General Chemical Corporation

Samuel L Bean

Mark D Dulik

Peter A Monopoli

Walter H Bortle

Walter H Bortle, Jr

Shrimp and other seafood can be preserved to extend their freshness shelf life by immersing them in an aqueous solution prepared by dissolving a dry mixture containing sodium metabisulfite with from 30 to 50% by weight of sodium sulfite. These solutions have excellent preservative action yet have very little or no odor of sulfur dioxide. The solutions are useful in a concentration of up to about 3% by weight.

Method for preserving seafood

The action of the bacterium Nitrobacter agilis to oxidize nitrite ions to nitrate ions in aqueous solutions is well known. We have found that if the nitrite ion concentration in solution is maintained at a level of at least 2.5 percent by weight and higher, that the activity of this bacterium is completely inhibited and the nitrite salt solutions remain stable over long periods of time.

Stable nitrite solutions

Sodium (bi)sulfites are produced by the steps of:

Cocurrent flow process for the manufacture of sodium sulfite and

Permanganate based fabric bleaching processes, such as stone-washing processes, are substantially improved by utilizing a reducing composition comprising a metabisulfite and a sulfite in the washing step. The relative amounts of metabisulfite and sulfite in the reducing composition are selected so as to substantially eliminate the odor of sulfur dioxide during the washing step at the particular temperature selected. For washing temperatures of 100.degree.-140.degree. F. the preferred weight ratio of sodium metabisulfite to sodium sulfite is 7:3, which produces a reducing composition having a pH of 6.2 (in a 5% by weight solution). Such a composition not only allows operation at elevated temperatures without an odor of SO.sub.2, it also allows a reduction in the washing time and in the amount of reducing composition used.

Method for permanganate bleaching of fabric and garments

Permanganate based fabric bleaching processes, such as stone-washing processes, are substantially improved by utilizing a reducing composition comprising a metabisulfite and a sulfite in the washing step. The relative amounts of metabisulfite and sulfite in the reducing composition are selected so as to substantially eliminate the odor of sulfur dioxide during the washing step at the particular temperature selected. For washing temperatures of 100.degree.-140 .degree. F. the preferred weight ratio of sodium metabisulfite to sodium sulfite is 7:3, which produces a reducing composition having a pH of 6.2 (in a 5% by weight solution). Such a composition not only allows operation at elevated temperatures without an odor of SO.sub.2, it also allows a reduction in the washing time and in the amount of reducing composition used.

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Wilmington, DE, United States of America

Samuel L Bean