Method of producing cellulose mass and product

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF FORMING A CELLULOSE FIBER PRODUCT BONDED WITH AN INSOLUBLE INFUSIBLE PHENOL-ALDEHYDE RESIN COMPRISING FORMING A MIXTURE OF AN AQUEOUS ACID SLURRY CONTAINING CELLULOSE FIBERS, AND A THERMOSETTING RESIN-REACTION PRODUCT FORMED BY HEAT-REACTING AN AQUEOUS MIXTURE OF A MONOHYDRIC PHENOL HAVING A DISTILLATION RANGE BETWEEN ABOUT 175* AND ABOUT 225* C., AN ALDEHYDE IN WHICH THE ALDEHYDE RADICAL IS THE SOLE REACTIVE RADICAL, AND AN ALKALINE CATALYST IN AN AMOUNT ACCELERATING THE FORMATION OF THE INITIAL RESIN-REACTION OF THE HEATING. THE MOLAR RATIO OF THE ALDEHYDE TO THE PHENOL VARYING FROM 1:1 TO 3:1, SAID RESIN BEING WELL ADVANCED TOWARD THE INSOLUBLE INFUSIBLE STAGE BY THE REPEATED ADDITION THERETO OF ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE WITH A CONDENSATION STEP BETWEEN EACH ADDITION OF ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE, SAID ADDITIONS OF ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE BEING TERMINATED WHILE THE RESIN-REACTION PRODUCT IS IN A WATER-SOLUBLE STAGE, SAID WATER-SOLUBLE REACTION PRODUCT BEING CONDENSED TO A STAGE WHERE AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF THE CONDENSED MASS SHOWS A PRECIPITATE UPON THE ADDITION OF ETHANOL, SAID ALKALI-CATALYZED HIGHLY CONDENSED PHENOL-ALDEHYDE RESIN REACTION PRODUCT BEING NORMALLY WATER-SOLUBLE IN ALKALINE SOLUTION BUT INTERACTING IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID ACID SLURRY TO PRECIPITATE ON SAID CELLULOSE FIBERS A SUBSTANTIALLY INSOLUBLE RESIN, SAID RESIN BEING RETAINED ON SAID IN SAID FIBERS IN AN INSOLUBLE STATEM DELIQUENFYING THE RESULTING SLURRY, AND HEAT-CONVERTING THE DELIQUENFIED SLURRY INTO A DRIED RIGID CONSOLIDATED FIBER PRODUCT WITH SAID PHENOL-ALDEHYDE RESIN CONVERTED TO ITS INSOLUBLE INFUSIBLE STATE AND UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE INTERIOR AND ON AND ADJACENT SURFACES OF SAID CONSOLIDATED FIBER PRODUCT.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF FORMING A CELLULOSE FIBER PRODUCT BONDED WITH AN INSOLUBLE INFUSIBLE PHENOL-ALDEHYDE RESIN COMPRISING FORMING A MIXTURE OF AN AQUEOUS ACID SLURRY CONTAINING CELLULOSE FIBERS, AND A THERMOSETTING RESIN-REACTION PRODUCT FORMED BY HEAT-REACTING AN AQUEOUS MIXTURE OF A MONOHYDRIC PHENOL HAVING A DISTILLATION RANGE BETWEEN ABOUT 175* AND ABOUT 225* C., AN ALDEHYDE IN WHICH THE ALDEHYDE RADICAL IS THE SOLE REACTIVE RADICAL, AND AN ALKALINE CATALYST IN AN AMOUNT ACCELERATING THE FORMATION OF THE INITIAL RESIN-REACTION OF THE HEATING. THE MOLAR RATIO OF THE ALDEHYDE TO THE PHENOL VARYING FROM 1:1 TO 3:1, SAID RESIN BEING WELL ADVANCED TOWARD THE INSOLUBLE INFUSIBLE STAGE BY THE REPEATED ADDITION THERETO OF ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE WITH A CONDENSATION STEP BETWEEN EACH ADDITION OF ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE, SAID ADDITIONS OF ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE BEING TERMINATED WHILE THE RESIN-REACTION PRODUCT IS IN A WATER-SOLUBLE STAGE, SAID WATER-SOLUBLE REACTION PRODUCT BEING CONDENSED TO A STAGE WHERE AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF THE CONDENSED MASS SHOWS A PRECIPITATE UPON THE ADDITION OF ETHANOL, SAID ALKALI-CATALYZED HIGHLY CONDENSED PHENOL-ALDEHYDE RESIN REACTION PRODUCT BEING NORMALLY WATER-SOLUBLE IN ALKALINE SOLUTION BUT INTERACTING IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID ACID SLURRY TO PRECIPITATE ON SAID CELLULOSE FIBERS A SUBSTANTIALLY INSOLUBLE RESIN, SAID RESIN BEING RETAINED ON SAID IN SAID FIBERS IN AN INSOLUBLE STATEM DELIQUENFYING THE RESULTING SLURRY, AND HEAT-CONVERTING THE DELIQUENFIED SLURRY INTO A DRIED RIGID CONSOLIDATED FIBER PRODUCT WITH SAID PHENOL-ALDEHYDE RESIN CONVERTED TO ITS INSOLUBLE INFUSIBLE STATE AND UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE INTERIOR AND ON AND ADJACENT SURFACES OF SAID CONSOLIDATED FIBER PRODUCT.