Improvements in Filters used in the Manufacture of Alcohols, Oils, Greases, and other Matters.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 7th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 9th Feb., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Filters used in the Manufacture of Alcohols, Oils,
Greases, and other Matters.
I, NICOLAS ISELI Merchant of Rue de la Terre and Rue des Armes Réunies
Chaux-de-Fonds in the Republic of Switzerland do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
:-
A great many alcohols cannot be obtained by repeated distillations in a sufficiently
pure condition and therefore must be purified by subsequent combined filtering
and distilling. This invention consists in the construction and employment of a
filter charged with a special filtering medium which enables all impurities to be
separated from the phlegms so that an entirely neutral alcohol may be obtained
from these purified phlegms by means of distillation. The purifying operation
will be much simplified by this process.
The same filter may be used for the conversion of ordinary impure oils into a
state fit for trade.
This filter comprises a tank or chamber of any desired dimension, provided at or
near the lower end with a cock for the inlet of the liquid to be filtered and at or
near its upper end with a cock for the outlet of the filtered liquid. The filtering-mass
is confined between two gratings or perforated plates or equivalent, one of which is
fixed at a certain distance from the bottom of the apparatus and the other is
operated on by an adjusting-screw which allows said mass to be compressed to the
degree required; between the upper grating and filtering mass is a sheet of asbestos
cloth or amianthus or equivalent and there is also provided a cock to allow the air
to escape under the filtering material when the apparatus is put into action.
The apparatus is filled with a special filtering mass.
This mass is composed of carbonized basic ligneous material at high temperature;
it is made in the following manner:
The ligneous material must be impregnated with a concentrated solution of
sulphate or of chloride of magnesia (for instance 3%). This mass will then be
intimately mixed with an alkali as an equivalent of the magnesia salt. The intimate
mixture is dried and carbonized at white heat.
In that way we obtain a basic filtering substance which is very porous and free
from impurities. The magnesia salts may be replaced by calcium, barium and
strontium salts. However in the latter case the result would be less favorable.
This composition separates from the phlegms, by means of filtration, the heavy
alcohols and ethereal substances as well as acids, and it purifies also liquid oils and
greases.
For the purification of the phlegms, the filtering mass is introduced in a humid
state into the apparatus, this allowing it to be heaped up regularly and avoid the
formation of direct ways in said mass by the pressure of the liquid to be purified.
Before working the apparatus water is run through it from the bottom to the top
so as to completely eliminate the air which is to be found in the apparatus and in
the filtering mass; after this operation the purification takes place without any
contact of the liquid to be purified with the air, this being absolutely necessary if
the purification is to be a complete one.
The alcohol remaining in the apparatus after the operation is recovered by
introducing water into the bottom of the apparatus. Said water is not mixed with
the liquid contained in the apparatus the latter being merely displaced by it. By

page_text: means of these proceedings no loss of alcohol is produced either at the beginning or
at the end of the operation.
Dated this 9th day of February 1893
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Filters used in the Manufacture of Alcohols, Oils,
Greases, and other Matters.
I, NICOLAS ISELI of Chaux-de-Fonds in the Republic of Switzerland, 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:—
A great many alcohols cannot be obtained by repeated distillations in a
sufficiently pure condition and therefore must be purified by subsequent combined
filtering and distilling. This invention consists in the construction and employment
of a filter charged with a special filtering medium which enables all impurities to
be separated from the alcoholic liquid so that an entirely neutral alcohol may be
obtained from these purified alcoholic liquid by means of distillation. The purifying
operation will be much simplified by this process.
The same filter may be used for the conversion of ordinary impure oils into a
state fit for trade.
This filter which is shown in the annexed drawing comprises a tank or chamber A
of any desired dimensions, provided at or near the lower end with a cock R for the
inlet of the liquid to be filtered and at or near its upper end with a cock S for the
outlet of the filtered liquid. The filtering-mass M is confined between two gratings
or perforated plates or equivalent B and C one of which is fixed at a certain
distance from the bottom of the apparatus and the other is operated by an
adjusting-screw D which allows said mass to be compressed to the degree required;
between the upper grating and filtering mass is a sheet of asbestos cloth or
amianthus or equivalent M' and there is also provided a cock E to allow the air
to escape from beneath the filtering material when the apparatus is put into
action.
The apparatus is filled with a special filtering mass.
This mass is composed of basic ligneous material carbonized at high temperature;
it is made in the following manner:
The ligneous material must be impregnated with a concentrated solution of
sulphate or chloride of magnesia (for instance 3%). This mass will then be
intimately mixed with an alkali as an equivalent of the magnesia salt. The
intimate mixture is dried and carbonized at white heat.
In that way I obtain a basic filtering substance which is very porous and free
from impurities. The magnesia salts may be replaced by calcium, barium and
strontium salts. However in the latter case the result would be less favourable.
This composition separates from the alcoholic liquid, by means of filtration, the
heavy alcohols and ethereal substances as well as acids, and it purifies also liquid
oils and greases.
For the purification of the alcoholic liquid, the filtering mass is introduced in a
humid state into the apparatus, this allowing it to be heaped up regularly and avoid
the formation of direct ways in said mass by the pressure of the liquid to be
purified. Before working the apparatus water is run through it from the bottom
to top so as to completely eliminate the air which is to be found in the apparatus
and in the filtering mass; after this operation the purification takes place without
any contact of the liquid to be purified with the air, this being absolutely necessary
if the purification is to be a complete one.

page_text: The alcohol remaining in the apparatus after the operation, is recovered by
introducing water into the bottom of the apparatus. Said water is not mixed with
the liquid contained in the apparatus the latter being merely displaced by it. By
means of these proceedings no loss of alcohol is produced either at the beginning
or at the end of the operation.
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. The purification of alcoholic liquids oils or greases by means of a basic porous
substance made of carbonized ligneous material alkalized at high temperature by
means of a mixture of solutions in equivalent to the terrous and alkaline sulphates
or chlorides substantially as described.
2. For the purification of alcoholic liquids oils or greases the employment of
apparatus consisting of a casing having suitable cocks or valves and containing
two perforated plates B C a mass or block M of basic porous substance made of
carbonized ligneous material alkalized at a high temperature by means of a
mixture of solutions in equivalent to the terrous and alkaline sulphates or chlorides
and a piece or disc of asbestos or amianthus material M' and pressure screw
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 7th day of November 1893.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.