Process for the Acidulation of Wools, Woollen Rags, or Tissues Intended to be Carbonized or Bleached.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd July, 1895
Complete Specification Left 7th Apr. 1896-Accepted. 9th May, 1896
Date of Application, 3rd July, 1895
Complete Specification Left 7th Apr. 1896-Accepted. 9th May. 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Process for the Acidulation of Wools, Woollen Rags, or Tissues
Intended to be Carbonized or Bleached.
I, GUSTAVE PHILIPS, of Stolberg, near Aix-la-Chapelle, in the Kingdom of
Prussia, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In order to carbonize or bleach wool or tissues and rags of wool it is necessary
to soak the vegetable matter which it is intended to destroy, or the wool which is
required to be bleached, as completely as possible with the acidulated liquid.
The acidulation of wools to be carbonized or bleached as generally practised, is
performed in a basin containing the acidulated liquid.
The total saturation of the vegetable matter contained in wools, rags or tissues
of wool intended to be carbonized or bleached is particularly difficult when it is
desired to destroy in the wool entire teasels and hard seeds or threads of cotton or
strongly twisted flax-yarns.
One has then to use a sufficiently concentrated acidulated liquid and to protract
the steeping of the matter to be carbonized.
It is well-known that the prolonged immersion in this concentrated liquid is very
injurious to the fibre of the wool and all the more so as in order to obtain the
carbonization of the vegetable matter it is absolutely necessary to expose the
acidulated wool to a very high temperature.
The employment of an acidulated concentrated liquid then necessitates strong
alkaline baths in order to obtain the neutralisation of the wool and rags and
tissues of wool, and these baths again have an injurious effect upon the fibre of
the wool.
In order to remedy these drawbacks I have conceived the idea of performing
the acidulating process in a vacuum so as to obtain a perfect contact of the
acidulated liquid with the vegetable matter to be carbonized or the woollen fibres to
be bleached.
For this purpose I make use of a vessel communicating with a pneumatic pump
and provided with a pipe leading to a reservoir containing the acidulated liquid.
The communication with the pneumatic pump and the reservoir can be established
or interrupted by the suitable management of cocks.
First the cock of the pipe leading to the reservoir containing the acidulated
liquid is closed and the basin filled with the matter to be carbonized or bleached
and then hermetically closed.
Then as perfect a vacuum as possible is produced in the interior of the basin
and of the matter contained therein by means of the pneumatic pump, whereupon
the acidulated liquid is by means of a cock made to pass from the reservoir in
which it is contained into the basin containing the matter to be carbonized or
bleached.
During this operation it is necessary that the arrangements made should not
allow of any passage of air from the acid-reservoir into the basin in which the
matter is enclosed.
The matter contained in the basin in which the vacuum is formed is in a very
short time saturated with the acidulated liquid.
This saturation is so intense that even when only a very slightly concentrated

page_text: acidulated liquid is employed, it will suffice to leave the latter during a very
short time in contact with the vegetable matter to be carbonized or with the
woollen fibres to be bleached in order to obtain later on a perfect carbonization.
This effect could not be produced with the system of acidulation hitherto
generally in use except by means of an acidulated liquid at least four times as
much concentrated and by allowing the latter to act during four or five times as
long a period.
Owing to the employment of a weaker acidulated liquid this process enables one
to use for the neutralization of the wool weaker alkaline liquids.
By performing the acidulating process in a vacuum the deterioration of the fibre
of the wool either by acidulation or neutralisation is avoided.
Dated this 3rd day of July 1895.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
A Process for the Acidulation of Wools, Woollen Rags, or Tissues
Intended to be Carbonized or Bleached.
I, GUSTAVE PHILIPS of Stolberg, near Aix-la-Chapelle, in the Kingdom of
Prussia, Manufacturer, 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 :-
In order to carbonize or bleach wool or tissues and rags of wool it is necessary
to soak the vegetable matter which it is intended to destroy, or the wool which is
required to be bleached, as completely as possible with the acidulated liquid.
The acidulation of wools to be carbonized or bleached, as generally practised, is
performed in a basin containing the acidulated liquid.
The total saturation of the vegetable matter contained in wools, rags or tissues
of wool intended to be carbonized or bleached is particularly difficult when it is
desired to destroy in the wool entire teasels and hard seeds or threads of cotton or
flax intimately entwined into woollen articles or rags.
One is then forced to use a sufficiently concentrated acidulated liquid and to
protract the steeping of the matter to be carbonized.
It is well known that the prolonged immersion in this concentrated liquid is very
injurious to the fibre of the wool and all the more so as in order to obtain the
carbonization of the vegetable matter it is absolutely necessary to expose the
acidulated wool to a very high temperature.
:
The employment of an acidulated concentrated liquid then necessitates strong
alkaline baths in order to obtain the neutralisation of the wool and rags and
tissues of wool, and these baths again have an injurious effect upon the fibre of
the wool.
In order to remedy these drawbacks I have conceived the idea of performing
the acidulating process in a vacuum so as to obtain a perfect contact of the
acidulated liquid with the vegetable matter to be carbonized or the woollen fibres
to be bleached.
For this purpose I make use of a vessel communicating with a pneumatic pump
and provided with a pipe leading to a reservoir containing the acidulated liquid.
The communication with the pneumatic pump and the reservoir can be established
or interrupted by the suitable management of cocks.
First the cock of the pipe leading to the reservoir containing the acidulated
liquid is closed and the basin filled with the matter to be carbonized or bleached
and then hermetically closed.
:
Then as perfect a vacuum as possible is produced in the interior of the basin

page_text: and of the matter contained therein by means of the pneumatic pump, whereupon.
the acidulated liquid is by means of a cock made to pass from the reservoir in
which it is contained into the basin containing the matter to be carbonized or
bleached.
During this operation it is necessary that the arrangements made should not
allow of any passage of air from the acid reservoir into the basin in which the
matter is enclosed.
The matter contained in the basin in which the vacuum is formed is in a very
short time saturated with the acidulated liquid.
This saturation is so intense that even when only a very slightly concentrated
acidulated liquid is employed, it will suffice to leave the latter during a very short
time in contact with the vegetable matter to be carbonized or with the woollen
fibres to be bleached, in order to obtain perfect carbonization.
This effect could not be produced with the system of acidulation hitherto
generally in use except by means of an acidulated liquid at least four times as
much concentrated and by allowing the latter to act during four or five times as
long a period.
Owing to the employment of a weaker acidulated liquid, this process enables
also the employment of weaker alkaline liquids in order to obtain the neutralization
of the wool.
By performing the acidulating process in a vacuum the deterioration of the fibre
of the wool either by acidulation or neutralization is avoided.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
A process for acidulating wools rags or tissues of wool intended to be carbonized
or bleached, consisting in placing into contact in a vacuum, the matter thus freed
from air, with the acid with which it is to be saturated.
13000
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.