An Improved Process for Treating Vegetable Substances, suitable for the Manufacture of Woven Fabrics, by Converting them into Soft and Silky Fibres adapted for Spinning and Dyeing.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 4th May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 28th Jan., 1895-Accepted, 9th Mar., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Process for Treating Vegetable Substances, suitable
for the Manufacture of Woven Fabrics, by Converting them into
Soft and Silky Fibres adapted for Spinning and Dyeing.
We, EUGENE CADORET and ALOYS JOST, both of Crefeld, in the Empire
of Germany, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
The process which forms the subject of the present invention has for its object
the conversion into fibres suitable for textile manufactures, of substances which up
to the present time have either been used little or not at all, or of which the
industrial development has not been for some cause as extended as it might be.
For example the use of broom, the stalks of artichokes, thistles, and the botanical
family of Urticae, such as nettles, etc.
The entire process depends upon chemical treatments having for their objects
the disintegration of the vegetable substances in order to separate their fibres.
For many years it has been sought to shorten certain industrial operations, such
as those which serve as the basis of the manufacture of flax and hemp. Up to the
present time these attempts have not attained positive results, and whatever
may have been the methods proposed the primitive operations of steeping, or
"retting" have always been come back to, the experience of years having proved
that nothing was more effective on the structure of the fibre than an alternate
exposure of the vegetable to water and to air. The resinous gums, protein
principles, pectic acid, albumen, and chlorophyll, even under these valuable agents,
undergo modifications which no other methcd has succeeded in effecting.
Regarding, generally, the conversion of textile vegetables into fibrous threads fit
for spinning, it will be seen that the action of the metamorphosis is only due to the
slow absorption by the vegetable substance, causing the oily matters, and albuminoid,
and other substances, to swell, and at the same time to give rise to fermentation
which renders the insoluble materials soluble, at the same time swelling the cells
until they burst, and permitting thereby the separation of the fibres. This is the
completely natural process, by which a fermentation is obtained capable of breaking
up
the cellular tissue by exposing the latter sometimes to water and sometimes to
air. This operation is long, requiring often many months to complete it, as happens
in the steeping or "retting" of hemp and flax.
By our present invention we make use of phenomena similar to these natural
ones of disintegration, which are (at least at present) those which produce the best
results, whilst we diminish the duration of the operation.
In illustration of our process we will suppose that we take vegetable materials
which contain most of the oily substances, albuminoids, pectic and chlorophyllic
compounds, and even of calcic oxalates, which render their treatment so difficult;
for example broom, the stalks of artichokes, thistles, china grass, or plants of the
botanical family of Urtica etc.
If we place the vegetable substances which we purpose to treat to obtain the
fibre, in a suitable vessel (of wood, iron, copper, or stone,) and we cover this vessel
with an air-tight cover and place the interior of the vessel in communication with a

page_text: vacuum.
Liquid ammonia,
Sour beer,
Urine,
Water slightly phosphated,
and we introduce this liquid upon the vegetable material in the vessel in the
The latter substances become impregnated with the composition. The
air is then allowed to re-enter the vessel by opening an orifice provided for the
purpose. Care is taken that the fermentable liquid should have a temperature of
25 to 30 degrees C. (this being only useful to hasten the operation).
Fermentation is then allowed to develop, beginning to take place some hours
after the absorption of the substances, and is allowed. to continue as long as is
found necessary for the disintegration of the fibres (which time may vary according
to the character of the vegetable, its state of maturity, and the like). When the
fermentation is complete the liquid is withdrawn from the vessel, and the contents
are washed in cold or hot water in order to eliminate the products, which have
become soluble during the operation. In certain cases, and in order to eliminate
certain compounds, such for example as the colouring matters, we oxidize, after
washing, and by means of a suitable hypochlorite or other active oxidizer, (but
when we make use of a hypochlorite, we more particularly use that of which the
composition is given below, as a double hypochlorite of zinc and magnesium, which
has the advantage that it contains no lime). After oxidation, we wash with plenty
of water preferably slightly ammoniacal.
The operation which we have described constitutes the preliminary of the
treatment. The vegetable substance is molecularly disintegrated and ready to
give up all the elements foreign to its own cellulose.
Treatment with Ammoniacal Soda.-Above the vegetable substance, which may
remain in the vessel where it was placed at the commencement of the treatment, a
vacuum is formed and a solution of ammoniacal soda is introduced composed as
follows.

page_text: When the mixture, of which the composition is above described, has settled
and the liquid above the deposit is entirely clear, a sufficient quantity of the
latter is taken off, and is mixed with sufficient water to bring it to a strength
of, 1, 2, or 3, chloro-metric degrees, as may be desired.
pure
When the bleaching has proceeded sufficiently far, the material is washed in
water, then in acidulated water, and any traces of chlorine are finally removed by
means of a suitable dechlorinating agent such as hyposulphite of soda, ammonia,
protochloride of tin, or the like.
When this operation is completed, and when it is not intended to treat the
material with soap, it may be blued in order to give more lustre to the fibres, by
means of any colouring matter suitable for the purpose, and which may be varied
according to the end which it is desired to attain.
Treatment with Soap.-In most cases, and when the processes above described
have been properly carried out, it is unnecessary to use the soap treatinent, but for
some certain objects this operation is necessary and we effect it by the use of the
following composition, the object of which is to remove the last gummy traces which
may still be present in the fibres :
Soap
Benzine
Essence of turpentine
Oxgall
Carbonate of soda
Ammonia
450,
10,
12,
264,
5,
5-10-15 or 20 per cent. of this special soap is added to a sufficient quantity
of water in which whilst hot the fibre is soaked.
Softening. When it is desired to give suppleness or softness to the fibre, this is
effected whilst the soaping process is being performed. For this purpose a
proportion of oil necessary to obtain the degree of softness required, is added to
the soap.
In the treatment of vegetable substances by the different reactions which we
have explained, large quantities of gummy principles are obtained, which are
eliminated from the substances by the operations described. These resins, gums,
pectic products etc., are found, sometimes floating upon the surface of the washing
water, sometimes deposited upon the bottom of the vessels; and if they are
recovered and submitted to a suitable purifying process they can be employed for
sizing the fibres and can also be used in dyeing, and in dressing processes of all
kinds.
:-
Our invention presents the following advantages :-
First. It is thoroughly practicable,
2nd. It is exceedingly moderate in cost,
3rd. It does away with all troublesome labour, since the material from the first,
that is to say from the time when it is taken to be submitted to the processes
pointed out in the description, up to the last, that is to say its conversion into
threads or fibres suitable for use, always remains in the same vessel.
By means of a vacuum the ordinary drying process may also be dispensed with,
and the material war be taken out containing not more than from 25 to 35 ner cent.

