An Improved Process and Apparatus for the Disintegrating, Bleach- -ing,-and-like-Treatment of Straw,-and-other-Fibrous-Materials.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Aug., 1897-Accepted, 5th Feb., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Process and Apparatus for the Disintegrating, Bleach-
-ing,-and-like-Treatment of Straw,-and-other-Fibrous-Materials.
I, GOLDSBURY HARDEN POND, Gentleman, of the Town of Ashburnham, County
of Wooster and State of Massachusetts, in the United States of America, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by means of the
following statement:―
In the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 is an elevation of an apparatus constructed according to my invention;
Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section thereof; and
Fig. 3 is a plan view.
Figs. 4, 5 & 6, are detail views of parts to be hereinafter clearly indicated.
In the several views, the same numeral indicates the same part.
1 represents a tank of any suitable proportions, centrally secured to the bottom
of which is a perforated casing 2 continuing upward in the pipe 3 to the top of the
tank where it ends in a flaring head with inclined perforations 4. Rotatably
stepped to the bottom of the tank and within the casing and bushed in the top
of the before mentioned head, is a vertical shaft 5 bearing at the upper end the
pulley 6 with drive belt 7 from some suitable motor; and at the lower end
thereof, the screw 8. Near the top of the pipe 3 is secured an annular receptacle 9
with holes 10 in its bottom. Within the said receptacle and secured to the pipe 3
is a collar 12 maintaining in position upon the bottom of the receptacle 9 the
perforated segments 13 with handle 14.
In the lower portion of the tank, extending say about one fourth the distance
from the bottom to the top thereof, are the fixed diaphrams 15 with the openings 16
adapted to be opened and closed by means of the sliding gate 17 with openings 18,
the said gate being guided by the ways 19 on the diaphram 15, and the flanges 20
on the bottom of the tank, and operated by the rods 21 passing through the stuffing
boxes 23 of the tank sides. Mounted upon the diaphrams 15 and sliding in guides
on the sides of the tank are the movable gratings 24 comprising parallel bars
keyed together by bars 25. At some convenient point outside the tank is an
electrical generator 26 with a negative conductor 27 and positive conductor 28
duly coupled to electrodes 29 suspended by hooks 30 engaging the top of the tank.
The construction of my invention having been now indicated, I will disclose
its operation. A suitable quantity of electrolyte, in this instance, a solution of
sodium chloride, as for instance, a five per cent. solution, is placed in the tank,
and the gratings being in their places, a suitable quantity of the fibrous material
to be treated, as for instance, straw, is firmly packed between the said gratings
which are then removed thus forming clear or open cells about the anode and
cathode already mentioned, the diaphrams 15 and the packed fibre forming a
partially porous wall to the said cells. The gate 17 of the cathode cell is now 80
moved as to open the ports 16 while the gate of the anode cell is closed. The
electric current is now turned into the circuit, and continued for a period of three
•

page_text: hours or more, and the shaft 5 rotated. The electric current will decompose the
solution of sodium chloride, the chlorine brought to the anode cell is largely
retained there by the closed gate 17 of the diaphram 15. In the meantime soda
and sodium hydrate brought to the cathode cell will be drawn through the open
gate of said cell and the adjacent porous and fibrous material by the screw 8,
elevated through the tube 3 to the receptacle 9 through the holes in the bottom
of which it will be again distributed in the direction required on to the mass of
fibrous material, and continually circulated therethrough. By means of the
independent segments 13 and their perforations, the sodium hydrate may be dis-
charged from any desired portion of the receptacle 9. The sodium hydrate during
its formation and passage through the fibrous material as set forth, brings about a
chemical reaction, the sodium hydrate combining with the silicates and inter-
cellulose matter as may be in said fibre, disintegrating the said material. When
this is conípleted, as already noted, in about three hours, the gate of the cathode
cell, will be closed and that of the anode cell opened, when the chlorine solution
thereof will be in its turn circulated through the porous fibrous mass to bleach
the same.
To continue the bleaching process, both gates may be opened and the
contents of both cells be brought together by the circulation, forming a hyper-
chlorate of soda, an active bleaching agent.
It will also be seen that by the varying adjustment of the gates and regulation
of the speed of the screw, a perfect control may be had of the corelation of the
several steps of the complete process.
Having fully described my invention, what I desire to secure and claim is: -.
1. The method herein described of treating straw by the electro-chemical decom-
position of a solution of chloride of sodium, which consists in packing or banking
the straw in a tank containing a solution of chloride of sodium in such a manner
that an open cell or space is formed between the anode and the mass of straw,' and
then causing the solution to be circulated in the tank and subjected to the action
'of an electric current.
:
2. The method herein; described of disintegrating and bleaching straw by the
electro-chemical decomposition of a solution of chloride of sodium, which consists
in packing or banking straw in a tank containing a solution of chloride of sodium
in such manner that an open cell is formed between the mass of straw and the
cathode; and between the straw and the anode, then causing the solution to be
circulated throughout the straw from the cathode cell to disintegrate the straw,
and then circulating the solution from the anode cell through the disintegrated
straw to bleach the same, while passing a current of electricity through the solution.
3. The method herein described of disintegrating and bleaching straw by. the
electro-chemical decomposition of a solution of chloride of sodium, which consists
in packing or banking the straw in a tank containing a solution of chloride of
sodium in such manner that an open cell is formed between the mass of straw and
the cathode and between the straw and the anode, then causing it to be circulated
throughout the straw from the cathode cell to disintegrate the straw, and then
circulating the solution from the anode cell through the disintegrated straw per-
fectly bleaching the same; and further circulating the solution from both the anode
cell and the cathode cell by opening the gates in each, and combining the
contents of both of said cells into a hypochlorate of soda, perfectly bleaching the
material..
.
4. In the electro-chemical treatment of straw or other fibrous material by the
decomposition of a solution of chloride of sodium, the process herein described
which consists in causing the solution undergoing decomposition to be circulated
through the porous bank of straw and through the partially porous cells formed
by the said bank of straw or material undergoing treatment, substantially as
described.
5. The process herein described' of treating straw by electrolysis, which consists
in packing the straw in a suitable tank, and forming on open anode cell at the side

page_text: thereof, then placing in said tank a solution of chloride of sodium and main-
taining a circulation of the same throughout the mass of straw, while passing
a current of electricity through the solution and through the bank of straw,
decomposing the solution and disintegrating the straw, substantially as described.
6. The combination with a tank for the treatment of straw by the electro-
chemical decomposition of a solution of chloride of sodium, of the partition
located in said tank and resting on the bottom thereof, and the removable grating
seated on said partition, substantially as described.
7. The combination with the tank and the electrodes, of the pipe located in
the tank, the perforated receptacle at the upper end thereof, the perforated rotatable
regulator, and means for forcing a fluid contained in said tank up through said
pipe and regulator, thus maintaining a constant or variable circulation,_sub-
stantially as described.
8. The combination with a tank, the electrodes, the vertical partition and grating
at one side of the tank, forming a cell in which the positive electrodes are located,
of the perforated casing, the perforated receptacle, the adjustable perforated regula-
tor, the rotatable shaft and the screw at the lower end thereof, substantially as
described.
9. In an apparatus for the electro-chemical treatment of fibrous material, the
combination with the tank having flanges formed at the bottom at the opposited
sides of the tank, of the stationary partitions located at the lower part of the tank
at the opposited sides formed with openings in the lower edge, the ways secured
to said partitions, the slidable gates formed with openings in the lower edges
working between said ways and flanges, and the rods secured to said gates and
projecting through the tank for operating the gates, the removable gratings
resting on said partitions, and the anode and cathode at opposite sides of the
tank, substantially as described.
Dotad Navamhan 104h 1007
GOLDSBURY HARDEN POND,
By Edward C. Heaver,
His Attorney.