AN IMPROVED DETERGENT OR SAPONACEOUS COMPOUND
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
London, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
DETERGENT OR SAPONACEOUS COMPOUND."-A communication from abroad
by William Henry Newton, of the City and State of New York,
United States of America, Gentleman.
Sealed the 9th November 1869, and dated the 11th May 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 11th May 1869.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office,"
No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, Consulting
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED DETERGENT OR SAPONACEOUS COMPOUND," a communication, to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to a saponaceous or detergent compound, the
chief agent or ingredient. of which is the refuse liquid obtained from the

page_text: receiver and condenser of gas works. The gas on being generated in
the retorts is mixed with a large quantity of impurities, chiefly
ammoniacal gases, tarry vapors, sulphites, sulphides, phosphides and
others. In order to separate from the gas the ammoniacal and tarry
vapors it is passed first through a cylindrical vessel partially filled
with water and called the "receiver," and then it is passed through the
"condenser." The water contained in the receiver and condenser
absorbs the largest portion of the ammoniacal and some parts of the
other vapors mixed with gas, while the tarry vapors are condensed and
precipitated in the form of tar. The sulphites, sulphides, and other
impurities may also be removed with oxide of zinc, or other well-known
chemical agents by precipitation before I apply the liquor, as will be
herein-after described. The refuse liquid thus obtained from the
receiver and condenser is generally considered an incumbrance and
has never to my knowledge been applied to any useful purpose;
by my Invention it can be utilized and applied to useful purposes
with very great advantage, as will be apparent from the following
description-I mix the said refuse liquor with soap or saponaceous
compounds at a specific gravity of not more than 1.050, in proportions
of from 5 to 25 per cent. of the whole by crutching it into the said soap
or saponaceous compounds when ready to frame either in a tub or the
frames and thereby the detergent quality of the said compounds is
materially increased; their commercial appearance is improved, and the
cost of the compounds is materially reduced.
If desired the refuse liquor may be incorporated with sal-soda or
caustic or neutral alkaline solutions and combined with soaps, when
ready to frame, by crutching it into the soaps at a low temperature in
varied proportions, as the alkaline solutions vary in specific gravity or
alkaline strength, or the soaps vary in alkaline strength, preventing
efflorescence on the surface of the soap. Or the refuse liquor may be
combined or incorporated with silicate of soda in solution of any alkaline
strength or specific gravity in proportions varying from 1 to 80 per cent.
of the said refuse liquor to the whole mass, and this composition of
matter may be combined with soaps or saponaceous compounds by
crutching into the soap when ready to frame in proportions from 10 to
100 pounds of this compound to 100 pounds of soap, thereby producing
a translucent, detergent, and commercial soap of superior quality.
The refuse liquor may also be combined or incorporated with

page_text: aluminate of soda or alumino-silicate of soda in solution of any
alkaline strength or specific gravity in proportions varying from
1 to 80 per cent. of such refuse liquor to the whole, and this
composition may be combined with soap or saponaceous compounds
by crutching into the soap, when ready to frame and in proportions
from 1 to 100 pounds of this composition to 100 pounds of soap
or saponaceous compound, thereby producing a translucent, detergent,
and commercial soap of superior quality. The refuse liquor may also
be combined with farinaceous substances, gum, muscilagenous, or gela-
tineous extracts of marine plants by heating, whereby it is rendered
more or less gelatinous or viscid, and in this state it may be combined
with silicate of soda, aluminate of soda, or alumino-silicate of soda in
solution and combined with soaps in the same manner and proportions
as above described. Any of the soluble silicates of soda or aluminate of
soda, or alumino-silicitate of soda, may be dissolved in the refuse liquor,
thus producing a more perfect composition of matter, which may be
combined with soaps or saponaceous compounds as above described.
The refuse liquor may also be condensed and added to caustic alkali
and the compound thus obtained may be used to saponify tallow grease,
or oil.
In all of the above cases the refuse liquor enables the manufacturer
to employ a a larger per-centage of resin in the manufacture of soap, the
soap is improved; its translucency and detergent properties are increased;
its commercial appearance is improved; its cost is reduced, and efflor-
escenceis prevented.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 10th November 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,

