Process of Utilizing the Waste Composition of Printers' Rolls and similar Materials.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Dec., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 19th Sept., 1899-Accepted, 21st Dec., 1899
Date of Application, 21st Dec., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 19th Sept., 1899-Accepted, 21st Dec., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Process of Utilizing the Waste Composition of Printers' Rolls and
similar Materials.
I, FREDERICK HEDLEY JOBBINS, of No. 284, Pearl Street, in the Borough of
Manhattan, City of New York, County and State of New York, United States
of America, Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Printers rolls are formed of suitable compositions applied to a metal or wooden
shaft. The compositions used consist generally of glue, to which is
added a saccharinous material such as molasses, glucose or sugar, and in the
better quality of printers' rolls glycerine is also used as an additional or substitute
ingredient in the composition. These rolls, after continuous use for several
months, depending upon the quality of the material used and the severity of the
work to which they have been subjected, gradually become unfit for further use.
The composition is then stripped from the shaft to which it was molded and
is remodeled and recompounded by the further addition of such of the original
ingredients as may be necessary to restore to the compound its desired character,
when it is again remodelled and again used. This recompounding is repeated
so long as the desired characteristics can be restored to the composition, but in
the course of time these rolls become utterly worthless and now constitute a
waste product. The plates or sheets of the same or analogous compositions which
are now used in transferring or duplicating processes such as hektographing,
also become worthless after protracted use.
The object of my invention is the utilization of these wastes by separating
them into products of utility and value.
In the case of printers' rolls consisting of glue, glycerine and a saccharinous
material such as glucose, molasses or sugar, I prefer to proceed substantially
as follows:
The material is first cut into pieces varying from one-fourth to one-half inch
in diameter, which operation may be carried out by any desired form of cutting
or tearing mechanism. If desired this preliminary reduction of the material into
small pieces need not be carried out, although the subsequent operations will
be facilitated by the reduction of the material into pieces.
The material, whether it has been cut into pieces or not, is now placed in a
suitable vessel and covered with water, preferably but not necessarily cold, the
best proportions being about two pounds of water and one pound of the composi-
tion. This soaking of the material is allowed to continue for from twenty-
four to thirty-six hours, according to the character of the composition. The
action of the water upon the composition results in the extraction of most of
its soluble constituents, such as the glucose, sugar and glycerine, and a sweet
solution is thus formed. I prefer, as stated, to soak the material in cold water
so as not to dissolve the glue, but I will refer later on to a modification of my
process wherein hot water is used, and by which the entire composition, including

page_text: the glue, is dissolved. The dissolving of the soluble material will be facilitated
by agitation. By adding a small proportion of a metallic or other suitable salt,
such as the salts of alumina or iron, to the water, the insolubility of the glue
will be increased, and the resulting sweet solution will be much clearer than
if such salts are not used. The proportion of metallic or other suitable salt which
may be employed will vary very largely according to the amount and character of
impurities contained in the components of the mass. These proportions may in
practice vary from one ounce to five pounds per each ten gallons of water.
The glutinous portion of the composition from which the glucose, sugar or
glycerine has been dissolved, absorbs sometimes as much as forty per cent. of the
water, and constitutes a gelatinous fragmentary mass. If desired, the glutinous
or insoluble matter may now be separated from the solution, such as by filter-
pressing. Although the water treatment referred to will remove a large part of
the soluble constituents from the composition, the gelatinous portion still con-
tains varying quantities of soluble matter. I therefore prefer to treat the
glutinous mass with a further quantity of water after the glutinous mass has
been separated from the solution of the first treatment either by filter-pressing
or by decantation or in any other way. As it is desirable to avoid as much
evaporation of the liquid as possible, the solution resulting from the second
water treatment can be used as the first water of the solution of a subsequent
batch of the original matter. After the second water treatment, the glutinous
mass is separated from the sweet water in any suitable way, but preferably by
filter-pressing, so as to result in obtaining practically a clear solution. This in
the present case will be a solution of glycerine and a saccharinous material,
such as molasses, glucose or sugar.
I now separate the saccharinous material from the glycerine in the solution by
fermentation, which may be either alcoholic or acid. To effect fermentation,
yeast, mold, or bacteria can be employed, and by the action of fermenta-
tion, the glucose and sugars will be transformed into alcohol or acids, depending
on the character of the ferment. If an alcoholic fermentation is desired, a small
portion of marble-dust or similar alkali should be added to the liquid to neu-
tralize any small proportion of acid which may be produced in them, other than
carbonic acid gas which is generated by the fermentation. I prefer to use
marble-dust for this purpose as it is insoluble and any excess forms a readily
separable precipitate. It will be understood that instead of adding an active fer-
ment to the solution as explained, the solution may be spontaneously fermented
by exposure to the air. In case any insoluble products of fermentation are pro-
duced by this operation, they may be separated by further filtration. If preferred,
the fermentation of the saccharinous matters in the composition may be carried
out at the commencement of the operation by adding the desired ferment with
the water of solution.
