A PROCESS OF RE- COVERING GUMS, OILS, FATS, SALTS, ACIDS, AND OTHER LIKE MATTERS WHICH IMPREGNATE THREADS OR TEXTILE FABRICS OF ALL KINDS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Gardner, of the Office for Patents, No. 40, Fleet
Street, in the City of London, for the Invention of "A PROCESS OF RE-
COVERING GUMS, OILS, FATS, SALTS, ACIDS, AND OTHER LIKE MATTERS WHICH
IMPREGNATE THREADS OR TEXTILE FABRICS OF ALL KINDS." A communication
from abroad by Ernest Charbonneaux, of Rheims, France, Manufacturer.
ealed the 28th June 1878, and dated the 1st February 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Gardner at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st February 1878.
HENRY GARDNER, of the Office for Patents, No. 40, Fleet Street, in the City of
London. "A PROCESS OF RECOVERING GUMS, OILS, FATS, SALTS, ACIDS, AND OTHER
LIKE MATTERS WHICH IMPREGNATE THREADS OR TEXTILE FABRICS OF ALL KINDS."
A communication from abroad by Ernest Charbonneaux, of Reims, France,
Manufacturer.
This Invention has for object a new process of recovering the fats, gums, acids,
gelatines, salts, and mineral acids, of which textile bodies in the rough or as spun
or woven material have been impregnated in the successive operations or pre-
parations, and of which they must be freed to render them available for commerce.
The waters coming from the ordinary scouring of the threads of combed wool,
and from the unbleached and dyed fabrics contain glue or gum, which prevents the
decomposition of these waters by the acids; if sometimes the decomposition takes
place the oil does not separate itself from the liquid, its extraction cannot be
made economically, thus these scouring waters till now have not been made
use of.
The waters used for washing and other fabrics cleaned chemically, whether by
mineral acids or by agglutinate matters, such as chloride of magnesium or
aluminium, silicates of potash and of soda, are also lost.
This process consists,―
Firstly. In extracting the gum from the fabrics before they are submitted to the
scouring to recover the gum and to permit then to withdraw the oil from the

page_text: scouring waters by treating it with acids, these scouring waters being then exempt
of gum.
2ndly. In treating wools and fabrics cleaned by acids to recover the acids, and to
avoid the expenses of neutralization.
1st: Extraction of the Gum from Fabrics. When the fabric, unbleached or dyed,
comes from the loom, it is caused to traverse a series of vessels filled with water,
the temperature of which varies according to the nature or quantity of gum
contained in the stuff, and it is submitted in this vessel to a methodical
washing.
The Drawing represents in vertical section the illustration of these vessels. In
the Drawing these vessels are three in number, M, M³, M², but they may be more or
less numerous, according to the different sorts of fabrics to be treated; the piece of
fabric passes first between two pressure rollers A, A', from the vessel M crosses this
vessel M, following the direction indicated before the guide roller a behind the
roller b and c, and at the passing out before the roller d; it passes then between
the two pressing rollers B, B', of the vessel M', which expresses the liquid and
throws it back into the bath M. The fabric traverses the vessel M is pressed by
the rollers C, C', traverses the bath M, and passes out between the pressing
rollers D, D'.
At the commencement of the operation the three vessels are filled with hot water,
the temperature of which is maintained to about 60° cent. ; after a certain time the
water of the lower vessel M becomes charged with a large quantity of gum; it is
then emptied by means of a cock R, and it is refilled with water from M¹ which
flows through the cock R¹. The vessel M' is in its turn filled with. water from the
vessel M2 emptied by means of the cock R2; this last vessel is filled with hot water;
in this way the water of the vessel M is only collected, and it is always the vessel
M² which receives pure water.
If the water charged with gum which is drawn from the vessel M has carried a
small quantity of oil contained in the fabric, it is freed by agitating it with
sulphuret of carbon, essence of turpentine, essence of petroleum or ether, substances
lighter than water which dissolve fats and carry them to the surface of the liquid.
The water charged with gum is drawn off and evaporated to a solid consistence, the
gum and gelatine being recovered.
