66o 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[February i, 1883. 



EKMAN'S PATENT PROCESS FOK TREATING 



WOOD AND FIBROUS PLANTS. 



Messrs. Hinde & Co., of Calicut, who are agent 



for Mr. Ekman, have now been good enough to fulfil 



their promise of sending us specifications of patents 



and also estimates. It appears that the chemical 

 agents used in the process of maceration are sulph- 

 uric acid and carbonate of magnesia, in the pro- 

 portion of two of the former to one of the latter, 

 the solution giving approximately IjJ per cent 

 of magnesia and 4 4-lOths of sulphurous acid. Mag- 

 nesia is preferred to either potash or soda as being 

 less injurious to the texture of the wood or fibres 

 treated. The substance to be prepared is boiled in 

 the solution under pi'essure ; gas and steam being 

 also blown off, mainly it would seem to prevent burn- 

 ing. Modifications of the appliances employed would 

 have to be made with reference to materials treated, 

 such as bamboo, rhea, &c., full information being 

 afforded by the agents on reference to them. The 

 royalty on the prepai'ation of paper pulp is £1 per ton 

 of dry pulp produced ; the charge for " filaments " 

 and "ultimate fibre" (fitted for textile purposes, we 

 suppose) being somewhat higher and to be arranged 

 through the agents. Paper works, such as Mr. Ek- 

 nian's in London, cost £10,000, the machinery alone 

 coming to £7,100, thus ; — 



Four jacketted boilers 12 feet long inside by 

 4 feet diameter, with lead lining, supports and 

 fitting, cost erected, say... ... ...£2,500 



Two small generating boilers capable of sup- 

 plying steam to the otlier boilers, up to 901b. 

 pressure per square inch, say, ... ... £350 



Kiln to burn 500 tons of carbonate of mag- 

 nesia per annum, will cost about ... ... £150 



Apparatus in laboratory (exclusive of build- 

 ing) to make chemicals for 1,000 tons of dry 

 fibre or paper pulp per annum ... ... £600 



Eighty inch paper machine, speeded from 

 20 to 150 feet per minute, with stuff chests, 

 knotters, back water pumps, intermediate rolls, 

 cooling cylinder, two sets ordinary calenders, 

 damping apparatus, steam engine and gear 

 would cost, erected... ... ..,£4,000 



We are told that 



Working day and night such a machine would pro- 

 duce from 20 to 30 tons of paper per week, say 1,000 

 to 1,500 tons a year according to the sorts made. 

 Working only by day, which would probably be best 

 to begiu with, it would easily make 60U tons a year. 

 It is added that 



The other arrangements of tlie Mill should be made 

 with a view to working eventually up to the full 

 power of the paper machijie. 



Then follow long details of breakers, washers, potchers, 

 beating enginco, farina and clay mixing tanks, alum 

 and size, and two colour coppers, bleach mixing tanks, 

 &c., including a 200-horse power engine and coiTe- 

 sponding boilers, bringing the total cost up to £19,795, 

 still apart from buildings, and we are told that 



Such a mill could be increased to turn out 50 tons 

 of paper per week for an expenditure not exceeding 

 £10,000 for machinery &c. 



Such a mill, if built at Calcutta for the working up 

 of jute, witli others at Bombay and the various 

 capitals or centres of cotton districts for the pre- 

 paration of waste cotton, would go a good way to 

 supply the total present demands of India for paper. 

 A tui'n-out of 50 tons per week would amount ill 

 a year to 2,600 tons, or 52,000 cwt., equivalent to 

 67.600,000 lb. But we, in Ceylon, have only a general 



interest in such huge paper factories. AVhat we 

 want to know is how best to prepare our bamboos, 

 aloes, pineapples, plantains, and other cultivated and 

 wild fibre plants, into "half-stuff" for paper, or clean 

 fibre for textile purposes, with a view to their sale 

 in the London or other markets at profitable prices. 

 Unless the boilers could be easily carried to and 

 erected in the neighbourhood of aljundant material, 

 the carriage of such material to the manufactory 

 would be costly, even if small crushing rollers were 

 used to squeeze out the large proportion of water con- 

 tained In iilantain stems, aloe and pineapple leaves, 

 &c. The process 



For the manufacture of paper-pulp from wood, 

 bamboos, or any fibrous plants and for separating 

 valuable fibres such as Rhea, Jute, Hemp, Manilla 

 Hemp, Flax, etc., etc., from the gi'cen ripe stems, 

 is said to be "simple and inexpensive." Let our 

 reader's judge from the details given ; — 



The jirocess is simple and inexpensive, and consists 

 of placing the substances to be treated in a cylinder 

 and subjecting them to boiling, under a pressure of 

 90 lb. of steam, in water containing so much sulphur- 

 ous acid, more or less in combination with an alkali or 

 base, as shall be necessary to prevent the oxidation of the 

 organic matter. 



To insure perfect success the base must be such as 

 forms tolerably soluble compounds with sulphurous acid. 

 Potash, soda and magnesia are available for this purpose: 

 the latter is the best and cheapest, and is principally 

 chosen by Mr. Ekman for his process. 



Sulphur and magnesia are therefore the only chemicals 

 required. Necessary buildings and apparatus for the 

 manufacture and manipulation of chemicals cost about 

 £1,000. 



To make stuff for SOO tons of paper per annum would 

 require 4 boilers, each 12 feet long by 4 feet In 

 diameter. One such boiler costs, with lead lining, 

 supports and fittings complete, about ,£500 or £600 

 erected, and would boil at one operation sufficient 

 wood, etc., to produce 5-12ths of a ton of dry paper- 

 pulp or cellulose, and a boiler can make two boilings 

 a clay. 



A cylinder 16 feet in length by 6 ftet in diameter, 

 lined with lead would be sufficient to turn out two 

 tons of dry cellulose every 24i hours ; and this Mould be 

 sufficient to keep running large paper works sucli as 

 Mr. Ekman'sat Ilford. Tliis cylinder would cost £1,000. 

 The smaller cylinders are probably more suitable for 

 India. 



Paper works such as Mr. Ekman's cost about 

 £10,000. 



The space required for joint factories, i. <?., paper and 

 cellulose or filire cleaning would be about 2 acres. An 

 ample supply of pure water free from in n is required 

 for washing purposes ; should iron exist m water at a 

 suitable site for manufactory it can be precipated by the 

 use of caustic lime. 



Pure cellulose or " wood pulp," and " ultimate 

 fibre " are all produced by the same apparatus, and 

 Mr. Ekman's is tlie only process by which tlie most 

 or "ultimate fibre," is produced. The great advantages 

 of the process consists in its simi licity, clieapuess, and 

 the non-injury and non-discoloration of either pulp or 

 filaments. To prepare filaments and ultunate fibre, 

 prolonged boiling and washing alone is required. But 

 tlie preliminary arrangements for the preparation of 

 wood and fibrous plants differ considerably, am) depend 

 on wliether paper-pulp, ultimate fibre, filaments, or 

 fibre such as aloe or cou- is to be made. Wood will 

 requii'e dilferent preliminary treatment from hemp, 

 and bamboo from rhea. After the raw materials have 

 undergone the patent process the treatment must be 

 entirely different for paper-pulp, for filaments, and 

 for ultimate fibre! If therefore a manufactory is to 

 be economically erected and worked, it is necessary 



