Process and Apparatus for Acid Saccharification of Starchy Materials.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Jan., 1887
Complete Left. 20th Oct., 1887
Complete Accepted, 22nd Nov., 1887
Process and Apparatus for Acid Saccharification of Starchy
Materials.
We, VICTOR CAMILLE AUGUSTE MARCEL BONDONNEAU, of 146 Rue de Flandre,
Paris, and ANTOINE JEAN MARIE GEORGES FORET, Industriel à Chalon sur Saône
(Saône et Loire) both in the Republic of France, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
In the saccharification of starchy materials by acids there is produced a large
quantity of broken up membranous substances which, after filtration, are useless as
food for cattle, and can only be used as manure. Our invention relates to a process
and apparatus whereby acid saccharification is effected in such a manner as to convert
all the starchy ingredients and produce a pulp equivalent to that which is obtained
by the malt process. We have found that the starch contained in the vegetable cells
can be saccharified within the cells without tearing the enclosing membranes, the
insoluble starch being thus converted into soluble dextrine glucose which can be
separated by diffusion. In treating grain in this manner, great care is required
because the cells are rendered very tender, and therefore all frictional movement is to
be avoided, and the least possible quantity of water is to be employed for effecting
the diffusion.
The material to be treated, prepared, when necessary, by washing, cutting or
breaking up, decorticating and other known processes, is subjected for a time,
depending on its nature, quantity and condition, to the action of any acid at a
temperature of 95° to 100° C., which may be produced by steam jackets or coils
applied to the operating vessels, that are arranged to suit the several steps of the
process. Each vessel which may be of wood or enamelled metal bas a perforated
false bottom above which is a lateral manhole, and in its cover there is a sunk box to
receive and break the inflow of liquid and distribute it over the material in the vessel.
In the supply pipe for the liquid is introduced a heater consisting of a vertical
cylinder within which is a bell shaped partition reaching nearly to the bottom and
having within it a steam coil. The liquid enters the cylinder at the side and passing
under the lower edge of the bell becomes heated as it ascends past the coil and is

page_text: conducted by a pipe to the distributing box in the cover of the saccharifying vessel.
There are several vessels with their heaters and the necesary connecting pipes and
suitable cocks or valves. The process is conducted in the following manner.
One of the vessels is charged with the vegetable material and acidulated water, and
is put in communication at its bottom with the heater so that the liquid enters the
heater, ascends past the coil, and then heated, rises in the pipe leading to the top of
the vessel, and pours into it through the distributing box. This circulation goes on
until saccharification is effected, as may be ascertained by testing a sample of the
liquor. The sirup is then allowed to flow from the space under the false bottom while
water admitted to and passing through the heater takes its place, and this is
continued until the extraction of the soluble dextrine glucose by diffusion is complete.
When several vessels are employed, they are worked in rotation, each receiving at
first, instead of water for diffusion, the last of the diffusion liquor from the vessel
previously worked. When the diffusion liquor becomes so far weakened as to be
worthless for subsequent treatment, it is run off, and the pulp left in the vessel is
removed through the lateral manhole. It can be used at once for feeding animals or
may be preserved in silos. It retains the form and much of the constitution of the
raw material. containing still almost the whole of the nitrogenous constituents.
The diffusion liquor, which is an acid sirup, more or less strong, is treated in the
usual way.
Dated this 21st day of January 1887
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Process and Apparatus for Acid Saccharification of Starchy
Materials.
We, VICTOR CAMILLE AUGUSTE MARCEL BONDONNEAU, of 146 Rue de Flandre,
Paris, and ANTOINE JEAN MARIE GEORGES FORET, Industriel à Chalon sur Saône
(Saône et Loire) both in the Republic of France, 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 :-
In the saccharification of starchy materials by acids there is produced a large
quantity of broken up membranous substances, which, after filtration, are useless as
food for cattle and can only be used as manure.
Our invention relates to a process and apparatus whereby acid saccharification is
effected in such a manner as to convert all the starchy ingredients and produce a pulp
equivalent to that which is obtained by the malt process.
We have found that the starch contained in the vegetable cells can be saccharified
within the cells without tearing the enclosing membranes, the insoluble starch being
thus converted into soluble dextrine glucose which can be separated by diffusion.
In treating grain in this manner, great care is required because the cells are
rendered very tender, and therefore all frictional movement is to be avoided, and the
least possible quantity of water is to be employed for effecting the diffusion.
The material to be treated, prepared, when necessary, by washing, cutting or
breaking up, decorticating, and other known processes, is subjected for a time,
depending on its nature, quantity and condition, to the action of any acid at a
temperature of 95° to 100° C, which may be produced by steam jackets or coils
applied to the operating vessels, that are arranged to suit the several steps of the
process.
Each vessel, which may be of wood or enamelled metal has a perforated false bottom
above which is a lateral manhole, and in its cover there is a sunk box to receive and
break the inflow of liquid and distribute it over the material in the vessel.
In the supply pipe for the liquid is introduced a heater consisting of a vertical
cylinder within which is a bell shaped partition reaching nearly to the bottom and
having within it a steam coil. The liquid enters the cylinder at the side and passing
under the lower edge of the bell becomes heated as it ascends past the coil and is
conducted by a pipe to the distributing box in the cover of the saccharifying vessel..
There are several vessels with their heaters and the necessary connecting pipes and
suitable cocks or valves. The process is conducted in the following manner.
One of the vessels is charged with the vegetable material and acidulated water
and is put in communication at its bottom with the heater so that the liquid enters the
heater, ascends past the coil, and thus heated, rises in the pipe leading to the top of
the vessel, and pours into it through the distributing box.
This circulation goes on until saccharification is effected, as may be ascertained by
testing a sample of the liquor.

