AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING RAGS AND WASTE FABRICS, CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF MIXED ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE FIBRES, FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING VALUABLE PRODUCTS THEREFROM, WHICH IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO THE TREATMENT OF WASTE WOOL, HORN, HAIR, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS SUBSTANCES, PURPOSE OF OBTAINING VALUABLE PRODUCTS THEREFROM
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Christopher Webb Smith, of the Firm of Cooper and
Smith, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturing
Chemists, for an Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN
TREATING RAGS AND WASTE FABRICS, CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF MIXED
ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE FIBRES, FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING VALUABLE
PRODUCTS THEREFROM, WHICH IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO
BE APPLIED TO THE TREATMENT OF WASTE WOOL, HORN, HAIR, AND OTHER
ANALOGOUS SUBSTANCES,
PURPOSE OF OBTAINING VALUABLE
PRODUCTS THEREFROM."
FOR THE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Christopher Webb Smith
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th January 1881.
CHRISTOPHER WEBB SMITH, of the Firm of Cooper and Smith, of Aston, near
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturing Chemists. "AN IMPROVE-
MENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING RAGS AND WASTE FABRICS, CONSISTING
ESSENTIALLY OF MIXED ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE FIBRES, FOR THE PURPOSE OF
OBTAINING VALUABLE PRODUCTS THEREFROM, WHICH IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVE-
MENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO THE TREATMENT OF WASTE WOOL, HORN,
HAIR, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS SUBSTANCES, FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING
VALUABLE PRODUCTS THEREFROM.
"
My Invention has reference to the processes for treating rags and waste fabrics,
consisting essentially of mixed animal and vegetable fibres, and in treating waste
wool, horn, hair, and other analogous substances, described in the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to me bearing date the 14th day of May 1879, No. 1941.
The processes described in the said Specification consist essentially in treating
rags and waste fabrics, consisting of mixed animal and vegetable fibres, with
sulphide of sodium and steam, or with quicklime and steam, or with steam alone,
and in treating wool, hair, horn, and other substances of animal origin with
sulphide of sodium and steam, or with steam alone.
My present Invention consists of the following improvement or improvements
on the Invention described in the Specification of the Patent referred to.

page_text: I employ steam of high pressure, that is, steam of a pressure of not less than
about seventy five pounds on the square inch. By the use of this high pressure
steam the processes of treating the mixed animal and vegetable fibres and animal
substances are not only expedited, when conducted in the ways described, in the
said Specification, but by the use of high pressure steam the said processes may be
modified and simplified.
In the processes where quicklime is described in the said Specification as being
used, the said quicklime may be conveniently dispensed with when steam of high
pressure is used, and where sulphide of sodium is used in conjunction with steam
of high pressure the quantity of sulphide of sodium may be conveniently reduced
or altogether dispensed with.
Where the waste animal substances are operated upon for the production of a
manure the manure obtained by my present improvement or improvements
is more soluble than that obtained in the ways described in the Specification
referred to.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Christopher Webb Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st July 1881.
CHRISTOPHER WEBB SMITH, of the Firm of Cooper and Smith, of Aston, near
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturing Chemists.
" AN IMPROVE-
MENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING RAGS AND WASTE FABRICS, CONSISTING
ESSENTIALLY OF MIXED ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE FIBRES, FOR THE PURPOSE OF
OBTAINING VALUABLE PRODUCTS THEREFROM, WHICH IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVE-
MENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO THE TREATMENT OF WASTE WOOL, HORN,
HAIR, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS SUBSTANCES, FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING
VALUABLE PRODUCTS THEREFROM."
My Invention has reference to the processes for treating rags and waste fabrics,
consisting essentially of mixed animal and vegetable fibres, and in treating waste
wool, horn, hair, and other analogous substances, described in the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to me, bearing date the 14th day of May 1879, No. 1941.
The processes described in the said Specification consist essentially in treating
rags and waste fabrics, consisting of mixed animal and vegetable fibres, with
sulphide of sodium and steam, or with quicklime and steam, or with steam alone,
and in treating wool, hair, horn, and other substances of animal origin with
sulphide of sodium and steam, or with steam alone.
My present Invention consists of the following improvement or improvements
on the Invention described in the Specification of the Patent referred to.
I employ steam of high pressure, that is, steam of a pressure of not less than
about seventy five pounds on the square inch. By the use of this high pressure
steam the processes of treating the mixed animal and vegetable fibres and animal
substances are not only expedited, when conducted in the ways described in the
said Specification, but by the use of high pressure steam the said processes may be
modified and simplified.
In the processes where quicklime is described in the said Specification as being
used, the said quicklime may be conveniently dispensed with when steam of high
pressure is used, and where sulphide of sodium is used in conjunction with steam
of high pressure the quantity of sulphide of sodium may be conveniently reduced
or altogether dispensed with.
Where the waste animal substances are operated upon for the production of a
manure, the manure obtained by my present improvement or improvements
is more soluble than that obtained in the ways described in the Specification
referred to.
In treating rags and waste fabrics, wool, horn, hair, and other analogous materials
according to my present Invention I proceed as follows:-The rags or waste
fabrics or materials are put into a strong vessel capable of resisting the pressure of
the steam employed. Vessels of the kind used in the manufacture of artificial
manure, and called dissolvers, may be conveniently employed. I add to the rags
or material to be operated upon sulphide of sodium in the proportion of about five
parts by weight of the said sulphide of sodium to one hundred parts by weight of
the said rags or material, and the dissolver containing the rags or material and
sulphide of sodium being closed steam of a pressure of not less than about seventy
five pounds on the square inch is introduced into the dissolver or vessel, and the
pressure of steam indicated maintained in the dissolver or vessel three or four
hours, at the end of which time the fibres or material of animal origin will have
been dissolved. The sulphide of sodium may be dispensed with as it is not necessary
to the solvent action of the high pressure steam, although it promotes the action

page_text: of the steam in a marked degree. When I dispense with sulphide of sodium I
expose the rag, waste fibre, or other material to the action of steam of a pressure of
not less than about seventy five pounds on the square inch, longer than when
sulphide of sodium is used. Instead of acting on the materials for three or four
hours I act upon them about five or six hours when high pressure steam is
employed without sulphide of sodium.
When rags or waste fabrics or materials, consisting essentially of mixed vegetable
and animal fibres, are treated according to my Invention the vegetable fibres are
uninjured, and may be applied to the various useful purposes to which vegetable
fibres are applicable. The animal fibres are dissolved, and the solution obtained
forms, when dried, a valuable manure, either alone or when mixed with sulphate of
lime, and is a valuable addition to other manures. When wool, horn, hair, and
other analogous substances are treated according to my Invention the solution is
essentially the same as that obtained when treating mixed fibres, and is of the
same value as a manure.
Having described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my said Invention,
treating rags and waste fabrics, consisting essentially of mixed animal and
vegetable fibres, as well as wool, horn, hair, and other analogous substances, by
subjecting them to the action of steam of a pressure of not less than about seventy
five pounds on the square inch, either alone or in conjunction with sulphide of
sodium, for the purpose of obtaining valuable products therefrom, substantially as
herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Christopher Webb Smith, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
CHRISTOPHER WEBB SMITH. (L.S.)
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.