IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF USEFUL PRODUCTS FROM SEAWEEDS.
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Charles Cortis Stanford, of Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, Manufacturing Chemist, for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF USEFUL PRODUCTS FROM
SEAWEEDS.".
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Charles Cortis
Stanford at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th January
1881.
EDWARD CHARLES CORTIS STANFORD, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Manufacturing Chemist. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF USEFUL PRODUCTS FROM SEAWEEDS."
This Invention has for its object the treating of seaweeds in a new and improved
manner, whereby, in addition to the products ordinarily prepared from such
materials, there are also obtained certain new products which are susceptible of
important applications in various arts or manufactures.
In carrying out the Invention almost any kind of seaweed, but, by preference,
such as are known as Laminaria, is taken in the fresh or more or less dried state,
and by preference after being cut up or reduced by a pulping or other suitable
machine, is lixiviated in ordinary or coupled vats with cold or hot water. The
salts thereby extracted are boiled down and carbonised or furnaced, and the ashes
are treated as is commonly practised with seaweed, char, or kelp. The new
products are obtained from the residue left after the extraction of the salts by
treating such residue with carbonate or hydrate of soda or other alkali. This
operation may be performed in any suitable boilers, such, for example, as those used
for boiling rags, esparto, or other paper making materials, it being preferred to.
conduct the operation under a slight pressure.
A glutinous or mucilaginous solution is formed which is filtered or otherwise
separated from undissolved matters, and this solution may be sold as it is, or it may
be more or less concentrated by evaporation, or it may be otherwise treated as
hereinafter indicated. The remaining undissolved matters on treatment with
acids and alkalies, and bleaching agents, as in the case of ordinary paper making
materials, yields a substance which may be advantageously used either alone or
mixed with other materials for making paper or for other purposes.

page_text: The solution in its more or less concentrated form or completely dried is proposed
to be named algin, and is probably a compound of an acid which may be named
algic acid with the soda or other alkali employed, in which case algin will be an
algate of the alkali. The alkali may be separated from the algin by means of a
suitable acid which precipitates the algic acid as a jelly, and this jelly may be used
as food or an ingredient of food.
Algin is distinguishable from all other known substances by characteristic
chemical reactions, and it possesses peculiar properties which render it advanta-
geously applicable for many purposes. Amongst its various possible applications
the following may be mentioned, namely, the dressing and stiffening of textile
materials and fabrics, the thickening of colouring and other matters used in calico
printing, the mordanting of textile materials and fabrics, the treatment of Turkey-
red goods, the batching or preparing of jute and other textile materials, the
emulsifying of oils or rendering them miscible with other liquids, the sizing of
paper, and the clarifying of wines and other liquids.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Edward Charles Cortis Stanford in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 9th July 1881.
"
EDWARD CHARLES CORTIS STANFORD, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Manufacturing Chemist. IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF USEFUL PRODUCTS FROM SEAWEEDS."
My said Invention has for its object the manufacture or treatment of seaweeds
in a new and improved manner, whereby, in addition to the products ordinarily
prepared from such materials, there are also obtained certain new products which
are susceptible of important applications in various arts or manufactures.
In carrying out my Invention almost any kind of seaweed, but by preference
the kind known as Laminaria, is taken in the fresh or more or less dried state, or
when partially fermented, or after more or less exposure to sun and rain, and by
preference after being cut up or reduced by a pulping or other suitable machine, is
lixiviated in ordinary coupled wooden or other vats, with cold or more or less
heated water. The salts thereby extracted are boiled down and carbonised or
furnaced in closed retorts or in reverberatory furnaces, and the charcoal or ash is
treated as commonly practised with seaweed, char, or kelp, or the solution may be
dialysed or fermented (with the aid of yeast if necessary) in order to separate the
salts from the gummy and saccharine matters. The new products are obtained
from the residue left after the extraction of the salts by treating such residue with
carbonate or hydrate of soda or other alkali, or with biborate of soda (borax). This
operation may be performed in any suitable boilers, such, for example, as those
used for boiling rags, esparto, or other paper making materials, it being preferred
by me to conduct the operation under a slight pressure.
A glutinous or mucilaginous solution is formed, which is filtered, strained, or
otherwise separated from undissolved matters, and this solution may be sold as it
is, or it may be more or less concentrated by evaporation. When required it may
be decolorised by bleaching or other suitable process. In many cases it may be
found most convenient to have the residue left after the extraction of the salts
combined in a dry state with the alkali or alkaline carbonate or biborate, the users
preparing the solution themselves in a fresh state by boiling the compound with
the requisite addition of water. For this purpose the residue is dried, and it and
the alkali or alkaline carbonate or biborate are ground and mixed together in
suitable proportions and then packed for sale.
The proportion of alkali or alkaline carbonate or biborate to the seaweed residue
should be what is found in practice to be just sufficient to dissolve the acid
constituents. In practice about five pounds of soda ash are generally sufficient for
one hundred pounds of the wet residue, but the proportion will vary in different
cases.
When the solution has been separated from undissolved matters the latter on
treatment with acids, and alkalies, and bleaching agents, as in the case of ordinary
paper-making materials, yields a substance which may be. advantageously used
either alone or mixed with other materials for making paper, or cardboard, or for
other purposes.
The solution in its more or less concentrated form or completely dried may be
appropriately named algin, and is probably a new compound, consisting of an acid
which may be named algic acid combined with the soda or other alkali employed,
in which case algin may be regarded as an algate of the alkali. The alkali may be
separated from the algin by means of a suitable acid or salt which precipitates the
algic acid as a jelly, and this jelly may be used as a nitrogenous food or as an
ingredient of food.

page_text: Algin and algic acid are distinguishable from all other known substances by
characteristic chemical reactions, and they possess peculiar properties which render
them advantageously applicable for many purposes. Amongst their various
possible applications the following may be mentioned, namely:-
The dressing and stiffening of textile materials and fabrics.
The thickening of coloring and other matters used in calico-printing, and the
mordanting of textile materials and fabrics.
Their use instead of glue, or of dung, or dung substitutes in connection with
calico-printing and Turkey-red dying.
The treatment otherwise of Turkey-red goods.
The batching or preparing of jute and other textile materials.
The emulsifying of oils or rendering them miscible with other liquids.
The sizing and facing of paper or mixing with paper pulp, papier maché, and
the like.
Their use as a substitute for gums or glue for adhesive purposes, for varnishing
prints, and as a film for photographic purposes, instead of albumen, gelatin, or
collodion.
The agglutinating of lime, alumina, and other ingredients for plastic purposes;
also of charcoal or small coal for filters or for fuel, or use as non-conductors.
The clarifying of wines and other liquids.
For some purposes the algin or algic acid may be advantageously mixed or
combined with gums, such as tragacanth, Arabic, or Senegal, or with albumen,
gelatin, glycerin, starch, or dextrine, or with one or more of the following,
namely Magnesia salts, potash chromate and bichromate, potash permanganate,
mercury chloride, potash and soda silicates, soda phosphate, soda stannate, soda
succinate, alkalies and alkaline salts, carbonates, sulphates, cyanides, ferrocyanides,
ferricyanides, benzoic acid, benzoates, tannic acid, and gallic acid.
:-
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to the precise
details hereinbefore described, but that what I believe to be novel and original,
and claim as the Invention secured to me by and in terms of the hereinbefore in
part recited Letters Patent is,-
1. The manufacture or treatment of seaweeds in the improved manner, whereby
the useful products algin, algic acid, and a separated paper-making material are
obtained, substantially as herein before described.
2. The manufacture of algin and algic acid from seaweeds and their useful
applications, as hereinbefore described.
.
3. The manufacture of a compound of seaweed residue, and an alkali or alkaline,
carbonate, or biborate, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
4. The several useful applications of algin or algic acid, hereinbefore specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Charles Cortis Stanford, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty-one.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
EDW. C. C. STANFORD.
(L.S.)