Improvements in or relating to the "Retting." of Fibres.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Nov., 1893 -Accepted, 14th Apr., 1884
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the "Retting." of Fibres.
We, JOHN GOLT PENNINGTON of Paterson, New Jersey, Chemist and
WILLIAM OUTIS ALLISON, of 72 William Street in the City, County and State
of New York, Publisher 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:-
The object of retting is to free the fibres from the stalks, bark, etc., and to weaken
and partially rot the stalks so as to make them easy to break without rotting the
fibres and to clean the fibres and render them fit to spin. Retting is accomplished
through the agency of bacteria and other microbes which destroy the gum and
extractive matters. It is, in fact, a partially putrefactive fermentation.
To show that it is the microbes that do the work and not the mere solvent action
of the water, if the water is at so high a temperature or contains such chemical
substances as kill or retard the multiplication and growth of microbes, the retting
will be stopped although the solvent power of the water would naturally be
increased thereby.
My improvement in this process consists in adding to the retting water, water
containing microbes known to be suitable for retting in the best manner, and in
adding to it such soft salts and oxides as shall furnish alimentation to the microbes
and facilitate their vigorous growth and multiplication, the whole being kept at a
proper heat.
To put my invention into practice, I add to the retting-water, water known to be
favourable to a good ret; for instance water from the River Lys in Belgium, or
I select certain microbes preferably of the pchizomycetes order by means of
gelatine according to Koch's method put them into water, and then add to the
water a certain quantity of potash, phosphoric acid, and nitrogen, the potash being
preferably presented or exhibited as such by itself and the phosphoric acid and
nitrogen being preferably exhibited respectively in the form of phosphate of soda
and ammonia. The proportions I prefer to use, are as follows; To ten thousand
parts of water, one part of potash, a half part of phosphoric acid, and a nitrogenous
substance in sufficient quantity to present a half part of nitrogen.
These ingredients and proportions give satisfactory results; but when it is desirable
to hasten the retting, I add to the substances above specified, the following; one
fourth part of sulphate of magnesia and one-eighth part of chloride of manganese
and in cases where the water does not naturally contain it, one-fourth part of lime.
The whole is treated at 80° to 100° F.. Under these circumstances, flax straw
may be retted thoroughly in from 36 to 48 hours, and the quality of the fibre will
be found to be excellent, uniformly retted and the straw easily broken, scutched
and cleaned.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is;-
1. The process of producing a bath or steep for retting flax or other fibrous
plants which consists in supplying to the water a liquid containing microbes known
to produce proper retting and adding thereto substances containing potash,
phosphoric acid and nitrogen substantially as described.
2. The process of producing a bath or steep for retting flax or other fibrous
plants which consists in supplying to water a liquid containing microbes known to

page_text: produce proper retting and adding substances containing nitrogen phosphoric acid
sulphuric acid chlorine magnesia and potash substantially as described.
3. A composition of matter to be employed in retting consisting of water potash
ammonia phosphate of soda sulphate of magnesia and chloride of manganese
substantially in the proportions specified.
Dated this 28th day of November 1893.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicants.