IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS TAR, CHARCOAL, AND CERTAIN ACIDS
Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ABRAHAM
SOLOMONS, of the City of London, Merchant, and BONDY AZULAY, of Rother-
hithe, in the County of Surrey, Printer, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty, by Her Royal Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Twenty-sixth day of May, in the eleventh year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said Abraham
Solomons and Bondy Azulay, our exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial
license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we, the said Abraham
Solomons and Bondy Azulay, our exors, adñiors, and assigns, and such
others as we, our exors, admors, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the con-
tinuance of 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, and also in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey
Alderney, Sark, and Man, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Planta-
tions abroad, our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS
TAR, CHARCOAL, AND CERTAIN ACIDS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso, obliging us, the said Abraham Solomons and Bondy Azulay,
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed by an instrument in writing under
"

page_text: our hands and seals, and cause the same to be enrolled 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Abraham Solomons and Bondy Azulay, do hereby declare that the nature of
our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, are
particularly described and ascertained by the following description thereof,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures
and letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
Our Invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of gas tar, char-
coal, and certain acids, by means of certain methods of treating certain substances
herein-after described, and which methods consist in effecting the destructivo
distillation or carbonization of wood and other vegetable substances in close
vessels, the result of which destructive distillation or carbonization is the pro-
duction of gas tar, charcoal, and acids diluted with water, commonly known
as the pyroligneous and acetic acids. The tar and the dilute acids so produced
yield by subsequent distillation a variety of other products not enumerated here,
which are well known to result from the destructive distillation or carboniza-
tion of wood and other vegetable substances, their separation or isolation being
effected by distillation and other chemical modes of treatment, also well known.
The manner of performing this Invention, so far as the same relates to
improvements in the manufacture of the said substances by the destructive
distillation or carbonization of wood and other vegetable substances, is as
follows:-
First, as to the carbonization of wood.-This we effect by steam of high
temperature, by which means we are enabled to obtain charcoal of any degree
of carbonization, according to the particular purpose for which it is required,
as, for instance, in the manufacture of some kinds of gunpowder it is desirablo
to have a charcoal the carbonization of which has not been carried to its full
or complete extent. This mode of applying heat admits of being more readily
and effectually regulated than that adopted in the ordinary mode of carbonizing
wood in iron cylinders exposed to the action of the fire.
Secondly, as to the carbonization of peat turf, sawdust, spent bark, or
tan, spent dye woods, the residuum of the manufacture of beetroot sugar and
potatoe starch, and other vegetable substances.-This we also effect by means
of steam heated to a high temperature, the carbonization of most of these
substances having been found to be difficult of accomplishment by the ordinary
process at present in use for the carbonization of wood.

page_text: To effect the required carbonization of wood we proceed as follows:-A
cylindrical or other suitably shaped vessel of cast or wrought iron (a cylinder
of wrought iron being preferred) is fixed in masonry, after the manner indi-
cated in the accompanying Drawings; II being the cylinder; N, the brick work;
G being the chimney, and A the fire-place. Inside the cylinder H is fitted
another cylinder K, of sheet iron, separated from the inner surface of the
outer cylinder H by means of iron supports projecting from the inner surface
of the outer cylinder a distance of three inches, more or less. Into this inner
cylinder is to be introduced a cylindrical casing of thin sheet iron or other
metal, filled with the wood to be carbonized, fitting loosely to the inner cylinder,
and connected therewith by means of a steam-tight joint, having its extremity
perforated to allow of the passage of the steam and the gascous and liquid
products of the carbonization of the wood into the inner cylinder K, from
which they pass by means of the exit pipe L through the outer cylinder into
the air, or any suitable refrigeratory or condensing apparatus, or are permitted
to traverse a coil or coils of pipes passing through a solution of accetate of
lime, or any other solution requiring the aid of heat for its evaporation, and
afterwards through any refrigeratory or condenser, if the complete cooling and
condensation of the liquid products of the carbonization of the wood be desired.
The exit pipe L is provided with a stop-cock, placed at f to regulate the exit of
the steam, and the products of the carbonization or distillation of the wood.
2, 2, are folding doors, to prevent any loss of heat from the front of the outer
cylinder. The front part of the inner cylinder is open, as well as that of the
casing containing the wood, in order to admit the free entrance of the steam
from the outer cylinder. C is a coil of metal pipe, of the diameter of two inches,
more or less, and length of twenty-two feet, more or less, wound round a
cylinder of sheet iron, and placed in the flue leading from the fire-place to tho
chimney, so as to receive the heating influence of the fire, which raises the
temperature of the steam passing through it to the temperaturo required for
the carbonization of the wood. Experience has shewn that at a temperature
of about 572° Fahrenheit the red or brown charcoal most suitable for the
better kinds of gunpowder is obtained, and that at a temperature above 572°
Fahrenheit the complete carbonization of the wood and the formation of
black charcoal is obtained. Tho temperature of the interior of the cylinder
5 may be ascertained by the employment of a pyrometer or other suitable
instrument or means.. D is the steam boiler, with which the coil of pipe C
¡communicates. A stop-cock is placed at c, which lets on or
steam, according as it may be or may not be required for use. At the point e,
shuts off the

