IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF OILS AND FATS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Hutchison, of 160, Hope Street, Glasgow,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF OILS AND
FATS."
Sealed the 21st November 1856, and dated the 12th September 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Hutchison at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th September 1856.
I, GEORGE HUTCHISON, of 160, Hope Street, Glasgow, do hereby declare
the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF OILS AND
FATS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in treating oils and fats in the following manner :-
Sulphuric acid is cautiously added to the oil or fat, and the mixture is well
stirred to avoid carbonising the oil or fat. When they have been left together
for a day or more new products are formed, and the mixture then contains
sulpholeic, sulphomargaric, and sulphoglyceric acids; these are all soluble in
alcohol, and by the addition of a suitable quantity of this solvent the sulpho-
glyceric acid is separated by subsidence; the remaining fatty acids being
mixed with a further quantity of alcohol undergo decomposition, and form
combinations of metaoleic and metamargaric acids with a portion of the alcohol
in presence. This charge takes place slowly when the solution is set aside
cold, but proceeds much more rapidly with the assistance of heat. Instead of

page_text: adding fresh alcohol to the fatty acids, separated as above mentioned, and then
boiling, I prefer passing a stream of alcoholic vapour through the solution till
the desired effect be produced. By treating oils and fats in this manner they
are rendered more suitable for use for lubricating and burning
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Hutchison in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th March 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
IIUTCHISON, of 160, Hope Street, Glasgow, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Iler heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Hutchison, Her special licence that I, the said George Hutchison,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Hutchison, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE TREATMENT OF OILS AND FATS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said George Hutchison, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in
the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Hutchison, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention consists in treating oils and fats in the following manner :-
Sulphuric acid is cautiously added to the oil or fat, and the mixture is well
stirred to avoid carbonizing the oil or fat. When they have been left together
for a day or more new products are formed, and the mixture then contains
sulpholeic, sulphomargaric, and sulphoglyceric acids. These are all soluble in

page_text: alcohol, and by the addition of a suitable quantity of this solvent the sulpho-
glyceric acid is separated by subsidence; the remaining fatty acids being mixed
with a further quantity of alcohol undergo decomposition, and form combinations
of metaoleic and metamargaric acids with a portion of the alcohol in presence.
This change takes place slowly when the solution is set aside cold, but proceeds
much more rapidly with the assistance of heat. Instead of adding fresh alcohol
to the fatty acids, separated as above mentioned, and then boiling, I prefer
passing a stream of alcoholic vapour through the solution till the desired effect
be produced. By treating oils and fats in this manner they are rendered more
suitable for use for lubricating and burning.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe more particularly the
process which I employ.
}
When treating lard oil, for example, to 100 gallons of oil I carefully stir in,
so as to avoid charring the oil, 6 gallons of sulphuric acid, of specific gravity
1.850; or when I do not desire to effect so complete a decomposition of the oil,
that is to say, when I do not require to produce so fluid a product as that
obtained by the use of the above quantity of acid, I reduce the quantity thereof,
and for some purposes I have found that it may be reduced to 4 gallons with
advantage. The mixture of oil and acid I allow to stand for a period not less
than 24 hours, so as to allow time for the sulphuric acid to combine with the
oil, thereby forming sulpholeic and sulphoglyceric acids, and I then add to and
well mix with it 25 gallons of alcohol. On standing, the compound separates
into two layers, about 15 gallons of the alcohol added subsiding and carrying
with it the sulphoglyceric acid. When solid fatty matters are treated in this
manner it is necessary to increase the quantity of alcohol employed at this stage
of the process, so as to obtain a mixture sufficiently fluid to allow of a complete
separation of the alcohol not dissolved by the fatty matter under process.
When the mixture has separated into two distinct strata, as above mentioned;
the lower stratum is removed, and the alcohol which it contains is separated by
distillation, and may be again used; the upper stratum is run into a closed
vessel, into which vapour of the ordinary or other alcohol (by preference of the
or.linary alcohol) is conducted by a pipe which descends nearly to the bottom
of the vessel, so that the vapour bubbles up through the liquid which it contains ;
and there is another pipe connected with the upper part of the vessel, which
conducts to a suitable condenser the portion of the vapour which is not absorbed.
When the oily liquid loses its acid reaction, as indicated by test paper, it is
known that the whole of the sulpholeic acid is decomposed, and that further
treatment with alcoholic vapour is unnecessary. On being allowed to stand,

page_text: the contents of the vessel will again separate into two layers, which are run off
separately. The lower layer consists of condensed alcohol mixed with sulphuric
acid liberated by the decomposition of the sulpholeic during the process; this
mixture is distilled to recover the alcohol. The upper layer consists of the oily
matter combined with a certain quantity of alcohol, and holding a further
quantity of alcohol in solution. This last-mentioned alcohol is generally not in
quantity sufficient to repay the trouble of recovering it, but when it is so it is
separated by placing the mixture in a still and moderately heating it until it
ceases to evolve alcoholic vapours; it is then removed from the still and caustic
soda or potash is added, until the oil has an alkaline reaction, and the mixture
is allowed to stand. After some time a soapy liquid separates, which is run off,
and the remaining oil is well washed with water, and when filtered is ready for
use. It is very suitable for lubricating purposes, and also for burning in lamps.
When substances containing a considerable quantity of stearine are treated by
this process the product obtained will contain matters which are more or less
solid at ordinary temperatures; these matters I separate from the more fluid
portions of the product by cooling, and filtering, and pressing, as is well under-
stood, and they are very suitable for the manufacture of candles.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the details of the process described; but what I claim is, the treating oils
and fats with sulphuric acid so as to produce sulpholeic, sulphomargaric, and
sulphostearic acids, and then decomposing these substances by means of an
alcohol.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Hutchison, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
DAVID SMITH.
GEORGE HUTCHISON. (L.S.)