IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY ACIDS, WAX, RESINS, ESSENTIAL OILS, BALSAMS, AND THE SOLID AND LIQUID HYDROCARBONS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Lambe and Arthur Charles Sterry, both
of Rotherhithe New Road, in the County of Surrey, Paraffine
Refiners, and John Fordred, of Blackheath, in the County of Kent,
Chemist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING ANIMAL AND
VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY ACIDS, WAX, RESINS, ESSENTIAL OILS,
BALSAMS, AND THE SOLID AND LIQUID HYDROCARBONS."
Sealed the 8th December 1868, and dated the 27th July 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Lambe,
Arthur Charles Sterry, and John Fordred at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 27th July
1868.
We, FREDERICK LAMBE and ARTHUR CHARLES STERRY, both of
Rotherhithe New Road, in the County of Surrey, Paraffine Refiners, and
JOHN FORDRED, of Blackheath, in the County of Kent, Chemist, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TREATING ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY ACIDS, WAX, RESINS,

page_text: ESSENTIAL OILS, BALSAMS, AND THE SOLID AND LIQUID HYDROCARBONS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists in treating the above-mentioned substances
under certain conditions with fullers' earth.
In describing the manner of carrying out our Invention it will be con-
venient to divide the substances specified into two classes.
The first of these comprehends the animal and vegetable oils, and fats
and wax; these we treat simply by mixing with them in a suitable vessel
fullers' earth in a finely divided state, and we thoroughly stir the earth
into the material to be purified, at the same time raising the temperature
to the required degree. If the material to be treated be a solid or semi-
solid at the ordinary temperature it must of course be melted before the
earth is applied to it. In some cases it is necessary to subject the oil or
other substance to a preliminary treatment with sulphuric acid. After
the earth has been sufficiently agitated with the oil or other material the
whole is left at rest for the earth to subside, and the treated substance
may be left to clear itself by time, or it may be filtered.
The second class comprehends the resins, essential oils, balsams, and
solid and liquid hydrocarbons and volatile fatty acids. In treating these
we first place them in a still with a proper quantity of fullers' earth
and distil them in contact with such earth generally, but not necessarily
to dryness, and with or without the assistance of steam according to the
nature of the substance to be distilled. In the case of certain of these
substances, such as the liquid hydrocarbons, we subject them to a
preliminary treatment with sulphuric acid, or with alkali and sulphuric
acid, before the distillation. The products of such distillation may after-
wards be treated with fullers' earth, as already described, or they may
simply be washed; or in the case of some of these products a treatment
with sulphuric acid may be applied. The material so treated, or any
liquid hydrocarbon refined with sulphuric acid in the ordinary manner,
may be finished with a weak solution of ammonia or carbonate of
ammonia in the place of the alkali commonly used for this purpose.
Sometimes we find it advantageous to treat certain liquid hydro-
carbons, after they are completely finished in the usual way, with a small
per-centage of solution of silicate of soda or potash, the effect of which
is to prevent the oil from going back in color.
In treating the liquid hydrocarbons with acid and alkali, as described,
a quantity of thin acid and alkaline tar is produced. We find that these

page_text: thin tars can be advantageously employed in the place of fresh acid and
alkali in treating the crude oils previous to distillation.
We sometimes replace the fullers' earth by marl, clay, or other
natural silicate of alumina, or by silica or alumina, any of which may
be used alone or mixed together in various proportions.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,.
filed by the said Frederick Lambe, Arthur Charles Sterry, and
John Fordred in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th January
1869..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FREDERICK
LAMBE and ARTHUR CHARLES STERRY, both of Rotherhithe New Road,
in the County of Surrey, Paraffine Refiners, and JOHN FORDRED, of
Blackheath, in the County of Kent, Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-.
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said Frederick Lambe,. Arthur.
Charles Sterry, and John Fordred, Her special licence that we, the said.
Frederick Lambe, Arthur Charles Sterry, and John. Fordred, our exe-..
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said.
Frederick Lambe, Arthur Charles Sterry, and John Fordred, our:
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. " IMBROVEMENTS.
IN TREATING ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY ACIDS, WAX, RESINS,.
ESSENTIAL OILS, BALSAMS, AND THE SOLID AND LIQUID HYDROCARBONS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Frederick Lambe,. Arthur
Charles Sterry, and John Fordred, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, 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 Scal Patent Office within six

page_text: calendar months next and immediately after the date of the salu Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Fordred, on behalf of myself
and of the said Frederick Lambe and Arthur Charles Sterry, do hereby
declare the nature of our 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) :-
This Invention has for its object the treating and purifying of animal
and vegetable oils, fats, fatty acids, wax, vegetable and mineral resins,
essential oils, balsams, and the solid and liquid hydrocarbons.
In describing the application of our Invention it is necessary to divide
the substances named into two classes, viz., those which do not require
to be distilled, and those which it is necessary to distil.
The first class comprehends the animal and vegetable oils, and fats and
wax. In applying our Invention to these we place any convenient
quantity of the oils or fats or wax in a suitable vessel and mix therewith
about ten per cent. of fullers' earth in a finely divided state, and stir
them well together for about thirty minutes, at the same time raising
the temperature of the mixture gradually and maintaining it at about
two hundred degrees Fahrenheit; it is then allowed to settle, and the
oil being drawn off into another vessel is there treated in the same
manner with a further ten per cent. of the fullers' earth. This operation
may be repeated until a sufficient bleaching and purification has been
effected, when the oil may be filtered or left to repose in tanks till it
becomes bright and fit for use. The solid and semi-solid oils, fats, and
wax will of course require to be melted before adding the fullers' earth.
In the case of some substances, such as linseed or rapeseed oil where a
treatment with sulphuric acid can be used as a means of purification, we
may employ a preliminary treatment with that acid and then apply the
fullers' earth in the manner described; in such case the acid and
impurities are allowed to settle down and the supernatant oil is drawn
off into a separate vessel before the addition of the fullers' earth. In
this modified form of treating the oil the temperature does not generally
require to be carried so high as was previously stated. The proportion of
sulphuric acid varies, but we generally use from two to five per cent.
The second class comprehends the vegetable and mineral resins,
essential oils, balsams, volatile fatty acids, and solid and liquid hydro-
carbons, all of which are improved by distillation on our system.

