IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION AND TREATMENT OF SACCHARINE SUBSTANCES AND COM- POUNDS, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PREPARATION AND TREATMENT OF SACCHARINE SUBSTANCES AND COM-
POUNDS, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN." A communication from
abroad by Moriz Weinrich, of Vienna, in the Empire of Austria.
Sealed the 30th April 1880, and dated the 26th November 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th November 1879.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION AND TREATMENT OF SACCHARINE
SUBSTANCES AND COMPOUNDS, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN." A
communication from abroad by Moriz Weinrich, of Vienna, in the Empire of
Austria,
This Invention relates to improvements in what is known as the elution process,
in respect of which Letters Patent were granted to Astley Paston Price, dated the
16th August 1878, No. 3252.
In the preparation of lime in the form of pulverised finely sifted hydrate of lime,
according to the said process a residue is obtained consisting of sand, small stones,
and other impurities mixed with particles of pure lime.
In order to render the latter also available for the elution process they are
treated as next hereinafter described.
A sufficient quantity of water to dissolve the particles of pure lime is poured
over the calcareous residue so as to convert the former into a thick milk of lime.
This milk of lime is then separated from the impurities and added to the heated
molasses before the latter are mixed with pulverised hydrate of lime. By these
means the amount of objectionable scum on the heated molasses is considerably
reduced. The quantity of the milk of lime so added may be increased with
advantage within certain limits, in which case a corresponding reduction must be
made in the quantity of pulverised hydrate of lime. When it is desired to add
more lime, say about one quarter of the lime necessary for the formation of

page_text: saccharate of lime in the form of milk of lime, the molasses require to be
correspondingly concentrated, either before or after such addition, in order to
ensure the necessary hardness and brittleness of the melassate of lime subsequently
obtained.
It is also practicable to add the whole of the lime requisite for the formation of
saccharate of lime to the molasses in the form of a thick milk of lime. In this case
the quantity of water contained in the molasses is reduced by evaporation to, say,
about six or eight per cent., and the molasses being heated to, say, about 100°
centigrade, are intimately mixed with the thick milk of lime, which may also be
hoated previously to the mixing. The heated melassate of lime so mixed should be
La semifluid condition. If it appears to be too thin it must be concentrated to
the required extent by simultaneous evaporation and stirring. The mixture is then
poured into suitable vessels where it is allowed to cool and harden, and the hard
brittle melassate of lime which is thus obtained without artificial drying is treated
as hereinafter described.
In order to obtain the most perfect possible combination of the sugar of the
molasses with the lime, the latter may be employed either as hydrate of lime in the
form of a powder only, or as hydrate of lime in the form of milk and in the form
of powder combined, or again in the form of milk only; it is necessary that the
two substances should be not only very intimately mixed, but also maintained at a
temperature of, say, about 100° centigrade during the mixing process.
In carrying out the latter process, mixing apparatus is employed consisting of a
cylindrical chamber with a false bottom and double sides, by means of which it is
capable of being thoroughly heated by steam. Suitable stirrers are arranged in the
interior of the chamber so heated, and are caused to revolve continuously by means
of a suitable arrangement of belts and pulleys, or toothed gear, whilst heated
molasses are poured in through a suitable orifice on one side of the chamber, and
milk of lime or hydrate of lime in the form of powder, or any of the combinations
herein before described, is introduced into the chamber on the opposite side.
The poppy melassate of lime obtained by this process in the heated chamber is
discharged at the bottom of the mixing chamber through a valve, or through a
flexible pipe provided with suitable arrangements for arresting the flow of the liquid,
and is conducted into boxes in which it is allowed to become consolidated into
hard, dry, and brittle masses. The whole operation may be carried on in a continuous
manner, or by employing successive charges of material.
It is necessary that the hard brittle melassate of lime should be finely granulate
or reduced to the form of sand, but not to the condition of dust or powder. For
this purpose a breaker and disintegrater are employed, the former of which is so
constructed as to reduce the melassate of lime to very small fragments before
delivering it to the disintegrator without producing much dust or powder. This
breaker consists of upper and lower pairs of breaking rollers driven at the same or
different speeds by means of toothed gearing. The hard and brittle melassate of
lime having been previously broken into pieces of convenient size by means of
axes, is introduced into a suitable opening in the cover of the breaker, and falls
upon the upper pair of breaking rollers, by which it is reduced to a considerable
extent. It then passes between the lower pair of rollers, and thence to the
disintegrator, from which it is conveyed in a finely granulated condition to the
stirring apparatus to be converted into sandy melassate of lime.
