Fertilizer manufacture

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF A MIXED FERTILIZER WHICH COMPRISES: CONTINUOUSLY CHARGING ACID-REACTING FERTILIZER SOLIDS CONTAINING UREA INTO ONE END OF AN ELONGATED MIXING AND TUMBLING ZONE; CONTINUOSULY INJECTING INTO SAID TUMBLING FERTILIZER SOLIDS IN SAID ZONE ADJACENT THE CHARGING END THEREOF A MIXTURE OF HIGHLY HEATED STEAM, AMMONIUM SALT AND FREE AMMONIA, COMPRISING THE REACTION PRODUCTS FOR THE NEUTRALIZATION OF MINERAL ACID WITH A NITROGEN-CONTAINING SOLUTION HAVING DISOLVED THEREIN FREE AMMONIA IN EXCESS OF THE AMOUNT REQUIRED TO FULLY NEUTRALIZE THE MINERAL ACID, AND FORMALDEHYDE; CONTINUOUSLY ADVANCING SAID FERTILIZER SOLIDS THROUGH SAID MIXING ZONE AWAY FROM SAID CHARGING END UNTIL THE EXCESS AMMONIA HAS REACTED SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY WITH THE ACIDREACTING CONSTITUENTS TO PRODUCE INSOLUBLE, RESINOUS, NITROGEN-CONTAINING REACTION PRODUCTS; THEN, AFTER SAID REACTIONS ARE COMPLETE AND DURING THE CONTINUED MOVEMENT OF THE FERTILIZER SOLIDS TOWARDS THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY VENTING SAID STREAM FROM SAID MIXING ZONE AT A POINT ADJACENT THE DISCHARGE END THEREOF; AND FINALLY CONTINUOUSLY DISCHARGING A SUBSTANTIALY UNIFORM, GRANULATED AND RELATIVELY-DRY PRODUCT FROM SAID ZONE.