IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER-PULP
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
"
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER-PULP." A communication
from abroad by the Firm of C. Dengg & Co., of Vienna, Austria.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st May 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
PAPER-PULP." [A communication from abroad by the Firm of C. Dengg & Co.,
of Vienna, Austria.]
This Invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of paper-pulp.
The dung of mammals fed on vegetable matter, and especially horse-dung, contains
a large amount of vegetable fibre suitable for the manufacture of paper-pulp, and
the present improvements relate to preparing paper-pulp more especially from
horse-dung, but it is obvious that without departing from the substance of this
Invention the dung of other mammals fed on vegetable matter may be treated in a
similar manner.
The process consists of four separate stages, that is to say, first, the pressing;
secondly, the washing; thirdly, the draining; and fourthly, the boiling.
The Pressing. The solid horse-dung is pressed in a press of any suitable con-
struction, for the purpose of removing the liquid contained therein, and for
facilitating its transport and later chemical treatment.
The Washing. After the pressing, the horse-dung is put into a stuff-engine of
the ordinary construction, as used in paper mills, or into any other suitable washing
apparatus, until the stream of water running off is clear.
The Draining-The contents of the washing apparatus are put into a draining
vessel, which may also be of the construction usually employed in paper mills, and
left there till most of the water has been drained off.
The Boiling. After washing and draining the horse-dung it is put into a boiler,
+3

page_text: where it is treated with a caustic lye for the purpose of complete disintegration.
The boiler may be either of the construction used in the manufacture of paper-pulp
from wood-fibre, or it may be like the ordinary rag-boiler in use in paper-mills.
To every 100 parts by weight of dung treated as above described, and then put
into the boiler, about 450 parts by weight of a caustic soda lye, of a density of
from one to fifteen degrees Baumé, or of a specific gravity of from 1-0069 to 1·0211
are added. The horse dung is boiled in the caustic soda lye for about 4 hours, and
under a pressure of steam of about 4-5 atmospheres. It must however be
remarked that the quantity and strength of the caustic soda lye or of other caustic
alkaline lye, as also the pressure of steam and the duration of the boiling process,
may be subjected to alterations without departing from the substance of the said
Invention, as they will depend upon the quality of the dung to be treated.
When the boiling process has been finished the boiler is emptied, and the raw
product obtained is washed in a washing engine of the ordinary construction in use
in paper mills or in any other suitable apparatus, until the waste water runs off
perfectly clear and free of alkali.
In order to give the product a suitable form for the market, it can now be pressed
in the ordinary manner employed in the manufacture of paper pulp from wooden
fibre. If desired, the paper-pulp may be finally bleached. The paper-pulp manu-
factured by the above described process may be used either alone or mixed with
rag-pulp for the manufacture of paper and similar products. For the manufacture
of paste-board or packing paper from horse-dung only the first three operations are
necessary, so that the boiling with caustic soda-lye may be omitted.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th
November 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
PAPER-PULP." A communication from abroad by the Firm of C. Dengg and Co.,
of Vienna, Austria.
This Invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of paper pulp.
The dung of animals naturally and freely fed on all kinds of vegetable matter,
and especially the dung of the solidungulates, contains a large amount of vegetable
fibre suitable for the manufacture of paper pulp, and also numerous valuable
fertilizing matters which I extract, and which form bye products in such manu-
facture. It will be readily understood that without departing from the spirit of
this Invention the dung of all animals freely and naturally fed on vegetable
matters of any kind may be treated in a similar manner by separating the fibres
suitable for forming paper-pulp, fertilizing salts and chemical matters or products,
such as ammoniac, aniline, fuchsine, and the like, which, by their transformation,
may be industrially employed in various ways. The dung may be treated in
various ways to separate the useful matters which, together with the paper-pulp,
are associated therein. In the following description I have described different
methods of such treatment, although I wish it understood that such treatment may
be varied as desired according to this Invention.
One method of treatment comprises four separate stages or operations, that is to
say, first, the pressing; secondly, the washing; thirdly, the draining; and fourthly,
the boiling. By these operations the cellulose is separated, and remains in a solid
inass, as the fertilizing salts and all other valuable chemical bye products are left in
a liquid state, to be concentrated or not, according to the various uses to which the
said products are to be applied.
The pressing is effected as follows, that is to say:-The solid dung, as fresh as
possible, is pressed in a press of any suitable construction for the purpose of
removing the liquid contained therein, such liquid being afterwards treated in order
to separate the salts, the albuminoid, and azotic matters constituting the fertilizing
principles of all manures; these matters may be kept or sold as thus obtained, or
transformed into chemical manures for agricultural use; and the other chemical
products (to be distilled or not), such as ammoniac, aniline, fuchsine, and the like,
after due treatment become pure and are fit for use.
The washing is effected after the pressing by placing the solid mass in a stuff
engine or any other suitable washing apparatus, in order to obtain a larger amount
of the liquid just described, and to increase the quantity to be treated, in order to
extract the chemical manure and the other chemical products above referred to.
To effect the draining the contents of the washing apparatus are put into a
draining vessel and left there until most of the liquid has been drained off, in order
to extract the aforesaid liquid contained in the solid mass, and either by concen-
trating the same, or by adding it to the other part before obtained, I provide
natural or chemical manure in mixtures, having fixed proportions with the several
chemical manures, in order to furnish for agricultural. purposes a manure suitable
to any particular soil to be fertilized:
The boiling is effected after the washing and draining. For this purpose the
solid mass, now composed entirely of silex and cellulose, is put into a boiler where
it is treated with any alkali, such for example as caustic lye or such acids, which
by their combination with the silex produce a silicate that is soluble, gaseous; or

