Utilizing Waste or Refuse Materials.
Year: 1885

page_text: Utilizing Waste or Refuse Materials.
We, FREDERICK GEORGE MORTON, of 84 Naylor Road, Peckham, in the County
of Surrey, Engineer, and NAHUM SALAMON, of Thornton House, Thornton Road,
Clapham Park, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature"
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to the manufacture of pulp or "half-stuff" suitable
to paper making from materials found in the waste or refuse of vegetable fibres,
jute, gunny, (which may for example be old bagging fustian potato haulm, and
such like substances) and has for its object to produce from such materials pulp or
"half stuff" superior in quality and value to those hitherto made from the same
materials by the ordinary means and method of manufacture.
In order to render the refuse material permeable to the action of water it is
torn to pieces, teased open and washed by means of suitable apparatus such as is
known in the trade as a devil or opener, or a breaking engine. If a breaking
engine be used the washing will, as well understood, be effected simultaneously
with the tearing and teasing; but if a devil or opener be used, the washing must
be effected after the tearing and teasing in separate apparatus. Next the teased
and permeable mass is boiled in an alkaline solution of weak strength thus
obviating the injurious action upon the fibres due to the use of a strong solution
of alkali. The previous teasing enables the boiling to be effected at the ordinary
atmospheric pressure.
After boiling, the material is washed, and after washing it is treated in a bath
containing very dilute sulphuric acid. Subsequently it is again washed to free it
from acid and then it is bleached in the ordinary way but instead of employing
bleaching solution of about 5° Twaddell as is usual in the bleaching of pulp, the
previous and subsequent operations herein described admit of the use at this stage
of the process of a solution of only 2° Twaddell. The bleaching action is arrested
when the appearance of the material indicates that it has gone sufficiently far,.by
the addition of a solution of sodic hyposulphite, or other alkaline hyposulphite
or its chemical equivalent to the materials which have been subjected to the action

page_text: of the bleaching solution. Next the material is subjected to a second bleaching in
a bath of water (which may advantageously be cold) containing a solution of a
suitable bleaching or oxidizing agent such as an alkaline hypochlorite.
The material being now in the form of "half stuff" is pressed and then opened
by passing through suitable apparatus such as a "willow" or opener, or other
suitable contrivance; subsequently it is then carefully dried. It is afterwards
pressed into bales ready for immediate use.
Pulp or half stuff produced as described constitutes a material of a flossy texture
such as may be used by the paper maker without the previous soaking necessary
when using ordinary "half-stuff in a lumpy condition.

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Pulp or
Utilizing Waste or Refuse Materials.
:
6 Half-stuff,"
We, FREDERICK GEORGE MORTON, of 84, Naylor Road Peckham in the county
of Surrey, Engineer, and NAHUM SALAMON, of Thornton House, Thornton Road,
Clapham Park, in the county of Surrey, gentleman, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has reference to the manufacture of pulp or "half-stuff" suitable
to paper making from materials found in the waste or refuse of vegetable fibres,
jute, gunny, (which may for example be old bagging, fustian, potato stems, and
such like substances) and other vegetable fibres, and has for its object to produce
from such materials pulp or "half-stuff" superior in quality and value to those
hitherto made from the same materials by the ordinary means and method of
manufacture. In order to render the refuse material permeable to the action of
water it is torn to pieces, teased open and washed by means of suitable apparatus
such as is known in the trade as a devil or opener, or a breaking engine. If
a breaking engine be used the washing will, as well understood, be effected simul-
taneously with the tearing and teasing; but if a devil or opener be used, the
washing must be effected after the tearing and teasing in separate apparatus. Next
the teased and permeable mass is boiled in an alkaline solution of weak strength
thus obviating the injurious action upon the fibres due to the use of a strong
solution of alkali. We have used a solution carrying from 4 lbs: to 6 lbs: of
caustic soda per 112 lbs: of raw fibre, whereas it has been usual to employ about
from 8 lbs: to 12 lbs: of caustic soda per 112 lbs of raw fibre.
'
As is well known to makers of paper pulp or half-stuff, the quantity of water
required for boiling varies according to the temperature of the atmosphere. In
carrying out our invention we use the same quantity of water as would be used in
the ordinary process with the like quantity of raw fibre at the like atmospheric
temperature. The previous teasing enables us to effect the boiling at the ordinary
atmospheric pressure.
After boiling as above the material is washed with water to free it as far as
possible from alkali, and after this washing it is treated in a bath containing very
dilute sulphuric acid. We have used a bath in the proportion of about one gallon
of ordinary commercial sulphuric acid to nineteen gallons of water. The object of
this bath is to decolorise those fibres that have not been decolorised by the
alkaline solution and the time during which the fibre is allowed to remain in the
bath will depend upon the amount of color to be removed. The appearance of
the fibre in the bath will show when the fibre is ready for the bleaching. bath. The
time may vary say between 15. and 30. minutes, but care must be taken not to
leave the fibre so long in the bath as to injure it by the action of the acid.
After the just described bath the fibre is again washed to free it from acid,
and then it is bleached in the ordinary way at a temperature of 90° Fahrenheit
or thereabout, but instead of employing bleaching solution of about 5° Twaddell
>

page_text: as is usual in the bleaching of pulp, the previous and subsequent operations herein
described admit of the use at this stage of the process of a solution of only
2° Twaddell,
The bleaching action is arrested when the appearance of the material indicates
that it has gone sufficiently far either by washing or by the addition to the
materials which have been subjected to the action of the bleaching solution of a
solution of an alkaline hyposulphite or anti-chlor that will not discolor the said
materials. We prefer to use sodic hyposulphite in the well known manner.
Next
the material is subjected to a second bleaching in a bath of water (which may
advantageously be at a temperature of about 60° Fahrenheit) containing a solution
of a suitable bleaching or oxidising agent such as an alkaline bypochlorite. We
have used a bath in the proportions of about 40 gallons of water at about
60° Fahrenheit mixed with about 1. gallon of a saturated solution of hypochlorite
of lime.
The material being now in the form of "half-stuff" is pressed and then opened
by passing through suitable apparatus such as a "willow" or opener, or other
suitable contrivance; subsequently it is carefully dried. The drying may be
advantageously effected in a desiccating apparatus of the kind known as Gibbs'
patent. It is afterwards pressed into bales ready for immediate use.
Pulp or half-stuff produced as described constitutes a material of a flossy texture
such as may be used by the paper maker without the previous soaking necessary
when using ordinary half-stuff in a lumpy condition..
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
:
1. In the manufacture of pulp or half-stuff from waste or refuse fibrous vegetable
materials subdividing the fibrous materials preparatory to boiling the same
substantially as hereinabove described.
2. In the manufacture of pulp or half-stuff from waste or refuse fibrous vegetable
materials acidifying the boiled fibrous materials before bleaching the same
substantially as described.
:
3. In the manufacture of pulp or half-stuff from waste or refuse fibrous vegetable
materials subjecting the fibrous materials to the action of a chlorine bath after it
has undergone the usual bleaching process and has been subsequently washed.
4. The hereinabove described process of manufacturing pulp or half-stuff from
waste fibrous vegetable materials whether with or without the second bleaching or
chlorine bath.
: