A New Method of Bleaching.

Manufacturer and Builder ?, 1890

A method of bleaching has recently been tried in the North of Ireland, which is likely to prove a commercial success, according to our information. It is a modification of the plan proposed by M. Hermite for bleaching by liberation of chlorine under the action of an electric current. The new method is due to Messrs. Cross and Bevan, who bound that a solution of magnesium chloride when electrolyzed by the current delivers up active oxygen of strong oxidizing properties. They also found that a smaller quantity of blanching-oxygen effects the purpose than when ordinary bleaching-powder is used. In short, the new process is about one-third cheaper than the old, if some experiments are to be trusted. The process has been applied not merely to the whitening of yarn but of paper pulp. At Belfast the electrolized solution circulates through the bleaching tank, and is kept active by the voltaic current. The tank is of special construction; but as the process is capable of further modification, we need not enter into details.