An Improved Method of and Means for Utilizing Spent Hops for Food and Litter.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 5th June, 1893
Complete Specification Left. 5th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 5th May, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Means for Utilizing Spent Hops for
Food and Litter.
We, EDWARD OWEN GREENING, of Oak Lawn, Belmont Grove, Lee, in the
County of Kent, Business Manager, and EDWARD WILLIAM GREENING, of
Thames Ditton, in the County of Surrey, Business Manager, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to the utilization of spent hops, which are a bye product
from brewing operations, and consists of a method of treatment and means used
therefor, whereby the seed contained in them may be rendered available as a food
product for cattle, and the hop fibre may be dried and so preserved as to render it
available as a good litter, or for other commercial purposes.
To carry our improved method into effect, we take the spent hops as waste from
the brewers, and first effectually dry it.
This we may do by any convenient means, but preferably by stacking the hops
in stacks, constructed with hollow centres, and from these hollow centres we
exhaust the air by means of an exhaust fan, or other air exhausting apparatus, or
source of draught, such as a heated chimney,-the exhaust air being drawn from
the interior of the stacks by pipes from the exhausting apparatus, laid under or
along the ground to the interior of the stack. The external atmosphere is thus
caused to penetrate through the whole substance of the stack to the central exhaust
chamber, thus carrying the moisture of the spent hops with it, and rendering the
material cool and dry.
Suitable access by tubes into the body of the stack is provided, by which a
thermometer may be inserted to test the internal temperature, from time to time,
and the air exhausting pipes may be conveniently controlled by valves, to render
each stack independent of the other.
When the spent hops are dry and cool, we proceed to separate the seed therefrom
by winnowing, by any suitable apparatus, such as a combined sifter and wind
current winnowing machine.
These seeds we clean free from dirt and fibre, and prepare them for use as a food
for cattle.
The seeds may be sold either whole, or may be first ground into meal, or pressed
into cakes, or mixed with other feeding materials.
The fibre of the spent hops we pack into bales by any convenient means, such as
is applied to the baling of hay and straw, and it is found that the hop fibre so
prepared and treated makes good litter of considerable commercial value."
Dated this 2nd day of June 1893.
FELL &
ILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, E.C., Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Means for Utilizing Spent Hops for
Food and Litter.
We, EDWARD OWEN GREENING, of Oak Lawn, Belmont Grove, Lee, in the
County of Kent, Business Manager, and EDWARD WILLIAM GREENING of
Thames Ditton in the County of Surrey, Business Manager, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention, and the manner in which it is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention relates to the utilization of spent hops, which are a bye product
from brewing operations, and consists of a method of treatment, and means used
therefor, whereby the seed contained in them may be rendered available as a food
product for cattle, and the hop fibre may be dried and so preserved as to render it
available as a food, litter, or for other commercial purposes.
To carry our improved method into effect we take the spent hops as waste from
the brewers. Should the brewer for his own purposes have pressed the spent hops
into hard blocks, we first thoroughly break them up. This may be done in many
ways, but the machine we have designed and shown in the drawings Figures 1
and 2 annexed hereto, will be found most economical and effectual for the
purpose.
This machine consists of a hopper A, which may be conveniently fixed to the
floor from which the spent hops to be disintegrated are fed. B, B are two iron
grids, which are hinged to one side of the frame at C, C, and held in position at
the other end by slight pegs D D of wood, passing through holes in the frame and
grid. Above each of these grids B B are a pair of shafts E E, preferably square,
on which are fitted steel claws F F. These shafts are rotated by the pulleys G G
and cog wheels H H. It is advisable that the bars of the upper grid and also the
corresponding claws on the upper shafts should be placed rather further apart
than those on the lower set. It is also an advantage that the upper pair of shafts
should rotate slower than the lower pair. 250 révolutions a minute is a good speed
for the upper pair, and 300 a minute for the lower pair.
When the hard blocks of spent hops are fed into the machine, the claws in the
upper shafts tear portions through the bars of the grid; these portions are further
disintegrated by being torn again by the action of the claws dragging them through
the lower grid. The arrangement by which the grids are held in their place by
wooden pegs provides against damage to the machine through any accidental
feeding into the machine of foreign hard substances, such as pieces of iron, stone,
wood etc., with the spent hops, in which case the wooden pegs at D D, would be
broken, and the grid would fall on its hinges, allowing the hard substance to fall
through without damage to the claws or bars of the machine, the grids being
afterwards easily put back in position by means of fresh wooden pegs.
