(under subclass 10) Processes in which the nonfibrous ingredient is derived in whole or in part from the plant or portion thereof from which the fiber is liberated.
(1) Note. The nonfiber material may be extracted from the raw fiber-containing material and later added to the same batch of material from which it was derived, or to a different batch. The nonfiber material may also be the reaction product of an original constituent of the plant, such as a gum, wax, resin, lignin, etc., and an externally applied reagent. It may also be present as the result of redistribution within the fiber, as where it is desired to have the constituent uniformly distributed within the fiber.
(2) Note. A digestion process will seldom result in the removal of all the nonfibrous ingredients from vegetable growth. Processes will be classified in this and indented subclasses only when the digestion is purposefully incomplete, as where it is stated that a substantial amount of fiber-impregnating or adhesive matter is retained.
(3) Note. This subclass includes for example the combination of digestion and returning the waste liquor to the pulp as a nonfiber additive.
