of Plants of the Urtica Family and the like.
Year: 1886

page_text: of Plants of the Urtica Family and the like.
We GEORGE WILLIAM HARGREAVES BROGDEN and EDWARD CASPER trading as
G. W. H. Brogden & Co of 220 Gresham House, Old Broad Street, in the city of
London, Merchants do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communi-
cation from abroad by Professor Edmond Frémy, Member of the Institute of
France and Victor Urbain, Engineer and Chemist, both of Paris in the republic
of France) to be as follows:-
This invention relates to further improvements on former Letters Patent
N° 11660 of 1885 the object of the present improvements being to modify, perfect
and cheapen the process of treatment of fibres described in the specification of the
said former Letters Patent.
We have found by experiment that the composition of Rhea bark varies
according to the species of the plant and the nature of the soil on which it has
been cultivated and that the method of treatment should vary according to the
composition of the bark having regard to the relative proportions of epidermis and
liber which constitute the bark.
Some ribbons those for example from India, Egypt and America contain
insignificant quantities only of epidermis and may be considered as almost pure
liber; whilst those from Algeria or the neighbourhood of Bordeaux sometimes
contain on the contrary as much as forty per cent of epidermis.
The specifications of former Letters Patent N° 1609 of 1880, N° 1816 of 1882
N° 763 of 1883 and N° 11660 of 1885 describe the general method to be employed
in the treatment of Rhea ribbon which contains the largest quantity of epidermis.
This invention relates to processes for separating the epidermis from the liber
before freeing the fibre from cementitious matter and to a new mode of treatment
which should be applied either directly to those ribbons which naturally only
contain insignificant quantities of epidermis or to those ribbons which have been
freed from their epidermis by the methods described in the specifications of the
said former Letters Patent.

page_text: In carrying out this invention for the preparation of the liber direct from Rhea
stems we operate on the green stems so soon as cut and proceed in the following
manner.
The Rhea stems having been cut and stripped of their leaves are subjected during
about thirty minutes to a boiling alkaline bath containing about one thousandth
part of carbonate of soda in a digester under a pressure of about two atmospheres
or in cases where the boiling under pressure is not convenient an open boiler can
be used only instead of the carbonate the same proportion of caustic soda must
be used. This bath dissolves the pectose which connects the epidermis to the liber.
The stems when taken out of the above bath are rubbed lightly with a rough
cloth which removes the epidermis thereby exposing a horn-like transparent
membrane called the liberian membrane which can easily be detached by hand.
The liberian membrane thus obtained resembles the china grass of the Chinese
and yields white and silky fibres.
This discovery is of especial importance, because if the epidermis is separated
from the bark on the spot where it is produced a considerable portion of the cost
of transport of the useful matter is saved and it is immediately freed from the
fermentable substances which might damage the fibres.
In carrying out the invention for separating the epidermis from the liber
contained in the ribbons instead of dissolving the epidermis as in the specifications
of the said former Letters Patent we simply render it detachable by means of a
current of water. For this purpose we boil the Rhea ribbons during about thirty
minutes in a solution of carbonate of soda containing about twenty grammes of
this salt per litre of water.
It has been demonstrated in Professor Frémy's works on ligneous tissues that
the substance which connects the epidermis to the liber in the bark is simply
pectose.
As pectose is soluble in carbonate of soda such pectose will be dissolved by the
above named boiling alkaline bath and after such boiling the epidermis can be
detached from the liber by a simple rubbing, by an energetic washing or by the
action of water under pressure.
In this separation of the epidermis from the liber it is essential that the
carbonate of soda should not act too long a time upon the liber as in such case the
tissue would lose its rigidity by becoming fibrous and would retain appreciable
portions of the epidermis which the subsequent washing would not detach.
The ribbon thus freed from its epidermis can now be freed from cementitious
matter with great facility; it has lost a useless substance which served to augment
the price of transport, it yields silky fibres and is not liable to rot because the
fermentable substances contained in the epidermis have been removed. We attach
great importance to this elimination of the epidermis before the treatment of the
ribbons because we have found that ribbons, otherwise of excellent quality, had
entirely lost their useful qualities during transport because the fermentable
substances contained in the epidermis under the action of heat and damp had
injuriously affected the fibres of the liber and had destroyed their tenacity.
We will now describe the process for treating liberian fibres obtained from Rhea
either by the processes herein before described or otherwise.
In the preceding patent the rhea ribbons were first treated by a bath of hydro-
chloric acid which was for the purpose of removing the lime contained in the plant,
and afterwards by caustic soda under pressure which effected the dissolution not
only of the pectose and of the cutose but also that of the vasculose.
According to the present invention we omit the bath of hydrochloric acid and
the caustic soda which we replace by a bath of oleate of soda.
We have found that the oleate of soda acting when hot upon the ribbons
removed the lime therefrom which according to the former patent was eliminated
by means of hydrochloric acid and that the said oleate of soda easily dissolved the
pectose and the cutose which held the fibres together.

