After the filtration device was completed, the servant who went to fetch the brine also returned.
He ordered people to skim off the turbid material in the middle layer and put it into a basin. The ingredients inside were mainly unreacted lard and impurities, as well as a small amount of soap.
Fang Jun asked someone to add the prepared brine into it and stir it vigorously.
After a while, the lard in the basin changed again and gradually solidified.
Fang Jun looked at the shiny piece of lard and felt extremely excited. The experiments he had done in the laboratory in the past completely came to mind now! Add caustic soda to the lard, and soap will be obtained after the reaction. Add hydrochloric acid, and the result will be soap.
Another substance will be produced.
wax!
That is, candles used for lighting.
But in this era, wax is a luxury product. High-quality wax is made from substances secreted by white waxworms, or beeswax, which is simply expensive! Even the most common ones are refined from high-quality oils.
, so it is often called butter wax, which is very expensive!
The most common way for ordinary people to light their homes is to use oil lamps!
As soon as this lard wax comes out, with its low price and far superior quality to oil lamps, it will surely become popular all over the world!
Sure enough, knowledge is power!
Fang Junmei is so excited! I’m so talented...
He quickly ordered someone to bring another piece of cotton thread.
Note, it is "cotton thread", not "cotton thread"!
Is there any difference?
The difference is huge!
Before cotton was introduced to China, China only had kapok that could be used to fill pillows, but no cotton that could be used to weave cloth. Before the Song Dynasty, China only had the word "mian" with the word "mian" next to silk, but not the word "cotton" with the word "wood" next to it.
The word "Mian" only began to appear in the "Song Book".
It can be seen that cotton was introduced in the Southern and Northern Dynasties at the latest, but it was mostly planted in the frontiers. In the more distant ancient times, the main raw materials for our people's clothes were silk, hemp and kudzu. Clothes and bedding to keep out the cold were also made of these materials, and they could be used inside.
Stuffed with the feathers of some animals and poultry.
At least in the early Tang Dynasty, cotton definitely did not appear in the Central Plains!
Inadvertently, Fang Jun discovered another business opportunity and was in a great mood!
Using my own tea cup as a model, I made a simple candle and lit it on the spot.
A lamp is like a bean, but it is still very bright in broad daylight, and there is almost no black smoke when the oil lamp is lit!
A craftsman said excitedly: "Oh my god! This is much cheaper than butter wax, and the quality is almost as good. This can make a lot of money!"
Fang Jun laughed, isn't this nonsense? This kind of magazine in oil wax has almost reached the lowest level in this era, so the ash after lighting is much less than that of ordinary candles, and oil lamps are even more incomparable!
Of course, this is not over yet.
Fang Jun stared at the last half of the pot of "waste liquid" with burning eyes. This is the essence of the saponification reaction!
These waste liquids contain a substance that is a hundred or a thousand times more precious than soap and wax - glycerin!
Glycerin is a colorless, clear and viscous liquid with a sweet taste. It is an extremely important chemical raw material. It has a wide range of uses and covers almost all chemical fields. It is widely used in food processing, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics manufacturing, industrial machinery lubrication, organic synthesis, and plastics.
It has applications in chemical and other fields.
In the early 20th century, glycerin was the main raw material for making explosives!
Of course, with the current technology and Fang Jun's level, this is basically a no-brainer...
But as long as there is glycerin, everything is possible! Even if he can't make it himself, he has the best foundation. It will be much easier for future generations to go further based on his foundation!
Moreover, these things are not useless now. After simple dilution and clarification, a kind of glycerin sweet water can be extracted from the waste liquid.
The servants were ordered to remove the alkaline sediment, and what was left was glycerin sweet water. This stuff was light yellow in color and had a foul smell. All the craftsmen covered their noses, wondering what the use of this smelly water was.
Fang Jun asked a servant to slowly pour the smelly water into the filter jar that had been prepared. After a while, water slowly poured out of the thin tube at the bottom of the jar. What was surprising was that the water flowing out was
It's not yellow water, but a clear and transparent liquid.
"Uncle Da Gen, do you still have the jar of peach wine you brought from home a few days ago?"
Fang Jun asked an old craftsman.
