IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER, AND THE PROCESS OF OBTAINING PAPER PULP, AND EXTRACTING AMMONIA FROM MANURE STRAW, OR STRAW AEDATED WITH RINK
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Frederick Nast, of St. Louis, Missouri, United
States of America, at present residing at the Langham Hotel, Portland
Place, in the County of Middlesex, Esquire, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER, AND THE PROCESS OF OBTAINING
PAPER PULP, AND EXTRACTING AMMONIA FROM MANURE STRAW, OR STRAW
AEDATED WITH RINK"
Sealed the 6th April 1880, and dated the 29th October 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Frederick Nast
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th October 1879.
WILLIAM FREDERICK NAST, of St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America, at
present residing at the Langham Hotel, Portland Place, in the County of Middlesex,
Esquire. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER, AND THE PROCESS OF
OBTAINING PAPER PULP, AND EXTRACTING AMMONIA FROM MANURE STRAW, OR
STRAW SATURATED WITH URINE."
My Invention relates to the manufacture of paper of a superior quality by an
improved process of treating straw, or straw saturated with or containing urine.
The said Invention is designed to afford the means for converting the straw into
pulp with the advantage of obtaining another product of sufficient commercial value
to more than pay the expense of its own extraction, and to reduce the cost of
the conversion of the straw into pulp.
According to one part of my Invention I use fresh or new straw, and sprinkle or
otherwise mix or saturate this straw with urine, and allow the same to remain
long enough to be partially decomposed and disintegrated before boiling it in a
caustic alkaline solution.
Decomposition of the urine taking place, ammonia is liberated; ammonia being
an alkali a natural decomposition of the straw then commences.
If the process of decomposition is arrested at this stage a fibrous material is
obtained, which requires only a limited use of a fixed alkali to reduce it to pulp.
suitable for the manufacture of paper.
The decomposition or disintegration of the straw having been effected by natural.
and gentle means, the paper made from the pulp produced by my process is
stronger, the fibre being more perfect than is the case in paper made in the ordinary
manner from new straw and directly subjected to a powerful solution of fixed

page_text: alkalies. The necessity of chopping up the straw as ordinarily done is in my process
unnecessary.
Instead of treating new straw as above described I sometimes take manure straw,
that is to say, straw taken from stables and separated from the portions constituting
what may be called manure proper.
The straw may be advantageously separated by the use of apparatus such as is
described in the Specification of former Letters Patent granted to me, and dated
February 6th, in the year of our Lord 1876.
The straw which has been treated with urine, or the separated manure straw
which was saturated with urine in the stable is, according to my Invention,
subjected to the following process, that is to say:-
I treat such straw with a caustic alkaline solution by boiling the straw and the
solution in a suitable closed boiler for the purpose of converting the same into a
pulp, and I extract and recover the ammonia therefrom as hereinafter described.
In some cases I prepare the caustic alkaline solution for boiling the straw by
the addition to the same of stable or other urine, diluted or undiluted with water,
in such quantities as to give the solution a density of about four degrees Baume.
The further necessary strength is given to the solution by the ammonia contained
in the urine being liberated by the decomposition of the urine caused by the
action of the alkalies in my prepared solution and the high temperature at which
the straw is boiled.
Straw not preliminarily saturated or treated with urine may be placed in the
straw boilers and be subjected to the same treatment of boiling with a caustic
alkali solution mixed with urine, in which case the strength of the caustic alkaline
solution should be slightly increased. But I wish it distinctly understood that
the mixture of the urine with the straw so that the urine will be present in the
solution in which the straw is boiled is in every case an essential feature of my
Invention.
'
When I prepare the caustic alkaline solution by treating it with urine, either
diluted or undiluted, instead of introducing the solution cold directly into the
boiler in which I boil the straw, I sometimes prepare the solution in vats in which
a worm is placed for heating the solution. The vat is covered and hermetically
sealed, and the steam which is disengaged with the ammonia set free in these
vessels is drawn therefrom by a pump or other apparatus which forces it into a
tubular or other condenser. This steam in condensation dissolves all the liberated
ammonia. I then obtain from the said condenser an ammoniacal liquid
which is neutralized by a sulphuric or other acid bath, as hereinafter described.
Or I sometimes prepare my caustic alkaline solution by placing the caustic alkali
directly in the straw boiler and filling the same with the urine, undiluted or
diluted with water until the required density is obtained.
The apparatus employed for carrying my Invention into practice comprises a
boiler or vessel in which the straw is boiled for the purpose of reducing it into
pulp, a tank or vessel containing a worm or any other suitable condenser, and a
wooden or other vat lined with lead for the acid bath.
When the straw has been boiled for a sufficiently long time at about 160°
centigrade in the caustic solution in the said boiler the vapor is allowed to escape
from the latter into the condenser.
The ammoniacal liquid passes from the said condenser into the aforesaid lead
lined vat which contains an acidulated bath formed by diluting sulphuric or other
suitable acid with water. When the acidulated bath is neutralized and has acquired
a sufficient density the ammonia is recovered by ordinary process.
By my process an improved quality of pulp suitable for being made into strong
paper is obtained, and I effect great economy in the manufacture by the use of
urine which saves a proportion of caustic alkali, and also by recovering the
ammoniacal products.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Frederick Nast in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd April 1880.
WILLIAM FREDERICK NAST, of St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America, at
present residing at the Langham Hotel, Portland Place, in the County of Middlesex,
Esquire. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER, AND THE PROCESS
OF OBTAINING PAPER PULP, AND EXTRACTING AMMONIA FROM MANURE STRAW,
OR STRAW SATURATED WITH URINE."
My Invention relates to the manufacture of paper of a superior quality by an
improved process of treating manure straw, or straw saturated with or containing
urine.
The said Invention affords the means for obtaining one product by the conversion
of the straw into pulp, with the advantage of obtaining in so doing another
product of sufficient commercial value to more than pay the expense of its own
extraction, and to reduce the cost of the conversion of the said straw into pulp.
According to one part of my Invention I use fresh or new straw, and sprinkle
or otherwise mix or saturate the same with urine, and allow it to remain long
enough to be partially decomposed and disintegrated and thus brought into
a favorable condition to be subjected to the further treatment hereinafter described.
By the decomposition of urine ammonia is liberated; ammonia being an alkali a
natural decomposition of the straw then commences. If the process of decomposition
is arrested at this stage a fibrous material is obtained, which requires only a
limited use of a fixed alkali to reduce it to pulp suitable for the manufacture of
paper.
The decomposition or disintegration of the straw having been effected by natural
and gentle means, the paper made from the pulp produced by my process is stronger,
the fibre being more perfect than in paper made in the ordinary manner from new
straw directly subjected to a powerful solution of fixed alkalies. The chopping of
the straw is unnecessary in my process.
Instead of treating new straw as above described I sometimes take manure-straw,
that is to say, straw that has been used in stables and separated from what may be
termed the manure proper.
The separation of the straw from the manure may be advantageously effected
by the apparatus described in the Specification of former Letters Patent granted to
me July 6th, A.D. 1876, No. 2764.
The straw which has been treated with urine or the manure-straw is according
to my Invention, subjected to the following process, that is to say:-
I treat this straw with a caustic alkaline solution by boiling the same in a suitable
closed boiler for the purpose of converting the straw, into pulp, and I extract and
recover the ammonia therefrom as hereinafter described.
The caustic solution may have a density of from 3° to 5° Baumé, according to the
condition of the straw when placed in the said solution or the temperature at which
the boiling is effected.
In some cases I prepare the caustic alkaline solution for boiling the new straw by
the addition to the same of stable or other urine, diluted or undiluted with water
in such quantities as to give the solution a density of from 2 to 5 degrees Baumé,
more or less, though in some cases these limits may be varied. The further
necessary strength is given to the solution by the ammonia contained in the urine,
which ammonia is liberated by the decomposition of the urine due to the action
of the alkalis in my prepared solution and the high temperature at which the straw
is boiled.

page_text: Straw which has not been subjected to a preliminary saturation or treatment
with urine may be placed in the straw boiler and subjected to the same treatment
of boiling with a caustic alkaline solution mixed with urine, but in this case the
strength of the caustic alkaline solution should be slightly increased. But I wish
it distinctly understood that the mixture of the urine with the straw so that the
urine will be present in the solution in which the straw is boiled or in the straw
itself, is in every case an essential feature of my Invention.
When I prepare the caustic alkaline solution by treating it with the urine either,
diluted or undiluted, instead of introducing the solution cold directly into the
boiler in which I boil the straw, I sometimes prepare the solution in vats in
which a worm is placed for heating the solution. The vat is covered and
hermetically sealed, and the steam which is disengaged with the ammonia set
free in these vessels is drawn therefrom by a pump or other apparatus which forces
it into a tubular or other condenser. This steam in condensation dissolves all
the liberated ammonia. I can then obtain from the said condenser an ammoniacal
liquid which is neutralized by a sulphuric or other acid bath as above described.
Or I may prepare my caustic alkaline solution by placing my caustic alkali
directly in the straw boiler, the latter being filled with the urine undiluted or
diluted with water until the required density is obtained.
The apparatus which I find may be employed with advantage for carrying
my Invention into practice is shown in sectional elevation in the accompanying
Drawing.
The said apparatus comprises a boiler or vessel A in which the straw is boiled for
the purpose of reducing it to pulp, and a tank or vessel B containing a worm B¹
connected directly with a wooden or other vat C lined with lead for the acid bath,
or the said worm may be connected with a tubular or other condenser from which
a pipe extends to the said vat.
a is a tube for introducing the solution into the boiler; b. is a tube for con-
ducting the ammoniacal vapour into the worm; and c is a tube for conducting.
the vapour from the worm either through the aforesaid condenser or directly to the
vat C.
When the straw has been boiled for a sufficiently long time at about 160°
centigrade in the caustic solution in the said boiler A, the vapour is allowed to
escape from the latter into the worm B¹. The ammoniacal liquid passes from the
said worm or condenser into the aforesaid lead-lined vat C which contains an
acidulated bath formed by diluting sulphuric or other suitable acid with water.
When the acidulated bath is neutralized and has acquired a sufficient density
the ammonia is recovered by the ordinary process.
My Invention affords the means for obtaining very economically an improved
quality of pulp for the manufacture of paper. The use of the urine enables me to
reduce the quantity of caustic alkali in the solution with the result of a proportionate
saving of the fibres of the straw and a proportionately greater strength of the
paper. Moreover, a further element of economy is the recovery of the ammoniacal
products as above described.
Having thus fully described my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I wish it understood that I do not limit myself to the use of the
particular form or arrangement of the apparatus shewn in the accompanying
Drawing, nor do I claim as my Invention the construction of any part or parts of
such apparatus, but I claim,-
First. The manufacture of the improved paper from pulp made of manure straw
or straw which has been saturated or otherwise treated with urine, as and for the
purpose above set forth.
Second. The improved process of manufacturing paper pulp by boiling straw
in a caustic alkaline solution in which urine present, either as the result of a
preliminary saturation or treatment of the straw, or otherwise, and in which
process ammonia is or may be extracted, all substantially as and for the purpose
specified.

page_text: Third. The use of apparatus such as is herein referred to and shewn in the
Drawing in the manufacture of pulp, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Frederick Nast, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
WILLIAM FREDERICK NAST. (L.S.)