Improvements relating to the Separation of Cotton from the Hulls or Husks and Seeds of the Cotton-plant.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Mar., 1888
Specification Accepted, 16th Feb.. 1889
Improvements relating to the Separation of Cotton from the Hulls
or Husks and Seeds of the Cotton-plant.
We, JOHN DAVIS TOMPKINS of Nassau in the County of Rensselau and State of
New York, U.S.A. and CHARLES WETHERWAX of No. 2 Hall Place, Albany, in the
County of Albany, and State of New York, U.S.A. do hereby declare the nature of
our Invention for IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO THE SEPARATION OF COTTON FROM
THE HULLS OR HUSKS AND SEEDS OF THE COTTON-PLANT," and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following Specification
.
:―
Heretofore the fibres of cotton have been removed from the Hull or Seeds of the Cotton
by process of ginning or crushing or roller process and other mechanical means;
and when removed from the Hulls or Seeds by process of ginning, the fibres of the
cotton.are broken off at different distances from the surface of the Hulls, and thereby
leave adhering to the latter, more or less fibre or cotton which is lost, and which is of
no commercial value.
When the removal of the cotton from the hulls or seeds is effected by a crushing
or roller process or other mechanical means, the cost attending the same is very great,
owing to the great length of time and mechanical manipulation required to successfully
and cleanly remove the hulls or seed from the fibre.
In the practice of our new process, we employ a chemical liquor, preferably an
alkaline solution; and in all cases a chemical liquor which will not, when highly
heated, eat, destroy or weaken the fibre of the cotton; and with this liquor we treat
the hulls or seeds having the cotton fibres adhering thereto, while in a closed steam-
tight vessel and under the action of heat and pressure, we gradually disintegrate the
hulls or seed and dissolve the gums, oils and other constituent parts of the same until
the roots of all the fibres radiating from these hulls or seeds have been freed from the
substances composing the hulls or seeds, and are fully cleaned from the same; so that
the cotton fibre only will remain visable to the eye while the substances composing
the hulls or seeds will be taken up by the cooking liquor and become associated
with it.
The objects of our invention are; first, to so treat the hulls or seed of the cotton
plant, with which the fibre of cotton is associated or held by the substances composing
the hulls, as to wholly dissolve these substances and so free the fibre from the same

page_text: that no portion of the hulls or seed will remain attached to the roots of the fibres,
while the latter will be absolutely free and clean of all substances foreign to the
fibres themselves; and secondly, to produce a product from the hulls or seed of cotton
in which the root ends of the cotton or fibres of the cotton will form a portion of the
cotton or fibre and be valuable for manufacturing purposes; and finally, to produce
a product from the hulls or seeds of cotton which we denominate Seed-Hull Cotton,
in which the roots or substantially all of the individual fibres originally radiating from
the hulls or seeds will constitute a part of the fibre.
To carry our Invention into effect, we introduce in a closed and steam tight vessel
(made of iron or steel or other suitable material which will sustain a pressure from
its inside of from fifteen (15) to one-hundred and twenty (120) pounds pressure), any
suitable quantity of the hulls or seeds, say from one to five tons more or less, which
have cotton fibre naturally adhering or attached to them, and into the same vessel we
introduce a cooking liquor which will, when heated under pressure of from fifteen to
one hundred and twenty pounds pressure, dissolve the gums, oils and other substances
composing these hulls or seeds. This liquor is preferably alkaline in character, and is
preferably made from soda-ash, caustic soda, or potash and with a strength, at 100
degrees Fahrenheit, of from one (1) to twelve (12) degrees Baumé.
These seeds or hulls of the cotton plant having and containing fibre together with
this cooking liquor will be tightly colosed in the vessel and heat will be applied to this
cooking liquor by any suitable known means until raised to a suitable temperature
for causing the liquor, in this particular strength employed, to dissolve the gums,
resins, oils and other constituent matters belonging to and essential in the hulls or
seeds, or both, and foreign to the fibre of the cotton.
When this cooking liquor is made of caustic soda, which chemical we prefer to use
because of economy and effectiveness, we prefer to use the same at as low strength
Baumé as will be found to be suitable to dissolve the gums, resins, oils and other
substances composing the seeds or hulls with which the cotton fibre has natural
adherance, at a heat corresponding with a pressure of about one hundred (100)
pounds per square inch on the shell of the cooking vessel. This strength of liquor
will vary more or less accordingly as the nature of the gums, resins and oils natural
in the seeds and hulls of the different kinds of cotton may require, and as the seeds
or hulls may be more or less damp or wet.
The heating of this liquor can be effected by any suitable means, as by direct
application of fire to the cooking vessel or by means of steam introduced within the
charge being cooked, or by a suitable liquor heating device through which the
cooking liquor will be passed and when heated be made to circulate through the
cooking charge. The cooking of the charge can be effected in from three (3) to
seven (7) hours according to the strength of the caustic soda liquor employed, or the
hardness or obstinacy of the gums or resins of the seeds or hulls, which time will
readily be determined after working a few charges.
The quantity of cooking liquor, in gallons, used with each ion of cotton bulls or
seed, or both, will be such as will be necessary to keep the hulls or seeds immersed or
saturated, so that the alakaline substance in the liquor will be in constant action with
the gums, resins, oils and other substances to be dissolved, and the economical
quantity of cooking liquor can be readily determined by observation.
Ordinarily from four to six hours will be sufficient to dissolve the substances
composing the hulls or seeds of the cotton and free the roots of the fibre from the
same, when the caustic soda liquor employed, at one hundred (100) degrees
Fahrenheit is about eight (8) degrees Baumé. When the strength of the liquor
is increased the cooking will be effected in the same time under less heat and
pressure; and when the strength of liquor and heat pressure are both increased, the
dissolving and disintegrating of the seeds or huils will be effected in a shorter time.
In most of cases with dry seeds or hulls and with liquor of eight (8) degrees strength
Baumé, at one hundred (100) degrees Fahrenheit, and with the charge cooking at
about one hundred pounds pressure per square inch, the substances composing the
cotton seeds or hulls will be fully dissolved and disintegrated so that the root ends of

page_text: the fibres of the cotton will be, freed from all foreign substances and be available for
manufacturing purposes as the other parts of the fibre.
We preferably use, as a vessel in which to treat these hulls or seeds with adhe: ing
cotton, one of cylindrical form and set upright; and by the use of suitable pump and
system of liquor circulating pipes, by means of which the chemical cooking liquor
will be forced to circulate through the mass of the charge being treated, preferably in
an upwardly direction, or upwardly and downwardly alternately as may be desired.
By this upward circulation of the liquor through the mass of hulls, seeds and cotton
adhering to the former, the fibre of the cotton will not be in the least injured or
broken, and the cotton fibres when liberated from the hulls or seeds will be of good
quality and of increased length because of the root and portions remaining with the
fibre.
Rotating vessels, or vessels having no means for circulating the cooking liquor
through the mass of hulls or seed and cotton can be used; yet, with the disadvantage,
in the former, of breaking more or less of the fibre, and in the latter of requiring a
greater length of time to ensure a perfect and uniform dissolving of the matter
composing the hulls and seels.
After these hulls and seeds have been fully dissolved, the cooking liquor will be
drawn off and the cooked charge will be removed and washed free from all
traces of the chemical it was cooked with. After being washed, we preferably subject
the product to the action of any suitable bleaching agent for removing the color
stains of the fibre which it may have received from the dissolved hulls or seeds while
being subjected to the action of the liquor.
The product produced by our above described process will be cotton fibres. which
will be strong and unbroken and will have with them their root ends which will be free
from all foreign substances, and contribute to supplement the length of the fibre usually
had when removed from the hull or seed by mechanical force. When the hulls or
seeds have been removed from the cotton or fibre by mechanical means, so as to
leave with the hulls and seeds portions of the lengths of the many fibres, together
with the root ends of the same naturally imbedded in the substance of the said hulls
or seeds, a perfect separation of these fragmentary exterior parts of the cotton fibre,
together with the root ends from the substances which naturally compose the seed or
hulls can be readily effected in an economical manner by our above described process;
and the resultant product will consist of true cotton fibre which will be of such
length and strength as to be adapted to be carded, dressed, spun and woven as other
cotton of short staple or be made into cotton batting or wadding, or into other
merchantable form as short staple cotton is generally used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed and carried into practice,
we declare that what we claim is :
1st. In the separation of cotton or fibres of cotton from hulls or seed by chemical
means and heat, the process of dissolving the hulls or seed and freeing the fibres of the
cotton from the substance composing the former, which consists of subjecting the
hulls or seeds having cotton fibres adhering thereto by natural attachment, to the
action of a highly heated chemical cooking liquor which will dissolve the gums,
resins, oils and other substances composing the said hulls or seeds, and free the roots
of the fibre from the same substantially as described.
2nd. In the separation of cotton or fibres of cotton from hull or seed by the action
of a heated chemical liquor, the process of dissolving the gums, resins, oils, and
disintegrating the substances composing the same, which consists in subjecting the
hulls or sced having cotton fibre naturally connected with the substance of the same,
within a closed vessel and under pressure, to the action of a highly heated chemical
liquor which will dissolve the gums, resins, oils and other substances composing said
hulls or seeds, and free the root ends of the fibre of the cotton from the substances
naturally composing the said hulls or seeds, as described.
3rd. The process of separating cotton or fibre of cotton having natural attachment

page_text: with the hulls or seeds from the substance of the latter, which consists in subjecting
the hulls or seeds with the cotton fibre attached thereto to the action of highly heated
alkaline liquor as discribed within a close vessel and under pressure, with the liquor
circulated through the mass of material treated until the gums, resins, oils or other
'substances composing the said hulls or seeds are dissolved, and the roots of the fibre
of the cotton are freed or separated; and then freeing the resultant product of
liberated cotton fibre, from the alkaline substance with which the hulls or seeds were
dissolved substantially as described.
4th. The process of producing commercial or merchantable cotton fibre from the
hulls or seeds having cotton fibre adhering thereto by a natural attachment, which
consists in dissolving or disintegrating the resins, gums, oils or other substances which
compose the substance of said hulls or seeds, by the action of an alkaline liquor within
a closed vessel and under heat and pressure until the roots of the fibre is freed and
separated then washing from this freed fibre the alkali and then bleaching this
washed fibre, all substantially as described.
5th. The product above described which consists of cotton or cotton fibre having the
root ends natural to the same remaining in continuity therewith, and freed from the
substances which originally composed the hulls or seeds by the means substantially
as described.
6th. The product above described which consists of cotton, or cotton fibre composed
of fibres which were originally exterior to the hulls or seeds, and are in continuity
with the root ends originally embedded in the substance of the. said hulls or seeds
which have been dissolved by the action of the chemical cooking liquor, substantially
as above described.
1000