On leaving the apparatus the fabric passes to the scouring process; the waters
coming from the scouring do not contain any trace of gum, so that in treating
them by acids the decomposition is very easy, and the oil separates itself from the
liquid.
2nd. Extraction of Matters Employed in the Cleaning of Wools.-The fabric is
submitted immediately after the cleaning to a methodical washing in an apparatus
similar to that above described. The sulphuric, chlorhydric, nitric, and other acids
. are collected in dissolution in the water, and salts, such as chlorides of aluminium or
of magnesium, the silicates of potash, and of soda.
By evaporating the saturated waters run from the vessel M, the acids and the
salts above mentioned are regenerated, and these may be utilized for the cleaning
of the new fabrics.
The fabrics once freed from the salts or acids which have served for the cleaning,
is washed as usual in a large quantity of water to free it from all traces of acid or
salt.
For the cleaned wool before being converted into thread or fabric, it suffices to
damp it well by steeping it in a special vessel containing cold water, to take out the
acid and the water to dissolve the salts, and particularly the silicates, which are
almost insoluble in cold water. A centrifugal drying process is then proceeded
with, and the water which escapes therefrom is collected to be concentrated an
evaporated as above mentioned.
For treating combed wool (merinos), the operation of "brouissage" furnishing the
waters such as will suit them, it suffices to submit to a methodical washing to
obtain waters as much charged as possible.

page_text: In all cases the preliminary filtering (purgation) of the waters of the fats which
charge them may be avoided, because at the evaporation these fats form a floating
scum, and the under liquid remains perfectly clear.
The novelty of this Invention is,―
1st. The preliminary ungumming of threads and fabrics by a methodical washing
permitting the collection of the gum, the ungumming being followed by a scouring
of the threads and fabrics, the oil or the fat which cannot be extracted while the
gum remains in these waters.
2nd. The recovery of different acids, salts, or matters soluble in water used for
cleaning wools, or of threads, of fabrics of wool, cotton, silk, flax, hemp, and
jute.
3rd. The treatment of combed wools (merinos) by a single simple methodical
washing, the fats forming at the evaporation a scum which floats on the liquid, then
perfectly clear, all as herein-before set forth.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Gardner in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st August
1878.
HENRY GARDNER, of the Office for Patents, 40, Fleet Street, in the City of
London. "A PROCESS OF RECOVERING GUMS, OILS, FATS, SALTS, ACIDS, AND
OTHER LIKE MATTERS WHICH IMPREGNATE THREADS OR TEXTILE FABRICS OF all.
KINDS." A communication from abroad. by Ernest Charbonneaux, of Rheims,
France, Manufacturer.
This Invention has for object a new process of recovering the fats, gums,
gelatines, salts, and mineral acids of which textile bodies in the rough or as spun
or woven material have been impregnated in the successive operations or
preparations, and of which they must be freed to render them available for
commerce. .
The waters coming from the ordinary scouring of the threads of combed wool
and from the unbleached and dyed fabrices contain glue or gum, which prevents
the decomposition of these waters by the acids; if sometimes the decomposition
takes place the oil does not separate itself from the liquid, its extraction cannot be
made economically, thus these scouring waters till now have not been made
use of.
The waters used for washing and other fabrics cleaned chemically, whether by
mineral acids or by agglutinate matters, such as chloride of magnesium or
aluminium, silicates of potash and of soda, are also lost.
This process consists,-
First. In extracting the gum from the fabrics before they are submitted to the
scouring to recover the gum and to permit then to withdraw the oil from the
scouring waters by treating it with acids, these scouring waters being then exempt
of gum.

page_text: 2ndly. In treating wools and fabrics cleaned by acids, to recover the acids and to
avoid the expenses of neutralization.'
1st. Extraction of the Gum from Fabrics. When the fabric, unbleached or dyed,
comes from the loom, it is caused to traverse a series of vessels filled with water,
the temperature of which varies according to the nature or quantity of gum
contained in the stuff, and it is submitted in this vessel to a methodical washing.