The breaking rollers are formed by strong shafts carrying steel plates, having
their edges cut in the form of inclined radiating teeth arranged alternately, suitable
rings being employed to maintain the proper distance between the plates which are
fixed to the shaft by means of keys or screws. The toothed plates on one of each
pair of breakers are arranged so as to pass with a proper amount of play between
the plates on the opposite breaker, and the teeth of the plates of each pair are
inclined in opposite directions. The pieces of melassate of lime falling on to the
breakers from above are caught by the revolving teeth, and are by them reduced to
small fragments without producing more than a very small quantity of dust. The

page_text: construction and working of the lower pair of breakers is identical with that of the
upper pair with the exception that the teeth are made thinner and arranged closer
together.
The apparatus is provided with a hood or cover communicating, with a fan for
the purpose of drawing off any dust produced by the operation which would
otherwise have an injurious effect upon the workmen, and stationary bars acting as
clearers are provided inside the casing, between the revolving plates, for the
purpose of preventing the latter from becoming clogged.
The fine granular condition of the melassate of lime obtained according to this
Invention enables its maceration or lixiviation in the eluter to be effected with
much greater rapidity when the layer of inclassate is not made too thick, and when
the surface for the escape of the lye is made as large as possible.
For these reasons horizontal eluters are to be preferred to vertical eluters for
carrying out the process according to this Invention. These eluters either consist
of cylinders with a flat or curved surface for running off the lye, or they are formed
with a conical taper at the ends to facilitate the escape of the lye.. The filtering
surface is formed by a perforated plate forming a stage or sieve placed in the lower
half, which is advantageously arranged with a slight incline towards the side for
the escape of the milk of lime.
The perforated stage is supported by two rivetted ledges connected together at
suitable intervals by means of cross bars. The perforated plate is covered by a
layer of filtering cloth, of which it is of the greatest importanco to keep in position
in order to prevent waste of sugar in the lixiviation. In order to effect this the
ends of the filtering cloth are folded over and flat iron bars are laid upon these
ends and at intervals across the cloth according to the thickness of the bars, and
these bars are secured at their ends by screws or wedges.
Perforated steam pipes are laid upon the filtering cloth and are connected at one
or both ends with transverse steam supply pipes. The granulated melassate of lime
prepared by means of the processes hereinbefore described is brought into the
macerating or lixiviating chamber, arranged as hereinbefore described, by being
caused to fall into the chamber by its own weight, being elevated, if necessary, to
the required height by means of suitable elevating apparatus. When the maceration
or lixiviation is carried on on a large scale it is preferred to employ two inlet
openings for the melassate in the upper part of the macerating or lixiviating
chamber, the said openings being provided with deflecting plates arranged under-
neath for the purpose of ensuring a more uniform distribution of the inelassate in
the interior of the chamber.
When a suitable quantity of the granulated melassate of lime has been placed in
the lixiviating chamber alcohol is admitted at the upper part of the chamber,
through a suitable pipe provided with a valve, in proportion to the quantity of lye
drawn off. When the process of maceration or lixiviation is completed, the alcohol
is distilled off by the direct action of the steam introduced through the perforated
pipes hereinbefore referred to, and escapes through a suitable pipe provided with a
valve in the upper part of the chamber, whilst the milk of saccharate of lime is left
behind, and is drawn off through a valve arranged at the lowest point of the
filtering stage; should any of the milk of saccharate of lime have penetrated
underneath the filfering stage it is drawn off through a suitable valve. In order to
ensure the proper workings of these valves they are arranged with their seats flush
with the internal surface of the macerating or lixiviating cylinder.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th
May 1880.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION AND TREATMENT OF SACCHARINE
SUBSTANCES AND COMPOUNDS, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
A communication from abroad by Moriz Weinrich, of Vienna, in the Empire of
Austria.
The said Invention relates to improvements in what is known as the elution
process, in respect of which Letters Patent were granted to Astley Paston Price,
dated the Sixteenth August, One thousand eight hundred and seventy eight,
No. 3252.
In the preparation of lime in the form of pulverised finely sifted hydrate of lime,
according to the said process a residue is obtained consisting of sand, small stones,
and other impurities mixed with particles of pure lime.
In order to render the latter also available for the elution process they are treated,
according to the present Invention, as next hereinafter described.
A sufficient quantity of water to dissolve the particles of pure lime is poured
over the calcareous residue so as to convert the former into a thick milk of lime.