page_text: give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her
special licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Robert Lake, 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 "AN IMPROVED DETERGENT OR SAPONACEOUS COMPOUND," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, my
executors or administrators, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, 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:-
This Invention relates to a saponaceous or detergent compound, the
chief agent or ingredient of which is the refuse liquid obtained from the
receiver and condenser of gas works. The gas on being generated in
the retorts is mixed with a large quantity of impurities chiefly ammo-
nical gases, tarry vapors, sulphites, sulphides, phosphides, and others.
In order to separate from the gas the ammonicat and tarry vapors it is
passed first through a cylindrical vessel partially filled with water, and
called the "receiver," and then it is passed through the "condenser."
The water contained in the receiver and condenser absorbs the largest
portion of the ammonical, and some parts of the other vapors mixed with
the gas while the tarry vapors are condensed and precipitated in the
form of tar. The sulphites, sulphides, and other impurities may also be
removed with oxide of zinc, or other well-known chemical agents by
precipitation before I apply the liquor, as will be herein-after described.
The refuse liquid thus obtained from the receiver and condenser is
generally considered an incumbrance, and has never to my knowledge
been applied to any useful purpose; by this Invention it can be utilized
and applied to useful purposes with very great advantage as will be

page_text: apparent from the following description:-I mix the said refuse liquor
with soap or saponaceous compounds at a specific gravity of not more
that 1050 in proportions of from 5 to 25 per cent. of the whole by
crutching it into the said soap or saponaceous compounds when ready to
frame either in a tub, or the frames, and thereby the detergent quality
of the said compounds is materially increased; their commercial appear-
ance is improved, and the cost of the compounds is materially reduced.
If desired the refuse liquor may be incorporated with sal-soda or
caustic or neutral alkaline solutions and combined with soaps when
ready to frame by crutching it into the soaps at a low temperature
in varied proportions as the alkaline solutions vary in specific gravity
or alkaline strength or the soaps vary in alkaline strength, preventing
efflorescence on the surface of the soap. Or the refuse liquor may
be combined or incorporated with silicate of soda in solution of
any alkaline strength or specific gravity in proportions varying from
1 to 80 per cent. of the said refuse liquor to the whole mass, and this
composition of matter may be combined with soaps or saponaceous
compounds by crutching into the soap when ready to frame in proportions
from 10 to 100 pounds of this compound to 100 pounds of soap,
thereby producing a translucent, detergent, and commercial soap of
superior quality. The refuse liquor may also be combined or incor-
porated with aluminate of soda or alumino-silicate of soda solution
of any
alkaline strength or specific gravity in proportions varying from
1 to 80 per cent. of such refuse liquor to the whole, and this composition
may be combined with soap or saponaceous compounds by crutching
into the soap when ready to frame, and in proportions from 1 to 100
pounds of this composition to 100 pounds of soap or saponaceous
compound, thereby producing a translucent, detergent, and commercial
soap of superior quality. The refuse liquor may also be combined with
farinaceous substances, gums, mucilaginous, or gelatinous extracts of
marine plants by heating, whereby it is rendered more or less gelatinous
or viscid, and in this state it may be combined with silicate of soda,
aluminate of soda or alumino-silicate of soda, in solution and combined
with soaps in the same manner and proportions as above described.
Any of the soluble silicates of soda or aluminate of soda, or alumino-
silicate of soda, may be dissolved in the refuse liquor, thus producing
a more perfect composition of matter which may be combined with
soaps or saponaceous compounds as above described. The refuse liquor

page_text: may also be condensed and added to caustic alkali, and the compound
thus obtained may be used to saponify tallow grease or oil.
In all of the above cases the refuse liquor enables the manufacturer
to employ a larger per-centage of rosin in the manufacture of soap;
the soap is improved; its translucency and detergent properties are
increased; its commercial appearance is improved; its cost is reduced;
and efforescence is prevented.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, and shewn how the same may
be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, I claim, a
saponaceous compound combined with the refuse liquor from gas
works, substantially in the manner and about in the proportions herein
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Ninth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
H. J. GEDGE.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)