The Drawings, Figures 1 and 2, represent a vertical section and a plan of these
vessels, M, M1, M2, of which there may be any number, according to the different
sorts of fabrics to be treated. The piece of fabric x from the roller T passes first
between two pressure rollers A, A³, which are carried by supports E fixed on the
edge of the vessel M, the speed of rotation and the nip upon the fabric being
regulated by thumbscrews ff. The pressure is of an elastic character by india-
rubber g placed above the slide blocks of the upper roller and the screws. The
fabric from the rollers A and A¹ dips into the bath M, and is guided by rollers a, b, to
the bottom of the bath, and is led between other rollers c, d, arranged at the
opposite end of the bath M. It then passes between two other pressing rollers B, B¹,
which are fitted on the vessel M', like those on M which expresses the liquid and
throws it back into the bath M. The fabric traverses vessel M¹, is pressed by
the rollers C, C¹, traverses the bath M², and passes out between the pressing rollers
D, D', on to a roller T¹ as shown.
At the commencement of the operation the three vessels are filled with hot water,
the temperature of which is maintained to about 60° cent.; after a certain time the
water of the lower vessel M becomes charged with a large quantity of gum; it is
then emptied by means of a cock R, and it is refilled with water from M' which
flows through the cock R'; the vessel M¹ is in its turn filled with water from the
vessel M² emptied by means of the cock R²; this last vessel is filled with hot water; in
this way the water of the vessel M is only collected, and it is always the vessel M³
which receives pure water.
If the water charged with gum which is drawn from the vessel M has carried
a small quantity of oil contained in the fabric, it is freed by agitating it with
sulphuret of carbon, essence of turpentine, essence of petroleum, or ether, substances
lighter than water, which dissolve fats and carry them to the surface of the liquid;
the water charged with gum is drawn off and evaporated to a solid consistance, the
gum and gelatine being recovered.
2nd. Extraction of Matters Employed in the Cleaning of Wools.-On leaving the
apparatus the fabric passes to the scouring process, the waters coming from the
scouring do not contain any trace of gum, so that in treating them by acids the
decomposition is very easy, and the oil separates itself from the liquid.
The fabric is submitted immediately after the cleaning to a methodical washing
in an apparatus similar to that above described. The sulphuric, chlorhydric, nitric,
and other acids,. are collected in solution in the water, and salts, such as chlorides of
aluminium, or of magnesium, the silicates of potash, and of soda.
By evaporating, the saturated waters run from the vessel M, the acids and salts
above mentioned are regenerated, and these may be so utilized for the cleaning of
new fabrics.
The fabric once freed from the salts or acids which have served for the cleaning
is washed as usual in a large quantity of water to free it of all traces of acid or
salt.
For cleaned wool before being converted into thread or fabric, it suffices to damp
it well by steeping it in a special vessel containing cold water, to take out the acids,
and in warm water to dissolve the salts, and particularly the silicates, which are
almost insoluble in cold water. A centrifugal drying process is then proceeded with,
and the water which escapes therefrom is collected to be concentrated and evapo-
rated as above mentioned.
For treating combed wool (merinos), the operation of "brouissage" furnishing
the waters such as will suit them, it suffices to submit them to a methodical washing
to obtain waters as much charged as possible.

page_text: In all cases the preliminary filtering (purgation) of the waters of the fats which
charge them may be avoided, because at the evaporation these fats form a floating
scum, and the under liquid remains perfectly clear.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
1st. The preliminary unguinming of threads and fabrics by a methodical washing,
permitting the collection of the gum, the ungumming being followed by a scouring
of the threads and fabrics, the oil or fat which cannot be extracted while the
gum remains in these waters are extracted from the scouring waters freed of gum
as set forth.
2nd. The recovery of different acids, salts, or matters soluble in water used for
cleaning wools, or of threads, or of fabrics of wool, cotton, silk, flax, hemp, and jute,
as described.
3rd. The treatment of combed wool (merinos) by a single methodical washing,
the fats forming at the evaporation a scum which floats on the liquid, then perfectly
clear, as herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Gardner, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirty-first day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight.
HENRY GARDNER.
(L.S.)