page_text: An Improved Process for Treating Vegetable Substances, suitable
for the Manufacture of Woven Fabrics, by Converting them into
Soft and Silky Fibres adapted for Spinning and Dyeing.
We, EUGENE CADORET and ALOYS JOST, both of Crefeld, in the Empire of
Germany, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described in and
by the following statement, that is to say :-
The process which forms the subject of the present invention has for its object
the conversion into fibres suitable for textile manufactures of substances which up
to the present time either have been used little or not at all, or of which the
industrial development has not been for some cause as extended as it might be.
For example the use of broom, the stalks of artichokes, thistles, and the botanical
family of Urtica, such as nettles and the like.
The entire process depends upon chemical treatments having for their object the
disintegration of the vegetable substances in order to separate their fibres.
For many years it has been sought to shorten certain industrial operations, such
as those which serve as the basis of the manufacture of flax and bemp. Up to the
present time these attempts have not attained positive results, and whatever may
have been the methods proposed the primitive operations of steeping or "retting
have always been come back to, the experience of years having proved that nothing
was more effective on the structure of the fibre than an alternate exposure of the
vegetable to water and to air. The resinous gums, protein principles, pectic acid,
albumen, and chlorophyll, even under these valuable agents, undergo modifications
which no other method has succeeded in effecting.
Regarding generally the conversion of textile vegetables into fibrous threads fit
for spinning, it will be seen that the action of the metamorphosis is only due to the
slow absorption by the vegetable substance, causing the oily matters and albuminoid
and other substances to swell and at the same time to give rise to fermentation
which renders the insoluble materials soluble, at the same time swelling the cells
until they burst, and permitting thereby the separation of the fibres. This is the
completely natural process by which a fermentation is obtained capable of breaking
up the cellular tissue by exposing the latter sometimes to water and sometimes to
air. This operation is long, often requiring many months to complete it, as happens
in the steeping or "retting" of hemp, and flax.
By our present invention we make use of phenomena similar to these natural ones
of disintegration, which are (at least at present) those which produce the best
results whilst we diminish the duration of the operation.
In illustration of our process we will suppose that we take vegetable materials
which contain most of the oily substances, albuminoids, pectic and chlorophyllic
compounds, and even of calcic oxalates, which render their treatment so difficult;
for example broom, the stalks of artichokes, thistles, china grass, or plants of the
botanical family of Urtica, etc.
If we place the vegetable substances which we purpose to treat to obtain the
fibre, in a suitable vessel (of wood, iron, copper or stone), and we cover this vessel
with an airtight cover and place the interior of the vessel in communication with a
pump by which a vacuum may be created, we can easily by this arrangement
impregnate the cellular tissue with a suitable fermentable liquid, for example:

page_text: Sour beer
Urine
"
"
"
"
Water slightly phosphated, (by dissolving in it about 1
per cent.
of any soluble phosphate, such as phosphate of soda, phos-
phate of magnesia, or superphosphate of lime), per cent.
and we introduce this liquid upon the vegetable material in the vessel in the vacuum.
The substances become impregnated with the composition. The air is then allowed
to re-enter the vessel by opening an orifice provided for the purpose. Care is
taken that the fermentable liquid should have a temperature of 25 to 30 degrees C.
(this being only useful to hasten the operation).
Fermentation is then allowed to develope, beginning to take place some hours
after the absorption of the substances, and is allowed to continue as long as is
found necessary for the disintegration of the fibres (which time may vary according
to the character of the vegetable, its state of maturity, and the like). When the
fermentation is complete the liquid is withdrawn from the vessel and the contents
are washed in cold or hot water in order to eliminate the products which have
become soluble during the operation. In certain cases, and in order to eliminate
certain compounds such for example, as the colouring matters, we oxidize, after
washing, and by means of a suitable hypochlorite or other active oxidizer (but
when we make use of a hypochlorite, we more particularly use that of which the
composition is given below, as a double hypochlorite of zinc and magnesium, which
has the advantage that it contains no lime). After oxidation we wash with plenty
of water preferably slightly ammoniacal.
The operation which we have described constitutes the preliminary of the treat-
ment. The vegetable substance is molecularly disintegrated and ready to give up
all the elements foreign to its own cellulose.
Treatment with Ammoniacal Soda.-Above the vegetable substance, which
may remain in the vessel where it was placed at the commencement of the treat-
ment, a vacuum is formed and a solution of ammoniacal soda is introduced composed
as follame

page_text: 4th. The treatment with the
soap
described.
5th. The utilization of the resinous and gummy matters resulting from the
cellular disintegration of vegetable substances.
6th. The entire process for treating vegetable substances, all substantially as and
for the purposes described.
Dated this 19th day of January 1895.
'
EDWARDS & Co.,
65 and 66, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicants.