Patent ID: 8444810

Claim:
A process for treating fibers comprising: feeding fibers and fiber bundles into a feed opening of a treatment apparatus; macerating the fibers and fiber bundles; feeding a gaseous mixture containing steam, ammonia and ethylenediamine into the treatment apparatus at a temperature of between about 140 degrees C. and about 180 degrees C. and a pressure of about 2 kilopascals gauge; moving the fibers from the feed opening to an exit opening of said treatment apparatus; collecting the fibers at an exit opening of said treatment apparatus said treatment apparatus comprising a chamber having a longitudinal central axis, a cylindrical enclosure, an interior portion having an interior surface and an exterior portion, said feed opening being adapted for communication with a fiber feeding device, said chamber being adapted for utilization under pressure; a shaft disposed along the longitudinal central axis of said chamber, said shaft being adopted for rotation around said axis; a plurality of pins affixed to said central axis, said pins protruding from the central axis, said pins being substantially perpendicular in relation to the central axis; and furrows disposed in an inner wall surface of the cylindrical enclosure having a predetermined width, a predetermined depth and a predetermined clearance from the pins, wherein said fiber bundles accumulate inside the furrows, said fiber bundles breaking apart inside said furrows from impact by the pins while said fiber bundles and fibers continually moving from the feed opening to the exit opening of said treatment apparatus.