IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING FATTY AND OILY MATTERS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Fergusson Wilson, of Belmont, Vauxhall,
in the County of Surrey, Managing Director of Price's Patent Candle
Company, Limited, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING
FATTY AND OILY MATTERS."
Sealed the 19th June 1860, and dated the 28th March 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Fergusson Wilson,
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th March 1860.
I, GEORGE FERGUSSON WILSON, of Belmont, Vauxhall, in the County of
Surrey, Managing Director of Price's Patent Candle Company, Limited, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING
FATTY AND OILY MATTERS," to be as follows:-
One object in treating fatty and oily matters is to decompose the same, so as
to obtain their fatty acids.
This object has been effected by saponifying the matters with lime, and
then decomposing the lime soap with sulphuric acid, or by acidifying the fatty
and oily matters with large proportions of sulphuric acid; and it has been
usual to distil the products of these processes. The decomposition has also
been effected without saponification or acidification, by a regulated process of
distillation, for which process Letters Patent were granted to myself and
Mr. George Payne, dated the 24th day of July 1854 (No. 1624).

page_text: Another object in view in treating fatty and oily matters is to harden the
same, or parts thereof, and this object has been sometimes effected by
various applications of sulphuric acid. In the Specification of Letters Patent
granted to Mr. William Coley Jones and myself, dated the 8th day of
December 1842 (No. 9542), it was proposed to mix with the fatty and oily
matters about one-third by weight of concentrated sulphuric acid; and it was
mentioned incidentally, that a like effect might be produced by combining
10 per cent. of the sulphuric acid with the fatty and oily matters, and dis-
tilling the combined matters. And in the Specification of Letters Patent
granted to Mr. George Gwynne and myself, dated the 28th day of December
1843 (No. 10,000), it was proposed to mix with the fatty and oily matters
acid in the proportion of about 6 pounds of the concentrated acid to the
hundredweight of fatty or oily matter.
Now I have discovered that the object of hardening fatty and oily matters
may, when accompanied with the application of high degrees of heat, say
500° Fahrenheit, to the fatty or oily matters be effected by a very much less
proportion of sulphuric acid than has heretofore been applied, namely, by a
proportion of about half a pound or a pound, or at the utmost, not exceeding
three pounds of the concentrated sulphuric acid to the hundredweight of fatty
or oily matter (these proportions being stated with reference to acid of the
specific gravity of 1.8, which is the sort of acid I have been using), and that
by so reducing the proportion of acid, the hardening effect may be obtained
more cheaply and with less loss.
The proportion which I recommend is half a pound of acid of the specific
gravity of 1-8 to the hundredweight of the fatty or oily. matter. The product
obtained by such. treatment of the fatty or oily matter is then in a condition
to be decomposed by saponification or acidification, or regulated distillation, or
water decomposition, which are known processes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Fergusson Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office 30
on the 27th September 1860.
L
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
FERGUSSON WILSON, of Belmont, Vauxhall, in the County of Surrey, Managing.
Director of Price's Patent Candle Company, Limited, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 35
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of March, in the year of our

page_text: Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said George Fergusson Wilson, Her special licence that I, the said
George Fergusson Wilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said George Fergusson Wilson, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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, excrcise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING FATTY AND OILY MATTERS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Fergusson Wilson, 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 per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Fergusson Wilson, 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 thereof, that is to say:-
One object in treating fatty and oily matters is to decompose the same, so as
to obtain their fatty acids. This object has been effected by saponifying the
matters with lime and then decomposing the lime soap with sulphuric acid, or
by acidifying the fatty and oily matters with large proportions of sulphuric
acid; and it has been usual to distil the products of these processes. The
decomposition has also been effected without saponification or acidification by
a regulated process of distillation, for which process Letters Patent were
granted to myself and Mr. George Payne, dated the 24th day of July, 1854,
(No. 1624).
Another object in view in treating fatty and oily matters is to harden the
same, or parts thereof, and this object has been sometimes effected by various
applications of sulphuric acid. In the Specification of Letters Patent granted
to Mr. William Coley Jones, and myself, dated the 8th day of December,
1842, (No. 9542,) it was proposed to mix with the fatty and oily matters
about one by third, weight, of concentrated sulphuric acid, and it was
mentioned incidentally that a like effect might be produced by combining ten
per cent. of the sulphuric acid with the fatty and oily matters, and distilling
the combined matters. And in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to

page_text: Mr. George Gwynne and myself, dated the 28th day of December, 1843,
(No. 10,000,) it was proposed to mix with the fatty and oily matters acid in
the proportion of about six pounds of the concentrated acid to the hundred-
weight of fatty or oily matter. Now, I have discovered that the object of
hardening fatty and oily matters may, when accompanied with the application
of high degrees of heat, say 500° Fahrenheit to the fatty or oily matters, be
effected by a very much less proportion of sulphuric acid than has hitherto
been applied, namely, by a proportion of about half a pound or a pound, or at
the utmost not exceeding three pounds of the concentrated sulphuric acid to
the hundredweight of fatty or oily matter (these proportions being stated with
reference to acid of the specific gravity of 1.8, which is the sort of acid I have
been using,) and that by so reducing the proportion of acid, the hardening
The proportion
effect may be obtained more cheaply, and with less loss.
which I recommend is half a pound of acid of the specific gravity of 1.8 to the
hundredweight of the fatty or oily matter. The product obtained by such
treatment of the fatty or oily matter is then in a condition to be decomposed
by saponification or acidification, or regulated distillation or water decom-
position, which are known processes.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
I prefer to act on about six tons of fatty or oily matters requiring the
hardening process, and I have in practice found that about 70 to 90 lbs. of
sulphuric acid of a specific gravity of 1.8 produce the most advantageous
result when acting on the above mentioned quantity (6 tons) heated to and
maintained at a temperature of about 500° of Fahrenheit, but I do not confine
myself to the precise quantities or temperatures, as variations may be made
therein.
The fatty and oily matters which I ordinarily treat is palm oil, but the
process herein described is also applicable to the hardening of other fatty and
oily matters requiring that process. And generally I act on the fatty or oily
matters when in a neutral state, but the process may be employed in fatty or
oily matters when in an acid or partially acid state.
The quantity (six tons) of palm oil or other fatty or oily matter having been
heated to about 500° Fahrenheit, the quantity of sulphuric acid above men-
tioned is to be gradually run in; and I have found it desirable that this
process should be uniform and slow, and occupy about one and a half to two
hours. The palm oil is then allowed to rest for about three hours. By this
process the sulphuric acid is (and it is the peculiar character of this Invention
that it should be) only used in such quantities and so combined with the use

page_text: of high temperatures, as to obtain the maximum of hardening effect with the
least quantity of waste producing action of the sulphuric acid on the fatty or
oily matter, and although a greater proportion of the acid than 70 to 90 lbs.
may be employed on six tons of fatty or oily matter, the acid is not to exceed
a quantity greater than three lbs. of sulphuric acid of a specific gravity of 1-8
to each hundredweight of the fatty or oily matter.
When the palm oil or other fatty or oily matter thus treated is to be
distilled, it is then conveyed from the vessel into a suitable still, or the above
described process may be conducted in a still. I, however, prefer that the
hardening process should be carried on in a separate vessel. The distillation
of unacidified fats or oils hardened by the above process is to be conducted as
has heretofore been practised, at a regulated temperature, but acidified fats or
oils hardened by this process are distilled in the ordinary manner. Or, in
place of distilling the palm oil or other fatty or oily matter which has been
hardened by the process above mentioned, the product, when not previously in
the acid state, may be saponified and treated as an original oil or fat, and as is
well understood. Or, it may be decomposed by being subjected to the water
decomposing processes of Tilghman. To none of these subsequent processes
do I make any claim, my Invention consisting in the preparatory hardening
process above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Fergusson Wilson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
GEO. F. WILSON. (L.S.)