This milk of lime is then separated from the impurities and added to the heated
molasses before the latter are mixed with pulverised hydrate of lime. By these
means the amount of objectionable scun on the heated molasses is considerably
reduced. The quantity of the milk of lime so added may be increased with
advantage within certain limits, in which case a corresponding reduction must be
made in the quantity of pulverised hydrate of lime. When it is desired to add
more lime in the form of milk of lime, say, about 1 of the lime necessary for the
formation of saccharate of lime, the molasses require to be correspondingly
concentrated either before or after such addition in order to ensure the necessary
hardness and brittleness of the molassate of lime subsequently obtained.
It is also practicable to add the whole of the lime requisite for the formation of
saccharate of lime to the molasses in the form of a thick milk of lime. In this case
the quantity of water contained in the molasses is reduced by evaporation to, say,
about 6 or 8 per cent., and the molasses being heated to, say, about 100° centigrade,
are intimately mixed with the thick milk of lime, which may also be heated
previously to the mixing.
The heated melassate of lime so mixed should be in a semi-fluid condition. If
it appears to be too thin it should be concentrated to the required extent by simul-
taneous evaporation and stirring. The mixture is then poured into suitable vessels,
where it is allowed to cool and harden, and the hard brittle melassate of lime
which is thus obtained without artificial drying is treated as hereinafter
described.
In order to obtain the most perfect possible combination of the sugar of the
molasses with the lime, the latter may be employed either as hydrate of lime, in the
form of a powder only, or as hydrate of lime in the form of milk, and in the form
of powder combined, or, again, in the form of milk only; it is necessary that the
two substances should be not only very intimately mixed, but also maintained at a
temperature of, say, about 100° centrigrade during the mixing process.
In carrying out the latter process apparatus is employed constructed in the
following manner, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed :-
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents a vertical section of an
apparatus for effecting the admixture of the molasses and lime.

page_text: This mixing apparatus consists of a cylindrical chamber A with a false bottom a,
and double sides 6, 6¹, by means of which it is capable of being thoroughly heated
by steam. Suitable stirrers B are arranged in the interior of the chamber so
heated, the said stirrers being mounted upon a vertical shaft c, supported in bearings
in such chamber, and being caused to revolve continuously by means of a suitable
arrangement of belts and pulleys (one of which latter is shewn at d), or of toothed
gear, whilst heated molasses are poured in through a suitable orifice C on one side
of the chamber, and milk of lime or hydrate of lime, in the form of powder, or any
one of the combinations herein before described, is introduced into the chamber
through an orifice D on the opposite side.
The pappy melassate of lime obtained by this process in the heated chamber A
is discharged at the bottom through a valve or through a flexible pipe at e, provided
with suitable arrangements for arresting the flow of the liquid, and is conducted
into boxes, in which it is allowed to become consolidated into hard dry and brittle
masses.
The whole operation may be carried on in a continuous manner or by employing
successive charges of material.
It is necessary that the hard brittle melassate of lime should be finely granulated
or reduced to the form of sand, but not to the condition of dust or powder. For
this purpose a breaker and disintegrator are employed.
The breaker, which is so constructed as to reduce the melassate of lime to very
small fragments before delivering it to the disintegrator without producing much
dust or powder, is illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 of the Drawings, which represent
respectively a sectional elevation of the apparatus, and a horizontal section of one
of the pairs of breaking rollers hereinafter referred to.
This apparatus consists of upper and lower pairs of breaking rollers E, E', driven
The hard and
at the same or different speeds by means of toothed gearing F.
brittle melassate of lime having been previously broken into pieces of convenient
size by means of axes is introduced into a suitable opening in the cover G of the
breaker, and is conducted upon the upper pair of breaking rollers E, by which it is
reduced to a considerable extent; it is then conducted between the lower pair of
rollers E', and then passes to the disintegrator, from which it is conveyed in a
finely granulated condition to the stirring apparatus to be converted into sandy
melassate of lime.
The breaking rollers are formed by strong shafts g, g, carrying steel plates h,
having their edges cut in the form of inclined radiating teeth, as shewn in Figure 2.
The plates are arranged alternately, as shewn in Figure 3, suitable rings being
employed to maintain the proper distance between the plates, which are fixed
to the shaft by means of keys or screws. The toothed plates on one of each
pair of breakers are arranged so as to pass with a proper amount of play between
the plates on the opposite breaker, as shewn in Figure 3, and the teeth of the
plates of each pair are inclined in opposite directions. The pieces of melassate of
lime falling on to the breakers E from above are caught by the revolving teeth,
and are by them reduced to small fragments without producing more than a very
small quantity of dust.
The lower pair of breakers E¹ are identical in construction and working with
the upper pair, with the exception that the teeth are made thinner and arranged
closer together.
