Improvements in or relating to the recovery of wool fibres from mixtures containing wool fibres and cellulose ester fibres

摘要

Wool fibres are recovered from a mixture of textile fibres containing wool fibres and cellulose organic ester fibres by soaking the fibres in an aqueous solution containing an organic swelling agent for the cellulose ester and an inorganic carbonizing agent till the carbonizing agent has penetrated the cellulose ester fibres, drying the treated material, baking it so as to carbonize the cellulose ester fibres, and then washing so as to remove the carbonized cellulose ester fibres. The wool fibres recovered from the mixture may be used in the preparation of woollen and worsted materials. The material may be in the form of a fabric, e.g. one obtained by weaving wool and cellulose acetate yarns or fibres. Decorative effects may be obtained by removing the non-woollen fibres. The mixed textile material may contain cellulose fibres as well as wool and cellulose ester fibres. The organic swelling agent may be ethyl alcohol, acetone, isopropyl alcohol, butyl alcohol, methyl ethyl ketone, or ethyl lactate. The carbonizing agent may be sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid, or aluminium chloride. The treating solution may be an aqueous solution containing 15-35 per cent ethyl alcohol, 4-8 per cent sulphuric acid, and 2-5 per cent hydrochloric acid. Carbonization may be effected by baking the dried materials for 5-30 minutes at 100-150 DEG C.