IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OF TREATING MATERIALS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER AND OTHER SIMILAR TEXTILE FABRICS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Stuart Baker, of Fleet Street, in the City
of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OF
TREATING MATERIALS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER AND OTHER SIMILAR
TEXTILE FABRICS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME."-A communication
from abroad by Robert Hanham Collyer, of Pont Au-demer, in the
Province of Eure, in France.
Sealed the 25th May 1866, and dated the 29th November 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Stuart Baker
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on.
the 29th November 1865.
I, CHARLES STUART BAKER, of Fleet Street, in the City of London, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PROCESS OF TREATING MATERIALS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER AND OTHER
SIMILAR TEXTILE FABRICS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME," to be as fol--
lows:
This Invention consists in submitting straw, jute, maize, cane, esparto,
O and other like vegetable fibres to the action of concentrated or strong
caustic alkaline solutions in the manner hereafter explained. In order to
ensure the rapid action of the alkaline solution I prefer that it should be
used at or near the boiling state, though it may be mixed with the material
in some cases at a much lower temperature, and brought to the boiling

page_text: condition after being thoroughly mixed and distributed by the action of
hot agents, as steam, hot air, or fire. This part of the process may be
conducted in any suitable vessel or receptacle. After the material has
been acted on for a sufficient length of time by the strong alkaline liquor
and the hot agent employed, it is "broken down," or considerably dimi-
nished in bulk, and occupies much less space, so that three or four times a
greater quantity may be introduced into the finishing boiler than if it
were not so "broken down." I now transfer it to another vessel, where
the alkaline treatment is completed by high-pressure steam, after which
the material is removed from the boiler or receptacle and subjected to
hydraulic or other pressure, so as to express the alkaline compound
formed by the combination of the alkali with the resin, silica, or other
substance with which the fibre may be associated. The liquor so ex-
pressed is then evaporated and incinerated so as to recover the alkali.
The apparatus employed in this process consists, firstly, of a tank made
of any convenient shape or suitable material; secondly, of a preparatory
revolving receiver; thirdly, of a finishing rotary or revolving boiler;
fourthly, of hydraulic or other presses. In the tank the alkaline solution is
prepared to the requisite strength required. In the preparatory revolving
receiver the straw or other material is placed after having been cleaned
and prepared, to which also the concentrated or strong alkaline liquor is
added. I prefer the strength to be one pound or more of caustic alkali to
the gallon of water, but no excess of alkaline liquor should be used but
what is sufficient to break down the material. Steam or hot air is then
permitted to act on it for a short time, which breaks down the material in
bulk. I now transfer it to the finishing boiler until it is full, when I
prefer to treat it under about four atmospheres of steam pressure, or about
60 lbs. to the square inch. The material is then transferred to an hydraulic
press or presses.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 30
filed by the said Charles Stuart Baker in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 29th May 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
STUART BAKER, of Fleet Street, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 35
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of November, in the year of

page_text: our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Charles Stuart Baker, Her special licence that
I, the said Charles Stuart Baker, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Stuart Baker, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PROCESS OF TREATING MATERIALS FOR MANUFACTURE OF PAPER AND OTHER
SIMILAR TEXTILE FABRICS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME," (a communication
to me from abroad by Robert Hanham Collyer, of Pont Au-demer, in the
Province of Eure, in France,) upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Charles Stuart Baker, my executors or administrators, by :
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
an
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Stuart Baker, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same.is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
My Invention has for its object an improved process and apparatus
for the treatment of vegetable fibres, such as straw from wheat, oats,
barley, or flax, flax waste, jute, cane, esparto, &c., so as to render them
suitable for the manufacture of paper and other similar textile fabrics. My
method consists in submitting straw, jute, esparto, or other similar sub-
stances as above mentioned to the action of concentrated or strong caustic
alkaline solutions in the manner herein-after explained. In order to
ensure the rapid action of the alkaline solution I prefer that it should be
used at or near the boiling state, though it may be well mixed with the
material at a much lower temperature, and afterwards brought to the
boiling state by the action of hot agents, as steam, hot air, or fire. I prefer
that the strength of the alkaline solution should be not less than 15° on
Beaumé's hydrometer, and in order to prevent too much condensation
when steam is used it should be superheated. This solution is prepared
in a separate reservoir. The preparatory treatment of the material which

