US2886399A

US2886399A - Aldehyde treatment of land fowl feathers

Info

Publication number: US2886399A
Application number: US658900A
Authority: US
Inventors: Varsenig Z Pasternak; Robert M Lollar
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1957-05-13
Filing date: 1957-05-13
Publication date: 1959-05-12
Anticipated expiration: 1976-05-12

Description

United States Patent ALDEHYDE TREATMENT OF LAND FOWL FEATHERS Varsenig Z. Pasternak and Robert M. Lollar, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army No Drawing. Application May 13, 1957 Serial No. 658,900

12 Claims. (Cl. 894.1)

This invention relates to a method of treating land fowl feathers, especially chicken feathers, to increase their filling power and resiliency, and to impart permanent curliness and water repellency, thereby making such feathers an acceptable substitute for the standard down and feather mixture now in wide use for sleeping bags, comforters, pillows, etc. A further object is to treat the feathers in such a way that their enhanced filling power is retained or retained in part after repeated launderings. Other objects will be apparent from the [following description of the procedures presently preferred by us.

In explanation of the term filling power, reference may be made to the report entitled A Proposed Method for Measuring the Filling Power of Down and Feathers by Henry A. Sinski, publication No. TD-103037, The Ofiice of Technical Services, Department of Commerce, and to the article by N. B. Edelman in Textile Research Journal, vol. 17, p. 199 (April 1947), entitled Investigation of Methods for Determining the Filling Power of Feathers. See also the Sinski et al. Patent No. 2,706,910, dated April 26, 1955. Ordinarily, chicken feathers have a filling power of 1.8 to 2.1 em., while the 40/60 downfeather mixture has a filling power of 5.3 to 5.9 cm.

The term feathers as used herein includes whole land fowl feathers of the desired size range, crushed (commercia1curled) land fowl feathers, land fowl feather fibers, stripped land fowl feathers, and mixtures of these.

In the Frederick and Jaskowski copending application Ser. No. 411,594, filed February 19, 1954, now Patent No. 2,805,913, a continuation-in-part of abandoned application Serial No. 359,948, filed June 5, 1953, a process of lip-grading chicken feathers by means of glyoxal (diformyl) is disclosed. In the Frederick and Jaskowski copending application Ser. No. 435,658, filed June 9, 1954, now US. Patent 2,805,914, the treatment of chicken feathers with alpha-hydroxy-adipaldehyde is described and claimed. Both of said applications were assigned to the United States Government. The Koga Patent No. 2,129,219, dated September 6, 1938, describes a method of improving chicken feathers including two mechanical steps followed by treatment with formalin vapour.

In the preferred procedure, the feathers, if not known to be entirely free from blood, are first soaked for about ten minutes in a water solution of a commercial blood solubilizer, such as Coagusol (a mixture of sodium hexametaphosphate and alcohol sulfate). After the soaking, the solution is drained from the feathers and the feathers are then laundered or dry cleaned. In laundering, preferably a detergent such as Tergitol NPX (alkyl phenyl ether of polyethylene glycol) is used (0.25% water solution at 110-125 F.) Other non-ionic detergents have been found to be satisfactory. In general, the nonionic type of detergents should be used to obviate any action on the protein of the feathers. Laundering continues for about twenty minutes, then the solution is removed from the feathers by centrifuging or wringing. While a number of well known dry cleaning solutions Patented May 12, 1959 could be used to clean the feathers, laundering is preferred feathers from the described laundering or dry cleaning operation are placed in a 1% water solution of trisodium phosphate Na PO .12H O at 43-49 C. for about ten minutes. If feathers from mature chickens are being processed, the phosphate treatment period is increased to about thirty minutes. This mild alkaline treatment of the feathers is believed to alter the stability of the feathers by modification of the cystine linkages in the keratin. This step is important because it materially increases the curliness of the feathers and it curls naturally uncurly mature feathers, thereby to increase the bulk value of the final feather product. Other suitably buflfered alkaline solutions, for example, sodium carbonate or borax, may be used in lieu of the phosphate solution mentioned above, but in all cases the time of the treatment must be less for immature feathers to avoid excessive degradation. Trisodium phosphate is preferred because of its quicker action due to a higher pH. It is believed that the higher concentration of cystine linkages in mature feathers enables them to resist the action of the alkaline solution for a longer period.

Data of a number of successful laboratory runs at The Tanners Council Research Laboratory, University of Cincinnati, under Contract No. DA-19-l29-QM-23l with the Quartermaster Corps, U.S. Army, will now be given.

I. Acetaldehyde treatment A batch of washed chicken feathers was given the previously described phosphate treatment for thirty minutes at 42-45 C., then the feathers were thoroughly rinsed. Next the feathers were placed in a bath containing 30 ml. of acetaldehyde (B.P. 21 C.), 1 gram of aluminum sulfate and 1000 ml. of water.

A 40 gram batch of washed chicken feathers was given the previously described phosphate treatment for thirty minutes at 42-46 C. Then the feathers were thoroughly rinsed and the wet feathers were placed in a bath prepared from 800 ml. of water, 30 g. or 34 ml. of triethyl monomethyl diacetal of malonaldehyde, 200 ml. of 1,4-dioxane and 25 ml. of dilute sulfuric acid, plus 1 gram of aluminum sulfate (chromium or Zirconium sulfate). The pH range was 2.7-2.8 and the temperature, 42"-45" C. After thirty minutes the pH was raised to 7 and the feathers were allowed to remain in the neutral solution, with occasional stirring, for an additional thirty minutes at the same temperature. Then the feathers were well rinsed, were dried and cured at 87 89 C. for ten utes. The filling power was 6.4, but after laundering filling power dropped to 5.8.

III. Pyruvicaldehyde treatment A batch of 45' grams of washed chickenfeathers given the previously described phosphate treatment, then Other normal or basic salts could be used as catalysts in lieu of min-- the the feathers were thoroughly rinsed. Then the damp I filling power of this particular batch of feathers was 5.8;

with a better grade of feathers, the filling power should equal or exceed 6.0.

IV. Butyraldehyde treatment A 40 gram batch of washed chicken feathers was givw en the previously described phosphate soak, then the feathers were thoroughly rinsed. The damp feathers were put in a bath of butyraldehyde (butylaldehyde) solution prepared from 30 ml. of butyraldehyde, 1000 ml.

of water, 1 gram of aluminum sulfate and enough sulfuric acid to give a pH of 2.7-2.8. In lieu of aluminum sulfate, other salts could be used, for example chromium sulfate or zirconium sulfate. The temperature of the bath was 42-45 C. for the thirty minutes of the treatment. Then the pH of the bath was raised to slightly V. Succinaldehyde treatment A 45 gram batch of washed feathers from cross-breed chickens was soaked in a phosphate bath, as previously described, for thirty minutes at 47 C., then the feathers were removed and thoroughly rinsed. In the next step, the feathers were put in a bath of succinaldehyde (succindialdehyde) consisting of 60 ml. of 27.6% solution of the aldehyde plus 1000 ml. of Water. The initial pH was 2.8 without the addition of any outside acid. For thirty minutes the treatment continued at 4245 C., the pH ranging between 2.5 and 2.8. Then the pH was raised to 7.0 by adding Na CO solution, and the feathers were kept in the neutral bath for fifteen additional minutes, at the same temperature. Finally, the feathers were removed, thoroughly rinsed, dried, and cured at 87 C. for ten minutes. The filling power for these poor feathers was 5.8; had high quality feathers been treated, the filling power undoubtedly would be above 6.0.

VI. Glutaraldehyde treatment A 40 gram batch of washed chicken feathers was given the previously described phosphate treatment for thirty minutes at 42 46 C. Then the feathers were thoroughly rinsed. The Wet feathers were put in a bath of 1.8% glutaraldehyde (glutardialdehyde) in a liter of water, to which 0.10.2% of a salt (aluminum sulfate, or chromium sulfate or zirconium sulfate) had been added. The pH range was 23. The feathers were kept in the bath for thirty minutes at 42 -45 C., then the pH was raised to 7.0 by adding Na SO solution and the feathers were held in the bath for fifteen minutes longer. Finally, the feathers were rinsed, tumble dried, and cured at. 89 C. for ten minutes. The filling power was 7.1. After laundering, the filling power was 6.4.

VII. Heptaldehyde treatment A 45 gram batch of washed chicken feathers was given the same phosphate soak previously described, then the feathers were removed and thoroughly rinsed. The wet feathers were put in a bath of ml. of heptaldehyde. (heptyl aldehyde) dissolved in 800 ml. of dioxane, tov which 1 gram of aluminum sulfate and 200 ml. of water were added. The bath was made acidic with dilute sulacid, the pH being 2.7 to 2.8, while the temperature 4 was 42 -45 C. After thirty minutes, the pH was raised to 7 by adding Na CO solution and the feathers were kept in the bath for 15 minutes longer. The feathers were re moved and soaked in dioxane, then they were rinsed, dried and cured for ten minutes at 8892 C. The filling power was 5.2, but after laundering, the filling power was measured at 5.8.

VIII. Furfural (Z-furaldehyde) treatment A 45 gram batch of washed chicken feathers was soaked in the previously described phosphate solution for thirty minutes, then the feathers were removed and thoroughly rinsed. The damp feathers were immersed in 1000 ml. of a 2% furfural solution, to which 1 gram of aluminum sulfate had been added, plus enough dilute sulfuric acid to make the pH 2.7 to 2.8. The temperature of the bath was 4245 C. and the feathers were kept in it 50-60 minutes. Then the pH was raised to 7.0 by adding Na CO solution, and the feathers were kept in the bath for fifteen minutes longer at 42-45 C. Finally, the feathers were removed, well rinsed, dried and cured at about 90 C. The filling power was 6.1; and after laundering the feathers, the filling power was again read as 6.1.

IX. Benzaldehyde treatment A 40 gram batch of washed chicken feathers was giventhe previously described phosphate soak for thirty minutes, then the feathers were thoroughly rinsed. The wet feathers were immersed in a bath composed of 19 ml. of benzaldehyde (benzoic aldehyde), 200 ml. of dioxane, 800 m1. of water, 1 gram of aluminum sulfate (or other salt as mentioned above), and enough sulfuric acid to give a pH of 2.7. The treatment may continue for 30 to 60 minutes at 42-45 C. Then the pH is raised to 7.0 by adding Na CO solution, and the feathers are kept in the neutral solution for fifteen minutes at 42-45 CL Finally, the feathers are removed, rinsed, dried and cured at about 90 C. The filling power was 6.2; and after laundering, the filling power was 6.1.

X. Anisaldehyde treatment A 40 gram batch of washed chicken feathers was given the same thirty minutes phosphate soak previously described, then the feathers were removed and thoroughly rinsed. The wet feathers were immersed in a bath of. 21 ml. of anisaldehyde (anisic aldehyde) in 200 ml. of 1,4-dioxane and 800 ml. of water, with 1 gram of a salt; such as aluminum sulfate, plus enough dilute sulfuric acid to maintain a pH of between 2 and 3.0. The temperature was 4245 C. and the treatment continued for not over sixty minutes for best results. A fifty minute treatment will give good results. Next the pH was raised to 7.0 for fifteen minutes, the temperature remaining the same. Finally, the feathers are removed, rinsed well, dried and cured at about 90 C. The filling power was 5.7, but after laundering, the filling power rose to 5.9.

XI. Salicyladehyde treatment A 40 gram batch of washed chicken feathers was given the phosphate soak previously described, then the feathers were thoroughly rinsed. The wet feathers were put in a bath consisting of 19 ml. of salicylaldehyde (salicylic aldehyde) in 400 ml. of 1,4-dioxane and 600ml. of water. The dioxane in this example, as in the others given above, was used to make the heavier aldehyde more soluble in water. One gram of a salt such as aluminum sulfate, chromium sulfate or zirconium sulfate was added to the bath'plus enough dilute sulfuric acid to make the pH 2.7-2.8. The treatment may be between thirty and sixty minutes at 42-45 C. Then the bath was neutralized by adding Na CO solution, and the feathers were allowed filling power reading was 6.0, but after laundering the feathers, the reading was 6.4.

Other aldehyde treatments Chicken feathers have also been treated with acrolein (acrylic aldehyde) with remarkable results. Acrolein is an unsaturated aldehyde and may be polymerized in situ, using light as the catalytic agent. The copending application of Varsenig Z. Pasternak, Ser. No. 654,617, filed April 23, 1957, entitled Acrolein Treatment of Feathers, should be referred to in this connection.

Other aldehydes presumably will react with the feather keratin to give good filling power measurements, for example, propionic aldehyde (propanal), crotonic aldehyde (propylene aldehyde), and cuminaldehyde (cuminal).

Having thus described the practice of our invention by means of several actual examples for carrying out the same, we now define the scope of our invention by the appended claims.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. A method of treating land fowl feathers to enhance their filling power, which comprises placing the land fowl feathers for about 30-60 minutes in an aqueous bath of an aldehyde selected from the group consisting of succinaldehyde, pyruvicaldehyde, acetaldehyde, malonaldehyde, butyraldehyde, glutaraldehyde, heptaldehyde, furfural, benzaldehyde, anisaldehyde, and salicylaldehyde, the last nine members of said group being in the presence of a catalyst, said catalyst being a metal salt present in a catalytic amount; said bath having a pH of about 2-3, and said bath being warmed above room temperature when said aldehyde is a member of said group of aldehydes other than acetaldehyde; then raising the pH of the bath to substantially neutral and keeping said feathers in said substantially neutral bath until the filling power of said feathers is increased; then rinsing the feathers and drying them.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said metal salt catalyst is a member of the group consisting of aluminum sulfate, chromium sulfate and zirconium sulfate.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said aldehyde is acetaldehyde.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said aldehyde is butyraldehyde.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said a1- dehyde is glutaraldehyde.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said aldehyde is furfural.

7. The method according to dehyde is salicylaldehyde.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cystine linkage of the keratin of said land fowl feathers is modified, prior to said aldehyde treatment, by immersing said feathers in an aqueous alkaline solution until their curliness is increased, and rinsing said feathers after said immersion.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said aqueous alkaline solution is an approximately 1% solution of trisodium phosphate having a temperature of about 43-49 C., said immersion having a duration of about 10-30 minutes.

10. A method of treating land fowl feathers to enhance their filling power, which comprises placing the land fowl feathers in an aqueous bath of acetaldehyde in the presence of a catalytic amount of a metal salt catalyst, at a pH of about 2.7-2.8 for about 30 minutes, then raising the pH of the bath to substantially neutral and keeping said feathers in said substantially neutral bath until the filling power of said feathers is increased, then rinsing the feathers and drying them at a temperature substantially above room temperature.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said metal salt catalyst is a member of the group consisting of aluminum sulfate, chromium sulfate and zirconium sulfate.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the cystine linkage of the keratin of said land fowl feathers is modified, prior to said acetaldehyde treatment, by immersing said feathers in an aqueous alkaline solution until their curliness is increased, and rinsing said feathers after said immersion.

claim 1, wherein said al- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,108,520 Wolf Feb. 15, 1938 2,129,219 Koga Sept. 16, 1938 2,389,292 Bjorksten Nov. 20, 1945 2,499,444 Allison Mar. 7, 1950 2,524,042 Croston Oct. 3, 1950 2,547,060 Tillisch Apr. 3, 1951 2,583,574 Jones Jan. 29, 1952 2,805,913 Frederick Sept. 10, 1957 2,805,914 Frederick Sept. 10, 1957 V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

atent No, 2,886,399

Varsenig Zo Pasternak et ale May 12, 1959 It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification If the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters atent should read as corrected below.

Column 3, line 61, for "Na SO solution" read Nat 00 solution Signed and sealed this 29th day of September 1959,

:SEAL) kt'test:

KARL Ho .AXLINE kttesting Officer ROBERT C. WATSON Commissioner of Patents

Claims

1. A METHOD OF TREATING LAND FOWL FEATHERS TO ENHANCE THEIR FILLING POWER, WHICH COMPRISES PLACING THE LAND FOWL FEATHERS FOR ABOUT 30-60 MINUTED IN AN AQUEOUS BATH OF AN ALEHYDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SUCCINALDEHYDE, PYRUVICALDEHYDE, ACETALDEHYDE, MALONALDEHYDE, OUTYRALDEHYDE, GLUTHRALDEHYDE,HEPTALDEHYDE, FURFURAL, BENZALDEHYDE, ANISALDEHLYDE, AND SALICYLALKEHYDE, THE LAST NINE MEMBER OF SAID GROUP BEING IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYST, SAID CATALYST BEING A METAL SALT PRESENT IN A CATALYST AMOUNT; SAID BATH HAVING A PH OF ABOUT 2-3 AND SAID BATH BEING WARMED ABOVE ROOM TEMPERATURE WHEN SAID ALDEHYDE IS A MEMBER OF SAID GROUP OF ALDE HYDES OTHER THAN ACETALDEHYDE; THEN RAISING THE PH OF THE BATH TO SUBSTANTIALLY NEUTRAL AND KEEPING SAID FEATHER IN SAID SUBSTANTIALLY NEUTRAL BATH UNTIL THE FILLING POWER OF SAID FEATHERS IS INCREASED; THEN RINSING THE FEATHERS AND DRYING THEM.

3. THE METHOD ACCORDING TO CLAIM 1, WHEREIN SAID ALDEHYDE IS ACETALDEHYDE.