Improved Process of Cleaning Wool or Woollen Materials.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Mar., 1898
Complete Cancifiontian Last 5th De
4030
ALL CL
1000
Improved Process of Cleaning Wool or Woollen Materials.
A communication from DR. HUGO BUNZEL, of 11, Wallstrasse, Charlottenburg,
Berlin, in the Empire of Germany
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In many cases impurities adhere to wool which cannot be removed by ordinary
washing. For instance, the thick pitch or minium by means of which sheep are
marked is very difficult to remove from the wool.
Of the cleaning processes used hitherto the mechanical ones suffer from the dis-
advantage of causing a loss of material and of still leaving behind some amount of
impurities in spite of great care in cleaning said impurities adhering to the wool
during all the manufacturing operations, without being completely removed by
washing etc.
The so called chemical process hitherto used consisted of using hydrocarbons
of the fatty or aromatic series such for instance as those contained in coal tar or
naphtha. These are supposed to dissolve the pitch but the use of hydrocarbons
suffer from a disadvantage which becomes clear if their physical properties are
considered. The hydrocarbons that can be used have a high boiling point they are also
besides insoluble in water and cannot absorb water. For these reasons it is difficult
to remove from the treated wool the remaining particles of the solvent by usual
means that is to say by drying at a low temperature or by washing with water. To
render either one or the other method successful the extraction must be effected
either with some volatile liquid or with one which is soluble in water, such as
benzene or alcohol.
For the same reason of insufficient absorption or mixing with water it is neces-
sary to dry the wool thoroughly before soaking or treating it in hydrocarbons and
in spite of this the soaking operation must last a long time especially if it has
to be conducted at the ordinary temperature.
After careful examination of all the usual solvents it has been found that the
most suitable ones for removing from the wool impurities such as the pitch and
minium marks which are the most important ones to be taken into consideration
are the organic bases of the aromatic series of the pyridin or chinolin series and
also the phenols. Both the bases and phenols can be excellently well used com-
bined into salts and generally instead of the free bases may be used dissociating
salts or salt like combinations.
All these compounds can absorb water therefore it is not necessary to dry the
wool first. On the other hand they are to a certain degree soluble in water;
thus for instance aniline dissolves in water at the ordinary temperature to the
extent of 3% phenol to the extent of 5% they may therefore be easily removed
from the cleaned material simply by rinsing or washing it in cold water.
The dissolving of pitch and minium marks by these substances is effected with

page_text: extraordinary quickness even at an ordinary temperature. Simply to soften the
marks or spots it is not even necessary to use 100% oil, but even weak solutions
of it will suffice. Thus for instance pitch extracts aniline from water which is
absolutely indifferent to the pitch even if there be only 3% of aniline present
and becomes soft.
Provided the wool can stand it the basic property of the bases when used as
solvents may be increased by the addition of inorganic bases such as ammonia,
urine, potash etc. or soap and the like. When the base is employed in the form
of an oil there is not always much advantage in making these additions but when a
watery solution is used they are very advantageous so that it becomes possible to
combine the two operations of removing tarry material from wool and washing
the latter with soap. As a rule however these operations are distinct.
The process may be sometimes usefully modified thus for instance when treating
wool containing pitch etc. in it the wool whether dry or moist may be soaked in
a 3% solution of aniline. After the soaking which may be done at the ordinary
temperature or very slightly heated mechanical devices being used or not the wool
is subjected to washing with soap after having been pressed out. The watery
bath of aniline is however maintained at the same strength by adding fresh
material. It is not worth while to try to recover the aniline remaining in
the pitch and in the wool, having regard to its insignificant quantity.
As an example hat bodies containing pitch are soaked in aniline at the ordinary
temperature for a certain time. The pitch dissolves in the aniline.
taken place the oil is pressed out say by means of wringing rollers the hat
bodies are placed in a cold water bath and from there direct into the acid felting
machine. When the aniline is saturated with pitch and the water bath with
aniline the aniline may be recovered in a pure state by the usual well known
process.
Dated this 8th day of March 1808
After this has
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
A communication from DR. HUGO BUNZEL, of 11, Wallstrasse, Charlottenburg,
Berlin, in the Empire of Germany
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, in the County of London,
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 follow-
ing statement:-
-
In many cases impurities adhere to wool which cannot be removed by ordinary
washing. For instance, the thick pitch or minium by means of which sheep are
marked, is very difficult to remove from the wool.
Of the cleaning process used hitherto, the mechanical ones suffer from the dis-
advantage of causing a loss of material and of still leaving behind some amount of
impurities, in spite of great care in cleaning, said impurities adhering to the wool
during all the manufacturing operations, without being completely removed by
washing etc.
The so-called chemical process hitherto used consisted of using hydrocarbons
of the fatty or aromatic series, such for instance as those contained in coal-tar or
naphtha. These are supposed to dissolve the pitch, but the use of hydrocarbons

page_text: suffers from a disadvantage which becomes clear if their physical properties äre
considered. The hydrocarbons that can be used, have a high boiling point, they áré
also insoluble in water and cannot absorb water. For these reasons it is difficult
to remove from the treated wool the remaining particles of the solvent by usual
means, that is to say by drying at a low temperature or by washing with water. To
render either one or the other method successful the extraction must be effected
either with some volatile liquid or with one which is soluble in water, such as
benzene or alcohol.
For the same reason of insufficient absorption or mixing with water it is neces-
sary to dry the wool thoroughly before soaking or treating it in hydrocarbons, and
in spite of this the soaking operation must last a long time, especially if it has
to be conducted at the ordinary temperature.
After careful examination of all the usual solvents, it has been found that the
most suitable ones for removing from the wool impurities such as the pitch and
minium marks which are the most important ones to be taken into consideration,
are the organic bases of the aromatic series, of the pyridin or chinolin series, and
also the phenols. Both, the bases and phenols can be excellently well used com-
bined into salts, and generally instead of the free bases may be used dissociating
salts or salt-like combinations.
All these compounds can absorb water therefore it is not necessary to dry the
wool first. On the other hand they are, to a certain degree, soluble in water;
thus, for instance, aniline dissolves in water at the ordinary temperature to the
extent of 3%, phenol to the extent of 5%, they may therefore be easily removed
from the cleaned material simply by rinsing or washing it in cold water.
The dissolving of pitch and minium marks by these substances is effected with
extraordinary quickness, even at an ordinary temperature. Simply to soften the
marks or spots it is not even necessary to use 100% oil, but even weak solutions
of it will suffice. Thus, for instance, pitch extracts aniline from water-which is
absolutely indifferent to the pitch even if there be only 3% of aniline present,--
and becomes soft.
Provided the wool can stand it, the basic property of the bases when used as
solvents may be increased by the addition of organic bases, such as ammonia,
urine, potash etc. or soap and the like. When the base is employed in the formi
of an oil there is not always much advantage in making these additions, but when a
water solution is used they are very advantageous, so that it becomes possible to
combine the two operations of removing tarry material from wool and washing
the latter with soap. As a rule, however, these operations are distinct.
The process may be sometimes usefully modified, thus for instance when treating
wool containing pitch etc. it, the wool, whether dry or moist may be soaked in
a 3% solution of aniline. After the soaking, which may be done at the ordinary
temperature or very slightly heated, mechanical devices being used or not, the wool
is subjected to washing with soap after having been pressed out.
The watery
bath of aniline is, however, maintained at the same strength by adding fresh
material. It is not worth while to try to recover the aniline remaining in
the pitch and in the wool, having regard to its insignificant quantity.
As an example, hat bodies containing pitch are soaked in aniline at the ordinary
temperature for a certain time. The pitch dissolves in the aniline. After this has
taken place, the oil is pressed out, sav by means of wringing rollers. The hat
bodies are placed in a cold water bath and from there direct into the acid felting
machine. When the aniline is saturated with pitch and the water bath with
aniline, the aniline may be recovered in a pure state by the usual well known
process.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said invention
as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:
A process for cleaning wool and woollen material containing admixtures of tar.

page_text: pitch, resin, colouring matter or the like, consisting in the use in a hot or cold
state of organic bases of the aromatic series, of pyridin- or chinolin-series, as oils
or in solution, with or without the addition of organic bases as ammonia, urine,
soap, phenols, salt-like combinations of phenols with organic bases, as well as
generally easily dissociating salts or salt-like compounds of the above bases sub-
stantially as described.
Dated this 5th day of December 1898
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.