IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING GLYCERINE AND FATTY ACIDS FROM ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOSEPH WILLIAM FREESTONE Chemist of Bromborough Pool Works Brom-
borough in the County of Cheshire do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING GLYCERINE AND FATTY ACIDS FROM ANIMAL
AND VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES" to be as follows:-
=
The object of this Invention is the separation of glycerine from animal and
vegetable substances in an economical and efficient way and so as to obtain both
the glycerine and the fatty acids of a good colour in order that the former may
be readily refined and the latter fit for the use of the Soap boiler or Candle
maker.
From experiments which I have carried out for some time, I find that hydrated
oxide of magnesia is a most officient saponifying agent for employment in the
autoclave or digester commonly used for decomposing fatty substances. I employ it
in the following manner.
°
The
The melted fats and water in the proportion usually employed for autoclaving are
mixed with % to 1% of hydrated oxide of magnesia and submitted in a digester
or autoclave to the action of steam at a pressure of from 100 to 125 lbs per square
inch. The dilute glycerine formed by this treatment is of an excellent quality and
can be concentrated in vacuo or open concentrator in the usual manner.
mixture of fatty acids and magnesic soap may be passed direct to the soap boiler
or may be treated with an acid (sulphuric or hydrochloric being preferred) so as to
decompose the magnesic soap previous to the fatty acids being further treated for
the production of candle material.
Hydrated oxide of magnesia is an economical as well as an efficient saponifying
agent for magnesium chloride from which it can be readily prepared is a cheap bye
product.

page_text: COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
I; JOSEPH WILLIAM FREESTONE, Chemist of Bromborough Pool Works, Brom-
borough, in the County of Cheshire do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING GLYCERINE & FATTY ACIDS FROM ANIMAL AND
VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES " and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
The object of this invention is the separation of glycerine from animal and
vegetable substances in an economical and efficient way and so as to obtain
both the glycerine and the fatty acids of a good colour in order that the former
may be readily refined and the latter fit for the use of the soap boiler or candle
maker,
From experiments which I have carried out for some time I find that hydrated
oxide of magnesia is a most efficient saponifying agent for employment in the
autoclave or digester commonly used for decomposing fatty substances. I employ
it in the following manner.
1.5
The melted fats and water in the proportion usually employed for autoclaving
are mixed with 1% to 1% of liydrated oxide of magnesia and submitted in a
digester or autoclave to the action of steam at a pressure of from 100 to 125 lbs
per square inch. The dilute glycerine formed by this treatment is of an excellent
quality and can be concentrated in vacuo or open concentrator in the usual
manner. The mixture of fatty acids and magnesic soap may be passed direct
to the soap boiler or may be treated with an acid (sulphuric or hydrochloric being
preferred) so as to decompose the magnesic soap previous to the fatty acids being
further treated for the production of candle material.
Hydrated oxide of magnesia is an, economical as well as an efficient saponifying
agent, for magnesium chloride from which it can be readily prepared is a cheap bye
product.
The magnesium chloride I cause to be precipitated by the addition of an
equivalent proportion of milk of lime. Or caustic soda may be employed for
the same purpose. The precipitate is allowed to deposit and is then washed. It is
used in the moist state and in about the proportion mentioned above it is added to
the animal or vegetable fatty matter which it may be desired to treat. Any fat or
fatty matter which is neutral or which contains combined glycerine inay be treated
in accordance with this invention.
The hydrated. oxide of magnesia is mixed with water and the mixture is added
to the fat or fatty matter.
The water should as usual be in the proportion of say one part of water to two
parts of fat or fatty, matter.
The steam is blown into the digester or autoclave and the temperature and
pressure maintained for about 4 or 5 hours. The fatty matter after its discharge
from the digester or autoclave is preferably thoroughly washed in a blow up pan
with dilute sulphuric acid to decompose the magnesic soap which it contains.
The glycerine can be concentrated in the usual manner.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
My improvements in obtaining glycerine and fatty acids consisting in introducing
into the digester or autoclave hydrated oxide of magnesia with the other materials
substantially as described.