IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE of SOAP FROM ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE FATTY MATTERS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Jensen, of 33, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE of
SOAP FROM ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE FATTY MATTERS." A communication
from abroad by Josef Weineck, of Grafendorf, near Stockerau, in the Province
of Lower Austria, in the Austro Hungarian Empire.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Jensen at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd March 1881.
"IMPROVE-
PETER JENSEN, of 33, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex.
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SOAP FROM ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE FATTY
MATTERS." A communication from abroad by Josef Weineck, of Grafendorf,
near Stockerau, in the Province of Lower Austria, in the Austro Hungarian
Empire.
According to this Invention all sorts of neutral hard soaps, as well as not neutral
washing soaps, are manufactured from animal or vegetable fatty matters without
boiling the fats with the lyes, and whereby, without the employment of salt, is
obtained a spent lye containing no chlor, and which is especially useful for glycerine
manufacturers.
In this Invention a cylindrical jacketed wrought iron vessel containing a stirring
appliance worked by any suitable motor is employed. In the jacket water is
caused to circulate, which is kept up to the required temperature by means of
steam. The vessel is fitted with thermometer and with cocks for letting off the
manufactured soap and for removing the glycerine containing spent lye which is
formed by the production of perfectly neutral hard soaps.
The fat (either only of animal origin, such as tallow or bone fat, or of vegetable
origin, such as palm oil or coco oil, separately or mixed in any proportions) is placed
in the above apparatus; the water in the jacket is then brought up the tempera-
ture of the melting point of the fat or fat mixture to be saponified. In the case of
tallow a temperature of about 113° F. (45° C.) is found suitable.

page_text: A soap solution of two parts soap to 100 parts water, and heated to about the
same temperature, is added to the contents of the apparatus in a suitable propor-
tion. For making hard soap, commercially termed quite neutral, the soap solution
may for instance amount to 20 per cent. of the fat to be saponified. While adding
this solution, or any other suitable emulsive liquid, the stirring appliance is put in
motion, producing an intimate mixture of the solution with the fats, whereby the
latter assume the so called globular form. The microscopically small balls take up
the alkaline lyes with avidity at certain temperatures, and saponify at once. By
this rapid saponification heat is evolved chemically, which heat, assisted artificially,
melts the small balls consisting of made soap. On raising the temperature from
without to a certain point the superfluous lye is separated, so that in this simple
way the fats are converted into a perfectly neutral hard soap.
When the fat is so intimately mixed with the soap water that nothing more
becomes separated, then the caustic lye, of a temperature of that of the fat or of the
emulsion, is mixed with the contents of the apparatus in suitable proportions. For
producing perfectly neutral hard soap from tallow or from a mixture of tallow and
bone fat about 50 per cent. lye of 38° B. is required.
When the caustic lye has been perfectly mixed in, the temperature of the water
in the jacket is kept up to about 194° F. (90° C.), and the stirring appliance is
kept at work until a test sample taken out proves that the soap has become
perfectly fluid and melted.
During the whole operation the apparatus has to be kept well closed by a lid so
as to avoid cooling of the mass, and so as to utilize the chemically evolved heat as
much as possible. When the test sample shows that the soap is already fluid
("im Fluss") the stirrer is stopped, and the mass left standing some hours, where-
upon the spent lye, containing only caustic soda and glycerine, is let off, and the
soap run off.
By the above described process the saponification takes place in at most about
two hours, but in many cases in one hour, and it is as perfect as possible, as all the
neutral fat has become converted into soap.
In the production of non neutral kinds of soap, which hence are to contain more
lye and water, the quantity to be added of emulsion water and of caustic lye depends
entirely upon the desired product. The principle of saponification remains the
same, but the temperatures vary. It is not absolutely necessary to bring the
concentration of the lye up to 38° B.; it may in fact be reduced to 30 or 28° B, but
this reduction of strength must be taken into account in calculating the amount of
emulsion water to be added.
By this process the remaining or spent lie contains only glycerine and caustic
to 10° B., so
soda, the glycerine being free from chlor and of a strength of about
that it becomes really commercially profitable to separate it therefrom. The saving
in fuel, time, and costs of labour are very considerable, the production is quick,
and can be carried on on a large scale, while the costs of plant are comparatively
small. The product obtained is better and of a lighter colour than by the usual
mode, and the salt or the considerable quantity of caustic lye for dissolving the
waste lye is saved. Moreover, as in this process no badly smelling vapours are
produced, there is an advantage gained in a sanitary point of view.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Peter Jensen in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd September
1881.
PETER JENSEN, of 33, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex. " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SOAP FROM ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE FATTY
MATTERS." (A communication from abroad by Josef Weineck, of Grafendorf,
near Stockerau, in the Province of Lower Austria, in the Austro Hungarian
Empire.)
According to this Invention all sorts of neutral hard soaps, as well as not neutral
washing soaps, are manufactured from animal or vegetable fatty matters, without
boiling the fats with the lyes, and whereby, without the employment of salt, is
obtained a spent lye containing no chlor, and which is especially useful for glycerine
manufacture.
In this Invention a cylindrical jacketed wrought iron vessel containing a stirring
appliance worked by any suitable motor is employed. In the jacket water is
caused to circulate, which is kept up to the required temperature by means of
steam. The vessel is fitted with thermometer and with cocks for letting off the
manufactured soap, and for removing the glycerine containing spent lye, which is
formed by the production of perfectly neutral hard soaps.
The fat (either only of animal origin, such as tallow or bone fat, or of vegetable
origin, such as palm oil or cocoa oil, separately or mixed in any proportions) is
placed in the above apparatus; the water in the jacket is then brought up to. the
temperature of the melting point of the fat or fat mixture to the saponified. In the
case of tallow a temperature of about 113° F. (45° C.) is found suitable.
A soap solution of two parts soap to 100 parts water, and heated to about the
same temperature, is added to the contents of the apparatus in a suitable propor-
tion. For making hard soap, commercially termed quite neutral, the soap solution
may for instance amount to 20 per cent. of the fat to be saponified. While adding
this solution, or any other suitable emulsive liquid, the stirring appliance is put in
motion, producing an intimate mixture of the solution with the fats, whereby the
latter assume the so called globular form. These microscopically small balls take
up the alkaline lyes with avidity at certain temperatures, and saponify at once.
By this rapid saponification heat is evolved chemically, which heat assisted
artificially melts the small balls consisting of made soap. On raising the tempe-
rature from without to a certain point the superfluous lye is separated, so that in
this simple way the fats are converted into a perfectly neutral hard soap.
When the fat is so intimately mixed with the soap water that nothing more of
it becomes separated, then the caustic lye, of a temperature of that of the fat or of
the emulsion, is mixed with the contents of the apparatus in suitable proportions.
For producing perfectly neutral hard soap from tallow, or from a mixture of tallow
and bone fat, about 50 per cent. lye of 38° B. is required.
When the caustic lye has been perfectly mixed in, the temperature of the water
in the jacket is raised, and kept up to about 194° F. (90° C.), and the stirring
appliance is kept at work until a test sample taken out proves that the soap has
become perfectly fluid and melted.
During the whole operation the apparatus has to be kept well closed by a lid, so
as to avoid cooling of the mass, and so as to utilize the chemically evolved heat as
much as possible. When the test sample shows that the soap is already fluid (" im
Fluss") the stirrer is stopped and the mass left standing some hours, whereupon
the spent lye containing only caustic soda and glycorine is let off, and the soap
run off

page_text: By the above described process the saponification takes place in at most about
two hours, but in many cases in one hour, and it is as perfect as possible, as all the
neutral fat has become converted into soap.
In the production of non neutral kinds of soap, which hence are to contain more
lye and water, the quantity to be added of emulsion water and of caustic lye
depends entirely upon the desired product. The principle of saponification remains
the same, but the temperatures vary. It is not absolutely necessary to bring the
concentration of the lye up to 38° B.; it may in fact be reduced to 30 or 28° B.,
but this reduction of strength must be taken into account in calculating the amount
of emulsion water to be added.
By this process the remaining or spent lye contains only glycerine and caustic
soda, the glycerine being free from chlor and of a strength of about 5 to 10º B., so.
that it becomes really commercially profitable to separate it therefrom. The saving
in fuel, time, and costs of labour are very considerable, the production is quick, and
can be carried on on a large scale, while the costs of plant are comparatively small.
The product obtained is better and of a lighter colour than by the usual mode, and
the salt or the considerable quantity of caustic lye for dissolving the waste lye is
saved. Moreover, as in this process no badly smelling vapours are produced, there
is an advantage gained in a sanitary point of view.
And having thus described and ascertained the nature of this Invention, and the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I declare that I claim as communicated to
me,-
The saponification of fats of animal or vegetable origin without boiling them
with alkaline lyes, by the rendering of them into the so called globular state before
the caustic lye is added, for the purpose of the manufacture of neutral hard soaps,
as well as non neutral washing soaps, while eventually at the same time obtaining
spent lyes which do not contain chlor, and which are suitable for glycerine
manufacture.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Jensen, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty first day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.