page_text: In carrying our Invention into practice we put any convenient
quantity of the vegetable or mineral resins, essential oils, balsams, fatty
acids, or solid or liquid hydrocarbons (including bitumens, asphaltums,
mineral and vegetable pitch, ozokerites, &c.) into a still or retort, and
add thereto from ten to twenty per cent. of fullers' earth or its equivalent
in fine powder; we then proceed to distil the substance in contact with
the Fuller's earth generally to dryness, and in some cases by the
assistance of superheated steam. The distillates of these bodies may be
separated fractionally, or the whole product of the distillation may be
run together at the discretion of the operator, but it will be found that
the fullers' earth has generally a very powerful effect in the still,
splitting the products up into lighter gravities than when distilled alone
and bringing them over of paler color. In order further to purify these
distillates we place them in a suitable vessel and add to them about
twelve per cent. of powdered fullers' earth, and raise the temperature of
the mixture to two hundred degrees Fahrenheit, more or less, constantly
stirring them for about thirty minutes, after which they are allowed to
settle, but if necessary they may be filtered. Some of these products of
distillation furnish better results by treating them with from three to
five per cent. of strong sulphuric acid, and allowing the acid tar to settle
out of them before they are run on to the fullers' earth, which should
be placed in another vessel. If the distillates are not sufficiently purified
by one treatment with the fullers' earth the operation should be repeated
with fresh earth.
When treating the liquid hydrocarbons, such as the petroleums and
coal and shale oils, we distil them in the same manner in contact with
fullers' earth in the still, but if the gravities of these substances be
tolerably light, say, about 860 to 870, we apply a preliminary treat-
ment of sulphuric acid or caustic alkali, and then sulphuric acid in the
well-known manner previously to distilling them, always being careful
to present them in an acid condition to the fullers' earth, as in this
state the earth exercises the most beneficial action on them.
When in treating distillates of the various substances described in the
second class of this Specification we subject the distillate to the action
of sulphuric acid, we sometimes add to the acidified distillate in lieu of
the fullers' earth a solution of silicate of soda or potash or aluminate of
soda containing about five per cent. of their weight of their respective
salts; we then wash the oil or other distillate with water and leave it to

page_text: clarify. Stronger solutions of these salts may also be used in some
cases.
We find that all the distillates of hydrocarbons, resins, and the like
are much improved by redistilling them in contact with fullers' earth in
whatever stage of purification they may be.
In seeking to render this process as economical as possible we have
found that the fullers' earth which has been used in the final treatments
above mentioned can with advantage replace the use of new earth in the
still, whilst at the same time it is made to give up the oil or other
substance with which it is saturated, leaving behind a black carbonaceous
powder which may be applied to a variety of useful purposes.
In treating the distilled hydrocarbons with acid and alkali as described,
a quantity of thin acid and alkaline tar is produced. We have found
that these thin tars can be advantageously employed in the place of
fresh acid and alkali when treating the crude oils previous to distillation.
We find that in all our processes where we have mentioned fullers'
carth as the agent to be employed we can replace that substance wholly
or in great part by clay or other aluminous or siliceous earth of like
character, and in that part of our Invention where the distillates are
directed to be treated with fullers' earth after sulphuric acid we can
use the silicates and aluminates of the alkalis in the soluble form.
Wherever in the above Specification we have described a particular
temperature, or proportion of material or time to be employed in the
different processes it must be understood that we do so merely as
indicating that which we have found most efficacious, but we do not
limit ourselves to such temperature, or proportion or time, but intend
to cover by this Patent all temperatures, or proportions or duration
of time, by the use of which the results which we have described may be
attained.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements
in Treating Animal and Vegetable Oils, Fats, Fatty Acids, Wax, Resins,
Essential Oils, Balsams, and the Solid and Liquid Hydrocarbons," and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be
understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent we
claim,―
First. The treatment of animal and vegetable oils, fats, and wax with
fullers' carth or its equivalent in the manner described, the treatment

page_text: with fullers' earth being in some cases preceded by a treatment with
sulphuric acid, as specified.
Second. Distilling vegetable and mineral resins, essential oils, balsams,
fatty acids, and the solid and liquid hydrocarbons in contact with fullers'
earth or its equivalent, as described.
Third. The treatment of distillates obtained in the manner specified
with Fuller's earth or its equivalent alone or combined with a sulphuric
acid treatment, as described.
Fourth. The treatment of hydrocarbon distillates with a solution of
silicate of soda or potash or aluminate of soda after a treatment with
sulphuric acid, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Fordred, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-seventh day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
JOHN FORDRED. (L.S.)