IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF GRAIN OR OTHER MATERIALS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ALCOHOL THEREFROM be as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: I GERSON EPSTEIN of Highbury Now Park in the County of Middlesex do
hereby declare the naturo of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT
OF GRAIN OR OTHER MATERIALS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ALCOHOL THEREFROM
be as follows:-
"
to
My Invention has for its object to enable alcohol to be obtained in a manner more
rapid and economical than that hitherto practised from grain or other materials
capable of yielding alcobol when treated according to my Invention.
In carrying my Invention into effect I submit materials to a mashing process
analogous to that usually practised in treating materials for the production of a
wort to be subsequently fermented and distilled for the production of alcohol
therefrom but in place of employing a thin wort or a wort of a low degree of density
as has hitherto been practised I prefer to make the wort of such a thickness or high
degree of density as that the sugar is not all converted at once into alcohol during
ferinentation but such that a gradual developement of alcohol is obtained whereby
danger of acidulation is prevented. I have found that when the wort indicates a
density of about 30° to 50° on Balling's or Sykes's Saccharometer that good results
are obtained. The mashing process is according to my Invention carried on in a
closed vessel which is in communication with a fermenting vessel a straining vessel
preferably intervening. When the preparation of the thick mash is completed the
said mash is passed through the straining vessel by which the solid portions are
retained and the wort is passed into the fermenting vessel where fermentation takes
place. The said fermenting vessel is closed and is supplied with air for effecting
fermentation. In the meantime a fresh charge of materials can be placed in the
mashing vessel. When the fermentation has been carried to the required extent
the wash or fermented wort will be caused to pass back into the mashing vessel a
sufficient quantity of the wash or fermented wort being left in the fermenting vessel
to start the fermentation of succeeding charges of wort. The mashing of the new
charge then takes place. The fermented wort or wash thus driven back to the
mashing vessel will be the heat during mashing have the vapour of alcohol driven off
therefrom and at the same time any vapour of alcohol which may arise from the

page_text: materials being mashed will also be collected the said vapours being conducted
into a rectifier and condensed and treated substantially as at present practised in
treating alcoholic vapours. This round of proceedings of mashing fermenting and
distilling in closed vessels by a continuous process can be carried on continuously
for as long a period as may be desired-As is well known the materials being
mashed are treated with sulphuric acid or its equivalent but in conducting the
process as hereinbefore described each charge to be mashed after the first will
require much less sulphuric acid or its equivalent such as malted grain or diastose
than is needed for the first charge.

page_text: I GERSON EPSTEIN of Highbury New Park in the County of Middlesex do
hereby declare the nature of said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT
OF GRAIN OR OTHER MATERIALS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ALCOHOL THEREFROM
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My Invention bas for its object to enable Alcohol to be obtained from Grain or
other materials capable of yielding Alcohol in a manner inore rapid and economical
than is attainable by the method as hitherto practised.
In carrying my Invention into effect I subinit the grain or other materials from
which the Alcohol is to be produced to a mashing process analogous to that usually
practised in treating materials for the production of a wort to be subsequently
fermented and distilled for the production of Alcohol therefrom but in place of
employing a thin wort or a wort of a low degree of density such as has hitherto
been made for this purpose I make the wort of such thickness or density that on
account of the large percentage of Saccharine matter present fermentation is but
just possible and consequently accidulation is entirely prevented and any Saccharine
matter left unfermented is fermented with subsequent charges of wort and utilized
in the obtaininent of Alcohol and the gradual nature of the fermentation obtained
causes all the Saccharine to be eventually converted into Alcohol without loss of
Sacchariue. I found that a density of 30° to 50° on Ballings Saccharometer gives
good results.
The mashing process is according to my Invention carried on in a closed vessel
which is in communication with a fermenting vessel a straining vessel preferably
intervening-When the preparation of the thick mash is completed the said mash
is passed through the straining vessel by which the solid portions are retained and
the wort is then passed into the fermenting vessel where fermentation takes place.
The said fermenting vessel is closed and is supplied with air for effecting
fermentation-In the meantime a fresh charge of materials can be placed in the
mashing vessel. When the fermentation has been carried to the required extent
the wash or fermented wort will be caused to pass back into the mashing vessel
a sufficient quantity of the wash or fermented wort being left in the fermenting
vessel to start the fermentation of succeeding charges of wort-The mashing of the
new charge then takes place. The fermented wort or wash thus driven back to
the mashing vessel will by the heat during mashing have the vapor of alcohol
driven off therefrom and at the same time any vapor of alcohol which may arise
from the materials being mashed will also be collected the said vapours being
conducted into a rectifier and condensed and treated substantially as at present
practised in treating alcoholic vapors-This round of proceedings of mashing
fermenting and distilling from a thick mash can be carried on continuously for as
long a period as may be desired-The materials being mashed are treated with
Sulphuric Acid or its equivalent in the ordinary way but in conducting the process
as hereinbefore described each charge to be mashed after the first will require much
less Sulphuric Acid than is needed for the first charge.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood I will explain with
reference to the accompanying Diagram a manner in which the apparatus may be
arranged to carry my Invention into effect but it is to be understood that I do not
bind myself to the particular forms or details of the arrangement of the apparatus
or vessels shewn nor do I limit myself to any particular proportions of materials
employed nor to any particular times and temperatures during and at which the
.

