IMPROVED APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR OBTAINING CELLULOSE AND GLUCOSE FROM WOOD AND OTHER VEGETABLE MATTER
Year: 1885

page_text: 16
I, ADOLPH BEHR, Chemist, of Cöthen, in the German Empire, do hereby declare
the nature of said Invention for IMPROVED APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR
OBTAINING CELLULOSE AND GLUCOSE FROM WOOD AND OTHER VEGETABLE MATTER
to be as follows:-
"
My invention consists in improvements in the apparatus described in my
application for a patent No 9797, dated the 5th of July 1884.
}
Instead of one extraction cylinder several such cylinders are placed in a row;
for instance three. Each of these is provided at the upper end, in the cover, with
a man-hole for the introduction of the material to be treated, and below, on the
side, with a similar hole through which the finished material is removed from the
cylinder.
In the interior of each cylinder is further arranged an upper perforated false
bottom and a lower perforated bottom; the upper perforated bottoms are adapted
to be partly opened so as to permit the introduction of the material through the
same into the cylinder.
The false bottoms mounted steam tight near both ends of the cylinder form in
the interior of the cylinders two completely separated collecting chambers connected
with each other by heating-or cooling pipes.
Each extraction cylinder thus comprises two chambers completely separated
from each other. The supply of steam or water to the upper chambers is effected
from the top through vertical pipes, one for each cylinder, while the discharge from
the lower chambers is effected at the bottom through vertical pipes, one for each
cylinder.
The extracting fluid is introduced into the interior of each cylinder at the top
through a stand pipe; the two pipes last mentioned must therefore lead steamtight
through the chambers formed at the top and bottom of the cylinder.
The extraction cylinders are filled through the upper man-holes with wood or
other vegetable material up to about two thirds of their height; for which purpose
the central portions of the upper perforated bottoms must be removed. After the
said false bottoms have been replaced and the man-holes closed, oil is supplied to
the cylinders from a common tank (G) by means of a pump, a pipe conduit, and
the inlet pipes situated at the top of each cylinder, the level of the liquid in the
cylinders being observed by means of liquid gauges.

page_text: The extraction cylinders are heated by means of steam which has previously
passed through the heating coil of the apparatus K (forming part of the plant
described in my earlier application) and then entered the upper collecting chamber
of the first cylinder. After passing through the vertical connecting pipes inside the
first cylinder and through the lower collecting chamber the steam is led through a
pipe into the heating space of the second cylinder through the upper standpipe of
the latter; from this cylinder to the third, and so on.
From the last cylinder the steam and water of condensation is discharged into a
pipe leading to the boiler house.
Each cylinder is provided with two pressure gauges and safety valves, one set
serving to control the pressure in the heating space, and the other that in the
interior of the cylinder. After the contents of the first cylinder have been
sufficiently extracted, the oil vapours developed in the apparatus K are conducted
into the interior of this cylinder. A stop cock in the outlet pipe is regulated so
that more oil vapours enter through the upper stand pipe than hot liquid escapes
through the outlet pipe at the bottom.
The coloured solution of resin, wax or fat flows through the outlet pipe and into
a receptacle or collector (J) after having been slightly cooled in a cooling vessel for
the condensation of steam. From the receptacle (J) the liquid, if it contains much
resin, wax or fat, is pumped into the apparatus K, where a fresh evaporation of
the oil is effected by the heating coil.
The air escapes from the receptacle into a separator in which oil vapours carried
over are condensed, and flow back into the receptacle.
The air then passes to the oil tank and finally through an air filter into the
atinosphere.
The air filter consists of a cylindrical box containing a straining plate or
perforated bottom and filled with charcoal.
As soon as the liquid escaping from the first cylinder is colourless, the supply of
oil-vapour from the apparatus K is stopped, and the oil contained in the first
cylinder is conducted through the cooler to the oil tank. The heating of the first
cylinder by the steam supplied directly from K is meanwhile continued, in order to
drive out as much oil as possible from the pores of the wood.
As soon as it is found, by means of a small auxiliary cooler, that the extraction
of oil has ceased, steam at high pressure is led directly from a boiler upon the
material to be extracted, which steam carries over the lost particles of oil still
contained in the said material.
Also in this manipulation a portion of the oil may be obtained free of water and
conducted to the oil tank.
As soon as a test with the auxiliary cooler gives to the liquid a white colour, the
liquid is caused to flow through another pipe to a collecting tank.
The liquid collecting in the same is heated to 90 degrees Centigrade, so as to
separate the water from the oil, after which the oil is conducted to the oil tank
through a cooler.
When the oil has been completely extracted from the wood contained in the
extraction cylinder, and if the incrustations of the woody substance are only loosely
connected with the latter, the cylinder is filled with water mixed with a small
quantity of sulphuric acid. Subsequently the liquid is heated to the boiling point
by admitting steam into the heating chamber of the respective cylinder.
If the liquid is not sufficiently heated by this method, it may be boiled in the
manner described in my earlier application, by means of the glucose boiler. For
this purpose the cylinder may be emptied through the lateral man-hole, after the
contents have been cooled by cutting off the steam and allowing cold water to
enter the heating space. of the cylinder.
Steam is now admitted directly into the second extraction cylinder, from which
it passes to the third extraction cylinder, and after the process described above has
also been performed in the second cylinder, the steam is conducted directly into
the third cylinder.

