IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING OILS AND SPIRITS AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Louis de Gerbeth, of Hope Wharf, Hagger-
stone, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN TREATING OILS AND SPIRITS AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR THIS
PURPOSE,"
Sealed the 8th May 1868, and dated the 11th November 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Louis de Gerbeth
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th November 1867.
I, FRANCIS LOUIS DE GERBETH, of Hope Wharf, Haggerstone, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN TREATING OILS AND SPIRITS, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR
THIS PURPOSE," to be as follows:-
The principle of the Invention consists chiefly in convertingan hydrocarbon
oil into an oxyhydrocarbon. Many oils or substances of an oily nature either
singly or mixed in different proportions are available for that purpose, such as
dead oil, vegetable tar, coal oil, coal tar oil, Rangoon oil, but rosin oil and
petroleum for many reasons are preferable. Rosin oil, crude or refined, is
mixed with petroleum oil (also sometimes colled heavyor lubricating oil) in such
proportions as will make the mixed oil of the specific gravity of 925 to 932,
CP 77

page_text: or at an average of 928. It is then introduced into a convenient vessel, wood
being preferable and heated by means of steam to a temperature of from 150
to 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
The following chemicals or some of them in the proportions hereafter to be
specified are then added, viz., chloride of calcium, or chloride of lime, or
hypochlorite of lime, protoxide of manganese or black or peroxide of manganese,
manganate or permanganate of soda, or potash and water. The whole is then
subjected to the action of oxygenated steam for one or two hours; this steam
is to be produced by an apparatus hereafter to be described, sulphate of zincor
sulphate of zinc and acetate of lead or protoxide of lead are added, the agitation
by oxygenated steam is continued for another hour, then discontinued, and a
current of atmospheric air or of ozonised atmospheric air, the latter obtained
by means of an apparatus hereafter to be described is forced into and
through the oil for two hours more or until the oil is sufficiently free from
smell. During all this time the oil is also subjected to the action of galvanic
electricity by means of a convenient battery, the conducting wires from which
are dipped into the vessel containing the oil. The oil is then allowed to settle in
a warm place, or it is kept warm by means of steam led through it in such
a manner as not to agitate the oil until clear and bright, when it is ready
for use. Filtering through freshly burnt animal charcoal by means of either
flannel bags or properly constructed filters will facilitate the process of clearing
and fining.
In order to do away with the blueish cast or bloom which most of the
hydrocarbon oils possess, such oils must be treated separately by means of steam
heating as described by adding either or some of the following substances,
chloride of calcium or of lime, or hypochlorite of lime, protoxide of manganese,
black or peroxide of manganese, permanganate or manganate of soda or of
potash and water, red chromate of potash and sulphuric acid in such proportions
as hereafter to be described. At the same time that the oils are heated
by steam with these substances they are also submitted to the action of
galvanic electricity for one or two hours, and oxygenated steam is also
forced into and through them, and after they have settled and cleared they are
distilled in such manners as are usually adopted for such purposes.
The proportions mentioned of the chemicals used are parts by weight of the
oil, chloride of calcium, chloride of lime, hypochlorite of lime rov part, pro-
toxide or peroxide of manganese rb part, manganate or permanganate of
potash or soda, say r part, or from 100 to
sulphate of zinc to part, or sulphate of zinc and
To part, or sulphate of zinc, acetate of lead, and protoxide of lead to part
part, water to part,
acetate of lead together

page_text: together, or sulphate of zinc and protoxide of lead ru part together, or
from part to 70 part according to the degree of drying properties of the
oil required.
The apparatus for producing oxygenated steam consists in a steam pipe to
be connected at one end with the service pipe of a steam generator, and at
the other end with a strong steam-tight case or receptacle or cask provided.
with a man-hole and safety valve, and further connected by means of a steam
pipe with the vessel containing the oil to be operated upon, this case is to
contain when in use chloride of lime, chloride of calcium, hypochlorite of lime
2 parts, and peroxide, protoxide, or black oxide of manganese 1 part,
chlorate of potash 1 part, or peroxide of barium part, and water 4 parts.
The steam from the steam boiler or generator passes through the receptacle
or case, becomes impregnated with oxygen and passes through the other pipes
into and through the oil, acting as a heater, oxidiser, and agitator.
The ozonizing air apparatus is a blast bellows or fan provided with a nozzlę
connected with an aperture in a box containing sheets of glass coated with
pure tin foil, and slightly separated from each other, and connected with the
poles of a galvanic battery; from the box a flexible pipe leads the current of
air into and through the oil, the air becomes ozonized in its passage between
the glasses.
In treating turpentine the process is similar to the last, but on account of
the volatility of the materials used, the heating by steam is dispensed with.
Rosin, spirit, and petroleum spirit are mixed in a convenient and close vessel
in such proportions as will make the mixture of specific gravity of 820, or
from that to 825. The following ingredients or some of them are then added,
chloride of calcium, chloride or perchloride of lime, or hypochlorite of lime
To part, protoxide or peroxide of manganese 06 part, calcined or crystalized
soda from Tou to v part, manganate or permanganate of soda or potash
10 to part, and water + part, peroxide of barium part, and the
whole is thoroughly agitated by a current of ozonized atmospheric air being
forced into and through the mixture by means of the blast or fan and
connecting apparatus elsewhere described for one or more hours or until
thoroughly deodorized and oxodized. The mixtures is subjected all the time to
the direct action of a galvanic battery of sufficient strength, and after a short
time of repose is allowed to settle the clear liquid is to be distilled once or
twice in the usual way.. Tar, spirit, or vegetable tar spirit, or brown rosip
spirit singly or mixed in different proportions may be used instead of white
rosin spirit, but in such case the distillation will have to be repeated. The
distillation may be carried on in a still heated by steam or otherwise by means

page_text: of a furnace, the distillation by means of steam being the safest and least
dangerous.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Francis Louis de Gerbeth in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 11th May 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANOIS
LOUIS DE GERBETH, of Hope Wharf, Haggerstone,in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Francis Louis de Gerbeth, Her special licence that I, the said Francis
Louis de Gerbeth; my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Francis Louis de Gerbeth, 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 Inven
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING OILS AND SPIRITS, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE
USED OR THIS PURPOSE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Francis Louis de Gerbeth, 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 Inven tion, 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 immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Francis Louis de Gerbeth, 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 :-
My Invention relates to converting oils, which at present are not applicable
to painting, varnish making, or oil cloth making, or other similar purposes,
into oils applicable to such purposes.
The process is as follows:-Petroleum or coal oil, or similar hydrocarbon
oil of a specific gravity of, say, from 860 to 890, and rosin oil of specific

page_text: "
gravity, 960-990, are mixed (either before or after the treatment herein-after
described) and by preference in such proportions as will make the mixed oil
of the specific gravity of from 925 to 932 or thereabout, that is to say, of about
the specific gravity of linseed oil; other substances, such as dead oil, may be
added to the mixture where high quality is not required. The oils, either
separate or mixed together, are introduced into convenient vessels containing
water, in proportion of 25 gallons to 40 gallons per ton of oil, and heated by
preference by means of steam blown through them to a temperature of from
150 to 212 Fahrenheit, and the following chemical substances are then added,
namely, chloride of lime or hypochlorite of lime, black peroxide of manganese,
and chlorate of potash. The chloride of lime or hypochlorite of lime is
employed in the proportion of 35 lbs. to the ton of oil, the black oxide of
manganese in the proportion of 20 lbs. to the ton of oil, and the chlorate of
potash in the proportion of one pound to the ton of oil. In place of these
reagents other oxidizers may be employed, such as other chlorides or hypo-
chlorites of other alkaline earths, protoxide of manganese, manganate, or
permanganate of potash or soda, chlorate of soda, or else peroxide of barium,
2 lbs. to 5 lbs., and red chromate of potash 10 lbs., and sulphuric acid of
commerce" 20 lbs. to 25 lbs. per ton of oil. The whole is then agitated by
blowing in free steam; after about half an hour chlorate of potash is again
added in the same proportions as before, the agitation with steam is continued
for another hour, and then driers are added. I prefer to use sulphate of zinc,
acetate of lead, and protoxide of lead, in the proportions of 14 to 21 lbs. of
the zinc salt, 10 to 20 lbs. of the acetate, and from 3 to 7 lbs. of litharge to
the ton of oil. The agitation by steam is continued for another hour, and
when discontinued a current of atmospheric air or ozonized atmospheric air
(by preference the latter) is forced into and through the oil for two hours or
more, or until the oil is sufficiently free from smell. The ozonized air is
advantageously obtained by causing a current of air from a suitable forcing
apparatus to pass between glass plates covered on each side with tin foil. I
arrange eighteen such plates, each three feet long and two feet wide, in a
wooden case, parallel the one to the other, and about one inch apart. Every
alternate plate is connected with the positive pole of a galvanic battery, and
the other or intermediate plates are connected with the negative pole. The
air is compelled to pass between the plates in succession from end to end of
the series, and is then blown through the oil.
The battery I employ consists of ten cells, each containing plates 5 inches
long and 3 inches broad, of zinc and platinized silver, and the battery is
excited by sulphuric acid diluted with seven times its bulk of water. During

page_text: the treatment with air the oil is being subjected to the action of galvanic
electricity by means of another battery, such as that above described, the con-
ducting wires from which are dipped into the vessel containing the oil. The
oil is then allowed to settle in a warm place, or is kept warm by means of
steam led through it in a close coil so as not to agitate the oil. When the
oil becomes clear and bright it is ready for use. Filtering through freshly
burnt animal charcoal will facilitate the process of clearing and fining.
In order to do away with the objectionable dark color usually existing in
petroleum or other hydrocarbon oil, such oils may be treated separately by
heating them by preference by steam, and adding chloride of lime, black
oxide of manganese, chlorate of potash water in the proportions herein-before
At the same time as the
mentioned, or the alternatives, above named.
oils are treated as above they are also submitted to the action of a galvanic
battery, as is also herein-before described, and after they have become settled
and cleared they may be distilled in such manner as is usually adopted in the
distillation of such substances.
In order to produce a substance applicable to the purposes for which
turpentine is employed, white rosin spirit of a specific gravity of, say, 8:30 to
8.60 is mixed with light spirits or oils distilled from petroleum (or other similar
light hydrocarbon spirit or oil) of a specific gravity of, say, 7.80 to 8.20.
These spirits or oils are submitted to a process similar to the above; but on
account of the volatility of the materials used the heating by steam is,dig-
pensed with, mere agitation in presence of the above chemicals being sufficient.
The mixture should be made in preference in such proportions as to yield a
product of the specific gravity of from 820 to 825 or thereabout, that is to say,
of about the specific gravity of turpentine. After the process has been carried
on for one or more hours, the oil or spirit is allowed to settle, and is thep
redistilled; tar spirit, or vegetable tar spirit, or brown rosin spirit may be
added, but in such cases the distillation will have to be repeated.
What 1 claim is the production of an oil resembling linseed oil, and
applicable to painting and yarnish making, from a mixture of petroleum o
coal oil, or such like hydrocarbon and rosin oil, such oils being treated with
oxidizing agents, ozonized air, galvanic electricity, and driers, as herein
described.
I also claim the treating petroleum, coal oil, or other similar hydrocarbor
oil with oxidizing agents and galvanic electricity, so as to improve the color
as herein described.
I also claim the production of a spirit similar to turpentine from a mixtur
flight petroleum or coal oil, or other similar light hydrocarbon oil or spirit

page_text: and light rosin oil or spirit, such oils or spirits being treated with oxidizing
agents, ozonized air, and galvanic electricity, as herein described.
I also claim the apparatus herein-before described for the treatment of oils
and spirits by means of ozonized air.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Louis de Gerbeth, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
FRANCOIS LOUIS DE GERBETH. (L.s.)