Improvements in the Treatment of Alcohols and Alcoholic Liquors for the Purpose of Improving their Quality.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Dec., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 16th Sept., 1889-Accepted, 19th Oct., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFIO
Improvements in the Treatment of Alcohols and Alcoholic Liquors
for the Purpose of Improving their Quality.
I CHARLES PHILIPPART, of 4 Rue Alphonse de Neuville, Paris France, Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object to improve the quality of alcohols, wines, liqueurs,
and alcoholic beverages generally.
In studying the action of oxygen in various forms upon alcoholic beverages, I
have found that it is possible to improve their quality to a very large extent by
subjecting them to an oxidising action. Various methods of carrying out this process
on a commercial scale may be adopted, and may be classified as under :-
(1.) Employment of free oxygen.
(2.) Employment of ozonised oxygen.
(3.) Employment of oxygen in unstable combination.
(4.) Employment of oxygen in stable combination, the oxygen being set at liberty
by a suitable re-agent.
I will describe seriatim these various modes of carrying out the invention.
(1.) Employment of free oxygen. The alcoholic liquid to be treated is contained
in a closed vessel which it fills to about nine-tenths of its capacity, the remaining
space being occupied either by air or pure oxygen (as the case may be) which is
pumped or otherwise withdrawn from the upper part of the vessel and returned
thereto at the lower part so as to circulate through the liquid in a finely divided
condition and therefore in intimate contact therewith. It will be obvious that the
means employed may be varied to obtain the same result.
(2.) Employment of ozonised oxygen. The operation may be the same as above
described, an apparatus for producing ozone by means of induction coils or otherwise,
being applied to act upon the oxygen in circulation.
(3.) Employment of oxygen in unstable combination. First in order is the use
of oxygenated water which may be added in certain proportions to the alcohol or
alcoholic beverage, according to the degree to which it is to be improved.
Unstable oxides which will readily give up their oxygen, may also be used for
acting upon the alcohol. Preference may be given to the insoluble peroxides, the
lower oxides corresponding to which are also insoluble in the liquid to be treated, such
as for example the peroxides of lead, manganese, &c.
(4.) Employment of oxygen in more or less stable combination. The liberation
of oxygen from a stable compound by the use of a suitable reagent is accompanied by
the formation of an insoluble salt. For example, by the use of barium dioxide and
carbonic acid, oxygen is disengaged and insoluble barium carbonate is formed.
The several methods above described give good results, but it should be remarked
that the first and last products are more perfectly.destroyed by using oxygenated
water which acts in an efficacious manner upon the active aldehydes and furfurol, as
well as on the superior alcohols.
Dated this 17th day of December 188
CL DHITTDDART
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53. Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Alcohols and Alcoholic Liquors
for the Purpose of Improving their Quality.
I, CHARLES PHILIPPART, of 4, Rue Alphonse de Neuville, Paris, France, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My Invention has for its object to improve the quality of alcohols, wines, liqueurs,
and alcoholic beverages generally.
In studying the action upon alcoholic beverages of oxygen in various forms I have
found that it is possible to improve their quality to a very large extent by subjecting
them to an oxidising action. Various methods of carrying out this process on a
commercial scale may be adopted and may be classified as under ;
(1) Employment of free oxygen.
(2) Employment of ozonised oxygen.
(3) Employment of oxygen in unstable combination.
(4) Employment of oxygen in stable combination, the oxygen being set at liberty
by a suitable re-agent.
I will describe seriatim these various modes of carrying out the invention.
(1) Employment of free oxygen. The alcoholic liquid to be treated is contained
in a closed vessel which it fills to about nine-tenths of its capacity, the remaining
space being occupied either by air or pure oxygen (as the case may be) which is
pumped or otherwise withdrawn from the upper part of vessel and returned thereto
at the lower part so as to circulate in a finely divided condition through the liquid
and therefore in intimate contact therewith. It will be obvious that varied means
may be employed to obtain the same result.
(2) Employment of ozonised oxygen. The operation may be the same as above
described, an apparatus for producing ozone by means of induction coils or otherwise,
being applied to act upon the oxygen in circulation.
(3) Employment of oxygen in unstable combination. First in order is the use of
oxygenated water which may be added in certain proportions to the alcohol or
alcoholic beverage, according to the degree to which it is to be improved. Unstable
oxides which will readily give up their oxygen, may also be used for acting upon the
alcohol. Preference may be given to the insoluble peroxides, the lower oxides
corresponding to which are also insoluble in the liquid to be treated, such as for
example the peroxides of lead, manganese, etc.
(4) Employment of oxygen in more or less stable combination. The liberation of
oxygen form a stable compound by the use of a suitable re-agent is accompanied by
the formation of an insoluble salt. For example by the use of barium dioxide and
carbonic acid oxygen is disengaged and insoluble barium carbonate is formed.
The several methods above described give good results, but it should be remarked
that the first and last products are more perfectly destroyed by using oxygenated
water which acts in an efficacious manner upon the active aldehydes and furfurol, as
well as on the superior alcohols.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is ;
1st. The employment of oxygen in the various forms hereinbefore specified for
the treatment of commercial alcohols, brandies, liqueurs, and alcoholic beverages, and
more particularly the use of oxygenated water and of ozone of which the excess may
be readily decomposed so as to limit the action.

page_text: 2nd. The employment of oxygen in the various forms hereinbefore specified for
the treatment of wines, ciders, perries, beer, or other beverages of an alcoholic strength
of from % to 20% and more particularly the use of oxygenated water and ozone
of which the excess may be readily decomposed so as to limit the action.
1
C. PHILIPPART.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.