The old craftsman's face twitched, and his face was covered with wrinkles like ravines: "Forget it, the old woman at home was not in good health last year. When she made wine in the fall, her daughter-in-law took care of it. Her craftsmanship was not good, and the peach wine became more and more astringent. After a jar,
None of them were sold. That day I brought a jar to satisfy my craving, but I only took two sips..."
There are many wastelands in Lishan, and many places are not suitable for growing food. It is a pity to be abandoned. So some old farmers planted some fruit trees. In the autumn, they bore fruits and took them to the city to exchange for some money and goods, but they could not sell a few, and the remaining ones were large.
Some of them are not willing to be thrown away, so they are put into vats and brewed into fruit wine.
Tang people are good at wine, and the sales volume of this fruit wine is also good.
It's just that although this kind of wine has the aroma of fruit, it tastes sour and astringent, which is really not very good to drink. If the craftsmanship is poor, it will be difficult to swallow.
Fang Jun then said, "Go and get it."
The old craftsman was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay!" and turned around.
Fang Jun looked at the clear water gradually flowing out from the bottom of the jar, as if he saw a bunch of copper coins pouring out of the thin tube, exuding a golden light...
This clear glycerin water can be extracted into pure glycerin with simple distillation, and now, it can also do a very important thing.
Whether it is peach wine or wine, something called tannin will be produced during the brewing process. No matter what kind of fruit is fermented, the tannin cannot be decomposed and remains in the wine. The taste of the naturally brewed fruit wine is
It is bitter and astringent and extremely unpleasant to drink.
Tannin is the culprit responsible for the bitter taste of fruit wine, but it is indispensable when later generations pay attention to the quality of fruit wine. The amount of tannin can determine the flavor, structure and texture of the wine. Fruit wine lacking tannin will appear textured
Light and thin, no thick feeling.
In fact, tannin has antioxidant effects and is a natural preservative. It can effectively prevent wine from becoming sour due to oxidation, so that long-term stored wine can maintain its best condition. Therefore, tannin is very important for the aging of red wine.
The quality of the vintage plays a decisive role. A bottle of red wine from a good vintage may only become better after ten years.
This is the power of tannins.
But what is needed now is fruit wine that can be brewed and drunk immediately. Who has the patience to seal it and store it for ten to eight years?
Then you need glycerin water.
The glycerin in the glycerin water can decompose the tannins in the fruit wine and effectively remove the bitter taste in the wine. Moreover, because the glycerin has a light warm and sweet taste, it can also greatly improve the quality and taste of the fruit wine, which is an excellent
of fruit sprinkle additives.
As long as the bitterness of the fruit wine is removed and the wine is filtered and clarified, the sweet and clear fruit wine will definitely become a very popular wine.
Princess Gaoyang on the side had long forgotten that Fang Jun had ignored her, let alone getting angry, and was completely shocked.
With her almond-shaped eyes widened, she watched Fang Jun tossing around such a pot of smelly lard, and he was able to come up with so many tricks. It was simply unbelievable!
Does this person really know how to turn stone into gold?
Fang Jun directed his servant to make a new filtering device, and then boil the half pot of glycerin water. The boiling point of glycerin is higher than that of water. As long as the sweet water containing glycerin is heated to a hundred degrees and the water is evaporated, pure water can be obtained.
glycerin.
Of course, the purity is definitely not good, but there is no problem at all when used to add fruit wine.
After a while, Uncle Gen came with his jar of peach wine.
Fang Jun ordered people to divide a jar of wine into ten parts, add different amounts of glycerin and several egg whites respectively, and then record the added amounts. Because he didn't know the best ratio, he could only experiment like this. After stirring thoroughly,
Its filter is pure.
A portion of clear and translucent peach wine appeared.
Just looking at the color, it has gone up more than one level.
Then naturally, after testing one by one, I asked Uncle Lao Gen to taste one by one. Anyway, this stuff tastes good and will not kill anyone.
Of course, Fang Jun himself would never drink this kind of semi-finished product made in a laboratory...
Princess Gao Yang came over and looked at Uncle Gen's feat of "testing the poison with his own body" with confusion...
"Is this stuff really drinkable?" Her Royal Highness the Princess asked uncertainly.
"You can try it, it tastes very good!" Fang Jun encouraged, showing his big white teeth.
"Eh!" Princess Gao Yang wrinkled her face and showed a disgusted expression.
Fang Jun looked at the beautiful and charming Princess and smiled, but his head hurt...