page_text: As caustic soda under pressure dissolves the epidermis in which the vasculose is
principally contained this reagent becomes superfluous when the liber has been freed
from the epidermis as hereinbefore described.
The bath of oleate of soda which we employ in this new method of treating
rhea is composed of about one hundred litres (or twenty two gallons) of water one
kilo of soda and six hundred grammes of oleic acid. When the rhea ribbons have
been entirely freed from their epidermis the action of the oleate of soda is easy
and rapid; we have frequently obtained after two hours boiling in oleate of soda
white and silky fibres.
If the ribbons to be treated should still retain an appreciable quantity of their
epidermis then the above boiling should be prolonged and the operation can with
advantage be carried on under pressure.
As a means of ascertaining whether the operation has been carried out in a
thoroughly effective manner a small portion of the rhea fibres should be immersed
in concentrated sulphuric acid and if the liquid does not color it is a sign that the
operation has been properly carried out and will give satisfactory results and that
the principal object of the process viz:-the elimination of the pectose, cutose and
vasculose has been effected.
From the preceding description it will be obvious that the processes we have
described are essentially methodical and are founded upon the known results of
certain chemical formulæ.
The object of this invention is to eliminate successively the three bodies which
are injurious to the softness of the fibre and we have shown that the pectose,
cutose and vasculose have been removed. We have replaced in this process caustic
soda by oleate of soda, because this latter salt has the property of not injuriously
affecting the tenacity of the fibres and of effecting the bleaching thereof without
the use of chlorine.
The use of oleate of soda has another important advantage viz:-Rhea fibre
purified by these processes is a pure cellulosic substance entirely soluble in
sulphuric acid.
But in certain industrial applications such as in the making of fire hose, belting
fishing nets & it may be advantageous to produce Rhea fibres only partly freed
from cementitious matter whilst retaining some of the hardness and resistance of
the original fibres.
The bath of oleate of soda which acts more slowly and more regularly than the
caustic soda allows of obtaining fibres retaining traces of cutose and vasculose and
suitable for certain special purposes.
In order to ascertain the quantity of foreign matters (cutose and vasculose)
which remain in the fibre a portion of it is subjected to the test above named and
the weight of the substances which the sulphuric acid will not dissolve is the weight
of cementitious matter remaining incorporated with the fibre.
D

