A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR ISOLATING, PREPARING, AND REFINING ANIMAL. & VEGETABLE FIBROUS MATERIAL
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT. to Lorentz Albert Groth. K,G.V. Civil Engineer' and
Managing Director of the Universal Inventors and Patentees Financial
Company Limited 30 Finsbury Pavement London E.C. for an Invention of
"A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR ISOLATING, PREPARING,
AND REFINING ANIMAL. & VEGETABLE FIBROUS MATERIAL
" communicated to
him from abroad by Carl August Kraemer, Engineer of Berlin, in the Empire
of Germany.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Lorentz Albert Groth at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th March 1883.
LORENTZ ALBERT GROTH K.G.V. Civil Engineer and Managing Director of The
Universal Inventors and Patentees Financial Company Limited 30 Finsbury
Pavement London E.C. "A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR
ISOLATING, PREPARING, AND REFINING ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE FIBROUS MATERIAL
A communication to me from abroad by Carl August Kraemer, Engineer, of Berlin,
in the Empire of Germany,
,,
This process for isolating animal and vegetable fibrous material relates to the
removal of gummy and gum holding substances from the vegetable matters which
envelope the Bast fibres contained in the plants useful for textile work also to the
removal of fatty glue holding and gelatinous binding material from animal fibrous
structure, such as whalebone, Byssus of mussels, Horn, Bones, Sinews, Tendons
& so forth
This method is employed for the parts of plants containing bast fibres in a fresh
condition, and also, with the help of suitable physical and mechanical preparation,
for dried parts. The physical preparation consists in treating the dry stalks with
steam in a vacuum so as to cause the bark and layers of bast to swell and to loosen
them from the woody parts to which they are dried and to make them pliant or
flexible. This can also be done by treating with boiling alcohol. of 60° under a

page_text: vacuum. Animal substances are prepared in a similar way, whereby all the vessels
are so opened that the decomposing or loosening material can easily force its way
into the substances holding the fibres together.
In some cases instead of the above described methods of treatment the material
may be frozen or congealed.
For this purpose the fresh substances are conveyed direct and the dry substances.
after their treatment with alcohol or the steam of water into the cooling or freezing
apparatus; they are left a time therein and then treated again repeatedly with
alcohol or steam.
This may be repeated so long as fermentation does not show itself in the mass
The mechanical preparation consists of the following:
The fresh or refreshened vegetable bast fibre stalk such as those of nettle, Rhea,
Hemp (Sun) Apocynum, Jute, Flax, Bamboo, and others are brought to a machine
which consists of an oblong conducting pipe open at top, of rectangular section in
the bottom of which are placed smooth or circumferentially grooved gum-wood or
metal rollers which are pressed against one another by means of weights, springs or
other means.
Between these rollers pass the bast fibre stalks. These latter are as
it were pushed through these rollers and are conducted through, rollers gratings
behind one of which is placed a grating of knives which can be either fixed or have
imparted thereto an up and down motion.
This grating of knives is guided in the frame of the grating behind which it is
placed
The stalks which are driven against the pointed but not sharp knife cutters are
split by them.
Behind the grating of knives is placed a pair of rollers either smooth or grooved
which lay hold of the stalks and draw them further so that the stalks are split their
whole length and pressed flat in the rollers.
In several forms of animal substances, for instance whalebone and such like, the
splitting of the mass into the finest possible strips is carried out with the same
machine
Both vegetable and animal raw materials are powerfully beaten after the division
lengthwise and this may be effected by Bolt hammers, Beetling machines, stampers,
forge hammers etcetera.
The vegetable or animal fibrous substance so prepared are now treated with
alcohol of 95 degrees strength to which are added one per cent of ammonia and one
tenth per cent of freshly prepared chlorine water. Instead of Alcohol of 95 degrees
strength methylic alcohol, acetone or various alcohols mixed together or chloroforin
and such like materials mixed with the said alcohols can be employed.
