Improvements in the Manufacture of Cellulose.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Dec., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 6th Feb., 1894-Accepted, 10th Mar., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Cellulose.
I, CARL KELLNER, of Wasagasse 39, Vienna I, Austria, Doctor of Philosophy,
General Manager of The Kellner Partington Paper Pulp Company Ltd., do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
Hitherto the parts of plants employed for obtaining cellulose have, as is known,
been treated with chemical solutions for the purpose of opening or detaching the
fibres from each other and for separating foreign or incrusting substances there-
from. The process usually adopted however has the disadvantage of requiring
the use of large quantities of chemical solutions which have also to be
applied at a considerable pressure or temperature in order to force them into
the pores of the parts of the plants treated, hereinafter referred to as plant
substances.
Now my invention has reference to a process whereby the cellular tissue or
cellulose can be obtained with a much smaller expenditure of chemicals and (except
in certain cases in which the structure of the plant substances is especially
compact) without the application of increased pressure or elevated temperature
whereby a considerable saving in cost is effected and a better, because less
weakened, product is obtained.
•
According thereto the chemical substances I employ to act as decomposing
agents on the incrusted matter it is desired to separate, are brought into contact
with the plant substances in a vaporous or gaseous condition.
Substances suitable for this purpose are those which exert a hydrolytic or
oxidizing action on the incrusted matter, such for examples as nitric oxide, nitrous
acid, hypo-nitrous acid, hydrochloric acid, and chlorous acid.
In carrying out my invention the more or less dry plant substances, which
may, when required, be previously damped, are exposed for a suitable time to
the action of a gas or vapour of the kind mentioned, in a vessel suitably con-
structed to resist the action of such gas or vapour. The plant substances are then
treated, according to their nature and condition, with cold or hot water or are
subjected to a mechanical treatment in apparatus such as breaking engines, after
which they are treated with an alkaline solution in order to dissolve the foreign
matter rendered soluble by the action of the said gas or vapour employed on the
incrusted substances.
The plant substances treated as described are then subjected to violent agitation
in a suitable machine such as the beater ordinarily. used in the paper industry, in
order to cause the cells separated by the previous treatment to become thoroughly
and uniformly intermingled. The cellular tissue thus produced is then washed and,
when required, bleached.
Owing to the ease with which ammonia can be recovered it is specially advan-
tageous to subject the plant-substances, after treatment with the aforesaid gases or
vapours and subsequent to the lixiviation with water, to the action of this substance
in a gaseous condition.
With many kinds of wood it is necessary that carbonate of soda or caustic
soda should be employed for dissolving the separated or decomposed incrusting
substance. In such cases in order to obviate the necessity of using large quantities
of the alkaline liquids the treatment of the plant substances with such liquids is
advantageously effected with the aid of a roller-breaking-engine or stamp-mill,
the operation of which requires only a comparatively small quantity of alkaline

page_text: solution because this solution is quickly distributed thereby throughout the plant
substance treated.
Dated this 16th day of December 1893.
COME DELE DI BULLICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Cellulose.
I, CARL KELLNER, of Wasagasse 39, Vienna I, Austria, Doctor of Philosophy,
General Manager of The Kellner Partington Paper Pulp Company Ltd., 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:-
Hitherto the parts of plants employed for obtaining cellulose have, as is
known, been treated with chemical solutions for the purpose of opening or
detaching the fibres from each other and for decomposing the foreign or incrusting
substances contained therein. The process usually adopted however has the
disadvantage of requiring the use of large quantities of chemical solutions which
have also to be applied at a considerable pressure or temperature in order to force
them into the pores of the parts of the plants treated, hereinafter referred to as
plant substances.
Now my invention has reference to a process whereby the cellular tissue or
cellulose can be obtained with a much smaller expenditure of chemicals and (except:
*in certain cases in which the structure of the plant substances is especially compact)
without the application of increased pressure or elevated temperature whereby a
considerable saving in cost is effected and a better, because less weakened, product
is obtained. According thereto the chemical substance I employ to act as
decomposing agent on the incrusted matter it is desired to separate from the plant
substances, is brought into contact with the said plant substances in a vaporous or
. gaseous condition.
a
Substances suitable for this purpose are those which exert a hydrolytic or
oxidizing action on the incrusted matter, such, for examples as nitric oxide (NO)
nitrous acid (NHO,) nitric peroxide (NO) hydrochloric acid, and chlorous acid.
In carrying out my invention the more or less dry plant substances, which may,
when required, be previously damped, are exposed for a suitable time to the
action of a gas or vapour of the kind mentioned, in a vessel suitably constructed
to resist the action of such gas or vapour. The plant substances, according
. to their nature and condition are then treated with cold or hot water or are
. damped or are subjected to a mechanical treatment in apparatus such as a crushing
mill and the like after which they are treated with an alkaline solution in order
to dissolve the foreign matter rendered soluble by the action on the incrusting
substances of the said gas or vapour employed and to precipitate them together
with the alkalies.
The plant substances treated as described, are then subjected to violent agitation
in suitable machines such as are ordinarily used in the paper-industry, in order to
cause the cells separated or isolated by the previous treatment to be brought out
of their parallel position. The cellulose thus produced is then washed and, when
required bleached after which it is ready for use.
Owing to the ease with which ammonia can be recovered in a pure state by the
action of heat, it is specially advantageous to subject the plant-substances after
treatment with a gas or vapour of the kind mentioned and subsequent to the
lixiviation with water, to the action of this substance in a gaseous condition, after

page_text: which the plant substances are treated with water to remove the ammonia and the
impurities rendered soluble by the action of the ammonia.
With many kinds of wood however it is necessary that carbonate of soda or
caustic soda should be employed for dissolving the decomposed incrusting matter.
In such cases in order to obviate the necessity of using large quantities of the
alkaline liquids the addition of such liquids to the plant substances may advan-
tageously be effected during the treatment of the latter in the crushing mill or
stamp-mill, the operation of which requires the addition of only a comparatively
small quantity of alkaline solution because this solution is quickly distributed
thereby throughout the plant substance treated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
-
1. In the manufacture of cellulose, subjecting the plant substances from which
the cellulose is to be obtained, to the action of a gas or vapour such for examples
as nitric oxide, nitrous acid, nitric peroxide, hydrochloric acid, or chlorous acid
capable of exerting a hydrolytic or oxidizing action on the incrusting matter
of the said plant substances and afterwards treating the said plant substances
with an alkaline solution or with gaseous ammonia substantially as herein
described.
2. In the process specified in the preceding claim, introducing the alkaline
solution into the plant substances treated with a hydrolytic or oxidizing gas or
vapour of the kind referred to, by mechanical treatment of the said plant
substances with the alkaline solution in apparatus such as a crushing mill or stamp-
mill for the purpose of more quickly and uniformly distributing the alkaline
solution throughout the plant substances substantially as described.
Dated this 4th den of Koh 1901
Dated this 4th day of Fohmuar 1901
Fobwiary
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.