Year: 1886

page_text: I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 35, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication to
me from abroad by Louis Rivière, Chemist, of Paris, in the Republic of France)
to be as follows:-
The improved process for the saponification of fatty bodies consists in a novel
method of treating them by means of an apparatus consisting, first, of separate
reservoirs in which are contained, so that they can be replenished as required
during the progress of the operation, the substances between which the desired
reactions are to be effected.
Second, of a receiving vessel connected by pipes with these supply reservoirs
each compartment of the latter communicating also with a compartment of the
receiving vessel. All these vessels are closed. Third, of a re-action vessel having
the form of a truncated cone and provided at a short distance from its base of less
diameter with a perforated disc through which enters the gas used for dividing the
re-acting liquids. This vessel communicates with the one last described by means
of pipes provided with cocks or valves. Some distance above the perforated disc
is placed a cock through which are discharged, after the re-action is effected, the
liquids which come from the receiving vessel and enter the re-action vessel just
above the perforated disc. The pipes which bring the different liquids only unite
just before entering the re-action vessel.
The process and apparatus are applicable to the saponification of fatty bodies for
the manufacture first, of potash or soda soaps, second, of calcareous or other
insoluble soap, third, of free fatty acids without the intervention of bases. For
these operations two supply reservoirs are required or a single reservoir divided
into two concentric compartments, and a receiving vessel with a single division.
One of the compartments is supplied with suitable fats or greases melted and
heated to about eighty degrees, the other with, for example, a soda lye which may
contain about 15% of hydrate of soda heated to the same temperature as the fats
or greases.

page_text: The discharge of the saponified products on leaving the apparatus takes place
into a receiving vessel of any convenient form. In this receiving vessel the process
of the separation of its contents and the removal of the soap and the glycerine and
the saline liquor is effected.
In the manufacture of insoluble soaps the process is the same, milk of lime being
substituted for the soda Iye.
It is only necessary to decompose the calcareous soap by an acid in order
to obtain stearic acid.
Finally by substituting for the bases an acid such as sulphuric acid the
decomposition of the fatty bodies into free fatty acids and glycerine is effected.
Dated thin fil

page_text: An Improved Process for the Saponification of Fatty Bodies.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS of the firm of Edwards & Co. Patent Agents and
Engineers of 35 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the County of
Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of this Invention which invention has
been communicated to me from abroad by Louis Riviere of Paris in the Republic
of France, Chemist and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This improved process for the saponification of fatty bodies consists in a novel
method of treating the fatty bodies in the presence of reagents as hereinafter
described.
By means of an apparatus hereinafter termed an integrator the following results
are obtained that is to say firstly the materials required to react upon one another
are thoroughly agitated and brought into intimate contact being preferably reduced
to a liquid condition or to a condition of suspension in a liquid.
Secondly. These reacting bodies or materials are also caused to flow through the
apparatus in a continuous manner their relative volumes being regulated according
to the nature of the reactions to be produced and thirdly. The several chemical
and mechanical operations are combined in one manufacturing process.
The aforesaid integrator is an apparatus the form dimensions and details or
accessory parts of which may be modified according to circumstances provided that'
it is capable of producing the effects hereinbefore enumerated.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in both the figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents an apparatus composed firstly.
of a tank or reservoir divided into compartments R. R¹ for the reception of the
bodies between which the reactions are to be produced the said compartments
being refilled when necessary. Secondly. One or more receiving vessels U. U¹
(two being shown in the drawing) connected by pipes rr with the aforesaid supply
tanks R. R¹.
All these vessels (R. R¹, U. U¹) being exposed to an internal pressure of air or
other equivalent gas at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure are tightly
closed. Each pipe r is provided at its lower extremity with a cock which enables
the proportions of materials flowing from the vessels R. R¹ to the vessels U. U¹ to
be properly regulated..
Thirdly a reaction vessel V in the form of an inverted truncated cone provided
at a short distance from its bottom with a perforated plate through which a gas is
caused to pass in order to divide or agitate the reacting liquids-The vessel V
communicates with the vessels U U₁ through pipes T T¹ which join or unite at
a cock The atmospheres or upper parts of the vessels V and U are connected
by a pipe t in order to enable the liquids to pass freely. The excess of gas or
vapours supplied to the vessel V in order to agitate the liquids therein is allowed
to escape through a cock provided at the upper part of this vessel. The saponified

