I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1307 Clothing, food, housing, and transportation are all major industries

Joseph felt both amused and exasperated.

The steam engine opened a door to a whole new world for everyone, and all sorts of incredible inventions followed. But as it turned out, most of them were simply misguided.

This is also a necessary process of trial and error in the path of technological exploration.

But now that he's the one with the "cheat code" overseeing things, most of the trial and error can be skipped.

“Your Highness, I would like to ask you to take a look at the effectiveness of this machine. It is truly useful.” A man in his thirties said as he added a few shovelfuls of coal to the steam engine and gestured to his assistant to bring over a cart of excrement.

Kano introduced, "Your Highness, this is Mr. Schramm, the inventor of the 'City Sanitation Compressor'."

“Oh, no need.” Joseph waved his hand at Schramm. “We need to plan the city’s sewage system…”

As he spoke, the latter had already pulled down the lever, and the preheated steam engine spun rapidly, driving a thick threaded rod downwards to press the pressure plate through the gearbox.

A chilling "plop" sound came from the iron can, and then dark yellow liquid flowed out from the gap at the bottom of the can, instantly intensifying the surrounding stench several times over.

Joseph almost vomited. His first thought was that this thing could be sent to the intelligence agency and used as a torture device to extract confessions.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard a "click," and the compression process ended.

Schramm quickly loosened the latch with a wrench, directed his assistant to use a lever to raise the pressure plate, and then lifted a 20-centimeter-thick "yellowcake" from the iron can.

The yellowcake fell to the ground with a "thud," and just as Mirabeau had said, it was as hard as a wooden board.

Schramm continued explaining, "A small amount of clay was added to facilitate shaping..."

Joseph was already regretting coming here because of the stench. He hastily said, "Thank you for your demonstration," and turned to run away.

But the moment he reached the door, the "round wooden plank" on the ground overlapped with something else in his mind.

He couldn't help but stop and turn around.

Liquid was still dripping from the bottom of the tin can, flowing into a collection bucket next to it. Along with the "yellowcake," Joseph remembered what it was: "Soybean meal, for oil extraction."

"Huh?" Mirabo, Cano, and the others all looked over.

Joseph recalled the mechanical pressing process of later generations and excitedly said to Schramm, "You have really invented something amazing."

"If you put peanuts or soybeans into this tin can, you can press out most of the oil very quickly."

"And the remaining residue can be easily transported to the countryside and used as animal feed."

For a long time, the people present were still confused, finding it hard to connect a manure press with an oil press.

Kano was the first to nod and say, "Yes, Your Highness, that's right! This machine can extract more than ten kilograms of oil in less than a minute."

“Using traditional methods, this would take at least an hour.”

Mirabeau immediately added, "And the exploitation is even more thorough."

Joseph then instructed Schramm: "You need to clean this place up immediately... no, let's move to another workshop, and then manufacture a new 'compressor.' Oh, from now on, we'll call it an 'oil press.' Also, improve the sealing and increase the pressure as much as possible."

"If you do an excellent job, I can certainly award you a 'Medal of Merit'!"

Yes, mechanical oil pressing may seem insignificant, but it is actually an extremely large industry, and its inventors are fully qualified to receive France's top honor in the field of people's livelihood.

Although oil extraction has existed for thousands of years, both the pounding and rolling methods can only be used for small-scale production.

Because oils extracted using these traditional methods are difficult to preserve for long periods of time.

Firstly, insufficient preheating of the raw materials leads to the oil being prone to hydrolysis and turning sour. Steam pressing, on the other hand, allows for arbitrary heating, and the high pressure itself generates a large amount of heat, ensuring stable oil quality.

Secondly, traditional pressing techniques struggle to eliminate impurities; large amounts of protein, sugars, and plant fiber debris from the raw materials mix into the oil, further accelerating spoilage. Steam pressing, on the other hand, yields almost pure oil, making it easier to store for extended periods.

Finally, there's the pressing speed. Traditional pressing is slow, and the oil must be exposed to air for a long time, leading to oxidation. Steam pressing, on the other hand, is extremely fast, and the pressed oil can be sealed and stored immediately.

In summary, Schramm's machine transformed oil pressing into an industrial production process, and the resulting oil could be sold as a commodity to very distant places.

Of course, there is also the huge cost advantage of steam pressing.

In the following period, high-quality and inexpensive French olive oil and soybean oil defeated all traditional oil presses and dominated the edible oil market in Europe.

This industry can easily reach a scale of tens of millions of francs!

Moreover, the widespread availability of cheap oil can greatly improve the living standards of the French people and even enhance their physical fitness.

Schramm's voice trembled with excitement as he bowed deeply, saying, "Yes, Your Highness, I can assemble the new machine in just one month, no, half a month. I will definitely satisfy you!"

Joseph waited for him to change out of his stained clothes, then invited him to go to Cano's office and instructed him, "Oil pressing also requires a grinder; you can ask Mr. Cano to provide you with one."

"It would be best to also add an automatic feeding pulley..."

By lunchtime, Schramm, with the help of Carno, had finalized the plan for the complete steam oil pressing equipment.

Louis XVI sent for Joseph to come to lunch. Mirabeau followed behind Joseph, feeling extremely guilty, saying, "Your Highness, when I return, I will immediately review all the projects and will certainly not allow an invention like the oil press to be buried..."

Joseph waved his hand and said, "This is not your fault. Most of the projects you canceled were correct. Mr. Schramm's machine... is a special case."

As he spoke, he felt that something was amiss.

Logically, the review of scientific research projects should be the responsibility of specialized departments such as the Ministry of Science and Technology or the National Council for Natural Sciences. However, the French science education system is managed by the Church, which is why the responsibility has to be delegated to the Ministry of Industry.

However, the Ministry of Industry itself has to manage the nation's industries, which is a lot of work, and it also lacks understanding of high-tech. Therefore, the review process has to be conducted by professionals from universities.

Joseph narrowed his eyes. It seemed that church reform had reached a point where it could no longer be delayed. If they could reclaim the large amount of land held by the church, it would be even more beneficial to the development of France.

He then thought of the Pope he had left at Notre Dame Cathedral and thought to himself: This might be a leverage point.

(End of this chapter)