IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OF AND APPA- RATUS FOR DISTILLING CERTAIN VEGETABLE AND MINERAL MATTERS, AND ALSO ANIMAL BONES AND FLESH
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Clovis Knab, Operative Chemist, of Rue
Rossini, Paris, France, and of 4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OF AND APPA-
RATUS FOR DISTILLING CERTAIN VEGETABLE AND MINERAL MATTERS, AND
ALSO ANIMAL BONES AND FLESH."
Sealed the 23rd March 1858, and dated the 24th January 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Clovis Knab
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 24th January 1853.
I, DAVID CLOVIS KNAB, Operative Chymist, of Rue Rossini, Paris,
France, and of 4, South Street, Finsbury, London, do hereby declare
the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OF AND
APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING CERTAIN VEGETABLE AND MINERAL MATTERS,
AND ALSO ANIMAL BONES AND FLESH," to be as follows:-
The Invention consists in distilling certain animal and vegetable
matters, such as the bones and flesh of animals, and especially wood,
the lignites, coals, turf, bituminous schistus, resins, boiled bones, and
animal black, in a metallic bath.

page_text: The materials for distillation, as above described, arc immerged in a
metallic bath (the composition of which depends upon the degree of
heat which may be requisite for the distillation of the substances) in
order that this distillation may take place at the lowest possible tempe-
rature; or the matters are simply placed in direct or indirect contact
with the bath, which is maintained at a fusing temperature; the prin-
cipal of this process of distillation being the application; in any manner
whatever, of heat produced by a "metallic bath, by which means the
totality of the fixed products of the matters is obtained, together with
their volatile products, in as pure a state as possible.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said David Clovis Knab in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 23rd July 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
DAVID CLOVIS KNAB, Operative Chemist, of Rue Rossini, Paris,
France, and 4, South Street, Finsbury, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing late the Twenty-fourth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto nic, the said David Clovis Knab, Her
special that J, the said David Clovis Knab, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said David Clovis Knab,
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 Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING CERTAIN
VEGETABLE AND MINERAL MATTERS, AND ALSO ANIMAL BONES AND FLESH,"
upon the condition: (amongst others) that I, the said David Clovis Knab,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly

page_text: 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 I, the said David Clovis Knab, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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, reference being had to the
Drawing hereto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say:
•
The improvements consist in distilling certain matters by the direct
or indirect contact of a bath of molten metal, and varying the metal
composing the said bath, in order to produce the degree of heat
suitable for the distillation of the respective matters at the lowest
possible temperature, by which means the quality of the products is
improved, and the quantity. increased.
-
Wood, turf, coal, lignites, and other analogous vegetable matters,
and animal matters; such as bones aid flesh, are difficult to distil by
the ordinary process, in consequence of their being bad conductors of
heat. For this reason it. has, until now, been necessary to submit
them to a higher degree of lieat than really requisite, in order to effect
their distillation. Hitherto the carbonisation of: the said..substances
was carried on either in heaps in contact with the atmospheric air,
which caused the loss of a notable proportion of useful matters, or else
in a close, vessel, when the operation was costly, and in both, cases.the
products obtained of an inferior quality.. By the process and appa-
ratus herein-after described the most important of these objections are
obviateil.
The apparatus which I employ: for distilling resinous substances and
asphalte by direct immersion is similar in principlo to that described
in former Letters Patent, and..is described in Figures 1, and 2, of the
annexed Drawing: The apparatis for treating wood, turf, coal, lignites,
and other analogous matters, and also resinous substances and asphalte,
at option, by indirect immersion, that is to say, by the medium of an
apparatus, is described in Figures 3, and 4, of the said Drawing, and

page_text: which serves to prevent the injection of the metal into the pores of
substances, such as wood, lignites, and coal.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1, vertical section to a plan passing through the axis of the
distilling apparatus. A, A, A, is a cylindrical cast iron trough, heated!
by an ordinary furnace F, the chimney of which is J, J; this boiler
contains the molten metal for distilling; the nature of which, as also the
melting temperature, must be as follows:-
Composition of the Bath.
4 parts tin, 10 of lead
4
do 18 dº
4 d d 18
-
Melting Point.
470° Fahrenheit.
505°
-
486°
dº.
do.
4 do d° 27
do
-
525°
dº.
4 d° d° 38 do
4 do dº 70 do
-
542°
d".
-
558°
do.
Lead alone
-
610°
dº.
3 parts tin, and 2 parts zinc
612° to 662°
do.
Zinc alone
-
-
680°
dº.
797°.
Antimony alone
C, C, C, is a cast or sheet iron bell, which is made to sink by means
of the adjusting screw D, D; this cylindrical bell is lifted above the
molten metal, and removed from the trough, when the operation is
ended, by means of the chains K, K, K, moved by a winch; the iron
bar E, E, upon which is set the nut of the screw, turns on hinges a,
and is raised to allow the bell to be moved away. The bar E, E, is
supported on the uprights I, I. B, B, grated cast iron cage, which is
inclosed in the bell C; this cage is represented in elevation by Figure 2.
The substances for distillation are introduced into it by a door, which
is opened by drawing back one of the rods or bolts O. The cage, after
being loaded, is introduced in the bell, and is held in it by the pins
i, i, i, i. H, H, educt pipe, set on the top of the bell, for the egress of
the volatile products of distillation; G, G, the tube fixed to it, and con-
ducting the volatile vapours to a condenser. The resinous substances
or asphalte may be introduced in lumps into the bell of the apparatus,