page_text: The sirup is then allowed to flow from the space under the false bottom while water
admitted to and passing through the heater takes its place, and this is continued until
the extraction of the soluble dextrine glucose by diffusion is complete.
When several vessels are employed, they are worked in rotation, each receiving at
first, instead of water for diffusion, the last of the diffusion liquor from the vessel
previously worked.
When the diffusion liquor becomes so far weakened as to be worthless for subsequent
treatment, it is run off, and the pulp left in the vessel is removed through the lateral
manhole.
It can be used at once for feeding animals or may be preserved in silos.
It retains the form and much of the constitution of the raw material, containing
still almost the whole of the nitrogenous constituents. The diffusion liquor, which is
an acid sirup, more or less strong, is treated in the usual way.
Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings show an elevation and plan of a battery
of diffuser-saccharifiers with heating and raising apparatus, for carrying out the above
described process.
Fig. 3 shews a vertical section of the heating apparatus.
Each diffuser-saccharifier consists of a vessel A of wood, copper or enamelled
wrought or cast iron, provided with a double bottom B of perforated wood or metal
covered with wiro gauze.
C is a manhole for emptying the pulp and D is a metal or wood distributing box for
breaking the force of the entering jet of boiling liquid and spreading the same over
the surface of the charge in the vessel.
The heating apparatus shewn at Fig. 3 is made of bronze, copper, lead, enamelled
iron &c. and consists of a cylinder K containing a cylindro-conical bell R within
which is a steam coil S by means of which the saccharifying liquid is heated.
This bell is fixed to the top of the cylinder K and reaches down to near the bottom
of the latter; at the upper end it has an opening communicating through an opening
in the cylinder with pipe L through which the heated liquid rises into the distributing
box D of the saccharifying vessel.
The heating apparatus is connected, firstly, by the cock H and pipe E with check
valvo G (which prevents the liquid from flowing back into the lower part of the
saccharifier) with the bottom of the saccharifier, secondly, by the cock M and pipe Q
with a reservoir of water for diffusion; and thirdly by the cock N and pipe E' with
the preceding saccharifier, in the case of continuous diffusion process.
Lastly, the heater is provided with an escape pipe ( which discharges into the top
of the saccharifier so as to facilitate the discharge of air contained in the annular
space V formed between the bell R and the cylinder K.
The coil S is supplied with steam through the pipe T and the condensed steam flows
off by the tube 7.
The saccharification is effected in the following manner: The diffuser-saccharifier
being charged with vegetable matter and acidulated water, is placed in communication
by the pipe E and cock H, with its heater-elevator; steam is introduced into the
coil S, so that the liquid flowing round the same is heated to boiling point and by its
expansion is forced up pipe L into the distributing box D; by this a partial vacuum
is formed in the annular space V which is at once filled up by liquid entering from the
saccharifier.
Thus a circulation of liquid is set up so that the boiling liquid is made to flow slowly
through the whole mass of matter in the vessel A, heating it and converting it into
saccharine matter.
The circulation is stopped as soon as the desired degree of saccharification has been
attained.
The cock H is then closed and the discharge cock F is opened so as to allow the
syrup to flow off, this being replaced by a corresponding quantity of water passing in
through the cock M, the heater elevator K and the pipe L, until the vessel A is
completely exhausted of saccharine matter.
When a battery of saccharifiers is employed, as shewn on the drawing, instead of

page_text: introducing water after the syrup has been discharged, a communication is established
by the cock N and the pipe E' with the preceding vessel which is partially exhausted
by the introduction of water, so that the saccharine liquid from this passes into the
first vessel, and it is only when the second vessel is entirely exhausted that fresh water
is passed through the first one, and this operation of diffusion is repeated successively
in all the saccharifiers, the end ones being connected by the pipe P, so as to render it
continuous.
The arrows drawn in full on the drawing show the direction of motion of the
liquid during the saccharification, and the dotted arrows shew that of the liquid during
the diffusion and the discharge of the syrup at the maximum concentration.
One of the saccharifiers being entirely exhausted, the water is drained off through
the cock F and the spent charge is removed through the manhole C. This pulp may
either serve directly as food, or it may be placed in silos; it still retains the original
granular or other form of the substance employed, and contains nearly the whole of
the nitrognized constituents, the starch alone having been entirely removed.
If the saccharification of the juice has not been carried to the desired point, it is
completed either in ordinary vats with coils or in digesters. The desired saccharification
having been obtained, the acid is saturated and the clarified juice is conveyed to the
fermenting apparatus of the distillery or it is subjected to the ordinary process for
conversion into glucose after having eliminated the nitrogen constituents dissolved
therein, by the known reagents.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is :-
1. The herein described process of saccharifying starchy materials while contained
in the cells of the grain or other material, wherein the material is subjected to the
continuous or intermittent circulation of acidulated water the resulting syrup being
separated by diffusion, the object being firstly, to produce a residue retaining the
original form of the material that is suitable as food for cattle and for other purposes,
and secondly to obtain a syrup containing the whole of the products of saccharification
of the starch, or isomeric substances, and which can be employed in distilleries and in
the manufacture of glucose.
2. The herein described construction of apparatus for carrying out the process set
forth in the preceding claim, consisting essentially in a battery of vessels serving for
saccharification and for the extraction of saccharine matter by diffusion, in com-
bination with apparatus for heating the saccharifying liquid and conveying it to the
top of the saccharifying vessels.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.