Continuous xanthation

Claim 1

IN A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR XANTHATING ALKALI CELLULOSE, THE STEPS WHICH COMPRISE SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY PASSING ALKALI CELLULOSE IN THE FORM OF A LOOSE CRUMB THROUGH A GASEVACUATING ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY EVACUATING GAS FROM THE LOOSE CRUMB IN THE GAS-EVACUATING ZONE, AND THEN, WITHOUT APPRECIABLY COMPACTING THE LOOSE CRUMB, CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING THE LOOSE CRUMB DISCHARGED FROM SAID ZONE INTO A PREVIOUSLY EVACUATED XANTHATING ZONE IN THE PRESENCE OF CARBON BISULFIDE VAPOR, CONTINUOUSLY AGITATING THE CRUMB IN THE XANTHATING ZONE WHILE ADVANCING THE CRUMB THERETHOROUGH, SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING THE XANTHATED CRUMB FROM THE XANTHATING ZONE, AND SUBSTANTIALLY PREVENTING THE TRANSFER OF GAS INTO AND OUT OF SAID ZONES WITH THE CRUMB, THE PREVENTION OF GAS TRANSFER AT THE DISCHARGE END OF THE XANTHATING ZONE BEING EFFECTED BY COMPACTING THE XANTHATED CRUMB TO A COMPARATIVELY HARD MASS WHICH FORMS A VOAPOR SEAL.