Improvements in the Manufacture of Sugar by Electrolysis.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Mar., 1886.
Complete Left, 11th Dec., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 5th Apr., 1887
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Sugar by Electrolysis.
1, ERNST FAHRIG of The Park, Eccles, in the County of Lancaster, Electrician, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
It consists in conducting through vats or vessels containing the raw material
(whether cane, beetroot or any other suitable material) in a ground and dry state, the
positive and negative currents evolved from, first, a "hightension" dynamo, by means
of sieves or networks of platinum or plated with platinum or other inoxidizable or
semi-inoxidizable metal, placed in the vat or other vessel used for holding the raw
material, and separated by non conducting plates of suitable material; and secondly
the two currents from a "low tension dynamo by means of negative and positive
conductors, one of which is formed into a vessel, to enclose the other and the raw
material, the waste material which by the action of the electric current is deposited
upon the negative conductor being carried off by a current of water suitably applied,
leaving the pure sugar within the vessel.
:-
1, ERNST FAHRIG of The Park, Eccles, in the County of Lancaster, Electrician, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
It consists in conducting through vats or vessels containing the raw material
(whether cane, beetroot or any other suitable material) in a ground and dry state, the
positive and negative currents evolved from, first, a "hightension" dynamo, by means
of sieves or networks of platinum or plated with platinum or other inoxidizable or
semi-inoxidizable metal, placed in the vat or other vessel used for holding the raw
material, and separated by non conducting plates of suitable material; and secondly:
the two currents from a * low tension dynamo by means of negative and positive
conductors, one of which is formed into a vessel, to enclose the other and the raw
material, the waste material which by the action of the electric current is deposited
upon the negative conductor being carried off by a current of water suitably applied,
leaving the pure sugar within the vessel.
:-
JOHN HENRY TOPHAM,
Agent to Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Sugar by Electrolysis.
I, ERNST FAHRIG, of The Park, Eccles, in the County of Lancaster, Electrician 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:
They consist in improved apparatus whereby I am enabled to produce ozone in much
greater abundance than has heretofore been possible, and by this means, bleach and
refine the utmost amount of pure sugar the raw material (usually known as brown or
raw sugar) is capable of yielding. The raw sugar may have been extracted from cane,
beet root, or any other, substance.
I accomplish this, first, by transmitting the two currents of electricity from a
"high tension" dynamo, to networks, or sieves formed of platinum (or plated with
platinum) or other inoxidizable or semi-inoxidizable metal.
These networks or sieves are placed in a vat or other suitable vessel, in either a
perpendicular, horizontal, or any other position which may be most convenient for
working, but divided or alternated by suitable nonconducting plates formed of
perforated or porous biscuit china or other suitable material, through which the
currents are compelled to pass in their passage from sieve to sieve to meet each other,
thus forming large electric sparks.
The raw sugar after it has first been thoroughly ground and dried, by means of hot
air, is placed between the plates and the networks or sieves, and the electric spark
(formed by the currents in their passage through the nonconducting plates from on
sieve to the next) which is conducted to every portion of the raw sugar by means of
the networks or sieves, produces a great quantity of ozone which seperates the sugar
from the waste and deposits the waste upon the nonconducting plates, which are made
so as to be readily removable for cleansing.
To further purify the sugar it is again dried and put into the second portion of the
apparatus, which is constructed as follows :-
:-
I conduct the two currents from a "lowtension" dynamo to a vat or other suitable
vessel, in which are arranged, positive and negative conductors formed of Carbon and
Zine or other suitable material.
These are so arranged that the positive conductor surrounds the negative conductor,
in the form of a vessel, or vice-versa, the sugar is placed outside (or inside, as the
conductors are arranged) the vessel, through which, the clectric currents force the
impurities, leaving the pure sugar remaining. The impurities are washed away by
means of a current of water, (either in a pure state or slightly acidulated) constantly
running through the inside or outside of the vessel formed by the negative or positive
conductor, as the case may be.
The sugar is then crystallized or otherwise finished in any ordinary method.
In order that the foregoing may be better understood I send herewith a Sheet of
Drawings, in which Fig. 1. shows a section of the first portion of the apparatus, a and b

page_text: respectively indicating the wires conveying the negative and positive currents of
electricity from a "hightension" dynamo to the networks or sieves c placed in the vate
(which is formed of some suitable nonconducting material) which are divided from the
similar networks or sieves by the nonconducting plates d. The brown or raw
sugar is placed between the networks or sieves c and the nonconducting plates d, in
the vat e.
-
-
The first and third of the sieves c are connected with the + pole of the dynamo, by
the wire a and the second and fourth sieves are connected with pole of the dynamo,
by the wire b. When the hightension current is sent through this apparatus, the sparks
must leap from the pole to the + pole thereby producing ozone in abundance, which
bleaches the brown or raw sugar into a white sugar, and in addition to this the
transmission through the brown or raw sugar of such a high rate of sparks, loosens all
base and mineral matters contained in the sugar, which by a second process (see Fig. 2)
I completely remove.
After Oxonizing the sugar is left white, but is not yet quite free from mechanical
impurities, such as cane, peel &c. &c., also lime, magnesia, and other mineral and
foreign impurities. To remove these I employ the apparatus shown in section in Fig. 2.
This consists of a suitable vat or vessel K which contains four (or more) other suitable
vessels L so placed that the bottom of one vessel is level with the top of the succeeding
vessel.
-
These vessels L are each divided into a larger and smaller space by means of
a porous partition m formed of biscuit china or other similar suitable material. The
vessel is formed of a material suitable to act as a conductor and suitably connected
with the pole of a lowtension dynamo by the wire g, or it is formed of nonconducting
material (as shown in the Fig. 2) and a seperate conducting plate i connected with
the pole of a lowtension dynamo by the wire g, is placed in the larger part of the
vessel, and in either case, a conductor plate / connected by the wire with the + pole
of a lowtension dynamo, is placed in the smaller part of the vessel L.
-
These plates and which are only conductors may be be formed of any non-
oxidizing material, such as platinum, carbon, or zinc, and carbon (but not copper or
brass).
The sugar after being again dried and ground, is placed in the larger space of the
vessel L, and upon sending the Current of Electricity from the dynamo through the
apparatus, the impurities are deposited upon the nonconducting plate m.
These impurities are washed away by the stream of water which runs through
the sinaller space of the vessel L and out of the channel formed beneath the larger
space. By the manner of placing the vessels L the stream runs through a series of
the vessels L cleansing them all ini succession.
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 —
1st. The combination of networks, or sieves, of platinum or other inoxidizable metal
or semi-inoxidizable metal, and nonconducting plates, with a high tension dynamo,
substantially as described and shown hereinbefore and in the accompanying Drawing,
for the purpose set forth.
::
2nd. The combination of a lowtension dynamo with positive and negative
conductors, substantially as described and shown hereinbefore and in the accompanying
Drawing, for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 10th day of December 1886.
JOHN HENRY TOPHAM,
Agent to Applicant.