will suffice, but in summer or in hot
climates I may cool the pan by refrigeration. In acidifying I first apply say 10%
of fuming sulphuric acid and afterwards add say 20° In each instance I allow
the acid to settle and the oil to be transferred to another vessel. I then wash the
oil if found needful with an alkaline solution or with water as will be well
understood.
After settling I decant the oil into a closed steam jacketted pan and I may in
some cases advantageously add say from 50% to 100% or more of volatile
solvent as before described to the bulk of oil under treatment or I may elect to
treat the mineral oil without the addition of the volatile solvent as described and
in this case the agitation of the mixture may take place in an open vessel and by
the action of air forced therein, and with say 10% of "powder." It is then
allowed to settle and the deposit drawn off or filtered if required. I then again
add say 20% of "powder" and pump the solution through a filter press. (If the
volatile solvent has been employed I must distill it off at the filtering stage of the
process and recover for future use.)
I then acidify the product with say from 10% to 15% of fuming sulphuric
acid, allow the solution to settle, wash as before if necessary and then well agitate
with say from 15% to 20% of "powder."
I thus obtain a product devoid of either color or smell. The percentages in
every case refer to the weight unless otherwise expressed.
I do not bind myself to the exact quantities of acid and " powder" above
named which must vary accordingly with the nature and color of the oil to be
treated but having stated the various steps of my process such will be readily
perceived by any practical chemist'after analysis of the substance.
I am aware it has been proposed to treat earth wax-paraffin-scale oils etc. etc. by
first acidifying then treating with a suitable solvent, then filtering through
bleaching material and afterwards distilling off the solvent-I am also aware that
it has been proposed to treat solid hydrocarbon matters with a suitable solvent,

page_text: then filter through, or treat. the solution with, bleaching material and press and
distill off the solvent.
I am also aware of a proposal to acidify mineral oils with sulphuric acid and
then bleach with ferrocyanide of potassium but it will be seen that my invention
is very different from these methods and I do not claim the steps recited in these
methods but having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that
what I claim is
Firstly. Respecting the refining of earth wax, I claim acidifying at a low tem-
perature and submitting the product to the action of a suitable solvent with the
addition of bleaching material and again acidifying the product and then again
treating it with bleaching material substantially as described.
Secondly. As regards the refining of paraffin scale earth wax-distillate, petroleum
or tar residuum I claim first acidifying, if desired, and then dissolving any of the
above products in a suitable solvent and then agitating with bleaching material
substantially as described.
Thirdly. As regards the refining of mineral oil, first acidifying the same then
agitating with bleaching material, adding solvent if required, afterwards again
acidifying the solution and then again agitating with bleaching material substan-
tially as described.
Fourthly. The hereinbefore recited methods of treating hydrocarbon bodies or
substances substantially as described.