page_text: If the contents of the two first cylinders have not been sufficiently extracted
the steam is conducted from the third cylinder into the second and first, and
subsequently into the boiler house.
If vegetable materials are treated, which contain large quantities of substances
soluble in the oil used for extraction, the working would soon be interrupted by
the solutions of resin to be concentrated.
In such cases the solution, when it commences to thicken, should be conducted
to a purifier containing a heating coil, by which the oil may be easily separated
from the liquid. The purified oil in the shape of vapour is then led to the oil tank
and passes on its way through a cooler.

page_text: I, ADOLPH BEHR, Chemist, of Cöthen, in the German Empire, do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for IMPROVED APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR OBTAINING
CELLULOSE AND GLUCOSE FROM WOOD AND OTHER VEGETABLE MATTER, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists in improvements in the apparatus described in my
application for a patent No 9797, dated the 5th of July 1884.
In describing the invention reference will be made to the accompanying drawing
which represents an apparatus embodying my invention.
Instead of one extraction cylinder, several such cylinders are placed in a row,
for instance three, H1 H2 H3. Each of these is provided at the upper end, in the
cover, with a man-hole al a 2 a 3 for the introduction of the material to be
treated, and below, on the side, with a similar hole 61 62 63, through which the
finished material is removed from the cylinder.
In the interior of each cylinder is further arranged an upper perforated false
bottom cl c2 c3 and a lower perforated bottom d1 d2 d3; the upper perforated
bottoms are adapted to be partly opened, so as to permit the introduction of the
material through the same into the cylinder.
The false bottoms mounted steam tight near both ends of the cylinder form in the
interior of the cylinders two completely separated collecting chambers m 1 m 2 m 3,
and n 1 n 2 n 3 connected with each other by the heating or cooling pipes f1 f2f3.
Each extraction cylinder thus comprises two chambers completely separated from
each other.
The supply of steam or water to the upper chambers m 1 m 2 m 3 is effected
from the top through the stand pipes e 1 e 2 e 3 (one for each cylinder), while the
discharge from the lower chambers n 1 n 2 n 3 is effected at the bottom through
the vertical pipes g 1 g 2 g 3 (one for each cylinder).
The extracting fluid is introduced into the interior of each cylinder at the top
through stand pipes 1 h 2 h3 and is discharged from the same at the bottom by
vertical pipes I i2i3; the pipes h 1 h 2 h 3 and il i2i3 must therefore lead
steam tight through the chambers m 1 m 2 m 3, respectively n 1 n 2 n 3 formed at
the top and bottom of the cylinder.
The extraction cylinders H1 H2 H3 are filled through the upper man
holes a 1 a 2 a 3 with wood or other vegetable material up to about 2/3 of
their height, for which purpose the central portions of the upper perforated
bottoms c1 c2 c3 must be removed. After the said false bottoms have been
replaced and the man-holes closed, oil is supplied to the cylinders from the common
reservoir G by means of the pump P, through the pipe conduit and the stand
pipes 1h2h 3. The liquid gauges 11 12 13 permit to observe the level of the
liquid in the cylinders. The extraction cylinders are heated by means of steam
which has previously passed through the heating coil of the apparatus K and first
of all passes through the pipe conduit o and the stand-pipe el into the collecting
chamber m 1 of the extraction cylinder H 1.

page_text: After passing through the heating pipes f1 and through the lower collecting
chamber, the steam is led through the pipe conduit p 1-2 and the stand pipe e 2
into the heating chamber of the cylinder H 2 and from the latter again through
pipe p2-3 and stand pipe e 3 into H3 and so on. The steam and water
of condensation leave the last cylinder through pipe q, which leads to the boiler
house.
It is evident that the cylinder which is first supplied with steam, is exposed to
the greatest beat the degree of which depends on the tension of the steam in the
heating coil of the apparatus K. For controlling the tension of the steam in
the extraction cylinders each of the latter is provided with two pressure gauges
and safety valves, one set serving to control the pressure in the heating space, and
the other that in the interior of the cylinder.
After the contents of the first cylinder H 1 have been sufficiently extracted, the
oil vapours developed in the apparatus K are conducted through the ascension
pipe and the stand pipe h1 into the interior of this cylinder; for this purpose the.
stopcock of the outlet pipe il is regulated so that more oil vapour enters through
h1 than hot liquid escapes through i 1.
This operation has for its purpose to press out by means of oil vapour each
particle of the substance to be extracted. This forcing through of the oil vapours
is carried on until the sample obtained by means of the small cooler N 1 at the
bottom of the extraction cylinder is completely colourless.
The coloured solution of resin, wax or fat flows through the outlet pipe 8 into
the receptacle I after having passed through the cooler K 2; this operation of cooling
is but slight, it has merely for its object to condense the steam, and the liquid must
reach the basin I when still hot. From this receptacle the liquid, if it contains
much resin, wax or fat, is pumped through the pipe t into the apparatus K, by
means of the pump P2, where a fresh evaporation of the oil is effected by the
heating coil.
The air escaping from I passes through the condenser C, in which the oil vapours
still contained in the air are condensed, and flow back into the receptacle I
in a liquid state. The air then passes to the oil tank G, and thence through
the air filter Z, free from any admixture of oil, into the atmosphere. The air
filter consists of a small sheet iron cylinder mounted on the oil receptacle G and
provided below with a perforated bottom on which is placed a quantity of charcoal
sufficient to fill the remaining space of the cylinder. The charcoal owing to its
porous nature absorbs the remaining particles of oil contained in the air.
As soon as the liquid escaping from the cylinder H1 is colourless (the cylinder
thus containing pure oil only), the supply of oil vapour from the pipe r, and the
apparatus K through stand pipe h1 is stopped, and the oil contained in the
cylinder H1 is conducted through the cooler K 2 and then through pipe n into
the oil tank G. The heating of the cylinder H 1 by the steam supplied directly
from K is meanwhile continued in order to drive out as much oil as possible from
the pores of the wood; as soon as it is found, by means of a small auxiliary
cooler N 1, that by this heating process no more oil is extracted from the wood,
steam at high pressure is led directly, through the piper and the stand pipe h 1,
from a boiler upon the material to be extracted, which steam carries off the last
particles of oil still contained in the said material. Also in this manipulation a
portion of the oil may be obtained free from water, and conducted to the oil
tank G. For this purpose however, cooled tests must frequently be obtained
through cock w mounted on the cylinder above the small auxiliary cooler N1; if
the liquid is of a white colour, the pipe n is shut off, whereupon the liquid passes
through pipe x into the collecting tank L. The oily and watery liquids collecting
in the same must be heated to 90 degrees centigrade, so as to sharply separate the
water from the oil, after which the oil is conducted through cocks y y and the
stand pipe into the oil tank G, after previously passing through the cooler R.
The operation of cooling in K2 must be arranged in such manner, that the liquid
remains at a temperature of 90° Centigrade; if this is not practicable, either water

page_text: or steam is led into the pipe coil of the collecting tank, so as to reduce or increase
the temperature of the liquid to 90° Centigrade.
When the oil has been completely extracted, in the manner above described,
from the wood contained in the extraction cylinder, and if the incrustations of the
woody substance are only loosely connected with the latter, the cylinder is filled
with water mixed with a small quantity of sulphuric acid. Subsequently the
liquid is heated to the boiling point by admitting steam into the heating chamber
of the respective cylinder. If the liquid is not sufficiently heated by this method,
it may be boiled in the manner described in my earlier application, by means of
the glucose boiler O, in which case the cylinder H1 may be emptied through the
lateral man hole b 1 after the contents have been cooled by discharging the hot water
through g 1 to q, cutting off the steam and allowing cold water to slowly enter the
heating space m 1 f1 n 1 of the cylinder H1 through pipes 1 and e 1.
The steam is now lead from the pipe o through stand pipe 12 directly into the
extraction cylinder H 2, from which it passes to H 3, and after the process described
above has also been performed in the cylinder H 2, the steam is conducted directly.
into H 3. If the contents of the two first cylinders have not been sufficiently
extracted, the steam is conducted from H 3 through pipe y 1 to H 2 and H1 and
passes from the latter into the boiler house.
If vegetable materials are treated, which contain large quantities of substances
soluble in the oil used for extraction, the working would soon be interrupted by
the solutions of resin to be concentrated. In such cases the solution, when it
commences to thicken, should be conducted through the pipe v into the purifier M,
in which the oil can be separated from the solution without interruption, by means
of the pipe coil.
The purified oil in the shape of vapour is then led through the pipe x 1 into the
oil tank G and passes on its way through the cooler Q, by which it is corre-
spondingly cooled. If the whole of the oil vapours produced in the apparatus K is
not used in the extraction cylinders, the superfluous oil vapour is conducted through
the piper and the cooler Q into the tank G.
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
In the process, described in my patent specification No 9797 5th July 1884, for
extracting Cellulose and Glucose from wood and other vegetable substances:
1. The arrangement or combination of several extraction cylinders H, and their
connection with each other and the appliances M, R, I and L, by means of stand-
pipes e 1 e2 e 3 h1 h 2 h 3 service pipes i1i2i3 g 1 g 2 g 3 and tubes k vylo
1 qepl-2 and p 2-3.
2. The construction of the extraction-cylinder H1 provided with heating
chamber m 1 f1 n 1, perforated plates c 1 and d 1, cooler N 1 and stand pipes el
/ 1 g 1 and i 1.