Alkali cellulose preparation

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING AN ALKALI CELLULOSE TO CONTAIN A REQUIRED PROPORTION OF CELLULOSE, CAUSTIC ALKALI AND WATER WHICH COMPRISES FORMING A SLURRY OF COMMINUTED CELLULOSE IN A MEDIUM OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THEALIPHATIC ALCOHOLS HAVING FROM 2 TO 5 CARBON ATOMS IN THE MOLECULE, DIOXANE, TETRAHYDROFURAN, AND MIXTURE THEREOF, SAID SLURRY CONTAINING UP TO ABOUT 20 PER CENT OF SAID COMMINUTED CELLULOSE BASED ON THE COMBINED WEIGHTS OF SAID MEDIUM AND SAID CELLULOSE, SAID COMMINUTED CELLULOSE HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE SUFFICIENTLY SMALL TO PASS THROUGH THE OPENINGS IN A 35-MESH SIEVE AND BEING DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT SAID SLURRY AS INDIVIDUAL PARTICLES SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF AGGLOMERATES, CONTACTING THE COMMINUTED CELLULOSE IN THE SLURRY WITH ONLY THE REQUIRED AMOUNT OF CAUSTIC ALKALI AND THE REQUIRED AMOUNT OF WATER, SAID CAUSTIC ALKALI BEING WITHIN THE RANGE BETWEEN ABOUT 0.2 PART AND ABOUT 1.8 PARTS, CALCULATED ON A MOISTURE-FREE BASIS, AND SAID WATER BEING WITHIN THE RANGE BETWEEN ABOUT 0.5 PART AND ABOUT 8.0 PARTS FOR EACH PART OF MOISTURE-FREE CELLULOSE BY WEIGHT, AND CAUSING THE INDIVIDUAL PARTICLES OF CELLULOSE TO MOVE RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER THROUGH THE SLURRY AND TO CONTACT EACH OTHER AND RUB TOGETHER IN THE PRESENCE OF THE CAUSTIC ALKALI AND THE WATER TO EFFECT A UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION OF THE CAUSTIC ALKALI AND THE WATER ON THE CELLULOSE TO PRODUCE A SLURRY OF ALKALI CELLULOSE IN THE SLURRYING MEDIUM.