The purified liquid which has now been obtained is subjected to a distillation
carried on at a temperature of less than 100° C., whereby the alcohol in the
case of alcoholic fermentation, or acid in the case of acid fermentation, will be
distilled from the dissolved glycerine. The alcohol or acid which is thus distilled
from the solution may be purified in any suitable way, such as by further frac-
tional distillation. I prefer to carry on the distillation of the alcohol or acid
from the solution by the use of steam, although manifestly the distillation may
be performed in other ways.
The concentrated solution which remains in the still, contains whatever
glycerine may have been dissolved from the original composition. Should this
glycerine solution contain extractive and coloring matters and require any further
purification, this may be done by any of the well known methods. The glycerine
solution may then be evaporated to drive off the water, the residuum in the
evaporator being crude glycerine, which may be then refined by any preferred
method, such as by distillation. The gelatinous material from which the soluble
matters have been dissolved may be dried and used as an ammonia fertilizer,

page_text: owing to its richness in nitrogen, even containing as high as sixteen to eighteen
units of ammonia. Such gelatinous material being practically a very pure glue
jelly, can if desired be transformed into gelatine or glue by any of the well
known methods of treating this class of stock.
It will be understood that where the original composition of the wastes con-
tains no glycerine, the process will be carried out as above indicated, except that
no further treatment of the solution will be necessary after the alcohol or acid
resulting from the fermentation has been distilled off. If, on the other hand, the
composition of the wastes contains no saccharinous material but is composed
essentially of glue and glycerine, the fermentation of the solution need not be
performed, but the solution obtained from the first or second water treatment
may, after evaporation for the production of crude glycerine, be treated as by
distillation for obtaining the refined glycerine therefrom.
Instead of dissolving the soluble materials from the composition and wastes
in the water as above explained, the glycerine may be dissolved out of the glue
in alcohol, whereby an alcoholic solution of glycerine is obtained, and from which
the alcohol may be recovered by distillation and in low temperature. The
alcohol thus recovered may be reused for extracting fresh quantities of glycerine
from the wastes. The glycerine may now be concentrated when necessary and refined
in the usual wav. The saccharinous material left in the waste can now be
separated from the nitrogenous material and be fermented, and the alcohol or
acid resulting from this fermentation may be distilled off and purified by frac-
tional distillation.
Instead of treating the wastes with cold water or with alcohol to dissolve only
the soluble glycerine or saccharinous matters, the entire waste, including the
glue, may be dissolved in hot water, after which the glue will be precipitated by
tannin or tannic acid, the precipitated glue being separated by filtration, and
the solution obtained being treated in the way as above indicated.
Dal
101
FREDERICK HEDLEY JOBBINS.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant,
Process of Utilizing the Waste Composition of Printers' Rolls and
similar Materials.
I, FREDERICK HEDLEY JOBBINS, of No. 284, Pearl Street, in the Borough of
Manhattan, City of New York, County and State of New York, U.S.A., Chemist, 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:-
Printers rolls are formed of suitable compositions applied to a metal or wooden
shaft. The compositions used consist generally of glue, to which is
added a saccharinous material such as molasses, glucose or sugar, and in the
better quality of printers' rolls glycerine is also used as an additional or substitute
ingredient in the composition. These rolls, after continuous use for several
months, depending upon the quality of the material used and the severity of the
work to which they have been subjected, gradually becoming unfit for further use.

page_text: The composition is then stripped from the shaft to which it was molded and
is remodeled and recompounded by the further addition of such of the original
ingredients as may be necessary to restore to the compound its desired character,
when it is again remodelled and again used. This recompounding is repeated
so long as the desired characteristics can be restored to the composition, but in
the course of time these rolls become utterly worthless and now constitute a
waste product. The plates or sheets of the same or analogous compositions which
are now used in transferring or duplicating processes such as hektographing,
also become worthless after protracted use.
The object of my invention is the utilization of these wastes by separating
them into products of utility and value.
In the case of printers' rolls consisting of glue, glycerine and a saccharinous
material such as glucose, molasses or sugar, I prefer to proceed substantially
as follows:
The material is first cut into pieces varying from one-fourth to one-half inch
in diameter, which operation may be carried out by any desired form of cutting
or tearing mechanism. If desired this preliminary reduction of the material into
small pieces need not be carried out, although the subsequent operations will
be facilitated by the reduction of the material into pieces.
The material, whether it has been cut into pieces or not, is now placed in a
suitable vessel and covered with water, preferably but not necessarily cold, the
best proportions being about two pounds of water and one pound of the composi-
tion. This soaking of the material is allowed to continue for from twenty-
four to thirty-six hours, according to the character of the composition. The
action of the water upon the composition results in the extraction of most of
its soluble constituents, such as the glucose, sugar and glycerine, and a sweet
solution is thus formed. I prefer, as stated, to soak the material in cold water
so as not to dissolve the glue, but I will refer later on to a modification of my
process wherein hot water is used. and by which the entire composition, including
the glue, is dissolved. The dissolving of the soluble material will be facilitated
by agitation. By adding a small proportion of a metallic or other suitable salt,
such as the salts of alumina or iron, to the water, the insolubility of the glue
will be increased, and the resulting sweet solution will be much clearer than
if such salts are not used. The proportion of metallic or other suitable salt which
may be employed will vary very largely according to the amount and character of
impurities contained in the components of the mass. These proportions may in
practice vary from one ounce to five pounds per each ten gallons of water.
The glutinous portion of the composition from which the glucose, sugar or
glycerine has been dissolved, absorbs sometimes as much as forty per cent. of the
water, and constitutes a gelatinous fragmentary mass. If desired, the glutinous
or insoluble matter may now be separated from the solution, such as by filter-
pressing. Although the water treatment referred to will remove a large part of
the soluble constituents from the composition, the gelatinous portion still con-
tains varying quantities of soluble matter. I therefore prefer to treat the
glutinous mass with a further quantity of water after the glutinous mass has
been separated from the solution of the first treatment either by filter-pressing
or by decantation or in any other way. As it is desirable to avoid as much
evaporation of the liquid as possible, the solution resulting from the second
water treatment can be used as the first water of the solution of a subsequent
batch of the original matter. After the second water treatment, the glutinous
mass is separated from the sweet water in any suitable way, but preferably by
filter-pressing, so as to result in obtaining practically a clear solution. This in
the present case will be a solution of glycerine and a saccharinous material,
such as molasses, glucose or sugar.
I now separate the saccharinous material from the glycerine in the solution by
fermentation, which may be either alcoholic or acid. To effect fermentation,
yeast, or any suitable or well known kind of mold, or bacteria can be employed,

page_text: and by the action of fermentation, the glucose and sugars will be transformed
into alcohol or acids, depending on the character of the ferment. If an alcoholic
fermentation is desired, a small portion of marble-dust or similar alkali should be
added to the liquid to neutralise any small proportion of acid which may be
produced in them, other than carbonic acid gas which is generated by the fer-
mentation. I prefer to use marble-dust for this purpose as it is insoluble and any
excess forms a readily separable precipitate. It will be understood that instead
of adding an active ferment to the solution as explained, the solution may
be spontaneously fermented by exposure to the air. In case any insoluble pro-
ducts of fermentation are produced by this operation, they may be separated by
further filtration. If preferred, the fermentation of the saccharinous matters in
the composition may be carried out at the commencement of the operation by
adding the desired ferment with the water of solution.
The purified liquid which has now been obtained is subjected to a distillation
carried on at a temperature of less than 100° C., whereby the alcohol in the
case of alcoholic fermentation, or acid in the case of acid fermentation, will be
distilled from the dissolved glycerine. The alcohol or acid which is thus distilled
from the solution may be purified in any suitable way, such as by further frac-
tional distillation. I prefer to carry on the distillation of the alcohol or acid
from the solution by the use of steam, although manifestly the distillation may
be performed in other ways.
The concentrated solution which remains in the still, contains whatever
glycerine may have been dissolved from the original composition. Should this
glycerine solution contain extractive and coloring matters and require any further
purification, this may be done by any of the well known methods. The glycerine
solution may then be evaporated to drive off the water, the residuum in the
evaporator being crude glycerine, which may be then refined by any preferred
method, such as by distillation. The gelatinous material from which the soluble
matters have been dissolved may be dried and used as an ammonia fertilizer,
owing to its richness in nitrogen, even containing as high as sixteen to eighteen
units of ammonia. Such gelatinous material being practically a very pure glue
jelly, can if desired be transformed into gelatine or glue by any of the well
known methods of treating this class of stock.
It will be understood that where the original composition of the wastes con-
tains no glycerine, the process will be carried out as above indicated, except that
no further treatment of the solution will be necessary after the alcohol or acid
resulting from the fermentation has been distilled off. If, on the other hand, the
composition of the wastes contains no saccharinous material but is composed
essentially of glue and glycerine, the fermentation of the solution need not be
performed, but the solution obtained from the first or second water treatment
may, after evaporation for the production of crude glycerine, be treated as by
distillation for obtaining the refined glycerine therefrom.