page_text: treatinents are conducted as these will necessarily be subject to variation in
accordance with the nature of the materials used and other conditions as will be
evident to persons conversant with the ordinary process of distillation.
A thick mash as herein before defined is first prepared from the grain or other
materials which are to be treated according to my Invention.
This treatment is effected in the closed vessel A provided with stirrers a¹ and
with a coil a through which hot air or other heating agent is caused to circulate
for mashing and heating the wort After this heating of the mash or wort the
valve at bis opened and the mash or wort (of a density of say 30° to 50° on
Ballings or Sykes' Saccharometer scale) is run into the receptacle B and is strained
by the perforated plate at 6 the solid matter remaining on the said plate (from
which it is subsequently withdrawn) and the liquid or wort passing through into
the lower part bs of the receptacle B which is provided with a worm 6* through
which cold water is passed from the cistern 68 by the pipe 6° to cool the wort which
when cool is passed by the pipe and valve c¹ into the closed vessel C in which it is
caused to ferment-Air is supplied to this vessel by the pipe c' in connection with
any suitable air forcing device (such for example as the air pump f') When the
fermentation has been effected to the desired extent the valve will be opened
and the wash or fermented wort will be forced by the pressure of the gases
generated through the pipe ca back into the vessel A wherein a fresh charge of
materials has in the meantime been placed.
A sufficient quantity of the wash or fermented wort is retained in the vessel C to
start the fermentation of a fresh charge of wort. The mashing of the fresh charge of
materials in the vessel A together with the fermented wort or wash thus driven back
is then proceeded with and the said fermented wort or wash will have the vapour
of Alcohol driven off therefrom which together with that which rises from the
fresh charge of materials will be received into the Rectifier D by opening the valve
in the pipe d-Thus any vapour of Alcohol which arises from the fresh mash which
is now being prepared in the vessel A will not be lost. This round of proceedings
can be carried on as long as may be desired but in each charge after the first it will
be necessary to add only about one third or one quarter the quantity of Sulphuric
Acid which was added to the first charge-At first starting the process a little
fermenting agent such as yeast may be added to start fermentation but afterwards
the wash left in the receptacle C will generally be found sufficient to start the
fermentation of the succeeding charges of wort prepared in the vessel A and passed
through the vessel B into the vessel C. By the above described arrangement
□ continuous system of mashing fermenting and distilling can be carried on.
The other parts of the apparatus shewn in the Diagram are illustrated as being
arranged as and for the purpose described in the Specification of my Patent 5436
of the 17th November 1883 but I have shewn an additional pipe h which is for the
purpose of conducting the exhaust of the Cylinder H to the distilling column to
utilize any Alcoholic vapour which may escape therewith.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is -
The process of treating grain or other materials for the production of Alcohol
therefrom substantially as hereinbefore described.