AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR PURIFYING AND WHITENING OILS AND FATS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Philip Middleton Justice, of 14, Southampton Buildings,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for an Invention of "AN
IMPROVED PROCESS FOR PURIFYING AND WHITENING OILS AND FATS."
A communication from abroad by Alexander William Winter, Manufacturer,
and William Tell Coleman, Merchant, both of San Francisco, State of
California, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Philip Middleton Justice
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th September 1880.
PHILIP MIDDLETON JUSTICE, of 14, Southampton Buildings, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent. "AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR PURIFYING AND
WHITENING OILS AND FATS." A communication froin abroad by Alexander
William Winter, Manufacturer, and William Tell Coleman, Merchant, both of San
Francisco, State of California, United States of America.
This Invention relates to the purifying and whitening of lard, oil, stearic acid,
and other dark mineral oils and fats, and also of certain vegetable oils, in a perfect
and economical manner without the use of acids or any poisonous or deleterious
chemicals. Hitherto it has been customary to treat vegetable and animal oils
either by distillation or with chemicals in order to remove the impurities and the
colouring matter. These methods are tedious and expensive, and are therefore not
practicable for the treatment of oils and fats if designed for use in the making of
candles and soap and for like purposes. I have discovered that fullers earth will
remove the impurities from animal oils and fats, and from certain vegetable oils,
and that it also has an allinity for the colouring matters of these oils and fats, so
that by the treatment of them with said fullers' earth they are purified and rendered
practically colourless.
My Invention therefor consists in mixing with said oils and fats reduced to a
liquid condition pulverized dry fullers earth and then separating the earth from
the oil or fat, preferably by allowing it to settle. In carrying out my Invention I
take the oil or fat to be purified in any desired quantity, place it in any ordinary

page_text: vessel suited for the purpose, and warm it until it is in a perfectly liquid condition.
The degree of temperature required will of course vary with the different kind of
oil or-fat, and I do not deem it therefor necessary to specify any particular degree
of heat, it being simply sufficient that the material to be treated should be reduced
to a perfectly liquid. state. When the fat or oil is in such a proper state of
liquefaction I spread over its surface and mix with it a quantity of fullers earth,
or equivalent clay, which should be finely pulverized. After this has been
thoroughly agitated and mixed it is allowed to settle. The fullers earth will then
be found at the botton, and the oil or fat perfectly free from all impurities and
from colouring matter, but in other respects unchanged and ready for use in the
making of soap or candles or for any such purpose where pure colourless oil or fat
is required. The residuum, consisting of fullers earth mixed with oil, after the
clear portion has been drawn off, may be put into boiling water, which separates
the oil or fat from the earth and permits it to rise to the top, where it can be
recovered. The refuse may then be thrown away or utilized in any desired
manner. The amount of fullers earth which I have found to be necessary varies
with the different kinds of fats and oils, but may be stated at from one to fifteen
per cent. in weight of the fat or oil to be treated thereby. Obviously no stills or
expensive machinery are needed, the only apparatus required being an ordinary
- vessel of suitable capacity in which to warn the oil or fut, and if desired one or
more settling tanks.
This process is designed mainly for the treatment of animal oils and fats, such as
those herein before-specified-I-have-found.however that the treatment, though not
-applicable_to_many_of_the_vegetable oils, may be advantageously applied to the
treatment of cotton soed oil, mustard seed oil, and cocoa-nut oil,-and-may-also-
doubtless be applied effectively to other oils of like constitution. In no case
however have I found necessary nor do I contemplate the use with my process of
any acid or other chemical treatment or the mixture of any other substance.
In the treatment of mineral oils I have found the simple application with
fullers earth as I use it effective for the purpose of removing impurities and at the
same time also the colouring matter, and I shall confine my claim therefor to the
treatment of animal oils and fats and certain vegetable oils, as specified, by means
of fullers earth taken alone, the fullers earth having for these specified fats and
oils a special fitness by reason of its affinity for the colouring matter contained in
them. By means of this process I am enabled to prepare in an inexpensive manner
the dark and cheap oils and fats, and to render them practically colourless and fit
to be used in the manufacture of soap and candles.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Philip Middleton Justice in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th March 1881.
PHILIP MIDDLETON JUSTICE, of 14, Southampton Buildings, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent. "AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR PURIFYING AND
WHITENING OILS AND FATS." A communication from abroad by Alexander
William Winter, Manufacturer, and William Tell Coleman, Merchant, both of San
Francisco, State of California, United States of America.
