A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR OBTAINING SUGAR FROM SACCHARINE SUBSTANCES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in
the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR
OBTAINING SUGAR FROM SACCHARINE SUBSTANCES" to be as follows:-
The present invention relates to a new or improved process for separating the
sugar contained in saccharine substances generally and obtaining the same in the
form of a magnesian lime saccharate, insoluble, or soluble with difficulty, in water,
by the use of burnt natural dolomite or of artificial compounds of calcium oxide
or hydrate and magnesium oxide or hydrate, having a composition similar to the
burnt natural dolomite.
The said process can be employed for separating the sugar both from molasses,
diffusion juices, and other saccharine solutions obtained from beet root, as also from
substances containing starch, such as potatoes, chestnuts &c., the starch of which
has been converted into sugar by boiling with dilute acids. With all these
substances it depends mainly only upon the use of dolomite, or of a proper mixture
of lime and magnesia similar to dolomite, in order to obtain the formation of the
magnesian lime saccharate.
The saccharine solutions employed may vary in their per centage from seven to
twenty per cent; the burnt natural dolomite or the said similar compounds of
calcium oxide or hydrate and magnesium oxide or hydrate are added either
continuously or by degrees, the formation and separation of the magnesian lime
saccharate being thereby effected without any considerable development of heat.
If natural dolomite is available, any such may be employed, the per centage of
magnesia in which does not sink below and does not exceed certain limits.
As dolomites reaching the lower limita may be considered those that approach
the class of dolomitic limestones, so that a dolomite may still be used whose
composition shows 2 of lime and 1 of magnesia, that is, corresponding to a
proportion of 32.7 calcium oxide to 117 magnesium oxide.
The experiments made show however that dolomites that are still well applicable
for the process may have a composition of 1 lime and 1 magnesia, therefore corre
sponding to a proportion of 327 calcium oxide and 23-4 magnesium oxide. If
natural dolomites of higher per centages of magnesia are available, they may also
be used for this purpose, but it is in that case cxpedient to bring the proportion of
magnesia within the above mentioned limits by the addition of a certain quantity of
lime, in order to prevent a useless accumulation of magnesia. If a natural dolomite

page_text: is not available an intimate mixture of lime with magnesia, dolomitic lime, or other
materials containing magnesia whose composition corresponds to that of the natural
dolomite may be used. If a mixture of lime and magnesia is used, then either tho
hydrates are employed, or at any rate calcium hydrate, and after intimate admixturo
it is again burnt in order to produce a mass similar to dolomite, and to remove the
water of hydration.
As already stated, a development of heat on the admixture of the dolomite or
other compound does either not take place at all, or only to such an extent as not
to prevent the complete precipitation of the sugar, so that no special cooling
appliance need be used, as the magnesian lime saccharate, in contradistinction to
the tri- or poly-basic lime saccharates, always forms without cooling being required,
and even at temperatures above 50° Cent, but not at temperatures between 30° and
50° Cent. Cooling is only requisite during precipitation when the temperature of
the atmosphere reaches or exceeds 30° Cent., as the reaction will not commence
above that temperature.
The cooling required under these circumstances does not serve to reduce the hent
generated by the reaction, as this does not occur to an appreciable extent, but only
to reduce the temperature of the solution to be treated below that at which the
reaction can commence.
After the addition of the requisite quantity of dolomite or other compound, the
formation and precipitation of the magnesian lime saccharate will commence, and
the complete precipitation will be effected by further addition of the dolomite or
compound, or, at this stage, also by the addition of caustic lime alone, without
cooling being required. It is to be observed that the quantity of material requisite
for initiating the reaction, may, at the lower limit, contain about one third less
calcium oxide (and with higher per centages of magnesia, proportionately still less)
than is required under the same circumstances with the lime process, because the
magnesia, by the formation of the magnesian lime saccharate (a saccharate not
heretofore produced) itself enters into the combination.
But even irrespective of the quantity of lime replaced by the magnesin, a
considerable saving in the expenditure of material is effected by this process.
The magnesian lime saccharate thus obtained, which, according to the dolomite
or dolomitic compound employed, has a composition of from 1 sugar, 1 magnesia,
and 1 lime, (insoluble saccharate) to 1 sugar, 1 magnesia and 2 lime (saccharate
soluble with difficulty) has the property of being much more permanent than the
lime saccharate, so that with complete precipitation no retrogressive action will
take place, and otherwise only a very slow retrogression, without rise of temperature;
also, the compound is considerably more compact than the lime saccharate, and of
yellow color.
The said properties ronder possible the use of solutions with very high per
centages of sugar, which are so advantageous for the manufacture.