Should the spent hops not have been pressed hard, the process of treating as
aforesaid would be unnecessary.
The spent hops have then to be dried.
An
This may be done by any convenient means, according to the quantities to be
dealt with, and conveniences at hand, for utilizing waste heat, steam, etc.
economy can be effected by stacking the hops in stacks, constructed with hollow
centres; and from these hollow centres we exhaust the air by means of an exhaust
fan or other exhausting apparatus, or source of draught, such as a heated chimney,
the exhaust air being drawn from the interior of the stacks by pipes from the
exhausting apparatus, laid under, or along the ground, to the interior of the stack.
The external atmosphere is then caused to penetrate through the whole substance
of the stack, to the central exhaust chamber, thus carrying the moisture of the
spent hops with it and drying the material.

page_text: Suitable access into the body of the stack is provided, by which a thermometer:
may be inserted to test the internal temperature, from time to time, and the air
exhausting pipes may be conveniently controlled by valves to render each stack
independent of the other.
The spent hops, where desirable, may be further or altogether dried, either by
passing them through a revolving cylinder, provided with suitable shelves, to keep.
them turning and thrown about, while heated air is forced into the cylinder to dry.
them; or by passing them over steam heated troughs by suitable conveyors, or by
raking them over heated floors. Where any of these latter methods are adopted,.
arrangements can be made for taking out the seed and small fibres by the insertion
of a perforated metal or woven wire screen in the portion of the cylinder, trough,.
or floor, as the case may be.
The seed and small fibres falling through the screen can be carried automatically
on to the winnowing machine,-for separating the seed from the fibres,-by any
suitable conveyors.
When dry, the seed can be separated from the fibres of the spent hops by
winnowing, by any suitable apparatus, such as a combined sifter, and wind-current--
winnowing-machine but the machine shown in Figures and 4, hereto annexed,.
will be found best adapted to the purpose.
The dry material is fed into the hopper K, where it is seized by spiked.
rollers L L, geared together by cog wheels 7, and one driven by a pulley k from the
first motion shaft M. This first motion shaft is driven by the usual fast and loose.
pulleys m m and carries a crank, jigging a perforated metal tray N by a connecting.
rod n.
It also drives by the pulleys P P another counter shaft Q, provided with two-
cranks, jigging a lower tray R, by a connecting rod 7, the said tray being
conveniently suspended by bolts rr, with spring washers, and controlled by a.
spring attachment p. The main shaft M. also drives, by coned pulleys 8, s, a fan or
blower S, inducing a draught or wind-current over or through the material as it.
falls after being sifted on the tray N.
The material is fed through the spiked-rollers on the first perforated metal tray,.
the large or coarse fibres being there separated from the seeds and dust. The
small dust and seed falls by the trough and board T T into the lower jigging tray,.
and is winnowed as it falls by the air blast from the fan S, and the seed and
refuse are finally separated in the bottom jigging tray R.
The seeds thus cleaned free from dirt and fibre, will be found of use as a food.
and spice for cattle, and similar purposes.
The seeds may be sold, either whole, or may be first ground into meal, or pressed.
into cakes, or mixed with other feeding materials.
The fibre of the spent hops we pack into bales, by any convenient means, such
are applied to the baling of hay and straw, for economy in transit, and it is
found that the hop fibre, so prepared and treated, makes good litter of considerable
commercial value.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention,.
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we-
claim is :-
1st. A method for the utilization of spent hops for food & litter, consisting of
the breaking up of hard cakes where required, the drying of the product in any
way, the winnowing of the fibre from the seeds, and the baling of the hop fibre,.
substantially as described.
2nd. In a method for the utilization of spent hops, the drying of the loose or
broken material in stacks with central air exhaust substantially as described.
3rd. In the method for the utilization of spent hops, as claimed in Claim 1 the
arrangement and combination of parts, forming a cake-breaking machine, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes described, and as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.
4th. In the method for the utilisation of spent hops, as claimed in Claim 1 the:

page_text: arrangement and combination of parts, forming an air-blast-winnowing-machine,
substantially as and for the purposes described, and as illustrated in Figures 3
and 4.
5th. In a method for the utilisation of speut hops, the combination of a stack of
loose material to be dried, provided with access tubes for observation, and formed
with an internal cavity, communicating with an exhaust fan, or source of draught,
to remove the moisture from the said material substantially as described.
Dated this 5th day of March 1894.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicants.