AN IMPROVED METHOD OF RENOVATING OR RESTORING ANIMAL CHARCOAL AFTER IT HAS BEEN USED IN CERTAIN PROCESSES OR MANUFACTURES TO WHICH CHARCOAL IS NOW GENERALLY APPLIED, AND THEREBY RECOVERING THE PROPERTIES OF SUCH, AND RENDERING IT AGAIN FIT FOR SIMILAR USES
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, PETER
BANCROFT, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Merchant, and JoHN
MAC INNES, of the same place, Manufacturing Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Thirty-first day of March, One thousand eight hundred and
forty, in the third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Peter Bancroft and John Mac Innes, Her
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, the we, the said
Peter Bancroft and John Mac Innes, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, and such others as we, the said Peter Bancroft and John Mac Innes,
our 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 of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our
Invention of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF RENOVATING OR RESTORING ANIMAL
CHARCOAL AFTER IT HAS BEEN USED IN CERTAIN PROCESSES OR MANUFACTURES
TO WHICH CHARCOAL IS NOW GENERALLY APPLIED, AND THEREBY RECOVERING
THE PROPERTIES OF SUCH, AND RENDERING IT AGAIN FIT FOR SIMILAR USES;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that we, the said Peter
Bancroft and John Mac Innes, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar

page_text: months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Peter Bancroft and John Mac Innes, do hereby declare that the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following explanation
thereof, that is to say:-
Our improved method of renovating or restoring animal charcoal, after it
has been used in certain processes or manufactures to which charcoal is now
generally applied, and thereby recovering the properties of such animal char-
coal, and rendering it again fit for use, consists in the application, use, or
employment of an alkali in order to dissolve and carry off the coloring matter
and other impurities left or deposited in animal charcoal, after having been
used in decoloring syrups and other fluids, so that the animal charcoal thus
purified and restored may again be employed in a similar process. The opera-
.tion, being exceeding simple, is as follows, and is here described with reference
to the process of whitening and purifying sugar syrups :-The spent animal
charcoal being washed, as usual, to remove the last remaining portions of the
syrups which has been operated upon, is to be saturated with a weak solution
of caustic potash or soda, the specific gravity of which may be about 1 06,
more or less. In this state it is to be allowed to remain for a few hours, when
the coloring matter and other impurities in the charcoal will be found to be
dissolved by the alkali. The caustic alkali, being now charged with the
coloring matter, &c., is to be run off by a plug or tap placed at the bottom of
the vessel, or in any other way that may be most convenient, and the charcoal
then washed with a continuous supply of hot water until it passes off colorless
and free from alkali, which may be ascertained by the use of turmeric powder
or any other known test. Although caustic potash or soda are named above
as being the best adapted to cleanse the charcoal, then carbonates or liquid
ammonia will effect the same purpose, though not in so rapid or perfect a man-
ner. If animal charcoal in a granular, state is the material to be purified and
renovated, the operation of cleansing may take place in the filter or vessel wherein
the charcoal is deposited, thereby saving the trouble and disagreeable conse-
quences of unpacking, care being taken that the vessel is free from any material
upon which caustic alkali has a solvent action. But if fine pulverized animal
charcoal is to be similarly operated upon, it must be washed by subsidence, and
decantation. It will also be evident to the operator that the manner of
washing may be readily varied according to convenience, as all that is really

page_text: necessary is a thorough washing or cleansing out of the alkali along with the
coloring matter or other impurity dissolved by it. And, lastly, the alkali, after
having been thus employed, may be partially recovered by evaporation to dry-
ness of the dark brown lixivium discharged, and ignition of the residuum.
Having now particularly described our improved method of renovating or
restoring animal charcoal, we desire it to be understood that we claim as our
Invention the recovering or restoring the properties of such animal charcoal,
and rendering it fit for use, by the employment of an alkali to dissolve the
coloring matter or other impurities which may have been left or deposited
therein, so that they may be readily washed away by the application of
hot water.
In witness whereof, we, the said Peter Bancroft and John Mac Innes,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-second day of
September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
forty.
VIN (L.B.) MAC
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twenty-second day of
September, in the year above mentioned, the said Peter Bancroft and John
Mac Innes came before our Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknow-
ledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in
form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the Twenty-eighth day of September, in the year above
mentioned.