IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING AND TREATING ASPHODEL IN ORDER TO OBTAIN ALCOHOL
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to François Xavier Gentil, father, and Eugène Gentil,
son, of Paris, in the Empire of France, Chemists and Distillers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING AND TREATING ASPHODEL IN
ORDER TO OBTAIN ALCOHOL."
Sealed the 12th February 1858, and dated the 27th August 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said François Xavier Gentil
and Eugène Gentil at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 27th August 1857.
We, FRANÇOIS XAVIER GENTIL, father, and EUGÈNE GENTIL, son, of
Paris, in the Empire of France, Chemists and Distillers, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING AND TREATING
ASPHODEL IN ORDER TO OBTAIN ALCOHOL," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to the preparation and treatment of asphodel
(asphodelus ramosus) in order to extract the alcohol contained in it. For
this purpose the roots of the asphodel are cut in slices of about half an inch in
thickness with a root cutter, and the pieces are dried in the sun. In order to
obtain the alcohol they are macerated in four times their weight of water, to
which is added three per cent. (of the weight of the roots) of sulphuric acid of
fifty-three degrees. The whole is then raised to a state of ebullition during

page_text: four hours. After this first maceration the juice is drawn off or separated;
the pieces of roots are then submitted to a second maceration in twice their
weight of water, and to which one per cent. of the same acid is added; the
whole is kept in a state of ebullition during three hours; the juices are then
drawn off and separated; and, lastly, the pieces are submitted to a third
maceration in once their weight of water, to which is added one-half per cent.
of the same acid; the whole is kept in ebullition during two hours, when this
third quantity of juice is separated.
The juices thus obtained may then be mixed together or treated separately.
First, they are cooled by a circulation of water required to be heated, or it
may be by a circulation of juices required to be concentrated, which is passed
through worm pipes, which the juices to be cooled surround. The juices
having been cooled, the excess of acid is saturated with carbonate of lime, and
the liquid is left in that state to ferment. Distilling the juices so treated in
ordinary distilling apparatus will produce the alcohol of asphodel, which is
subsequently rectified, if necessary, like ordinary alcohols.
Any acid may be substituted for the sulphuric acid which will produce the
transformation of the parenchyma or pulp and of the juices of the tubercle
into glucose.
The ligneous portions of the pieces, either mixed with coal or not, serve as
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said François Xavier Gentil and Eugène Gentil in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 27th February 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FRANÇOIS
XAVIER GENTIL, 'father, and EUGÈNE GENTIL, Son, of Paris, in the Empire of
France, Chemists and Distillers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said François Xavier Gentil, father, and Eugène Gentil, son, Her
special licence that we, the said François Xavier Gentil, father, and Eugène
Gentil, 'son, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we,
the said François Xavier 'Gentil, father, and Eugène Gentil, son, our 3

page_text: 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 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING AND
TREATING ASPHODEL IN ORDER TO OBTAIN ALCOHOL," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said François Xavier Gentil, father, and Eugène
Gentil, son, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, 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 we, the said François Xavier Gentil, father, and
Eugène Gentil, son, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say):-
Our Invention relates to the preparation and treatment of the asphodel
(asphodelus ramosus) in order to obtain the alcohol contained therein.
In order to prepare asphodel tubercles or roots, they are separated from
their appendages and from their stalks and stems, and cut up with ordinary
cutting implements, especially with the ordinary root-cutting tool, but not
reduced to less than pieces of about three-eighths of an inch cube, and instead
of being stove dried, they are simply spread out to the sun,
which brings
them to a suitably dry state.
The mode of treating fresh tubercles made it appear that to operate on these
roots it was necessary to employ from eight to ten per cent. of sulphuric acid at
fifty-three degrees strength, and even more. After many efforts and numerous
experiments on a large scale, we have obtained uniform results by using, on
an average, four and a half per cent. only of this acid (we never use less than
two per cent. nor above seven per cent., according to the greater or less
richness in alcoholizable properties of the roots, but we remark that the mean
quantity, four and a half per cent., always succeeds satisfactorily). This
quantity of sulphuric acid may be replaced either by more concentrated
sulphuric acid, or by hydrochloric acid, or any other acid that will transform
the sweet matter into glucose. The quantity of these acids necessary to
produce the effect is variable in the same proportions, according to their
different degrees of strength.

page_text: The asphodel roots are first macerated in four times their weight of water,
into which nearly three-quarters of the acid has been introduced; it is raised
t'o boiling point, and kept to that heat for four hours. After eight hours' rest
it is drawn off and a second maceration is commenced, keeping the liquid at
boiling heat during three hours; but for the second maceration the weight of
the liquid is only double that of the roots; it is immediately drawn off and
washed a third time, pouring on the roots a quantity of fresh water equal to
their own weight; this is principally for the purpose of commencing a first
cooling or refrigerating, care being taken to employ the remainder of the acid
for the two last operations, reserving very little for the last.
This washing may be dispensed with, and instead of placing the whole of
the syrup
of the second operation into the vats to be saturated, this syrup
may be passed through common conduits, easy to arrange, into an empty vat,
where it will be divided into two parts, from which the one half is passed into
the vat for the first saturation, while the other half remains in the before-
mentioned empty vat, and serves for another operation, and supplies the
means of obtaining a stronger degree of syrup.
The maceration vats are of such a size that when the pieces of roots resume
the original volume of the tubercle they will not cause any overflow of the
liquid. These vats have, either in the sides or in the bottom, or in both,
apertures of from twelve to sixteen inches diameter, to facilitate the removal
of the residue. The vats may also be made to rock on pivots, or the substance
may be removed at the top by means of metal gratings, covered with india-
rubber to preserve them from the effect of the acids. It is important that the
steam be distributed at the bottom of the vats, so that it may not escape
except through very small apertures placed at a distance from each other of
two feet or less. It is suitable to cover these small steam passages with a false
bottom and to surround the apertures with fine wire cloth, to prevent the pulp
from being sucked into the interior of the tubes when the heating steam
condenses therein. In order to effect saturation, the weight of carbonate of
lime used must not exceed two-thirds of that of the sulphuric acid. From the
saturation vats the syrup is passed through a worm immersed in cold water,
which brings it to the desired temperature for fermentation; or better, into a
rather large channel or gutter made of the least oxydable metal, and as thin as
possible, the bottom part of which dips into the water; the current should be
as continuous as possible. The first and second refrigeration of the syrups are
the chief operations to be conducted on a large scale. Instead of refrigerating
by the means we have indicated, any known means of cooling a liquid may be

page_text: used, such as surface condensers, cooling tubs, spread surfaces, or by cir-
culation of any kind.
As soon as the residues are removed from the vat they are pressed in order
to extract the syrup left, which is never less than ten per cent. of the whole
quantity of syrup obtained. When these residues have been pressed and
only present the ligneous substance of the vegetable, they may be mixed with
coal dust or any analogous fuel, and formed into cakes and used for heating
the apparatus. If required, this pulp may be employed for heating purposes
without any admixture of other fuel.
In order to economise the fuel, we utilize the heat by causing the water
leaving the apparatus to descend into the residue of the roots placed in
reservoirs, by means of pipes forming worms in these boiling reservoirs of
residue, and causing this same water to reascend into reservoirs placed rather
below the point of departure of the water; these reservoirs are themselves
placed at a sufficient height, so that the water will readily flow into the
maceration vats.
In order to obtain products of the best taste or quality they must be
rectified by means of Sellier's or Blumental's column of from twenty-two to
thirty trays, and even more, or any other which will raise the degree of heat of
the juice above one hundred and ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit. The steam
escaping from the machines is required to heat the liquids again, and especially
to distil them. It is employed by causing it to pass into this column, care
being taken to keep its passage always free.
Having described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, we desire it to be understood that the means and apparatus adopted
and herein described for the treatment of the asphodel has for the most part
been used for similar purposes, and that what we claim as our Invention to be
secured by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the manufacture
of alcohol from asphodel roots,-
First, by cutting the tubercles only into pieces of more than three-eighths of.
an inch thick.
Secondly, by treating them with a restricted quantity of sulphuric acid at
fifty-three degrees, limited between two per cent. and seven per cent. of the
weight of the roots.
Thirdly, by treating these roots two and also three times with sulphuric acid,
as herein-before mentioned.
Fourthly, extracting the used roots, the mode of saturating and refrigerating
the syrup by all the means herein-before indicated.

page_text: And, fifthly, heating the water by passing it through the residues preparatory
to maceration, as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said François Xavier Gentil, father, and
Eugène Gentil, son, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Twenty-fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand 5
eight hundred and fifty-eight.
F. X. GENTIL, PÈRE. (L.S.)
(L.S.)
E. GENTIL, FILS.