This Invention relates to the bleaching, refining, and purifying of tallow, lard,
oils, stearic acid, and dark oils and fats in an economical manner without the use
of acids or any poisonous or deleterious chemicals. Hitherto it has been customary
to treat oils either by distillation or with chemicals in order to remove the
impurities and coloring matter. These methods are tedious and expensive, and
are therefore not economical for the treatment of oils and fats for various purposes
and uses.
It has been discovered that fullers earth will remove the impurities
from animal oils and fats and from certain vegetable oils, and that it also has an
affinity for the coloring matters of these oils and fats, so that by the treatment of
them with said fullers earth they are purified and rendered practically colorless.
This Invention therefore consists in mixing with such oils and fats, reduced to a
liquid condition, pulverized dry fullers earth, and then separating the earth from
the oil or fat, preferably by allowing it to settle in the same vessel or removing it
to another vessel to settle. In carrying out this Invention I take the oil or fat to
be purified in any desired quantity, place it in any ordinary vessel suited for tho
purpose, and warm it until it is in a suitably liquid condition. The degree of
temperature required will of course vary with the different kind of oil or fat, and
I do not therefore deem it necessary to specify any particular degree of heat, it
being simply sufficient that the material to be treated should be reduced to a
suitably liquid state. When the fat or oil is in such a proper state of liquefaction
I spread over its surface and mix with it a quantity of fullers earth, or equivalent
clay, which should be finely pulverized. After this has been thoroughly agitated
and mixed it is allowed to settle. The fullers earth will then be found at the
bottom, and the oil or fat left free from all impurities and from coloring matter,
but in other respects unchanged and ready for use in the making of soap or candles
or for any other purpose where pure colorless oil or fat is required or desirable.
The residuum, consisting of fullers earth mixed with oil, after the clear portion
has been drawn off, may be put into boiling water, which separates the oil or fat
from the earth and permits it to rise to the top where it can be recovered. The
refuse may then be thrown away or utilized in any desired manner. The amount
of fullers earth which I have found to be necessary varies with the different kinds
of fats and oils, but may be stated at from one to fifteen per cent. in weight of the
fat or oil to be treated thereby. Obviously no stills or other expensive machinery
are needed, the only apparatus required being an ordinary vessel of suitable
capacity in which to warm the oil or fat, and if desired one or more settling tanks
separate or connected. This process is designed mainly for the treatment of
animal oils and fats, such as those herein before specified. I have found however
that the treatment, though not applicable to all vegetable oils, inay be advan-
tageously applied to the treatment of cotton seed oil, mustard seed oil, and cocoa
nut oil, and may also be applied effectively to other oils of like constitution. In
no case however have I found necessary nor do I contemplate the use with this
process of any acid, or other chemical treatment, or the mixture of any other
substance. I am aware that is has heretofore been proposed to use fullers earth in
connection with a preliminary sulphuric acid treatment for the purification of

page_text: parafine and mineral oils, and also that pumice and other magnesian earths, silica
and silicious earths in connection with acid treatment, or other processes, have
been heretofore known in the treatment of oils, and I do not broadly claim such,
this process being confined to an argillaceous non aluminous clay, such as fullers
earth. In the treatment of fats and oils however I have found the simple
application with fullers earth, as. described, effective for the purpose of removing
impurities, and at the same time the coloring matter also, and I confine my claim
.therefor to the treatment of oils and fats by means of fullers earth taken alone,
the fullers earth having a special fitness by reason of its affinity for the coloring
matter contained in them. By means of this process I am enabled to prepare in
an inexpensive manner the dark and cheap oils and fats, and to render them
practically colourless and fit to be used in the manufacture of soaps, candles, and
other articles.
Having thus described the nature of the invention as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters
Patent is,
The described process of treating animal fats and oils and certain vegetable oils
by reducing them to a liquid condition, mixing therewith pulverized fullers earth
in substantially the proportions specified, and then separating the earth from the
oil or fat, as and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Philip Middleton Justice, have hereunto set
-my-hand-and-scal;-this-Seventh-day-of-March,.in_the_year_of_our_Lord_
Witness,
CALLEN P. JONES,
14, Southampton Blds.,
Chancery Lane, W.C.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE. (L.S.)