page_text: of Plants of the Urtica Family and the like.
We GEORGE WILLIAM HARGREAVES BROGDEN and EDWARD CASPER trading as
G. W. H. Brogden & Co of 220 Gresham House, Old Broad Street, in the city of
London Merchants do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication
from abroad by Professor Edmond Frémy, Member of the Institute of France and
Victor Urbain, Engineer and Chemist, both of Paris in the Republic of France)
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to further improvements on former Letters Patent
No 11660 of 1885 the object of the present improvements being to modify, perfect
and cheapen the processes of treatment of fibres described in the specification of
the said former Letters Patent.
We have found by experiment that the composition of Rhea bark varies
according to the species of the plant and the nature of the soil on which it has
been cultivated and that the method of treatment should vary according to the
composition of the bark having regard to the relative proportions of epidermis and
liber which constitute the bark meaning by that term the entire vegetable coating
that covers the inner stem of the plant including both the outermost coat or skin
and the underlying coat or coats.
Some ribbons of bark those for example from India, Egypt and America contain
insignificant quantities only of epidermis and may be considered as almost pure
liber; whilst those from Algeria or the neighbourhood of Bordeaux sometimes
contain on the contrary as much as forty per cent of epidermis.
The specifications of former Letters Patent No 1609 of 1880, No 1816 of 1882,
N° 763 of 1883, and N° 11660. of 1885 describe the general method to be
employed in the treatment of Rhea ribbon which contains the largest quantity of
epidermis.
This invention relates in particular to processes for separating the epidermis or
outermost covering from the liber or inner integuments or coat before freeing the
liber from cementitious matter and to a new mode of treatment which should be
applied either directly to those ribbons of bark which naturally only contain
insignificant quantities of epidermis or to those ribbons which have been freed
from their epidermis or outermost covering.
In carrying out this invention for the preparation of the liber direct from Rhea
stems we operate on the green stems so soon as cut and proceed in the following
manner
•
The Rhea stems having been cut and stripped of their leaves but having upon
them their outermost coverings or skins are subjected during about thirty minutes
to a boiling alkaline bath composed of water and carbonate of soda (in about the
proportions of one gramme of carbonate of soda to each one thousand grammes of
water) in a digester under a pressure of about two atmospheres or in cases where

page_text: the boiling under pressure is not convenient an open boiler can be used, only
instead of the carbonate the same proportion of caustic soda must be used. This
bath dissolves the pectose which connects the epidermis to the liber. If the
strength of the above bath be increased it will be obvious that the duration of the
operation will be lessened but we have found the above directions to give
satisfactory results. In some cases if the strength of the bath be diminished, as is
obvious, the duration of the operation must be increased.
The stems when taken out of the above bath are rubbed lightly with a rough
cloth or by other means which removes the epidermis thereby exposing a horn like
transparent membrane called the liberian membrane which can easily be detached
by hand.
The liberian membrane thus obtained resembles the china grass of the Chinese
and yields white and silky fibres.
This discovery is of especial importance, because if the epidermis is separated
from the bark on the spot where it is produced a portion of the cost of transport
of the useful matter is saved and it is immediately freed from the fermentable
substances which might damage the fibres and will bring a higher price in the
market.
.
In carrying out the invention for separating the epidermis from the liber
contained in the ribbons instead of dissolving the epidermis as in the specifications
of the said former Letters Patent we simply render it detachable by means of a
current of water. For this purpose we boil the Rhea ribbons obtained by means
other than that just described during about thirty minutes in a solution of carbonate
of soda containing about twenty grammes of this salt per litre of water.
It has been stated in specification N° 763 of 1883 that the substance which
connects the epidermis to the liber in the bark is simply pectose.
As pectose is soluble in carbonate of soda such pectose will be dissolved by the
above named boiling alkaline bath and after such boiling the epidermis can be
detached from the liber by a simple rubbing or by an energetic washing or by the
action of water under pressure.
In this separation of the epidermis from the liber it is essential that the
carbonate of soda should not act too long a time upon the liber as in such case the
tissue would loose its rigidity by becoming fibrous and would retain appreciable
portions of the epidermis which the subsequent washing would not detach.
The ribbon when thus freed from its epidermis can be freed from cementitious
matter with great facility; it has lost a useless substance which served to augment
the price of transport, it yields silky fibres and is not liable to rot because the
fermentable substances contained in the epidermis have been removed. We attach
great importance to this elimination of the epidermis at the place of production
and before the final treatment of the ribbons because we have found that ribbons,
otherwise of excellent quality had entirely lost their useful qualities during
transport because the fermentable substances contained in the epidermis under the
action of heat and damp had injuriously affected the fibres of the liber and had
destroyed their tenacity.
We will now describe the process for treating the fibres of the liber when
obtained from Rhea either by the processes hereinbefore described or otherwise.
In the specifications of the preceding patents above referred to the Rhea ribbons
were first treated by a bath of hydrochloric acid which was for the purpose of
removing the lime contained in the plant, and afterwards by caustic soda under
pressure which effected the dissolution not only of the pectose and of the cutose
but also that of the vasculose.
-
According to the present invention we omit the bath of hydrochloric acid and
the caustic soda which we replace by a bath of oleate of soda
We have found that the oleate of soda acting when hot upon the ribbons
successfully removes the lime therefrom which according to the former patent was
removed by means of hydrochloric acid and that the said olento of soda easily
dissolves the pectose and the cutose which holds the fibres together

