IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DECOLORIZING OF BeQUID HYDROCARBONS AND IN THE APPLICATION OF MATERIALS FOR THAT PURPOSE
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arthur Smith, of Pera Lodge, Loughborough
Road, in the County of Surrey, and Frederick Field, of the Firm
of J. C. and J. Field, of Upper Marsh, Lambeth, in the County of
Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DECOLORIZING OF
Bealed the 20th January 1874, and dated the 2nd December 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur Smith and
Frederick Field at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 2nd December 1873.
We, ARTHUR SMITH, of Pera Lodge, Loughborough Road, in the
County of Surrey, and FREDERICK FIELD, of the Firm of J. C. and J.
Field, of Upper Marsh, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
DECOLORIZING OF SOLID AND LIQUID HYDROCARBONS AND IN THE APPLICATION OF
MATERIALS FOR THAT PURPOSE," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in decolorizing solid and liquid hydrocarbons

page_text: the lime silicate and finish the operation with the more costly and per-
fectly decolorizing silicates of magnesia or protoxide of iron.
In order to recover the paraffin or other hydrocarbons absorbed by
the silicates or aluminate, it is only necessary to boil these for a short
time with dilute vitriol, muriatic, or other suitable acid, and after
allowing the solution to settle, the paraffin or other hydrocarbon is
drawn off from the surface.
The remaining acid liquid containing some silica at the bottom may
then be run off through a canvas bag or allowed to settle in the tank.
The clear liquid is neutralized with carbonate of soda, or an impure
carbonate or hydrate of the same base, and is reprecipitated with silicate
of soda in order to be used over again. Or the granular precipitate of
silica of a former operation may be dissolved in caustic soda to satu-
ration and used to precipitate with instead of a fresh quantity of silicate
of soda..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Arthur Smith and Frederick Field in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 1st June 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ARTHUR
SMITH, of Pera Lodge, Loughborough Road, in the County of Surrey,
and FREDERICK FIELD, of the Firm of J. C. and J. Field, of Upper
Marsh, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Arthur Smith and Frederick Field, Her
special license that we, the said Arthur Smith and Frederick Field,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said Arthur Smith and Frederick Field, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with and no others, from time
to time, and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Channel Islands,

page_text: and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DECOLORIZING OF
SOLID AND LIQUID HYDROCARBONS, AND IN THE APPLICATION OF MATERIALS FOR THAT
PURPOSE," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Arthur
Smith and Frederick Field, our executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the
hand and seal of one of us or them, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
་
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Arthur Smith, on behalf of myself
and the said Frederick Field, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say :-
Our Invention relates to means of decolorising solid and liquid
hydrocarbons by means of certain substances, which when treated with
acid will readily yield up the hydrocarbon absorbed by them in the
process of decolorisation. For this purpose we employ the hydrated
silicates of magnesia, lime, baryta, iron, or manganese, and the aluminate
of magnesia, all of which substances are readily decomposed by boiling
with dilute acids, whereby the hydrocarbon absorbed by them is freed
from the mass and immediately rises to the surface. We prefer to use
the silicates of magnesia, iron, or limc.
For preparing these substances for the purposes of our Invention, a
salt of one of the above earths or metals is dissolved in boiling water in
the proportion of about 1 of the salt to 4 of water by weight, and a hot
concentrated solution of a soluble silicate of soda or potash is added
thereto to effect the precipitation of the insoluble silicate.
The proportions employed vary with the material dealt with. As an
example, in order to produce silicate of magnesia we employ about 12.
parts by weight of silicate of soda solution, having a specific gravity of
1750 diluted in about its own weight of boiling water to effect the pre-
cipitation of about 10 parts by weight of sulphate of magnesia or Epsom
salts. The precipitate thus obtained is thoroughly washed with water
by decantation. The semi-fluid precipitate is then well drained on some
porous material, such as sand or porous earthenware, pressed in order to
remove as much as possible of the water and then dried at steam heat.

page_text: The aluminate of magnesia is prepared by boiling a solution of
common alum with hydrate or carbonate of magnesia until the car-
bonate is decomposed. The aluminate produced is then washed and
dried as above described. The silicate of magnesia may also be pre-
pared according to the above method by substituting silicate of soda
for alum..
We employ the above substances for the discolorisation of solid hydro-
carbons in the following manner: The paraffin or other solid hydro-
carbon, after acidification in the ordinary way, is raised to a temperature
of from 260° to 320° Fahr., and the dry powder of one of the silicates
or the aluminate above mentioned is added by degrees to the extent of
from 5 to 15 per cent. by weight of the paraffin, and the whole is kept
thoroughly agitated by blowing in air, or by other known means until
the color is removed from the paraffin, after which the silicates are
5 allowed to settle and the supernatant paraffin is then drawn off and
filtered through drill bags.
In the case of fluid hydrocarbons it is only necessary to treat these by
mixture with the silicates before or after acidification at a moderate heat
or at ordinary temperatures and then filter the same.
Instead of using only one of the decolorising substances above men-
tioned, several of them may be used either together or in succession.
For example, we sometimes commence the process of decolorization with
the lime silicate, and finish the operation with the more costly and per-
fectly decolorising silicates of magnesia or of protoxide of iron.
In order to recover the paraffin or other hydrocarbons absorbed by
the silicates or aluminate, it is only necessary to boil these for a short
time with dilute vitriol, muriatic, or other suitable acid; and after
allowing the solution to settle the paraffin or other hydrocarbon is
drawn off from the surface.
The remaining acid liquid containing some silica at the bottom may
then be run off through a canvas bag or allowed to settle in the tank.
The clear liquid is neutralised with carbonate or hydrate of soda or
potash, or with a carbonate or hydrate of the base to be silicated, and is
reprecipitated with silicate of soda in order to be used over again. Or
the granular precipitate of silica of a former operation may be dissolved

page_text: in caustic, soda, or potash to saturation, and used to precipitate with,
instead of a fresh quantity of silicate of soda or potash.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we hereby declare that we make
no claim generally to the use of certain natural silicates, such as fuller's 5
earth, for the decolorisation of hydrocarbons, but what we claim is,-
First. The decolorising of hydrocarbons by the addition thereto of
silicates of alkaline earths, or of iron, or manganese, or aluminate of
magnesia, prepared and applied substantially as herein described.
Second. The process, substantially as herein described, of separating 1
from the decolorising ingredients above referred to the hydrocarbon
mingled therewith, and recovering the said decolorising ingredients for
farther use.
In witness whereof, I, the said Arthur Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of June, in the year of our Lord 1
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.