The method of dissolving or decomposing varies according to the solvent
material used and according to the purpose or object in view
The prepared substances to be treated are packed in a vat or cylindrical boiler
with a double bottom and covered with a piston which fits close to the walls of
sides of such boiler. The boiler is then closed by means of a cover which screws
on tightly over the edges. As soon as the boiler is closed the decomposing fluid is
admitted, so that the whole of the fibrous material is covered and all parts thereof
can be penetrated with it.
The hollow piston and its hollow toothed piston rod can be used for this purpose.
The under side of the piston is perforated with fine holes so that the liquid
enters finely divided.
After several hours Merstündiger action at a somewhat elevated temperature in
the boiler, the liquid is let out into a vessel which is connected with an apparatus
for regaining the alcohol.
Fresh alcohol is then admitted into the vat and allowed to act for from half an
hour to an hour
The whole of the fluid is then allowed to run off and the piston is driven
downwards in order to press out somewhat the alcohol, still present in the mass..
For carrying out this operation the connection of the under drawing off pipe

page_text: with the hollow piston rod is arranged in two ways. This expressing process is
however only necessary to a small degree and the pressure is to be taken off before
a stream of air for drying is sent through. The boiler is then connected with an
exhauster or an air pump to draw out the remainder of the alcohol.
If it is desired to drive a continuous current of dissolving liquid through the
mass in the boiler use is made of the pipe connection until the liquid becomes
charged with dissolved material and requires to be renewed
The fibres are then taken out and they are submitted to a beating machine.
By such beating the loose parts hanging to the fibres are removed such parts
having been loosened from the fibres by the removal of the gum in the treatinent
with alcohol.
Instead of the vat or vertical boiler, when larger quantities of raw material have
to be dealt with, a cylindrical boiler (placed horizontally or vertically) is employed
with a peculiar contrivance for the alternate steaming and cooling and the
restoration and completion of the acting liquid. This peculiar contrivance is so
devised that the alcoholic liquid is heated and evaporated by heating pipes at tho
bottom,
A
The alcoholic vapours then press through the fibrous material placed in layers in
the boiler, condense in the upper part of the boiler on cool surfaces and then fall
down again in the form of finely divided drops trickling through the mass.
perforated pipe is arranged so that in proportion as the alcohol becomes weakened
by the watery parts of the substances extracted, a corresponding quantity of cold
fresh unweakened alcoholic liquid can be allowed to enter either continuously or
intermittently from above in the form of rain or under higher pressure. This has.
however not only the primary object of restoring the strength of the liquid but also
to facilitate the condensation of the rising vapours in the upper part of the
vessel.
1..
The upper part of the horizontal boiler may be formed of corrugated sheet iron.
The flange by which it is rivetted or screwed on to the under part is bent round
in the form of a groove or gutter (rinnenförmig) and cold water is allowed to flow
over this entire upper part. The cooling can however be effected in the inside of
the boiler by means of corrugated sheet iron surfaces if the well known coil of
cooling pipes not retained
The employment of a high temperature especially in the evaporation of Methyl
is not permissable and as the process goes on best at about 60° C. the heating coil
in the boiler is not heated with steam but with hot or warm water. This heating
arrangement is such that water is warmed in a vessel outside the extracting boiler.
This water runs through a pipe arranged in the boiler and enters a second vessel
somewhat cooled, from whence it returns to the first vessel. This second vessel is
furnished with a chamber separated from the first vessel by a very thin wall into
which cold water can be admitted according to requirements in order to regulate
quickly the temperature of the warm water passing from the second vessel into
the first. A valve is so arranged in the partition between the second vessel and
the chamber that according to its opening the cold water can pass direct into the
second vessel and thence to the first in order to reduce the temperature of the hot
water in the first vessel and the coil in the boiler in the quickest way
A short pipe or nozzle is provided on the boiler for connecting it with an air
pump or exhauster so that a vacuum can be produced in the boiler. Thus the
dissolving liquids are caused to act under pressure on the materials in the boiler or
they are driven in powerful streams through the materials by opening the
appropriate valves in the conducting pipe for producing a circular process.
