AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR OBTAINING AND PREPARING FROM VARIOUS FORMS OF PEAT, MATERIAL SUITABLE FOR MAKING INTO PAPER, PASTE- BOARD AND THE LIKE
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alfred Julius Boult at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th December 1883. A communication
from Amélie Ubbelohde née Poppe of Hannover in the German Empire
"
ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex
Engineer AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR OBTAINING AND PREPARING FROM
VARIOUS FORMS OF PEAT, MATERIAL SUITABLE FOR MAKING INTO PAPER, PASTE-
BOARD AND THE LIKE" (a communication from Amélie Ubbelohde née Poppe of
Hannover in the German Empire]
The hereinafter described process has the double object
1 of producing a material suitable for paper and pasteboard from peat,
particularly from the so-called peat-moss and from similar fibriferous natural
products.
2. of manufacturing from such material, alone or in combination with other
materials paper and pasteboard.
The material above referred to is obtained in the following manner
The peat is placed in a wet or dry state into a vat below or by the side of
which a straining device is so placed that all short particles of say two millimeters
diameter can pass off downwards or sideways according to the arrangement of the
apparatus.
In its simplest construction the apparatus consists in a straight surfaced sieve
extending horizontally within the vat and dividing the latter into a top
compartment for receiving the seat and a bottom space. Either before or after
the peat is put into it, the vat is filled with a sufficient quantity of cold or warm
water to allow the peat to be readily moved about in it.
In this water the peat is moved about say by stirring or otherwise, whereby
t will be gradually resolved into its various parts. The short particles in
particular separate from the longer ones, pass through the meshes of the seive and
collect at the other side of it. The fibres however, with the exception of the very
short ones do not pass through the seive.
Thus gradually a complete or nearly complete separation of the short particles
rom the long ones is effected. The short particles by themselves, but especially in
"

page_text: combination with properly prepared peat or other fibres constitute a material
causing firm cohesion and well adapted for conversion into paper and pasteboard
by reason of a jelly like adhesive substance naturally adherent to them and by
reason of numerous therein contained small fibres which readily become felted.
The longer constituents of the peat, remaining after the short ones have been
eliminated as above set forth, consist almost exclusively of fibres and the other
bodies yet remaining in the same such for instance as bits of wood which might
be injurious in the use of the fibres can be readily picked out.
Now the fibres so obtained as well as larger bunches which occur both in peat
and bog and do not require such separation as has been above described (for
instance the so-called bog-moss) are treated as follows.
They are first of all boiled say under a pressure of from 1 to 3 atmospheres.
To the water in which they are boiled, is added carbonate of soda or carboante
of potassa or some other similarly acting substance serving to dissolve the
vegetable slime.
The quantity of this addition may be varied, Experiments have yielded a
favourable result when about 21, Kilogram of Carbonate of soda have been added
per hundred weight of fibre.
The boiling is continued for about 2 hours. After the boiling some mineral or
vegetable acid is added either to the water in which the fibre was boiled or after
this has been drawn off, to fresh water admitted to the fibre, the object of this is
to neutralise the carbonate of soda or of potash contained in the water and the
fibre and cause the latter to split in the direction of its length. The quantity of
acid to be employed is regulated by the proportion of Carbonate of soda or of
potassa but it must always be sufficient to allow the liquor to have a slightly acid
reaction.
The effect of this operation is that the vegetable slime and the woody parts of
the fibre are partly separated, partly destroyed and fall to the bottom whilst the
fibres split lengthwise into still finer fibre
The fibres are ultimately washed with clean water.
By the above mentioned process, such purity, toughness, fineness and suppleness
are imparted to the fibres, that they will furnish an excellent material for paper
and pasteboard either alone or combined with other materials more especially with
the short stapled constituents of the peat herein above referred to.
It may also be remarked that both the last described material and that first
herein referred to can be bleached and coloured by the usual means and methods
From either of the materials produced as stated either with or without the
addition of the other material above described, or of any suitable material, paper as
well as paste-board may be produced
Provided the foreign substances therein contained be treated in an appropriate
manner, then the simple or composite material can be made into pulp by the usual
apparatus, the long fibre having if required been reduced say by a chaff-cutter or
other apparatus and the materials well mixed, say by stirring with water.
One may then proceed forthwith to make paper or pasteboard by the usual
machines or by hand.
The two materials above described yield an excellent paste board which does
not tear and is not at all brittle, particularly if the two materials are combined.
A far greater quantity of the first material which is very cheaply obtainable may
be used than of the second.