Method of Extracting Pure Neutral Grease from Wool or the like.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 16th July, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Oct., 1889-Accepted, 8th Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Method of Extracting Pure Neutral Grease from Wool or the like.
We, CARL LAHUSEN and Dr. CARL FEUERLEIN of Delmenhorst near Bremen,
Germany, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Pure neutral wool grease has only hitherto been obtained by round about methods,
either by treating soaped products containing wool grease with grease extracting
substances, then by eliminating from this extract the water and the grease extracting
substances and then by causing the grease, still not entirely free from soap, to undergo
a further special treatment with acetone, or by making emulsions from the articles
containing wool grease by the addition of water and alkalies, separating the soap
therefrom by means of alcohol, and then again remelting the wool grease obtained
therefrom for the purpose of purifying it. In either of the above methods various
more or loss delicate operations are required to obtain the desired results, but in
any case the direct recovery of pure neutral wool grease from the greasy sludge,
which is deposited by means of sulphuric acid, from the water used in washing
the wool, is not possible in the way described above.
The object of the invention herein described is the direct recovery of puro
neutral wool grease from articles which contain such grease, and is based on the
discovery that by the addition of articles which remove the water to a liquid
grease extracting material which contains wool grease and soap, the separation of
the greasy solution from the soap contained therein is so completely achieved that
the said fatty solution contains only pure neutral wool grease.
In order to put the process in operation, the greasy sludge deposited in the
usual manner by means of sulphuric acid from the water used in washing the wool,
is treated either before or after its neutralization by alkalies in a wet or dry state,
with a grease extracting substance, such as benzine or sulphuretted carbon or ether
or chloroform or a mixture of these liquids, and then immediately with a water
absorbing substance, such as chlorido of potassium or chloride of sodium or chloride
of magnesium or sulphate of potash or carbonate of potash or a mixture of these
substances. The water absorbent substance causes immediately all soapy particles
to separate from the grease, and from the thereby greasy extracting material if
the mixture is thoroughly amalgamated by stirring or shaking and thon left to
settle.
According to the kind of substance employed for extracting the grease and
absorbing the water, the clear grease solution is deposited above or below in the
receiver from which it can be removed by decantation. The grease solution is
then distilled off, and yields the purc neutral wool grease. The soapy particles
after the separation of the grease solution can be worked up into soap or
decomposed in the usual manner, by means of acid, in order to obtain the fatty.
acids.
The mixing proportions of the substances employed for extracting the grense and
absorbing the water, as well as the choice of the latter, are regulated, not only
by the amount of grease and soap contained in the product to be treated, but also
essentially depends on the sort of wool from which the grease sludge is obtained.
This also decides the most advantageous temperature at which the separation of
the grease solution from the soapy particles shall take place.
Therefore the proper mixing proportions musi. be fixed beforehand by experiments
for each special case.
CT.... 1900
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Method of Extracting Pure Neutral Grease from Wool or the like.
We, CARL LAHUSEN and CARL FEUERLEIN of the North German Wool Carding
& Worsted Yarn Spinning Factory, Delmenhorst near Bremen in the Empire of
Germany, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
Pure neutral wool grease has only hitherto been obtained by roundabout methods,
either by treating soaped products containing wool grease with grease extracting
substances, then by eliminating from this extract the water and the grease extracting
substances and then by causing the grease, still not entirely free from soap, to undergo
a further special treatment with acetone, or by making emulsions from the articles
containing wool grease by the addition of water and alkalies, separating the soap
therefrom by means of alcohol, and then again remelting the wool grease obtained
therefrom for tho purpose of purifying it. In either of the above methods, various
more or less delicate operations are required to obthin the desired results, but in any
case, the direct recovery of pure neutral wool grease from the greasy sludge, which is
deposited by means of sulphuric acid, from the water used in washing the wool, is not
possible in the way described above.
The object of the invention herein described is the direct recovery of pure neutral
wool grease from articles which contain such grease, and is based on the discovery
that by the addition of articles which remove the water to a liquid grease extracting
material which contains wool grease and soap, the separation of the greasy solution
from the soap contained therein is so completely achieved that the said fatty solution
contains only pure neutral wool grease.
For the purification, sulphuric acid is added to the waste waters from wool combing
mills, usually at a temperature of 40 to 50 degrees Celsius, continuously, until the
particles of grease and dirt contained in the water are separated. After standing
undisturbed for several hours, the so called grease sludge is deposited by this means,
and the clear water remaining is run off.
The grease sludge deposited in this manner by means of sulphuric acid constitutes
the raw material for the production of pure neutral wool grease, which, by this
invention, can be obtained in the following manner.
For this purpose there is added to the fat sludge, either in a wet pasty condition or
in a dried solid one, (in cakes), before or after it is neutralised, a five fold quantity of
a grease dissolvent substance such as benzine, bisulphide of carbon, ether, chloroform
or a mixture of these liquids, and whilst heated to 50 to 70 degrees Celsius, it is con-
tinually agitated until an entirely uniform mixture is formed. Hereupon, without
ceasing the agitation, there is added, preferably at the same temperature, a solution
of a water absorbent material, such as chloride of sodium, chloride of potassium,
chloride of magnesium, or sulphate of soda in quantity of about half of the grease
dissolvent substances employed, and the agitation is continued until the mixture has
become entirely uniform. In order to strengthen the action of the weaker water
absorbent materials, it is of advantage to employ them in an alcoholic solution.
The agitation is then stopped and thereupon after some time two layers form, one
the solution containing the wool grease and the other the pasty mass containing soap
and the water absorbent substances.
The clear solution of grease according to the specific gravity of the grease dissolving
substance employed, forins either above, as in the case of benzine, or beneath, as in
the case of bisulphide of carbon, and is separated by decantation from the residue
containing the soap.
The dissolvent materials (benzine, bisulphide of carbon etcetera) are removed by
distillation in the usual manner from the pure solution of wool grease thus separated
from the soapy residue, by placing the grease solution in a still and beating it directly
or indirectly by steam until the dissolvent substance is given off. The pure neutral
wool grease then remains in a solid pure condition.

page_text: The soapy particles, after the separation of the grease solution, can be worked up
into soap or decomposed in the usual manner, by means of acid, in order to obtain the
fatty acids.
The mixing proportions of the substances employed for extracting the grease and
absorbing the water, as well as the choice of the latter, are regulated, not only by the
amount of grease and soap contained in the product to be treated, but also essentially
depend on the sort of wool from which the grease sludge is obtained.
This also decides the most advantageous temperature at which the separation of the
grease solution from the soapy particles shall take place.
Therefore the proper mixing proportions must be fixed beforehand by experiments
for each special case.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
A process for extracting pure neutral wool grease from substances containing wool
grease, consisting in simultaneously treating such substances with grease dissolving
articles, such as benzine, sulphuretted carbon, ether, or chloroform, and water
absorbing articles such as chloride of potassium, chloride of sodium, chloride of
magnesium, or sulphate or carbonate of potash, or a mixture of the same, such
substances being in solution or in a solid state.
Dated this 22nd day of October 1889.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicants.