Improvements in the Acid Saponification of Fatty Bodies, and in Apparatus employed therein.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Jan., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 25th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 1st Dec., 1894
Improvements in the Acid Saponification of Fatty Bodies, and in
Apparatus employed therein.
I, EMILE PETIT of 104 Rue du Landy, St. Denis, Seine, France, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In the stearic industry the decomposition or reduction of neutral fatty bodies into
fatty acids and glycerine may be effected by three different processes, viz.-
First. Water saponification, the pressure in the digester being raised to
15 kilogrammes.
Second. Saponification by addition of 2 per cent. of calcareous matter and reducing
the pressure to 10 kilogrammes.
Third. Sulphuric saponification known as acidification; this process possesses the
advantage over the two former of augmenting to a considerable extent the proportion
of solid matter.
The most usual method of acidification consists in heating the fatty acid to
120° Centigrade and in making an emulsion with 3 per cent. of sulphuric acid at 66°
for an hour.
A portion of the oleic acid, a liquid body, is transformed into elaidic acid, a solid
body, and becomes added to the normal quantity of stearic acid contained in the
fatty acid and sold as salt. From 57 to 60 per cent. of solid products is obtained by
this process while only 46 to 47 per cent. is obtained by the water or calcareous
methods of saponification. But this change is not effected without a commencement
of decomposition of the fatty body reduced to the state of tar, the proportion of
which varies with the mode of operation, and is estimated, following the method of
acidification shown above, at 4 per cent. of which 3 per cent. is earthy tar and
1 per cent. is fatty tar. Now I have remarked that this loss of the fatty acid
changed to the state of tar is solely owing to the systems of emulsioning in present
use which possess the drawback of placing the acid in contact with the fat, without
bringing them to a state of division sufficient to ensure their intimate admixture.
To effect, then, this molecular division of the acid and of the fatty body by bringing
them before their contact to such a condition of molecular pulverization, is the
principal object of my invention.
My invention thus consists in reducing the sulphuric acid to a state of mist or
fine particles before its contact with the fatty body (which latter may be brought
to a state of very fine division) so that by reason of the great volume which it will
have acquired it supplies to each molecule of the fatty body the right quantity of
acid. Many means may be employed to finely disintegrate or break up the acid and
fatty body before their intimate mixture.
Powdered substances such as glass, sandstone, flint, asbestos &c. which are
unaffected or nearly so by the corrosive product, may be soaked with sulphuric acid
and used as mediums through which the fatty body is passed, so that every particle
of fat only takes up the proper quantity of sulphuric acid. The sulphuric acid can
also be applied to the fatty body when in either a moist state or a finely divided
form by means of pulverizing or spray producing apparatus which may be disposed
so as to work either by compression or by rotation.
An apparatus which I have specially designed for the purpose and which bears
some resemblance to the turbines or centrifugal apparatus used in sugar refineries
consists of a tank or vessel in which revolves horizontally an apparatus comprising

page_text: two sets of circular plates or rings working in pairs. In each pair, one receives the
fatty substance and the other the sulphuric acid. By the action of the centrifugal
force, the fatty body and acid are separately thrown to the periphery, and intimately
mix, while being thrown off, and they fall together into the vessel which serves to
collect the material. A central vertical rotating shaft has attached near to its lower
end and near to the bottom of the vessel a disc which supports a cylinder. The
fatty body is introduced through an external pipe and is distributed by tubes upon
annular plates mounted on the cylinder. By the action of centrifugal force the
fatty body is thrown against fixed vertical plates or rings and flows towards the
bottom of each of these plates. The acid which is admitted into the apparatus by
a pipe is distributed by tubes upon other annular plates inside the cylinder. It
passes through orifices in the cylinder at the circumference of the plates and
mixes with the fatty body spread on the fixed plates or rings. The two materials
well mixed then pass off at the bottom of these plates or rings and are received
by other annular plates which are preferably in one piece with the annular plates
that first receive the fatty body; the materials are projected by the rotation of the
turbine over flanged edges of the plates and the resulting emulsion is thrown against
the inner sides of the vessel. The emulsionized mixture falls to the bottom of the
vessel and is stirred up by an agitator.
The apparatus may be considerably modified. For example the fatty body and
acid could be introduced into the apparatus by means of internal pipes, the
apparatus being fitted with a series of double ledges or rings placed one above the
other and revolving together, the one receiving the fatty body and the other
the sulphuric acid.
Or again, the plates for the fatty body might be replaced by circular rings down
which the fatty body descends to meet at the bottom of the said rings a spray of
finely divided sulphuric acid.
Dated this 31st day of January 1904
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Acid Saponification of Fatty Bodies, and in
Apparatus employed therein.
1, EMILE PETIT of 104 Rue du Landy, St. Denis, Seine, France, Manufacturer,
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:-
In the stearic industry the decomposition or reduction of neutral fatty bodies
into fatty acids and glycerine, may be effected by three different processes viz. :-
First. Water saponification the pressure in the digester being raised to
15 kilogrammes.
Second. Saponification by addition of 2 per cent. of calcareous matter and reducing
the pressure to 10 kilogrammes.
Third. Sulphuric saponification known as acidification; this process possesses the
advantage over the two former, of augmenting to a considerable extent the proportion
of solid matter.
The most usual method of acidification consists in heating the fatty acid to
120° Centigrade and in making an emulsion with 3 per cent. of sulphuric acid at 66°,
for an hour.
A portion of the oleic acid, a liquid body, is transformed into elaidic
acid, a solid body, and becomes added to the normal quantity of stearic
acid contained in the fatty acid and sold as salt. From 57 to 60 per cent.

page_text: of solid products is obtained by this process, while only 46 to 47 per cent.
is obtained by the water or calcareous methods of saponification. But this change
is not effected without a commencement of decomposition of the fatty body reduced
to the state of tar, the proportion of which varies with the mode of operation, and
is estimated, following the method of acidification shown above, at 4 per cent., of
which 3 per cent. is earthy tar and one per cent. is fatty tar. Now I have remarked
that this loss of the fatty acid changed to the state of tar is solely owing to the
systems of emulsioning in present use which possess the drawback of placing the
acid in contact with the fat, without bringing them to a state of division sufficient
to ensure their intimate admixture. To effect, then, this molecular division of the
acid and of the fatty body, by bringing them before their contact to such a condition
of molecular pulverization, is the principal object of my invention.
My invention consists in reducing the sulphuric acid to a state of mist or fine
particles before its contact with the fatty body (which latter may be brought to a
state of very fine division) so that by reason of the great volume which it will have
acquired it supplies to each molecule of the fatty body the right quantity of acid.
Many means may be employed to finely disintegrate or break up the acid and fatty
body before their intimate mixture.
Powdered substances such as glass, sandstone, flint, asbestos, etc. which are
unaffected or nearly so by the corrosive product, may be soaked with sulphuric acid
and used as mediums through which the fatty body is passed, so that every particle
of fat only takes up the proper quantity of sulphuric acid. The sulphuric acid
can also be applied to the fatty body when this is in either a moist state or a finely
divided form, produced by means of pulverizing or spray producing apparatus,
which may be disposed so as to work either by compression or by rotation.
The apparatus which is represented in the accompanying drawings is one which
I have specially designed for the purpose of my invention.
It bears some
resemblance to the turbines or centrifugal apparatus used in sugar refineries. It
consists of a tank or vessel, in which revolves horizontally an apparatus comprising
two sets of circular plates or rings working in pairs. In each pair, one receives
the fatty substance and the other the sulphuric acid. By the action of the
centrifugal force, the fatty body and acid are separately thrown to the periphery,
and intimately mix, while being thrown off, and they fall together into the vessel
which serves to collect the material. In the drawing A represents a central vertical
rotating shaft. It has attached near to its lower end and near to the bottom of the
vessel B, a disc C which supports a cylinder D. The fatty body is introduced
through an external pipe E and is distributed by tubes a upon annular plates F
mounted on the cylinder D. By the action of centrifugal force the fatty body is
thrown against fixed vertical plates or rings and flows towards the bottom of each
of these plates. The acid which is admitted into the apparatus by a pipe G is
distributed by tubes e upon other annular plates H. It passes through orifices at o
in the cylinder D at the circumference of the plates H and mixes with the fatty
body distributed on the fixed plates or rings b. The two materials well mixed then
pass off at the bottom of these plates or rings and are received by other annular
plates which are preferably in one piece with the annular plates ; the materials
are projected by the rotation of the turbine over flanged edges d of the plates
and the resulting emulsion is thrown against the inner wall of the vessel B. The
emulsionized mixture falls to the bottom of the vessel and is stirred by an
agitator K.
The apparatus may be considerably modified. For example, the fatty body and
acid could be introduced into the apparatus by means of internal pipes, the apparatus
being fitted with a series of double ledges or rings placed one above the other
and revolving together, the one receiving the fatty body and the other the sulphuric
acid.
Or again the plates for the fatty body might be replaced by circular rings down
which the fatty body descends to meet at the bottom of the said rings, a spray of
finely divided sulphuric acid.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In the process of saponifying fatty bodies by means of sulphuric acid, the
reduction of the acid and of the fatty body to a state of mist or fine particles before
their contact, substantially as set forth.
2. In the process of saponifying fatty bodies by means of sulphuric acid, the
soaking of an inattackable material such as powdered glass with the acid and passing
the fatty body through the same, substantially as set forth.
3. The arrangements of turbine-like apparatus, substantially as hereinbefore
described, for use in the acid saponification of fatty bodies comprising two sets of
circular plates or rings working in pairs, one plate or ring of each pair receiving
the fatty body and the other receiving the acid, the mixture of the two bodies being
effected by the projection of the acid over the fatty body under the action of
centrifugal force as set forth.
Dated this 25th day of October 1894.
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.