page_text: but it is preferable to introduce it in a liquefied state, and to cause it to
flow in small streams, which are regulated so as to render the operation
continuous.
Figure 8, is a longitudinal section of the apparatus for the distilla-
tion of wood, lignites, flesh, and bones. Figure 4, is a cross vertical
section. A, A, is a cast iron retort, similar to those used for manufac-
turing gas; it is provided with a tube T, to which is fixed a discharge
pipe for the passage of the volatile products to the condenser; the
stopper is placed at c, c, similarly as in gas retorts. The retort is set
in a cast iron trough B, B, and both are cast of one piece or separately,
and afterwards bolted together. The retort may be made of any other
metal, or of refractory earthy substances. The metal is placed in the
empty space between the trough B, B, B, B, and the retort A, A,
where it is melted to form the bath.
The trough B, B, B, B, is heated by means of an ordinary furnace,
and, if necessary, it may be lined outside with fire bricks to protect its
bottom from the action of fire. The retort is charged with the matters
to be distilled, and discharged of the residues, in the same way as in
retorts for the manufacture of gas for lighting.
The composition of the metallic bath is, as aforesaid, varied according
to the nature of the substances to be treated, and the quality and
quantity of the products to be obtained.
The metals must be maintained at their melting point during the
operation.
For obtaining the purest quality of volatile products, videlicet, acetic
acid and spirit of wood, and a large quantity of charcoal as a residue,
the bath for distilling wood should be composed of ten parts lead and
four parts tin, and the heat be raised to four hundred and seventy
degrees Fahrenheit. If a more compact charcoal is required, the wood
must be submitted to higher degrees of heat than four hundred and
seventy degrees Fahrenheit.
Turf is treated by the same process, but at a temperature at the
lowest of six hundred and twelve degrees Fahrenheit, when it gives out
a little tar; its volatile products are essential oils or hydrocarburets
for lighting, paraffine, and other analogous products, ammonia; and
coke as residue.
.
..

page_text: Asphalte is distilled between the temperatures of five hundred and
seventy degrees and six hundred and eighty degrees Fahrenheit, and
the quantity of oils obtained is increased by an increased degree of
heat.
Pit coal, boiled down .bones; flesh, bone black which has already
been used, bituminous lignites and schistus, and other. analogous pro-
ducts, should be treated at a temperature of six hundred and eighty
degrees Fahrenheit, when they, begin to give up a notable quantity of
carburetted hydrogen. This temperature may be varied according to
the nature of the volatile products to be obtained. The bath may
range up to seven hundred and ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit... Bones
producé bone black as residue, and essential oils and ammonia as
volatile products, and acetic acid. -
.
Pit coal, being submitted to a bath of zinc at a temperature of six
hundred and eighty degrees Fahrenheit, produces a volatile hydro-
carburet; and after the first extraction, if the heat be raised, a. less
volatile hydrocarburet may afterwards be obtained. Pit coal gives the
same volatile product as turf before described.
For the distillation of resinous matters, the temperature ranges
between five hundred and seventy-two degrees and six hundred and
eighty degrees Fahrenheit; the metallic bath to be employed is com-
posed of three parts of tin and two of zinc, or of zinc alone, and the
product is oil.
By my process the separation of products of different kinds or
qualities from the same substances may be effected by causing them to
be treated at different degrees of temperature and collected separately.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of-carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood
that I do not confine myself to the precise details or modus. operandi
herein laid down, as they may be modified according to circumstances;
nor do I claim the apparatus, taken separately or singly, except as
employed in the manner and for the purpose herein described; but
what I do claim as my Invention, and intend to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
Firstly, the distilling animal, vegetable, and mineral substances; at
a temperature suitable to the nature of the operation, and at a lower

page_text: degree than hitherto practicable, as herein-before described and referred
to in the several Figures of the Drawing.
Secondly, in the construction of an apparatus for distilling animal,
vegetable, and mineral substances, by indirect immersion, as herein-
before described, and referred to in Figures 3 and 4, of the Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Clovis Knab, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of July, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three.
0
Witness,
HT GILBEE.
DAVID CLOVIS KNAB. (1.8.)