page_text: easily separated from the remaining cellulose, for the purpose of complete disinte-
gration.
The boiler is constructed to suit the nature of the reagent used for the purpose
of removing the silex. If caustic lye is used the boiler may be very plain and
without special conditions, which are only required according to chemical rules
when some other agent is preferred.
The amount of chemical agent required to perform this operation depends
obviously upon the nature of the agent itself; when caustic lye is employed to
every 100 parts of the solid mass treated as above described, and then put into the
boiler, I add about 450 parts by weight of a caustic soda lye of a density of from
1 to 15 degrees Baumé, or of a specific gravity from 1.0069 to 1.0211.
The duration of the boiling process moreover varies according to the nature of
the chemical agent used. With caustic lye the boiling should take place for about
4 hours, and under a pressure of steam from about 4 to 5 atmospheres. I would
remark however that the quantity and strength of the caustic soda lye, or of any
other caustic alkaline lye, as also the presence of steam and the duration of the
boiling process, may be varied as desired without departing from the spirit of this
Invention, as they will depend upon the quality of the dung to be treated.
When the boiling process is completed the boiler is emptied, and the raw product
obtained is washed in a washing apparatus of any suitable construction until the
water runs off perfectly clear and free from chemical agents. This raw product
consists of pure cellulose, which may be used for the manufacture of paper or carton,
half paste papier maché, and all other paper pulp, bleached or not as desired. For
the manufacture of paste board or packing paper from the products obtained by
this Invention only the first three operations are necessary, that is to say, the
boiling operation may be omitted.
I will now proceed to describe another method of treating dung for the purposes
of this Invention, which method, although essentially different from that above
described, gives the same results. According to this method the pressing is effected
in the same way as that above described for the purpose of obtaining the liquid
which contains the salts, the albuminoid, and azotic matters (attributes of all
manures) to be sold, either as they are extracted, or when the same are transformed
into chemical manures by the combination with the same of matters suitable for
agricultural use.
The washing of the solid mass is then effected with cold water for the purpose
of abstracting the remaining soluble albuminoid and azotic matters to be used as
above described.
In order to concentrate the liquid obtained from the preceding operations, and
to obtain the largest amount of albuminoid and azotic matters, I employ an
evaporating apparatus, which is shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying
Drawing, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, and Figure 2 a cross section
of the said evaporating apparatus. i represents a vessel; k, the fire-tubes; and
the fire-grate, so combined as to provide an extended surface for effecting the
vaporization. By the aid of such apparatus the diluted matters are transformed
into a
sirupy" liquid or into a paste, which by being mixed in determined
proportions with well known or suitable chemical manures produces manures
possessing the conditions required by the nature of the soil to be fertilized.
"
The solid mass being duly drained is now submitted to washing with hot water
or steam in order to dissolve the vegetal limes, glucs, and intestine liquids remaining
in the mass.
The said mass being. then entirely composed of cellulose mixed with silex I
extract the latter by the aid of fluorhydric acid in a crude condition, and rendered
free from danger, or in a liquid or gaseous state. A suitable apparatus for this
purpose is represented in Figure 3 of the Drawing, which is an elevation partly in
.section.
In this Figure a is the vessel for. generating fluorhydric acid, which is conducted

page_text: into a pipe b. The excrements are blown from the funnel c through the pipe b by
the blower d, and pass mixed with air into the reservoir e, in which rods fare
placed to form obstacles. The whole mass circulates within this reservoir e and
falls to the bottom of the same, whence it can be removed through the opening g,
the gases escaping at the top at h. By the chemical properties of the fluorhydric
acid the silicic acid compounded passes off in a gaseous state, leaving the cellulose
entirely free from all the matters with which it was previously associated. The
cellulose in this condition may then be used for the manufacture of paper or similar
products, bleached or not, as desired.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
The use of the dung of animals naturally and freely fed on vegetable matters,
and more especially the dung of the solidungulates, as and for the purpose
specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
WM ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)