US1590601A - Treatment of organic material - Google Patents

Description

June 29 1926.

E- TAYLQR TREATMENT OF ORGANIC MATERIAL Original Filed March 11. 1920 INVENTOR ATTORNEYJ Paternal June '29,. 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN TAYLOR, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO TAYLOR LABORATORIES. INC, 0]! NEW 1033, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TREATMENT OF ORGAN IC MATERIAL.

Original application filed March 11, 1920,. Serial No. 364,980. Divided and this application Med Jun 17,

' 1924. Serial No. 720,522.

. My invention relates to improvementsin the treatment of'organic material, and more particularly to the treatment of cellular or fibrous organic material such as cellulose in the form of. cotton or otherwise. This application is a division of my prior application Serial No. 364,980, filed March 11, 1920.

The main object of this invention is to provide an improved method of treating such organic material whereby the same may be and then remove solvent constituents fromthe material by the aid of electrolytic action.

I will illustrate the invention In describing the preferred treatment of cel ulose' material such as cotton. As solvent I preferto use a solution of. zinc chloride or cup-r0 ammonia, the latter repared by dissolving hydrated cupric oxi e in strong ammonia water.

After solution is complete the viscous mass is allowed to stand for about 24 hours, duringwhich time it becomes much more fluid and may be forced through a filter by means of pressure. A fine sand bed on top of a layer of nitro-cotton, which in turn is supported by a fine wire screen is quite satisfactory. When desired the solutions are now concentrated by centrifugal action.

The colloidal solution of cellulose is then preferably treated in an apparatus like that shown in the accompanying drawing which forms a part 'of this specification and which illustrates more or less diagrammatically a section of an apparatus adapted for the purpose.

Referring to the drawing, a closed tank.

10 is supplied with filling means 8, a pipe 9, for. admission of pressure, and a nozzle or nozzles 12 provided with an orifice 4 extending through the tank wall preferably at the bottom. Below 10 is-a second covered tank 20, containing dilute acid at the bottom and furnished with an overlapping end or compartmen't 52, above the acid level. The nozzle or nozzles 12, extend through'the topof and driven by a roller 25 exterior-to tank 2.0

and supported by guide rolls 2626-26" enters tank 20 near the top at its rearward end, passes over roller 26 and downwardly across the open end of compartment 52, until under the level of the acid in tank 20. The belt then passes under second guide roll 26, and longitudinally through the acid until near the end of the tank where it passes down under another guide" roll Y26" and thence at an angle out of the acid through an aperture 59 in the endwall of.20 and over the driving roll 25, situated several feet beyond 20. This belt is provided with a. contact shoe 28 carrying an electrical connection 29, and inuse the belt becomes an anode. Running lengthwise of tank 20 near the bottom is a metallic plate 31, of any width with its forward end 31 upturned and provided with a conductor 32 causin'g it to become a cathode on passing a proper electric current.

A wide thin stream or curtain of acid water 54. is caused to flow continuously down that portion of the belt opposite compartment 52, and with the run of-the belt, by means of a slotted pipe 55 running across the top of the tank. Beyond tank 20 is another tank 50 across which runs a second slotted pipe 58 so situated that clean water may be driven through it with the run of the belt, thereby dislodging any material adhering to the belt and preventing this wash water from running down the belt into tank 20. The acid water in 20 is used to supply pipe 55, through intermittently operated auxiliary tanks (not shown) so that the current may not ground itself through the circulating system. An outlet pipe 33 servesto remove any gas injected into or developed in the apparatus.

In operation tank 10 is filled with any desired organic material dissolved in a metal containing solvent and pressure applied. In this case dilute solutions are preferable to viscous, concentrated ones on account of the finer particles produced by the atomizers. The belt 2 1 is started running, in the direction shown by arrows and a curtain of acid water flowed across its descending face by pipe 55. Compressed air or other gas is driven through nozzle 2 across the descending stream of dissolved organic material and the resulting spray 53 driven against the descending acid water curtain whereby the fine spray particles are immediately covered J by a protecting film which prevents them from adhering to one another, successive fresh acid continually meeting the incoming particles. The line of impact of the spray 53 on the water curtain should be as narrow as possible and for this reason the orifices 4 of the nozzles 12 and also of the nozzles 2 should be narrow slots in preference to round holes. Owing to the contact of the acid water with the belt and with the liquid in tank 20 the fine particles of organic matter are in an electric field from the time of impact and in consequence seek to adhere to the anode 'or belt 21, the particles which do not im- -mediately adhere do so later during their travel between the electrodes, they being carried along by the flow' of liquid caused by the descent of the acid water and the directional flow given it by the upturned end 31 of the cathode 31 and held in susension until they are pulled to the anode y the electrical current.

During their passage through the electrolytic tank or cell the current passes through the particles of cellulose solution causing, by electrolytic action, the copper or metal of the solvent to be deposited on the cathode, freeing the ammonia or chlorine as the case may be, and the thus purified cellulose to be more firmly deposited on the traveling anode in finely divided condition. In this way the solvent constituents are re moved from the cellulose or the like electrolytically. The time required for deposition of the metal and release of the gaseous constituent is small, due to the large surface exposed to electrolytic action by the fine state of division and the much thinner wall or membrane through which the solvent constituents are obliged to pass. The belt with its adhering load of organic material now passes out of the acid water through the opening 59 in tank 20 and towards driving roll 25. As the particles pass the opening in pipe 58 they are swept from the belt by the water driven from said opening and together with the water fall into wash-tank 50. After washing, the finely divided material is ready for any subsequent operations or uses. Owing to the atomizing and to the great shrinkage in volume (approximately 80%) in drying (which may be done, by placing the powder in a container and passing carbon tetrochloride, acetone orother dehydrating agent therethrough) the product may be obtained in a state of microscopical fineness. It is particularly adapted for insulating packing material, as an absorbent, or after nitration, for explosive purposes.

As to the process in general, the utmost care should be exercised to avoid all dust and dirt. The solutions must be carefully filtered and dirt kept out afterward. All the apparatus should be closed in wherever possible. The water employed for making up the solutions should be distilled or at any rate contain a minimum of mineral salts and should be free from carbonic acid gas if a fine filament or a perfectly transparent product is desired.

The strength ofthe acid employed is a variable factor depending upon whether the cellulose, etc., is subjected to the electrolyzing current during the forming or whether the formed material must be transported some distance before coming under its influence. It is best found by experiment for any particular case although I have never used above of 1% and from to is generally sufficient of sulphuric'acid. prefer to use nitrie acid as its ultimate product under electrolysis is always ammonia. The bath may be kept to strength by the simple addition of nitric acid, the ammonia released from the organic solution or formed by electrolysis being readily drawn from the top of the tanks and directly recovered,

'and any residual acid easily removed from the-cellulose, etc., by washing.

If silk material is used as raw.materia1 it may be dissolved in a solution of nickel ammonia formed by dissolving hydrated nickel oxide in 30% ammonia water.

The material produced by the above process or processes is in most cases capale of being again dissolved by solvents having the same constitution as those orig inally used and any trimmings, misshapen pieces, etc., may be redissolved and added to fresh solutions thereby, reducing waste of raw or finished material.

While I have described my improvements in great detail and with respect to preferred em odiments thereof, I do not desire to be limited to such details or forms, since many changes and modifications may be made and the invention embodied in widely difi'erent What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1 The method of treating organic material which'consists in treating the same with. solvent toput thhnaterial in solu tion, spraying the solution to finely divide it, and removing solvent constituents therefrom electrolytically.

2. The method of treating cellular or.

fibrous organic material which consists in dissolving the material in solvent therefor, spraying the solution on a moving carrier to deposit the solution on the carrier in di.-. vided condition and passing the carrier through an electrolyti field to remove sol vent constituents from the material by electrolytic action.

3. The method of treating cellulosic material which consists in dissolving the ma terial in a suitable solvent, spraying the solution to subdivide it into small particles and subjecting the latter to electrolytic action to remove solvent constituents therefrom.

4. The method oftreating cellulosic ma-' terial which consists in dissolving the material in a suitable solvent, spraying the soluremoving the purified particles from the carrier b spraying. a

6 'I he method of treating cellulosic material which consists in dissolving the material in a suitable solvent containing a metal, spraying the solution to subdivide it into small particles and subjecting the latter to electrolytic action to remove solvent constituents therefrom.

7. The method of treating cellulosic material which consists indissolving the ma terial in a suitable solvent containing a metal, spraying the solution to subdivide it into small particles and subjecting the latter to electrolytic action to remove solvent constituents therefrom, and removing the purified particles from the carrier by sprayin a The method of treating cellular or fibrous organic material which consists in dissolving the material in solvent therefor, spraying the solution on a moving carrier to deposit the solution on the carrier in divided condition and passing the carrier through an electrolytic field to remove solvent con-v stituents from the material by electrolytic action, and removing the purified particles from the carrier by spraying.

Intestimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

EDWIN TAYLOR.

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