The purification and decomposition of the magnesian lime saccharate obtained is
effected according to the known methods, and in such manner that by the addition
of a hot saccharine solution, such as juices, the saccharate is first decomposed and
then saturated, and that, furthermore, the mixture of lime and magnesia or their
carbonates separated out can be regenerated by burning and be used over again in
the process.
The mode of carrying out the process above described is applicable both with
molasses, and diffusion juices. If the process is to be employed for obtaining sugar
direct from grated beet root, the comminuted roots, after the addition of water for
obtaining the requisite dilution, is treated with burnt dolomite or with the above
mentioned compounds of lime and magnesia (oxides or hydrates) and after the first
pressing a press cake is obtained, containing, together with the magnesian lime
saccharate, the lime (mostly organic) which is insoluble in water and magnesia
salts, as also the cellulose constituents of the roots. In the following decomposition
by means of sugar solutions &c, the sugar is then separated from the salts and
cellulose constituents as soluble saccharate with a corresponding small proportion of

page_text: magnesia and lime, the salts and cellulose remaining in the form of a cake which
can be readily completely lixiviated.
On burning this cake the cellulose constituents are destroyed and the magnesian
line compound is regenerated and can be used over again. It is to be observed
that any cells that have not been broken up by the grating process employed can
mostly not withstand the action of the caustic lime and caustic magnesin, and aro
consequently opened out thereby.
In the direct manufacture of sugar from potatoes and other starchy substances
by this dolomite process, the previous production of the starch, as usually effected,
may be advantageously dispensed with, and consequently the losses of starch and
therefore of sugar resulting from that method, as also the increased working expenses,
are avoided.
For this purpose the potatoes or other materials are grated or otherwise
comminuted, and are boiled under addition of dilute acids, whereby the trans-
formation of the whole of the starch and even of a portion of the cellulose into
sugar, will be effected; the mass thus obtained is then cooled to below 30° Cent.
and the precipitation of the sugar as magnesian lime saccharate is effected as above
described. In this case also the cooling is only requisite in order to bring the
liquor below the temperature of 30° Cent. at which, as before stated, the separation
can alone be initiated.
The process described can also be so modified as to be separated into two or more
phases of operation, by which means very concentrated solutions are obtained at
the subsequent purification and decomposition of the inagnesian lime saccharate
produced, and consequently a considerable economy in the working expenses is
effected in the subsequent evaporation.
For this purpose the addition of the dolomite to the saccharine solution is only
continued until the precipitation of the saccharate just commences, after which a
cake is obtained by pressing, that only contains a small proportion of precipitated
saccharate, while the lye is still strongly saccharine; from this the complete
precipitation of the saccharate is effected by the addition of a small quantity of
dolomite, and at the following second pressing a cake is obtained having a large
per centage of sugar and only a small quantity of non-saccharine substances
(among which the lime and magnesia combined with the sugar are included)
whereby the above named advantages are obtained, the cake obtained being, in
consequence of the almost complete absence of salts &c., very suitable for addition
to the raw juice before saturation, in place of lime or milk of lime.
In order to obtain a convenient and inexpensive mode of working, the above
operation may be divided into more than two stages, in such manner that to the
undiluted (or even diluted) molasses (or other saccharine solutions), are added from
about 25 to 30 per cent (or even more) of dolomite in proportion to the sugar
before desaccharification period, as milk of lime and magnesia, the addition being
preferably made to the second, so called hydrate cake, whereby a soluble saccharate
is formed, which, when diluted to the requisite degree, may be used as such for the
separation of the sugar.
Lastly it may be observed that in those cases where it may be preferred not to
decompose the saccharate, but to add it to the raw juice before saturation in the
place of lime or milk of lime, the same advantages will be obtained that would
result from the addition of magnesia, before saturation.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant,
28, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in
the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR
OBTAINING SUGAR FROM SACCHARINE SUBSTANCES" and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:—
The present invention relates to a new or improved process for separating the
sugar contained in saccharine substances generally and obtaining the same in the
form of a magnesian lime saccharate, insoluble, or soluble with difficulty in water,
by the use of burnt natural dolomite or of artificial compounds of calcium oxide or
hydrate and magnesium oxide or hydrate having a composition similar to the burnt
natural dolomite.
The said process can be employed for separating the sugar both from molasses,
diffusion juices, and other saccharine solutions obtained from beet root as also from
substances containing starch, such as potataes, chestnuts &c, the starch of which
has been converted into sugar by boiling with dilute acids. With all these
substances it depends mainly only upon the use of dolomite, or of a proper mixture
of lime and magnesia similar to dolomite, in order to obtain the formation of tho
magnesian lime saccharate.