page_text: scharged trough a COCK Ine reaction vessel can be emptied
by opening a cock rii
I will now proceed to describe the improved method of affecting the reduction
that is to say the saponification of fatty bodies in order to obtain firstly potash or
soda soaps or secondly calcareous or other insoluble soaps with a view to the
extraction of stearic acid therefrom or thirdly free fatty acids without the
intervention of a base.
1. In carrying out the first treatment it will suffice to employ either two supply
reservoirs or one such reservoir divided into two concentric compartments and one
receiving vessel divided into two compartments or two separate receiving vessels if
preferred The liquefied fats heated to about 80 degrees centigrade are introduced
into one compartment and the soda lye containing from about 10 to 15 per cent of
hydrate of soda and heated to the same temperature as the fats is introduced into
the other compartment. The flow of the liquids must always be regulated with
care as the volume of lye to be introduced for a given quantity of fat varies
according to the degree of concentration of the lye.
A tap placed at a bend in the lower part of each pipe T T enables the proper
proportions of the two liquids to be ascertained at any time For this purpose it
is simply necessary to open both taps and collect separately the liquids which flow
out simultaneously. In case one or the other of the liquids is found to be in
excess the cock of the corresponding pipe must be regulated accordingly. When
lyes containing about 10 per cent of hydrate are employed the fatty body and lye
are used in approximately equal volumes-The saponified materials are discharged
from the apparatus into a suitable heated receptacle in which the separation of the
soap from the glycerine and salt liquid or brine is performed in the same manner.
2. In manufacturing insoluble soaps such as calcareous soap. The operation is
conducted in a similar manner to that herein before described inerely substituting
a milk of lime for the soda lye-The reduction of the fatty bodies takes place with
the same rapidity as when the soda lye is used-The calcareous soap is afterwards
decomposed by an acid in order to obtain stearic acid.
3. By substituting for the bases employed in the preceding operations an acid,
such as sulphuric acid contained in a suitably enamelled vessel, the apparatus and
treatment herein before described may be applied to the decomposition of the fatty
bodies into free and glycerinous acids.
The lowering of the temperature produced by the evaporation of part of the
liquids under the influence of the gaseous current supplied as hereinbefore described
to the vessel V may be injurious to certain reactions and consequently in place of
supplying the current of heated air under pressure which is desirable in certain
cases an apparatus such as an ejector may be employed which enables the division
or agitation of the reacting liquids to be more conveniently effected by means of
the current of heated air or other heated gas introduced into the vessel V.
The operations to be performed in practice do not always consist in effecting an
exchange of elements between two or more composite bodies nor in the formation
of a new material by means of elements of different natures but separately they
may consist in the decomposition of composite bodies into first principles or
elements.
For example the treatment of fatty bodies in practice sometimes consists in
simply reducing or decomposing them under the influence of Steam which in this
case is the sole re-agent employed for effecting the reduction and hydration in one
operation. These reactions, that is to say the reduction of fatty bodies into free
fatty acids and glycerine may be performed by means of the apparatus or integrator
hereinbefore described provided with an ejector in the same way as the reduction
in the presence of acids or bases (Soda potash lime, magnesia and the like) is
effected commercially in an integrator provided with a fan or air pump. It should
be observed that the action of the gaseous current hereinbefore referred to, such as
air for example, is not always exclusively mechanical, for example, the reduction of

page_text: fatty bodies may be effected by decomposing the glycerine (a portion of the latter
being oxidised, for example, by means of the apparatus herein before described).
In order to accomplish the reduction or decomposition of fatty bodies by means
of water employed as the sole re-agent, it would be necessary during the continued
flow of the fatty matter melted and heated to 100 degrees centigrade to divide it
by means of a current of air supplied by the ejector which may be made to carry
the requisite quantity of Steam or watery vapour. This action may also be
combined with that of an acid re-agent, such as sulphurous or sulphuric acid or a
basic re-agent, such as potash, lime, soda, magnesia, alumina and the like, in order
to obtain, according to circumstances, either free fatty acids or soaps. These
operations may be performed by the aid of a series of integrators, but a single
integrator will usually be found sufficient as in the manufacture of Soap. The
products discharged from such integrator are simply collected in a heated vessel in
which the separation is performed if necessary.
A number of apparatus may be combined in a series as indicated in figure 2 of
the accompanying Drawing. In this case the liquids flow from a vessel R divided
into compartments and the gases or vapours escape from the upper part of each
re-action vessel through a pipe v communicating with the bottom of the adjacent
vessel and the products formed on the surface of the liquid in each vessel flow off
through a pipe leading to the surface of the vessel next below.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what.
I claim is
First. The improved process for the saponification of fatty bodies substantially
as herein before described.
Second. Treating fatty bodies by causing the fatty bodies and the Soda lye or
other re-agent to flow from separate reservoirs through pipes provided with
regulating valves or cocks into separate receiving vessels and into a reaction vessel
provided at its lower part with a perforated plate through which Steam or other
gas is forced into the contents of the re-action vessel, the said vessel being placed
in equilibrium with the receiving vessels by means of a suitable pipe, all substantially
as and for the purpose herein before described with reference to the accompanying
Drawings.