An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Utilizing the Waste Products of Coffee during Roasting.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Aug., 1899-Accepted, 16th Sept., 1899
An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Utilizing the Waste
Products of Coffee during Roasting.
I, LEOPOLD HESSE, of No. 123, City Road, South Melbourne, in the Colony
of Victoria, Manufacturing Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
Hitherto coffee has usually been roasted in a revolving cylinder, and the vapor
arising therefrom has been allowed to escape into the atmosphere and been
wasted, said vapor carrying a certain proportion of caffeine as well as some of
the aromatic compounds and essential oils of coffee.
Quantities of fine particles given off by the berries in the process of roasting
have also been carried away with the escaping vapors when the coffee is being
treated in the ordinary way.
Now the object of this invention is to catch or utilise said escaping vapors and
fine particles which would otherwise be waste products, and to produce thereby
an article of commerce which will have many of the qualities of pure coffee,
and which will be manufactured by utilising said fine particles and passing the
coffee vapors over or through a suitable absorbent material, such as chicory or
malt.
The apparatus which has been devised in order to carry this invention into
practice will be readily understood from the accompanying drawings, in which.-
Figure 1 is a plan, and
Figure 2 a vertical central section of the improved apparatus for roasting
coffee and utilising the volatile caffeine, aromatic compounds, and essential oils
therefrom.
Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section on line A--A Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a transverse section through the roaster on line BB Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a horizontal section of the apparatus used for collecting the fine
particles given off from the coffee berries during roasting.
Figure 6 is a plan thereof.
Figures 7 and 8 are transverse sections on the lines C C and D D respectively
of Figures 5 and 6.
Figures 3 to 8 are drawn to a somewhat larger scale than Figures 1 and 2.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
The roaster consists of a cylindrical vessel a, by preference made of sheet
metal, and mounted upon hollow trunnions or shafts b, supported in suitable
bearings c, and driven by belting or other convenient gearing, for which
purpose one of said hollow trunnions or shafts may be fitted with a fast and
oose pulley d as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.
Said cylinder is enclosed within a cover or canopy e which is preferably made
n two parts hinged together at the top as illustrated at f
80 that

page_text: can be swung up out of the way to enable the door g, with which the cylinder a
is provided, to be opened or closed. This canopy may be provided with a suitable
chimney to carry away the spent heat.
The interior of said cylinder a is provided with inwardly projecting flanges
or shelves h arranged longitudinally whereby the coffee berries will be alter-
nately elevated and dropped to the bottom of the cylinder, thus being continually
agitated and brought into contact with the heated surface of the cylinder.
Inclined projecting flanges i can also be fitted inside said cylinder in order to
keep the berries thoroughly mixed.
To still further assist in accomplishing this object the ends of the cylinder a
are formed as illustrated at j so that they are inclined inwardly towards the
centre. The central opening in this end corresponding with the opening in the
right hand trunnion is flared outwardly as shewn at k in order to return any
berries which may fall into it back into the cylinder.
By mounting the cylinder upon hollow trunnions a long scoop can readily be
passed through one of them into the interior, to allow a few of the berries which
are being roasted to be withdrawn from time to time from the cylinder in order
to ascertain whether they have been sufficiently treated or not.
The opposite trunnion to that just referred to is connected to a vapor pump 7
which may be substituted by a fan if so preferred.
In order to hinder the passage and arrest some of the particles which are
rubbed off the berries as they are being roasted, I provide a screen m arranged
across the outlet and in order to collect the finer particles passing through said
screen a collector is inserted between the discharge trunnion and the pump 1
as indicated in Figures 5 and G.
Said collector is constructed with an outer box or casing n fitted with baffle
plates o and p arranged alternately, one with openings around the sides and
the other with an opening in the centre so that the vapor and particles passing
through are forced to adopt a circuitous path, the solid particles being deposited
within said box from whence they can afterwards be removed and either mixed
with the other products or sold separately as preferred.
A two-way cock or valve 9 is provided on the other side of the pump between
it and what is termed an impregnator. This two-way cock is constructed so
that the vapors discharged by the pump can either be directed into the atmosphere
or into said impregnator, the object being to allow the aqueous vapor which is
driven off from the coffee when the apparatus first starts to be discharged into
the atmosphere, whilst the volatile caffeine, aromatic compounds and essential
oils which are driven off as the roasting proceeds can be directed into said
impregnator.
This latter consists of a cylindrical vessel within which are arranged a
set of revolving blades or beaters s which keep the chicory or other absorbent
material in slow constant agitation, so that every particle will be brought into
contact with the caffeine laden vapor from the roasting coffee until it is
thoroughly saturated with such caffeine, aromatic compounds and essential oils,
when it can be removed and be compressed into tablets or otherwise made up
into a marketable form.
The impregnator is fitted with a safety valve the upper part of which is
in communication with a coil or set of pipes u within a condenser, the discharge
end of said set of pipes being led into a smaller vessel where the condensed
vapor is collected so as to he usable as required. A syphon may be used for
discharging any surplus fluid from this vessel as required.
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:-
1. The herein described method of utilising the waste products when roasting
coffee consisting in conducting the vapors from the roasting coffee into and

page_text: through a vessel containing chicory, malt or other suitable absorbent material,
substantially as and for the purposes herein described and explained.
2. The herein described method of utilising the waste products when roasting
coffee consisting in conducting the vapors from the roasting coffee into and
through a vessel containing chicory, malt or other suitable absorbent material
and subsequently passing the escaping vapors into a condenser substantially as
and for the purposes herein described and explained.
3. In apparatus for utilising the waste products of coffee during roasting a
roaster (as a) in combination with an impregnator (as r) and either with or
without a two-way cock or valve inserted in the pipe connecting them substantially
as and for the purposes herein described and explained.
4. In apparatus for utilising the waste products of coffee during roasting a
roaster and impregnator combined with a condenser, the latter being connected
with a safety valve upon said impregnator, substantially as and for the purposes
herein described and explained.
5. In apparatus for utilising the waste products of coffee during roasting
a roaster (as a) and an impregnator (as r) together with a pump or fan for forcing
the vapors generated in the former into or through the latter in combination with
a collector (as n) for intercepting the solid particles given off from the berries
during the roasting substantially as and for the purposes herein described and
explained.
Dated this Twenty-third day of June One thousand eight hundred and
LEOPOLD HESSE.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.