The apparatus is provided with a hood or cover G communicating with a fan
for the purpose of drawing off any dust produced by the operation, which would
otherwise have an injurious effect upon the workmen, and stationary bars f,
Figures 2 and 3, acting as clearers are provided inside the casing between the
revolving plates for the purpose of preventing the latter from becoming clogged.
The fine granular condition of the melassate of lime obtained according to the
said Invention, enables the maceration or lixiviation in the elutors, to be effected
with much greater rapidity when the layer of melassate is not made unduly thick,
and when the surface for the escape of the lye is made as large as possible. For

page_text: these reasons horizontal elutors are to be preferred to vertical elutors for carrying
out the process according to this Invention.
The construction of such elutors is represented in Figures 4 to 7 of the accom-
panying Drawings. Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of the apparatus, and
Figure 5 is a transverse section of the same; Figures, 6 and 7 are respectively a
section and inside elevation drawn to a larger scale of a portion of the apparatus.
Each elutor consists of a cylinder I with a flat or curved surface for running off
the lye, or the cylinder is formed with a conical taper at the ends to facilitate the
escape of the lye.
The filtering surface is formed by a perforated plate i forming a stage or seive
placed in the lower half, which is advantageously arranged with a slight inclino
towards the side for the escape of the milk of lime.
The perforated stage is supported by two rivetted ledges k, connected together at
suitable intervals by means of cross bars. The perforated plate i is covered by a
layer of filtering cloth which it is of the greatest importance to keep in position,
in order to prevent waste of sugar in the lixiviation. In order to effect this the
ends of the filtering cloth are folded over, and flat iron bars m are laid upon these
ends, and at intervals across the cloth according to the thickness of the bars, and
those bars are secured at their ends by screws or by wedges n driven in between
the end of the bar m and a bracket o rivetted to the side of the cylinder. This
arrangement has the advantage of enabling the parts to be placed in position with
great facility.
Upon the filtering cloth are laid perforated steam pipes p which are connected at
one or both ends with transverse steam supply pipes 9, Figures 4 and 5.
The granulated melassate of lime prepared by means of the processes hereinbefore
described, is introduced into the macerating or lixiviating chamber, arranged as
herein before described, by being caused to fall into the chamber by its own weight, it
being elevated if necessary to the required height by means of suitable elevating
apparatus. When the maceration or lixiviation is carried on on a large scale, it is
preferred to employ two inlet openings r, r, for the melassate in the upper part of
the macerating or lixiviating chamber, the said openings being provided with
deflecting plates 8, 8, arranged underneath for the purpose of ensuring a more
uniforin distribution of melassate in the interior of the chamber.
When a suitable quantity of the granulated melassate of lime has been placed in
the lixiviating chamber alcohol is admitted at the upper part of the chamber through
a suitable pipe t provided with a valve, the supply of alcohol being in proportion
to the quantity of lye drawn off. When the process of maceration or lixiviation is
completed, the alcohol is distilled off by the direct action of the steam introduced
through the perforated pipes p, and escapes through a suitable pipe u provided with
n valve in the upper part of the chamber, whilst the milk of saccharate of lime is
left behind and is drawn off through a valve v, Figure 5, arranged at the lowest
point of the filtering stage. Should any of the milk of saccharate of lime have
penetrated underneath the filtering stage it is drawn off through a suitable valve v¹.
In order to ensure the proper working of these valves, they are arranged with their
seats flush with the internal surface of the macerating or lixiviating cylinder.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part
recited Letters Patent, is,-
First. The process of mixing pulverised hydrate of lime and milk of lime with
heated molasses (which may, if required, be concentrated) for the purpose of
obtaining hard, dry, brittle melassate of lime without artificial drying, substantially
as herein before described.
Secondly. The process of mixing milk of lime with concentrated and heated
molasses for the production of hard, dry, brittle melassate of lime without
artificial drying, substantially as hereinbefore described.

page_text: Thirdly. The employment of apparatus, constructed substantially in the manner
hereinbefore described, for mixing heated molasses (which may if necessary be
concentrated) with either pulverised hydrate of lime or milk of lime employed
separately, or with pulverised hydrate of lime and milk of lime employed in
conjunction.
Fourthly. The employment of.breakers, constructed substantially in the manner
herein before described, for reducing hard brittle melassate of lime.
Fifthly. The employment of elutors, constructed substantially in the manner
herein before described for treating the granulated melassate of lime obtained by
means of the processes herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my Specifica-
tion set my hand and seal, the Twenty fifth day of May, One thousand eight
hundred and eighty.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)