THE IMPROVED UTILIZATION OF SUGAR SCUM
Year: 1885

page_text: I ALFRED GEORGE WASS of 122 Raymouth Road Bermondsey in the county of
Surrey Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for THE
IMPROVED UTILIZATION OF SUGAR SCUM to be as follows:--
The object of this my invention is to enable me to utilize and use the scum or
the residue produced and evolved by the boiling of sugar or other saccharine
material which is at present of very little or no use and is almost entirely
wasted.
To carry out this object I take the scum or the residue produced and evolved by
the boiling of sugar or other saccharine material as it comes from the vats or other
apparatus and I preferably dry and also press the same. The scum or residue is
then placed in a suitable retort or kiln or other apparatus in any convenient
quantity and a great heat is applied thereto in any convenient manner for a
suitable period as is hereinafter mentioned. I preferably use a revolving retort or
a retort that is capable of revolving upon its longitudinal axis as in this kind of
retort the scum or residue is more equably treated and the process required is more
speedily and efficiently and with greater economy performed and effected. The
retort or kiln or other apparatus is fitted with a pipe through which the gaseous
and other products evolved and given off from and by the carbonization of the
scum or residue are removed which products can afterwards be collected and
treated as required. A sight hole which is capable of being opened is also fitted to
the retort or kiln or other apparatus through which the scum or residue inside can
be inspected and through which samples can be taken out to ascertain whether
sufficient treatment has been given and when the sample is placed in water and the
carbonization is only partly effected the material has the color of umber but as the
carbonization proceeds to completion a very perfect black is produced. When
sufficient carbonization has been effected according to the color required as afore-
said the carbonized material may be allowed to cool down in the retort which would
then be tightly closed but it is preferably withdrawn and placed in an air tight box
or deposited under water or otherwise treated to prevent the impact of any air upon
it which air has the effect while the material is hot of taking all or nearly all the
color away and leaving the mass of a gray or neutral tint. When the carbonized
material is cold or nearly cold the color is fixed and it can if required be ground

page_text: or otherwise treated and is then ready to be used in and for any ordinary purposes
as may be desirable such for example as the body of blacking or paint or ink or
other similar substances or as a fertilizer or manure.
This carbonized material is also very suitable for filtering purposes and may be
used in this manner with water oil sugar and many other liquids. For this purpose
it is obvious that color is not a great desideratum and the carbonized material can
be used just as it comes out of the retort or kiln or other apparatus in which stage
will oftentimes be found large lumps or blocks and if it is intended that the
filtering material shall entirely fill the chamber in which it is to be placed the said
material need not be mixed with any other, substance but if it is desired that
separate blocks only shall be placed in the said chamber I preferably mix the said
material with ferriferous clay or other similar substance and when the whole mass
is ground small it is baked and formed into the blocks required which blocks will
then not be disintegrated by the liquid in which they are immersed.

