IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTRACTING AND UTILIZING WASTE FATTY AND COLOURING MATTERS CON- TAINED IN THE WASHINGS OF PRINT AND DYE WORKS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Joseph Alfred Wuth, of Accrington, in
the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
EXTRACTING AND UTILIZING WASTE FATTY AND COLOURING MATTERS CON-
TAINED IN THE WASHINGS OF PRINT AND DYE WORKS."-A communication
from abroad by Richard Albert Forster, of the City of Augsburg,
Kingdom of Bavaria.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Joseph Alfred
Wuth at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 31st December 1873.
I, GEORGE JOSEPH ALFRED WUTH, of Accrington, in the County of
Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Iμ-
PROVEMENTS IN EXTRACTING AND UTILIZING WASTE FATTY AND COLOURING MATTERS
CONTAINED IN THE WASHINGS OF PRINT AND DYE WORKS," being a communi-

page_text: cation to me from abroad by Richard Albert Forster, of the City of
Augsburg, Kingdom of Bavaria, to be as follows:-
At print and dye works the printed or dyed goods are usually washed
with soap and water to free them from any excess of colouring matter
and other substances which are injurious to the brightness of the colors.
The liquors used for that purpose, which now generally are allowed to
run away though they contain a large quantity of valuable coloring and
fatty matters can be made useful, and the improvements described in
this Specification have the purpose to regain and extract the fatty and
coloring matters out of these liquors.
In one process I first mix with the soapy waters a sufficient quantity
of acid so as to combine with the alkali contained in it and to set the
fatty matter free, which in separating will take with them also the
colouring matter contained in the liquid. The separated fat will float
on the surface, and can be skimmed off or otherwise be collected.
I do not confine myself to the use of any particular acid for this
purpose, as any acid capable of decomposing soap will do, but by
preference I use hydrochloric acid, and in some cases I prefer to precipi-
tate the soap liquors with a solution of chloride of calcium, and then
decompose the so formed lime soap with the above-named acids.
I next dissolve the fatty matter either in a pressed or unpressed state
by means of a suitable menstruum, as are the volatile hydrocarbons
derived from the distillation of petroleum, but by preference naphtha,
benzine, gasaleine, or rehigoleine, and petroleum spirit.
This solution of fatty matters is separated from the undissolved
colouring matter by filtering or in any other suitablo manner, and the
hydrocarbons are distilled off in a suitable apparatus and again condensed
so as to be reused.
This operation can be repeated until the colouring matter is nearly
2 LI

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said George Joseph Alfred Wuth in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th June 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
JOSEPH ALFRED WUTH, of Accrington, in the County of Lancaster,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first 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 me, the said George Joseph Alfred Wuth, Her
special licence that I, the said George Joseph Alfred Wuth, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Joseph
Alfred Wuth, my 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, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTRACTING AND UTILIZING WASTE FATTY AND COLORING
MATTERS CONTAINED IN THE WASHINGS OF PRINT AND DYE WORKS," a communi-
cation to me from abroad by Richard Albert Forster, of the City of
Augsburg, Kingdom of Bavaria,) upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said George Joseph Alfred Wuth, my executors or admini-
strators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, 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 immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Joseph Alfred Wuth, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
At print and dye works the printed or dyed goods are usually washed
with
soap and water to free them from any excess of coloring matter
and other substances which are injurious to the brightness of the colors.

page_text: The liquors used for that purpose, which are now generally allowed to
run away, contain a large quantity of valuable coloring and fatty
matters, and the object of this Invention is to regain and extract the
fatty and coloring matters from such liquids.
The Invention consists principally in the use of petroleum ether as a
solvent for fatty matters and fatty acids regained from the soap liquors
of printers, dyers, and Turkey red works. These soap liquors contain a
large amount of the coloring matters of madder, chiefly alizarine, either
in a free state or combined with alumina or iron, and I have found that
a petroleum ether of a specific gravity not exceeding 0.67 and a boiling
point of from 50° to 65° centigrade does not dissolve any perceptible
amount of this coloring matter at ordinary temperatures, say not higher
than 15° centrigade.
I will now proceed to describe the method I employ for the recovery
of the said coloring and fatty matters :—
In one process I first mix with the soapy waters a sufficient quantity
of acid so as to combine with the alkali contained in it and to set the
fatty matter free, which in separating will take with them also the
coloring matter contained in the liquid. The separated fat will float on
the surface, and can be skimmed off or otherwise be collected.
I do not confine myself to the use of any particular acid for this
purpose, as any acid capable of decomposing soap will do, but by
preference I use hydrochloric acid, and in some cases I prefer to precipi-
tate the soap liquors with a solution of chlorido of calcium, and then
decompose the so formed lime soap with the above-named acids.
I next free these fatty matters from all water contained in them by
pressing the mass in a cold state. I then mix them with the petroleum
spirit in a suitable vessel, and after standing some time the solution is
separated from the undissolved parts by filtration or decantation.
The residue is treated in the same way as long as any fat will dissolve,
but three or four such operations are generally sufficient, and what
remains consist chiefly of colouring matter, alumina, iron, and dirt, and
can be used to regain the coloring matter, chiefly alizarine, in a manner
well known in the manufacture of garancine and extract of madder,
namely, by a treatment with acid and then washing if garancine or a
product for dyeing be required, and after that with alcohol, ether,

page_text: alkalics, or other salts when free pure coloring matter is wanted.
The
decanted or filtered solution of the fatty acids are heated in a suitable
vessel to drive off the volatile petroleum spirit, when the fatty acids will
be left free from coloring matter, or nearly so, and may be used for all
commercial purposes.
Having now described the nature and particulars of the said Invention
as communicated to me by Mr. Forster, I desire it to be understood that
I do not claim the precipitation of waste soap liquors nor the treatment
of the impure coloring matter left back after the use of the petroleum
spirit, but what I claim is the use of a petroleum ether of a specific
gravity not exceeding 0-67 and a boiling point not higher than 60° to 65°
centigrate as a solvent for fat and fatty acids, which at the same time
does not dissolve any material amount of coloring matter either in a
free state or combined with alumina or iron, substantially as hercin
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Joseph Alfred Wuth, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of June, in
the year of our Lord Onc thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.