page_text: or the middle of the outer cylinder, the steam passes into the inner cylinder
and effects the required carbonization, the gaseous and liquid products of the
distillation of the wood passing off as before mentioned. The pressure of
steam on the boiler before entering the coil should be that of from one half to
one atmosphere above the ordinary atmospheric pressure.
It will be obvious, that instead of cast iron or wrought iron, cylinders of
clay, brick or other retorts, or cylinders, or ovens of suitable strength, nay
be employed for the carbonization of wood according to the process above
described.
For effecting the carbonization of the peat turf, sawdust, refuse tan, and
dye woods, &c. &c. as secondly referred to, by means of steam heated to a high
temperature, as above described, wo employ, instead of one casing containing
the whole of tho charge for one cylinder, several smaller casings O, 0, of a
diameter of about or not exceeding eight inches, filled with the vegetable sub-
stances to be carbonized, and so placed with suitable framework in the inner
cylinder K as to be separated a slight distance: from each other, and having
nozzles affixed to their ends, fitting on similar nozzles attached to a falso
bottom or dividing plate P, the space behind which communicates 'with
the exit pipe, the casings containing the vegetable substances to bo car-
bonized being pierced with small holes throughout their whole surface, so
as to admit of the free circulation of the steam and products of distillation.
At a convenient place in front of or near to the carbonizing apparatus
cyfinders of sheet iron may be arranged ready to receive the casings con-
taining the charcoal when drawn from the carbonizing apparatus for the
purpose of cooling. The cylinders to receive the casings are fitted with move-
able caps or covers, which are put on and luted. When the cases containing the
charcoal are placed within, several sets of these casings should be provided,
some of which may be filled whilst others are in the cylinder or containing the
charcoal undergoing cooling.
The carbonization of sawdust and other vegetable substances, secondly above
enumerated, may be effected by means of a modification of the arrangements
at present employed in the carbonization of wood. For this purpose we place
in the interior of the cylinder or retort at present ordinarily employed in
the carbonization of wood a series of metal casings or cylinders, similar to
those already described for carbonization by means of steam, employing the
direct action of the-fire to effect the carbonization of the contents of the said
cylinders, in the method at present ordinarily employed for the carbonization
of wood.

page_text: The substances, secondly above enumerated, may be made into blocks or
masses of three or four inches diameter by means of mechanical pressure with
or without other substances, and carbonized by means of the ordinary retort or
the arrangements lastly above described. The carbonization of sawdust and
of the other vegetable substances, secondly above mentioned, may also be
effected by placing them in a cylinder or retort of two feet six inches diameter,
or thereabouts, to which is communicated a rotary motion by means of any
suitable mechanical arrangement that may be deemed most desirable, and for
the purpose of distributing the sawdust we place four or more ledges pro-
jecting about three inches along the interior of the cylinders.
The gas tar, charcoal, and other products obtained by any of the processes
herein-before described, may be treated and employed in the same manner as
similar products obtained by any of the various processes hitherto practised.
The gaseous products may be collected and purified, and the liquid products
condensed by known apparatus, and the charcoal employed for the manufacture
of artificial fuel in blocks, and for other purposes in the arts, but we do not
claim any thing in respect of the subsequent treating or application of the
products obtained in the manner above described; but we claim,-
First, the improvement in the manufacture of gas tar, charcoal, and acids
from wood carbonized and destructively distilled by means of steam of high
temperature.
Secondly, we claim the improvements in the manufacture of gas tar,
charcoal, and acids from peat, turf, sawdust, spent bark, tan, spent dye woods,
the residuum of the manufacture of beetroot sugar, potato starch, and other
vegetable substances carbonized and destructively distilled by steam heated to
a temperature capable of effecting the carbonization of such vegetable
substances.
Thirdly, we claim the improvement in the manufacture of gas tar, charcoal,
and acids from the substances lastly above enumerated by means of the
ordinary process or processes of carbonization in closed vessels constructed
and arranged as above described.
In witness whereof, the said Abraham Solomons and Bondy Azulay.
have hereunto set their hands and seals, the Twenty-fifth day of
November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
forty-eight.
ABRAHAM (LE.) SOLOMONS.
BONDY (L.B.) AZULAY.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fifth day of November,
in the year of our Lord 1848, the aforesaid Abraham Solomons and Bondy
Azulay, came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and
acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Specification.
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that
purpose.