page_text: of
I ALFRED GEORGE WASS of 122 Raymouth Road Bermondsey in the county of
Surrey Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
The object of this my invention is to enable me to utilize and use the scum or
the residue produced and evolved by the boiling or filtering of sugar or other
saccharine material which is at present of very little or no use and is almost
entirely wasted.
-
To carry out this object I take the scum or the residue produced and evolved by
the boiling or filtering of sugar or other saccharine material as it comes from the
vats or other apparatus and I preferably dry and also press the same.
The scum
or residue is then placed in any convenient quantity in any usual or suitable
apparatus to which a great external heat can be applied without consuming the
scum or residue inside such for example as a retort or kiln or other similar
apparatus to which a great heat is then applied in. any convenient manner for a
suitable period as is hereinafter mentioned. A revolving retort or a retort that is
capable of revolving upon its longitudinal axis or a retort of that kind and style
that is known as a screw-retort is extremely suitable for use in and with this my
invention as in these kinds of retorts the scum or residue is more equably treated
and the required process is more speedily and efficiently and therefore with greater
economy performed and effected. The retort or kiln or other apparatus is fitted
with a small aperture or pipe through which the gaseous and other products evolved
and given off from and by the carbonization of the scum or residue are discharged
and a small sight hole capable of being opened can also very conveniently be fitted
thereto through which the said scum or residue can be inspected during treatment
and through which samples can be taken out when required to ascertain whether
sufficient treatment has been given to the said scum or residue which samples are
preferably immersed in water immediately to furnish this required information.
When the carbonization is only partly effected the material has the color of umber
and as the carbonization proceeds the color of the material is deepened and darkened
until when the carbonization is perfected and completed a very perfect black is
produced. When sufficient carbonization has been effected according to the color
required as aforesaid the carbonized material may be allowed to cool down in the
retort or kiln or other apparatus which would then be tightly closed but I preferably
withdraw the same thercout and place this material in an air tight box or chamber
or deposit the same under water or otherwise so treat the same that the impact of
any air thereon is prevented as this air has the effect while the material is hot of
taking all or nearly all the color away and leaving the mass of a gray or neutral
tint but when the material is cold or nearly cold the color is fixed and air will no
longer have a prejudicial effect thereon and this carbonized material can if required
be ground or otherwise treated as may be necessary or desirable to make the same
ready for use in and for the purpose or object to which it is to be applied. This
material will be found extremely useful for the body of blacking or paint or ink

page_text: or other similar articles and as a disinfectant and as a fertilizer or manure amongst
many other purposes and objects.
When a light colored article is required it is obvious that the material can be
withdrawn from the retort or allowed to cool down in the retort at an early period
in the carbonization thereof and after being treated as aforesaid the material may
be mixed with such pigments or other matter as will produce the exact color or
shade required.
I may state that I have found the following method of treatment very successful.
I place one hundredweight of the cane scum or residue in a revolving retort and
subject the same to an heat of about 600° Fahrenheit for about two hours when
an umber or light brown color is obtained in about another two hours a dark
brown color is obtained and then I preferably increase the heat to about
900° Fahrenheit and in about two hours the carbonization is perfected and com-
pleted and the perfect black is produced. I can also subject the material to an
heat of about 900° Fahrenheit from the first in which case I should produce the
perfect black in a shorter time. In screw retorts also these times would be some-
what reduced as the carbonization is effected therein at a quicker rate while in
fixed retorts or in kilns or other similar apparatus these times would be somewhat
enlarged as the carbonization is effected therein at a slower rate and the durations
of treatment would also somewhat depend on the variations if any of the quality
of the material as also on the condition or style or form of the fire or other
source of heat as well as the degree of heat produced by the same.
This carbonized material is also very suitable for filtering purposes and may be
used in this manner with water oil sugar and many other liquids or articles in a
liquid state. For this purpose it is obvious that color is not a great desideratum
and the carbonized material can be used just as it comes out of the retort or kiln
or other apparatus in which stage large lumps or blocks will oftentimes be found
and when it is intended that the filtering material shall entirely fill the chainber
in which it is to be placed this material need not be mixed with any other substance
but if it is desired that separate blocks only shall be placed in the said chamber
I preferably mix with the carbonized material a small proportion of ferriferous clay
or other similar substance and when the whole mass is ground small it is baked
and formed into the blocks required which blocks will then not be disintegrated
by the liquid in which the same are immersed.
When this carbonized material however is produced in manner aforesaid from
the scum or residue evolved or created in the process of making beet sugar the
extreme durations of such carbonizations as aforesaid are not in all cases absolutely
required and the material can very suitably be used for filtering or clarifying shale
or mineral or other oils in and for which purpose the same is extremely efficient
and effective and the material itself is rendered very dark or black by the action
of such oils.
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 method of treating sugar scum substantially as hereinbefore described with
a view to the utilization of the same substantially as and for the purposes herein-
before declared.