Instead of dissolving the soluble materials from the composition and wastes
in the water as above explained, the glycerine may be dissolved out of the glue
in alcohol, whereby an alcoholic solution of glycerine is obtained, and from which
the alcohol may be recovered by distillation and in low temperature. The
alcohol thus recovered may be reused for extracting fresh quantities of glycerine
from the wastes. The glycerine may be concentrated when necessary and refined
in the usual way.
The saccharinous material left in the waste can now be
separated from the nitrogenous material and be fermented, and the alcohol or
acid resulting from this fermentation may be distilled off and purified by frac-
tional distillation.
Instead of treating the wastes with cold water or with alcohol to dissolve only
the soluble glycerine or saccharinous matters, the entire waste, including the
glue, may be dissolved in hot water, after which the glue will be precipitated by
tannin or tannic acid, the precipitated glue being separated by filtration, and
the solution obtained being treated in the way as above indicated.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. An improved process for the utilization of the described or analogous wastes,
which consists in obtaining a solution of the several soluble constituents with
the glue precipitated or undissolved therein, then in separating from the solution
the insoluble glue, and finally in separating from the solution and from each
other the materials dissolved therein and recovering one or more of such soluble
materials, substantially as set forth.
2. An improved process for the utilization of the described or analogous wastes,
which consists in obtaining a solution of the several soluble constituents with
the glue precipitated or undissolved therein, then in separating the solution from
the insoluble glue, then in separating from the solution and from each other the
materials dissolved therein and recovering one or more of such soluble materials,
and finally in drying the glue, substantially as set forth.
3. An improved process of treating wastes substantially as described, compris
ing glue and materials soluble in cold water, which consists in treating the
wastes with cold water to dissolve the several soluble materials, then in separating
from the solution the insoluble glue, and finally in separating, from the solution
and from each other the materials dissolved therein and recovering one or more
of such soluble materials, substantially as set forth.
4. An improved process of treating wastes substantially as described, compris
ing glue and a material soluble in cold water, which consists in treating the
material with water, in adding thereto a metallic salt, in dissolving the soluble
material, in separating the solution from the glue, and in recovering the soluble
material from the solution, substantially as set forth.
5. An improved process of treating wastes substantially as described, comprising
glue and a material soluble in cold water, which consists in treating the material
with water, in adding thereto a salt of alumina, in dissolving the soluble material,
in separating the solution from the glue, and in recovering the soluble material
from the solution, substantially as set forth.
6. The improved process of treating wastes substantially as described, com-
prising glue, glycerine and a saccharinous material, which consists in treating
the wastes with cold water to dissolve the glycerine and saccharinous material, in
separating the solution from the glue, and in fermenting and distilling the solu-
tion, whereby the saccharinous material will be converted into a product of fer-
mentation and the glycerine will be recovered, substantially as set forth.
7. The improved process of treating wastes substantially as described, com-
prising glue, glycerine and a saccharinous material, which consists in treating the
wastes with cold water to dissolve the glycerine and saccharinous materials, in
separating the solution from the glue, in fermenting the solution to convert the
saccharinous material into a product of fermentation, in distilling off such product
of fermentation, and in finally recovering the glycerine from the residuum of such
distillation, substantially as set forth.
8. The improved process of treating wastes substantially as described, com-
prising glue, glycerine and a saccharinous material, which consists in treating
the wastes with cold water to dissolve the glycerine and saccharinous material
in separating the solution from the glue, in fermenting the solution to convert the
saccharinous material into a product of fermentation, in distilling off such product
of fermentation, in evaporating the residuum of such distillation, and in distilling
the evaporated solution for the recovery of the glycerine, substantially as set forth.
9. The improved process of treating wastes substantially as described, com-
prising glue, glycerine and a saccharinous material, which consists in treating
the wastes with cold water to dissolve the glycerine and saccharinous material,
in separating the solution from the glue, in fermenting the liquid to convert
the saccharinous material into a product of fermentation, in neutralizing the
small proportion of acid thus formed, in distilling off such product of fermenta-

page_text: tion, and in recovering the glycerine from the residuum of such distillation,
substantially as set forth.
10. The improved process of treating wastes substantially as described, com-
prising glue, glycerine and a saccharinous material, which consists in treating
the material with cold water so as to dissolve the bulk of the glycerine and
saccharinous material, in separating the glue from such solution, in subjecting
the glue to a second water treatment to dissolve the remaining proportions of
soluble materials, in using the water of such second treatment for a fresh batch
of material, and in recovering the glycerine and saccharinous material from the
solution obtained, substantially as set forth.
FREDERICK HEDLEY JOBBINS.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.