The saccharine solutions employed may vary in their per centage from seven to
twenty per cent; the burnt natural dolomite or the said similar compounds of
calcium oxide or hydrate and magnesium oxide or hydrate are added, either
continuously or by degrees, the formation and separation of the magnesian lime
saccharate being thereby effected without any considerable development of heat.
If natural dolomite is available any such may be employed, the per centage of
magnesia in which does not sink below and does not exceed certain limits.
As dolomites reaching the lower limits may be considered those that approach
the class of dolomitic limestones, so that a dolomite may still be used whose
composition shews 2 of lime and one of magnesia, that is, corresponding to a
proportion of 32-7 calcium oxide to 11-7 magnesium oxide.
The experiments made, shew however that dolomites that are still well applicable
for the process, may have a composition of 1 limo and 1 magnesin, therefore corre-
sponding to a proportion of 32.7 calcium oxide and 2.34 magnesium oxide. If
natural dolomites of higher per centages of magnesia are available, they may also
be used for this purpose, but it is in that case expedient to bring the proportion of
magnesia within the above mentioned limits by the addition of a certain quantity
of lime, in order to prevent a useless accumulation of magnesia. If a natural
dolomite is not available an intimate mixture of lime with magnesia, dolomitic
lime, or other materials containing magnesia whose composition corresponds to that
of the natural dolomite may be used. If a mixture of lime and magnesia is used,
then either the hydrates are employed, or at any rate calcium hydrate, and after
intimate admixture it is again burnt in order to produce a mass similar to dolomite,
and to remove the water of hydration,

page_text: As already stated, a development of heat on the admixture of the dolomite or
other compound does either not take place at all, or only to such an extent as not
to prevent the complete precipitation of the sugar, so that no special cooling
appliance need be used, as the magnesian lime saccharate, in contradistinction to
the tri- or poly-basic lime saccharates, always forms without cooling being required,
and even at temperatures above 50° Cent. but not at temperatures between 30° and
50° Cent. Cooling is only requisite during precipitation when the temperature of
the atmosphere reaches or exceeds 30° Cent, as the reaction will not commence
above that temperature. The cooling required under these circumstances does not
serve to reduce the heat generated by the reaction, as this does not occur to an
appreciable extent, but only to reduce the temperature of the solution to be treated
below that at which the reaction can commence.
After the addition of the requisite quantity of dolomite or other compound, thẹ
formation and precipitation of the magnesian lime saccharate will commence, and
the complete precipitation will be effected by further addition of the dolomite or
compound, or, at this stage, also by the addition of caustic lime alone, without
cooling being required. It is to be observed that the quantity of material requisito
for initiating the reaction, may, at the lower limit, contain about one third less
calcium oxide (and with higher per centage of magnesia, proportionately still less)
than is required under the same circumstances with the lime process, because the
magnesia, by the formation of the magnesian lime saccharate (a saccharate not
heretofore produced) itself enters into the combination.
But even irrespective of the quantity of lime replaced by the magnesia, a
considerable saving in the expenditure of material is effected by this process.
The magnesian lime saccharate thus obtained, which, according to the dolomite
or dolomitic compound employed, has a composition of from 1 sugar, 1 magnesia,
and 1 lime, (insoluble saccharate) to 1 sugar, 1 magnesia and 2 lime (saccharate
soluble with difficulty) has the property of being much more permanent than the
lime saccharate, so that with complete precipitation no retrogressive action will
take place, and otherwise only a very slow retrogression, without rise of tempera-
ture; also, the compound is considerably more compact than the lime saccharate,
and of yellow color.
The said properties render possible the use of solutions with very high per-
centage of sugar, which are so advantageous for the manufacture.
The purification and decomposition of the magnesian lime saccharate obtained is
effected according to the known methods, and in such manner that by the addition
of a hot saccharine solution, such as juices, the saccharate is first decomposed and
then saturated, and that, furthermore, the mixture of lime and magnesia or their
carbonates separated out can be regenerated by burning and be used over again in
the process.
The mode of carrying out the process above described is applicable both with
molasses, and diffusion juices. If the process is to be employed for obtaining sugar
direct from grated beet root, the comminuted roots, after the addition of water for
obtaining the requisite dilution, is treated with burnt dolomite or with the above
mentioned compounds of lime and magnesia (oxides or hydrates) and after the first
pressing a press cake is obtained, containing together with the magnesian lime
saccharate, the lime (mostly organic) which is insoluble in water and magnesia
salts, as also the cellulose constituents of the roots In the following decomposition
by means of sugar solutions &c, the sugar is then separated from the salts and
cellulose constituents as soluble saccharate with a corresponding small proportion of
magnesia and lime, the salts and cellulose remaining in the form of a cake which
can be readily completely lixiviated.
>
On burning this cake the cellulose constituents are destroyed and the magnesian
lime compound is regenerated and can be used over again. It is to be observed
that any cells that have not been broken up by the grating process employed.can
mostly not withstand the action of the caustic lime and caustic magnesia, and are
consequently opened out thereby,

page_text: In the direct manufacture of sugar from potatoes and other starchy substances by
this dolomite process, the previous production of the starch, as usually effected, may
be advantageously dispensed with, and consequently the losses of starch and
therefore of sugar resulting from that method, as also the increased working
expenses, are avoided.
For this purpose the potatoes or other materials are grated or otherwise
comminuted, and are boiled under addition of dilute acids, whereby the trans-
formation of the whole of the starch and even of a portion of the cellulose into
Bugar, will be effected; the mass thus obtained is then cooled to below 30° Cent.
and the precipitation of the sugar as magnesian lime saccharate is effected as above
described. In this case also the cooling is only requisite in order to bring the
liquor below the temperature of 30° Cent. at which, as before stated, the separation
can alone be initiated.
The process described can also be so modified as to be separated into two or
more phases of operation, by which means very concentrated solutions are obtained
at the subsequent purification and decomposition of the magnesian lime saccharate
produced, and consequently a considerable economy in the working expenses is
effected in the subsequent evaporation.
.
For this purpose the addition of the dolomite to the saccharine solution is only
continued until the precipitation of the saccharate just commences, after which
a cake is obtained by pressing, that only contains a small proportion of precipitated
Baccharate, while the lye is still strongly saccharine; from this the complete
precipitation of the saccharate is effected by the addition of a small quantity of
dolomite, and at the following second pressing a cake is obtained having a largo
percentage of sugar and only a small quantity of non saccharine substances (among
which the lime and magnesia combined with the sugar are included) whereby the
above named advantages are obtained, the cake obtained being, in consequence of
the almost complete absence of salts &c, very suitable for addition to the raw juice
before saturation, in place of lime or milk of lime.
In order to obtain a convenient and inexpensive inode of working, the above
operation may be divided into more than two stages, in such manner that to the
undiluted (or even diluted) molasses (or other anccharine solutions), are added from
about 25 to 30 per cent (or even more) of dolomite in proportion to the sugar before
the desaccharifaction period, as milk of lime and magnesia, the addition being
preferably made to the second, so called hydrate cake, whereby a soluble saccharate
is formed, which, when diluted to the requisite degree, may be used as such for the
separation of the sugar.
Lastly it may be observed that in these cases where it may be preferred not to
decompose the saccharate, but to add it to the mw juice before saturation in the
place of lime or milk of lime, the same advantages will be obtained that would
result from the addition of magnesia before saturation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be
understood that I in no way claim the herein before described modes of operating
in so far as they are known and applied in the treatment of saccharine substances
with lime alone, but only when employed in the treatment with dolomite or
combinations of lime and inagnesia as herein described; nor do I claim any
refrigerating process except under the condition of high atmospheric temperatures
and for the special purpose herein set forth; but, I declare that what I claim is
1, The separation and obtaining of sugar from saccharine substances in the form
of a magnesian lime saccharate by the use of natural dolomites, or of mixtures of
calcium oxide or hydrate with magnesium oxide or hydrate, at initial temperatures
below 80° Cent, or by heating above 50° substantially as herein described.
2. The use for the preparation of sugar by the process referred to in the preceding
claim, of saccharine substances in general as raw material, and in particular of
molasses, diffusion juices, and saccharine liquors obtained from comminuted best

page_text: root and directly from starchy substances without previous separation of the starch,
in which the per centage of sugar can vary between 7 and 20 per cent.
3. In combination with the process referred to in the first claim, effecting the
refrigeration of the saccharine solutions in those cases where the atmospherio
temperature exceeds that at which the separation can be initiated.
4. In the obtaining of sugar according to the method referred to in the first claim,
the division of the process into two phases of operation in the first of which the
dolomite is only added to such an extent as to initiate the precipitation, while in
the second the complete precipitation of the saccharate is effected from the liquors
obtained after the first pressing, by the addition of only a small quantity of
dolomite, substantially as herein described.
5, In the obtaining of sugar according to the method referred to in the first
claim, the division of the process into several phases of operation, in which the
diluted or undiluted saccharine substance has added to it before the desaccharifaction
period from 25 to 30 per cent, or more, of dolomite or its equivalent, in the form of
magnesia milk, whereby a soluble saccharate is obtained which can be used as such
for the separation of the sugar in the manner set forth.
Dated this 19th day of February 1885.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant,
28, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.