IMPROVEMENTS IN THE UTILIZATION OF RESIDUES OBTAINED IN THE REFINING OF COTTON SEED OIL AND IN VALUABLE PRODUCTS OBTAINED THEREFROM
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Longmore at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th May 1882.
JAMES LONGMORE of Liverpool in the County of Lancaster
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE UTILIZATION OF RESIDUES OBTAINED IN THE REFINING OF COTTON SEED OIL
AND IN VALUABLE PRODUCTS OBTAINED THEREFROM
"
In the refining of cotton seed oil, the oil is treated with caustic Soda, when a
mucilaginous precipitate of soapy matter, technically called "mucilage" is thrown
down carrying with it the colouring matter contained in the oil
This substance has hitherto been chiefly used in the arts as a rough substitute
for or adulterant of soap or for the manufacture of stearine therefrom.
My invention is designed for the purpose of utilizing this article by extracting
valuable matters therefrom, chiefly soap and colouring matter.
My invention consists essentially of dissolving the mucilage, or soap made
therefrom in a large quantity of water and then adding common salt by which
means the soap or mucilage is separated and can be collected on a filter leaving a
great portion of the colouring matter in solution; the alkali of the filtered liquor
which remains is then neutralized by means of an acid when the colouring matter
is precipitated. Should the mucilage to be dealt with have been made with potash
it will be necessary to first convert it into a soda soap by the usual plan of boiling
it with common salt. The first process is to complete the formation of the cotton
seed oil residue into soap as a difficulty is experienced in obtaining by means of
salt a complete separation of mucilage from its solution. For this purpose the
mucilage is placed in a suitable vessel and sufficient alkali to form it into soap is
added in the form of a lye and to avoid any injury to the colouring matter through
using strong alkaline solutions this lye should be as weak as can be conveniently
used.
Should the mucilage as is sometimes the case be found in itself to contain
sufficient alkali to form a soap it is only requisite to dilute it with water.
The whole is then boiled until saponification is completed and sufficient salt
then added to separate from the solution all the soap, which can be collected on
a filter and sent into the market, or if preferred this soap can be treated with
dilute mineral acid and the fatty acids skimuned off as they form on the surface.
I Prins 231

page_text: The clear liquor left in the first instance after the flocculent soapy matter
has been removed is treated with alum or with a suitable acid such as acetic,
sulphuric or hydrochloric. The quantity of alum or acid used being just sufficient
to neutralize the alkali of the liquor and precipitate the colouring matter and this
can be found for any particular vat full by testing a sample.
The lake or precipitate formed, as the case may be, is collected on a filter,
washed and dried and is then ready for sale.
The colouring matter being removed, if desirable the liquor is neutralized with
chalk or other form of calcium and evaporated till a large quantity of its component
salts have crystallized out when the remaining mother liquor is added to a fresh
batch of liquor and is treated anew.
These operations are repeated as often as it may be considered necessary or
worth while to obtain more colouring matter or further purify the soap the latter
of course becoming more valuable according as it is deprived of colour; in these
subsequent operations, the saponification having been already effected, boiling and
the addition of alkali is unnecessary except that sufficient of the latter must be
added each time the soap is dissolved to effect the solution of the colouring matter.
I can of course make such reasonable modifications in the above described
process as experience may show to be necessary.