page_text: has for its object the reduction of volume should be conducted in rotating
receiver or vessel of three or four times the cubic capacity of the finishing
boiler. After having been acted on by the strong alkaline liquor and the
hot agent employed for a sufficient length of time, which will be about
twenty or thirty minutes, the material becomes considerably reduced in
bulk, and occupies much less space; so that three or four: times a greater
quantity can be introduced into the last or finishing boiler than if the
material had not been so broken down. It is now transferred from the
preparatory vessel to the finishing boiler or receptacle, where the alkaline
treatment is completed, and submitted to the action of steam at a pressure
of about 2 to 4 atmospheres. The material is then removed to a receiver or
hopper, and from thence to the wire band or cloth of the press rollers, so
as to express the greater part of the alkaline compounds formed by the com-
bination of the resin, silica, or other substance with which the fibre may be
associated. The liquor so expressed is then evaporated and incinerated,
by preference in a reverberatory furnace, so as to recover the alkali.
The apparatus employed in the process is represented in Figs. 1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6, and 7 of the Drawings hereto appended. Fig. 1: C, the reservoir,
'which should contain say about 1,000 gallons, in this the alkaline solution
is prepared to the strength required as above stated; A represents a guage
to show the height of the liquor in the reservoir, and B is the hydrometer
attached thereto. Fig. 2: B, the preparatory receiver, into which say 3 to
3 tons of straw, esparto, or other material are introduced; if straw it
should be cut, cleaned, and then crushed; A, large door which allows the
immediate filling and emptying; A, portion of B is broken away to show
the interior of the receiver and the large central pipe C, which is per-
forated with small holes as shown, in order to ensure a uniform distribution
of the alkaline liquor. This receiver is made to oscillate by the wheel D,
which may be done by steam or hand power. The pipe C forms the axle
and revolves in the bushes E, E. By this means the material and the
alkaline solution are thoroughly mixed. Fig. 3: C, the small high-pressure
rotary boiler into which the reduced material is transferred from the
receiver B, Fig. 2; A, A, cocks to allow the steam used (after the alkaline
treatment is finished) to be used in reducing the material in B, Fig. 2,
for another operation; B, B, cocks to drain or draw off any excess of
liquor. This boiler C is caused to rotate in the same manner as B in Fig.
2. Fig. 4, receiver or hopper of sufficient size to hold the contents of the
boiler C, Fig. 3; A, a shaft with arms or grooved roller to secure
a regular distribution of pulp and liquor to the wire band or cloth A.

page_text: Fig. 5: B, B, are the press rollers to remove. any alkaline compounds, and
are driven in the usual way....This is one of the leading features of my:
Invention. I am well aware that other rollers, as indian-rubber or vulcanite,.
have been used, as also a centrifugal hydro-extractor, but these have not
been found suitable, for. the indian-rubber. or vulcanite rollers become
dissolved by the strong or concentrated alkaline solution and the hydro-
extractor clogs. But the use at this stage of my process of ordinary press
rollers on a wire. band or cloth as shown is the only effective and
expeditious mode of expressing or extracting the alkaline liquor. Figs.
6 and 7 refer to evaporating the alkaline liquor and incinerating the
residue, whereby the alkali is recovered and may be used over again. This
part of my process is conducted in a reverberatory furnace, of which Fig. 6
is a section, and. Fig. 7 a perspective view. In these two Figures like
letters denote similar parts. A is an air pipe for a blast to the furnace
at B; C, C, C, are reservoirs to contain the liquor to be evaporated, and
each is furnished with a door E, E, for the removal of the incinerated
residue from each reservoir to the one next below; D, D, is a flue passing
under the reservoirs, and, if required, the heat may be conducted over the
top of the reservoir to produce more rapid evaporation by the spaces
F, F, &c.; G is the brickwork of the furnace. Sometimes the treatment
of the vegetable fibre, whatever it may be, can be effected in a single
vessel, and by augmenting the strength of the alkaline solution much time
may be gained. It should always be remembered that the less liquor
remaining unabsorbed after the alkaline treatment is completed the better
the results. The material should be pressed prior to being washed. I do
not consider the addition of certain quatity of water in some cases to
constitute washing. In the application of my process I do not restrict my
rights to any particular form of vessel or receiver, nor to the time, the
steam pressure, or the strength and quantity of the alkaline liquor. All
these conditions must depend on attendant circumstances, such as the par-
ticular quality and nature of the material treated. Experience will soon
render the expert efficient in each special case.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner
the same may be performed, I declare that I claim,—
First, the employment of a preparatory recipient or receiver, in which the
materials are reduced in volume by the action of a strong concentrated
alkaline solution combined with hot agents for the purposes substantially
as described.
Secondly, the process of removing the reduced material for the comple-

page_text: tion of the alkaline treatment from the preparatory recipient or receiver to
another vessel and subjecting it to (by preference) high-pressure steam,
substantially as described.
Thirdly, the extraction of the alkaline liquor by press rollers or with
wire cloth in combination with the processes herein-before described and
illustrated, with a view to the recovery of the alkali or other products by
evaporation and incineration.
Fourthly, the combination of the apparatus and process or apparatuses
and processes substantially as herein-before described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Stuart Baker, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
THOMAS MORGAN,
CHARLES STUART BAKER. (L.S.)
71, Fleet Street, E.C.