After sufficient duration of the operation (which is chosen according to the
solubility or decomposability of the component parts to be removed and naturally
varies for each separate or single material) the alcohol has to be removed from the
treated mass. As already explained this can be done to a certain extent by
pressing out the liquid after stopping the evaporation in the dissolving apparatus,
or by allowing the liquid to run out, or by drawing out with a suction and air

page_text: pump, capable of drawing away at the same time vapours, gases and liquids, or by
the employment of powerful streams of air sent through the material by means
of an exhauster or air pump. With animal materials a kind of drying is also
effected by the employment of streams of warm air and in some cases streams of
high pressure or superheated steam may be used. In all fibrous materials the
employment of suitable vapours or gases (Hydrogen gas for example) in certain
cases is useful because lighter material is thus forced away by heavier. By these
means the alcoholic liquids charged with the products of decomposition and
extracted material are driven out of the boiler into a deep vessel out of which the
alcoholic vapours then rise and go over into the vessel which is arranged as the
recovering vessel and from whence the regenerated alcohol returns by the pipe for
the filling of the boiler.
The above described treatment which may be modified in its details to the
materials to be extracted or decomposed is also applicable for the refinement of
fibrous material which has already been worked or is already isolated and for the
better preparation for the spinning process. The process can also be repeated
several times with good results and it may be employed in combination with other
mechanical operations such as breaking, hackling combing and so forth.
In these treatment of fibres there arise bye products for example in vegetable
fibres. Bitter principle Chloroplyl, Vegetable gum, etcetera; in animal fibres,
Fats, Glue, Albuminous materials etcetera, and as some of these bye products are
of considerable value, and as in the rest the frequent removal of the products of
decomposition and extractive materials is of importance for the circulation of the
Alcohol, the liquids charged with such materials are allowed to flow out from
time to time in order to separate them from the alcohol and to treat them
further.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Lorentz Albert Groth in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th September 1883.
• LORENTZ ALBERT GROTH, K.G.V, Civil Engineer and Managing Director of The
Universal Inventors and Patentees Financial Company, Limited, 30 Finsbury.
Pavement London E.C. A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR
ISOLATING, PREPARING, AND REFINING ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE FIBROUS MATERIAL
A communication to me from abroad by Carl August Kraemer, Engineer, of Berlin
in the empire of Germany.
"
This process for isolating animal and vegetable fibrous material relates to the
removal of gummy and gum holding substauces from the vegetable matters which
envelope the Bast fibres contained in plants useful for textile work, also to the
removal of fatty, glue holding and gelatinous binding material from animal fibrous
structure, such as whalebone, Byssus of mussels, Horn, Bones, Sinews, Tendons,
and so forth.
This method is employed for the parts of plants containing bast fibres in a fresh
condition, and also with the help of suitable physical and mechanical preparation,
for dried parts.
The physical preparation consists in treating the dry stalks with steam in a
vacuum so as to cause the bark and layers of bast to swell and to loosen them
from the woody parts to which they are dried, and to make them pliant and
flexible. This can also be done by treating with boiling alcohol of 60° under a
vacuum. Animal substances are prepared in a similar way, whereby all the vessels
are so opened that the decomposing or loosening material can easily force its way.
into the substances holding the fibres together.
In some cases instead of the above described methods of treatment the material
may be frozen or congealed. For this purpose the fresh substances are conveyed
direct, and the dry substances after their treatment with alcohol or the steam of
water, into the cooling or freezing apparatus, they are left a time therein and then
treated again repeatedly with alcohol or steam.
This may be repeated so long as fermentation does not show itself in the mass.
The mechanical preparation consists of the following.
The fresh or refreshened vegetable bast fibre stalks such as those of nettle, Rhea,
Hemp, Sun, Apocynum, Jute, Flax, Bamboo and others are brought to a machine
(see fig. 1 of the drawings) which consists of an oblong conducting pipe open at
top, of rectangular section in the bottom of which are placed smooth or circum-
ferentially grooved gum or metal rollers a.a. which are pressed against one another
by means of weights, springs or other means. Between these rollers pass the
bast fibre stalks. These latter are as it were pushed through these rollers a and
are conducted through gratings b. c. behind one of which c is placed a grating of
knives which can be either fixed or have imparted thereto an up and down
motion in notches formed in the frame c' which carries the gratings b. c.
These gratings serve to conduct, divide and drive forward the stalks.
:
The stalks which are driven against the pointed but not sharp Knife cutters d
are split by them. Behind the gratings of Knives d is placed a pair of rollers o
either smooth or grooved which lay hold of the stalks and draw then through so
that the stalks are split their whole length and pressed flat between the rollers.
In several forms of animal substance, for instance whalebone, and such like the
splitting of the mass into the finest possible strips is carried out with the same
machine.

page_text: Both vegetable and animal raw materials are powerfully beaten after their
division lengthwise and this may be effected with Bolt hammers, Beetling machines,
stampers, forge hammers &c.
The vegetable or animal fibrous substances so prepared are now treated with
alcohol of 95 degrees, strength to which are added one per cent of ammonia and one
tenth per cent of freshly prepared chlorine water. Instead of Alcohols of 95 degrees
strength methylic alcohol acetone or various alcohols mixed together, or chloroform
and such like materials mixed with the said alcohols can be employed.
'
The method of dissolving or decomposing varies according to the solvent material
used and according to the purpose or object in view.
The prepared substances to be treated are packed in an upright vat or cylindrical
boiler A (see figure 2) with a double bottom B, and covered with a piston n which
fits close to the walls of such boiler. The boiler is then closed by means of a
cover m which screws on tightly over the edges.
"
As soon as the boiler is closed the decomposing, fluid is admitted so that the
whole of the fibrous material is covered and all parts thereof can be penetrated
with it. The piston n. is cast hollow and its, under side is perforated with fine
holes. Its piston rod p is lollow, and closed at top with a screw plug, it is also
provided with a toothed rack whereby it,, with its piston n can be raised or
lowered through the medium of a toothed driving wheel which gears into the said
rack. The pipe is screwed into a side branch of the piston rod and together
with the conducting, pipe forms a communication between the upper and lower
part of the boiler. In order to allow of the motion of the piston the ends of the
pipe and slide into one another and a liquid tight joint is secured by the
telescope pipes r. t. which likewise surround and slide in one another. To the
branch s is connected the cock u which contains passages so arranged that on the
one hand a communication can be made between and s, the pipe being cut off,
or on the other hand, the pipe v can be cut off and the pipes 8. . . p put in cóm-
munication; or lastly s. v. and ... p may be cut off. The latter position is
important in order to adinit of the exhaustion of air, from A by means of an
exhauster supplied at v. and to effect, the evaporation, of the alc
of the alcohol likewise by
opening q, air may be forced through the apparatus by means of a fan which air
goes through to the recovering vessel in order to deposit therein the alcoholic
parts which go over with the air.ot an accu
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110
The second position forms an overflow chamber out of, the apparatus.....
The first
mentioned position serves for filling the whole vessel with alcohol through v under
pressure when required.
4.1
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" ..BLOOM Qu.
1023
Instead of.
ad of the one pipe which for these several purposes requires to be
especially connected the pipe may be
be divided into three branches, so that a fixed
connection with the said, apparatus is produced. It may be further remarked that
the position is not intended to exert a powerful pressure, but only a slight one
suitable for expressing the liquid without materially squeezing the mass.
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B
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yu
After several hours action at a somewhat elevated temperature in the boiler, the
liquid is let out into a vessel which is connected with an apparatus for regaining
the alcohol.
1 J
..
17
Fresh alcohol is then admitted into the vat and allowed to act for from half an
hour to an hour. The whole of the fluid is then allowed to run off and the piston n
is driven downwards in order to press out somewhat the alcohol still present in the
mass..
135 .! ·
خدارح
The
This expressing process, is however only necessary to a small degree and the
pressure is to be, taken off before a stream of air for drying is sent through.,
boiler is, then connected with an exhauster or an air pump to draw out the
remainder of the alcohol
D
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المالية :
If it is desired to drive a continuous current of dissolving liquid, through the
mass in the boiler, use is made of the pipe connection until the liquid becomes charged
with dissolved material and requires to be renewed. The fibres are then taken out
ال

page_text: and they are submitted to a heating machine. By such treatment the loose parts
hanging to the fibres are removed such parts having been loosened from the fibres
by the removal of the gum in the treatment with alcohol.
This
Instead of the vat or vertical boiler A (figure 2) when larger quantities of raw
material have to be dealt with a cylindrical boiler S (figure 3) is employed, placed
horizontally or by preference slightly inclined towards the outlet branch e.
branch e is provided with a cock through which the fluid can be allowed to fall
into the separating vessel B. The boiler is filled with material which is packed on
waggons and run in on rails C. By the help of the pump C' alcohol is drawn from the
reservoir or from the recovering apparatus A and pumped into the boiler through
the pipe c.
The alcoholic liquid is heated and evaporated by heating pipes Pat
the bottom The alcoholic vapours then press through the fibrous material placed
in the boiler, condense in the upper part of the boiler on cool surfaces T supplied
with cold water from the reservoir D and then fall down again in the form of finely
divided drops trickling through the mass. A perforated pipe V is arranged so that
in proportion as the alcohol becomes weakened by the watery parts of the
substances extracted, a corresponding quantity of cold fresh strong alcohol or
methyl can be produced forced in either continuously or intermittently from above
in the form of rain. This has however not only the primary object of restoring the
strengh of the liquid but also of facilitating the condensation of the rising vapours
in the upper part of the vessel. By the help of the pump p 1 and the pipe con-
nection b. m. c the liquid solution can be forced through the whole mass in the
boiler in a continuous stream by opening the cocks wx. q. and closing the
cocks r. v.
When the liquid is removed from 8, through e, the same pipe connection and
pump can be used by shutting off the connection with the alcohol reservoir for
driving air in streams through the mass; for this purpose the pipe b is shut off
from the boilers and cocks e and v. are opened, the stream then goes through the
recovering apparatus.
In order to draw out the alcoholic vapours the branch a may be connected with
an exhauster and this latter with the recovering vessel A. These arrangements are
made with a special view to the employment of methyl in the extraction of
vegetable and animal fibres which is preferable to the use of strong alcohol.
The upper part of the horizontal boiler s. may be formed of corrugated sheet iron
(see Figure 4)
The flange by which it is rivetted or otherwise secured at the bottom being bent
up in the form of a groove or gutter and cold water is allowed to flow over this
entire upper part through the pipe d. In this arrangement of course high pressure
cannot be employed. The cooling can however be effected in the inside of the
boiler by means of corrugated sheet iron surfaces figure 5) if the well known coil
of cooling pipes T (figure 3) is not retained.
The employment of a high temperature especially in the evaporation of Methyl
is not permissable and as the process goes on best at about 60°. C. the heating
coil P in the boiler is not heated with steam but with hot or warm water whereby
a low constant and easily regulated temperature can be produced. The heating
arrangement for this purpose is such that water is warmed in a vessel N. outside
the extracting boiler S. This water runs through coil pipes P. arranged inside the
boiler and enters a second vessel R, through the pipe P2. somewhat cooled, from
whence it returns to the first vessel N. by the pipe g. This second vessel R. is
furnished with a chamber U separated from the first vessel N by a very thin wall
into which cold water can be admitted according to requirements from the
reservoir D, in order to regulate quickly the temperature of the warm water passing
from the second vessel R into the first N. A valve f is so arranged in the parti-
tion between the second vessel R and the chamber U, that according to its opening.
the cold water can pass direct into the second vessel R and thence to the first N.
in order to reduce the temperature of the hot water in the vessel N and the coil P.

page_text: ·
in the boiler in the quickest way.
A short pipe or nozzle a is provided on the
boiler for connecting it with an air pump or exhauster, so that a vacuum can be
produced in the boiler. Thus the dissolving liquids are caused to act under pressure
on the materials in the boiler or they are driven in powerful streams through the
materials by opening the appropriate valves in the conducting pipe for producing
a circular procéss
'After sufficient duration of the operation (which varies according to the solubility
or decomposability of the component parts to be removed and naturally varies for
each separate or single material) the alcohol has to be removed from the treated
.mass.
'As already explained this can be done to a certain extent by pressing out the
liquid after stopping the evaporation in the dissolving apparatus, or by allowing
the liquid to run out or by drawing out with a suction and air pump, capable of
drawing away at the same time vapours, gases and liquids or by the employment
of powerful streams of air sent through the material by means of an exhauster or
air pump. With animal materials a kind of drying is also effected by the employ-
ment of :streams of warm air and in some cases streams of high pressure or
superheated steam may be used. In all fibrous materials the employment of
suitable vapours or gases (Hydrogen gas for example) in certain cases is useful
because lighter material is thus forced away by heavier. By these means the
Alcoholic liquids charged with the products of decomposition and extracted
material are driven out of the boiler into a deep vessel B, out of which the alcoholic
vapours then rise and go over into the vessel A which is arranged as the recovering
vessel and from whence the regenerated alcohol returns by the pipe for the filling
of the boiler.
The above described treatment which may be modified in its details according to
the materials to be extracted or decomposed, is also applicable for the refinement of
fibrous material which has already been worked or is already isolated, and for the
better preparation for the spinning process. The process can also be repeated
several times with good results and it may be employed in combination with other
mechanical operations such as breaking, hackling, combing and so forth. In these
treatments of fibres there arise bye products for example, in vegetable fibres, Bitter
principle, Chloroplyl, Vegetable gum, etcetera; in animal fibres, Fats glue, albu-
minous materials, etcetera, and as some of these bye products are of considerable
value, and as in the rest the frequent removal of the products of decomposition
and extractive materials is of importance for the circulation of the alcohol, the
liquids charged with such materials are allowed to flow out from time to time in
order to separate them from the alcohol and to treat them further.
•
Having now'described the nature of the said invention and in what manner the
same is to or may be carried into effect. I would have it understood that what I
claim as the invention to be secured by the within-in part recited letters patent is.
First. The isolation of animal and vegetable fibrous material from its raw material
after previous preparation of the latter by treatment with steam; alcohol, or
refrigeration, and after division and loosening of the parts surrounding the
fibres by mechanical action, by the employment of strong alcohol of about 95°
strength or methyl alcohol, or of acetone chloroform, or of mixtures of two
or more of these materials without water baths but with the addition of
alkaline or metallic salt solutions as hereinbefore described. .
Second, The method and machine for splitting the raw material lengthwise of the
fibres with the help of rollers guide gratings and fixed or oscillating knives
as hereinbefore described and illustrated in figure 1 of the drawings hereto
annexed.
Third. The construction of the dissolving apparatus with a moveable hollow
pressing piston which serves at the same time as an introducing rose for the
dissolving material as hereinbefore described and illustrated in figure 2 of
the drawings hereto annexed.

page_text: rth. The construction of the dissolving apparatus as a vertical or horizontal
boiler with steam or water heating appliances regulated by the help of cold
water with internal pipes or cooling surfaces, or external cooling surfaces,
with devices for forcing in fresh dissolving liquid for making good and
cooling the vapours during the process; in combination with pumps for
producing streams of dissolving liquid, or for producing a high pressure in
this liquid when it fills the whole boiler; combined with an exhauster or
air pump for the production of attenuated air during the process, and
drawing off the alcoholic vapours after completion thereof, or for the forcing
in and through of gases (especially hydrogen gas) suitable for drying as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in figures 3. 4. and 5 of the drawings
hereto annexed.
h. The combination of these extracting apparatuses with alcohol recovering and
rectifying apparatus as herein before described and illustrated in figure 3 of
the drawings hereto annexed.
th The arrangement of the corrugated sheet iron cooling surfaces in horizontal
boilers as herein before described and illustrated in figures 4 and 5 of the
drawings hereto annexed.
n witness whereof I the said Lorentz Albert Groth have hereunto set my
d and seal this fourteenth day of September in the year of our Lord One
usand eight hundred and eighty three.
(ST)