page_text: As caustic soda under pressure dissolves the epidermis in which the vasculose
is principally contained this reagent becomes superfluous when the liber has been
separately freed from the epidermis by friction or otherwise as hereinbefore
described.
The bath of oleate of soda which we employ in this new method of treating
Rhea is composed of about one hundred litres (or twenty two gallons) of water,
one kilo of soda and six hundred grammes of oleic acid. When the Rhea ribbons
have been entirely freed from their epidermis the action of the oleate of soda is
easy and rapid; we have frequently obtained after two hours boiling in oleate of
soda white and silky fibres.
If the ribbons to be treated should be found to have retained any appreciable
quantity of their epidermis then the above boiling should be prolonged and the
operation can with advantage be carried on under pressure.
As a means of ascertaining whether the operation has been carried out in a
thoroughly effective manner a small portion of the Rhea fibres should be immersed
in concentrated sulphuric acid and if the liquid does not color it is a sign that the
operation has been properly carried out and will give satisfactory results and that
the principal object of the process viz; the elimination of the pectose, cutose and
vasculose has been effected.
From the preceding description it will be obvious that the processes we have
described are essentially methodical and are founded upon the known results of
certain chemical formulæ.
.
The object of this invention is to eliminate successively the three bodies which
are injurious to the softness of the fibre and we have shewn how the pectose,
cutose and vasculose may be removed. We have replaced in this process caustic
soda by oleate of soda, because this latter salt has the property of not injuriously
affecting the tenacity of the fibres and of effecting the discharge of colour without
the use of chlorine.
The use of oleate of soda has another important advantage viz: Rhea fibre
purified by these processes is a pure cellulosic substance entirely soluble in
sulphuric acid.
But in certain industrial applications such as in the making of fire hose, belting,
fishing nets &c. it may be sufficient and advantageous having regard to economy
to produce Rhea fibres only partly freed from cementitious matter whilst retaining
some of the hardness and resistance of the original fibres.
The bath of oleate of soda which acts more slowly and more regularly than the
caustic soda allows of obtaining fibres retaining traces of cutose and vasculose and
suitable for certain special purposes.
In order to ascertain the quantity of foreign matters (cutose and vasculose)
which remain in the fibre a portion of it is subjected to the test above named and
the weight of the substances which the sulphuric acid will not dissolve is the
weight of cementitious matter remaining incorporated with the fibre.
From the preceding description it has been shewn that the bases on which this
invention has been founded are
1. That the treatment of Rhea requires to be modified according to the origin
and composition of the plant.
2. That such modifications in the treatment of the Rhea will vary with the
relative proportions of epidermis and liber contained in the bark of the plant.
3. That we have discovered industrial methods which permit of the separation
of the epidermis from the liber either by operating directly upon the coated stem
or upon the bark when it has been stripped from the stom in the form of ribbons,
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. The process herein described for the separation of the epidermis from the
liber before freeing the fibres from cementitious matter by the use of an alkalinė

page_text: bath and subsequent treatment by rubbing or by other means as hereinbefore
described and the use of oleate of soda for purifying and discharging colour from
the fibres, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
2. Treating Rhea ribbons not freed from their outermost covering or skin by
the use of a weak alkaline bath and subsequent friction as herein before described.
3. The method herein described of freeing Rhea fibres from cementitious matter
by the use of oleate of soda substantially as and for the purpose herein described.
4. The manufacture of an improved character of prepared Rhea fibre by
separating the epidermis from the inner coat of the bark and employing oleate of
Boda substantially as described.