Manufacture of mixed fertilizers

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUSLY PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF A MIXED FERTILIZER WHICH COMPRISES: CONTINUOUSLY CHARGING ACID-REACTION FERTILIZER SOLIDS INTO ONE END OF AN ELONGATED MIXING AND TUMBLING ZONE; CONTINUOUSLY 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 FROM THE NEUTRALIZATION OF MINERAL ACID WITH A NITROGEN-CONTAINING SOLUTION HAVING DISSOLVED THEREIN FREE AMMONIA IN EXCESS OF THE AMOUNT REQUIRED TO FULLY NEUTRALIZE THE MINERAL ACID; 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 OF SAID FERTILIZER SOLIDS; THEN, AFTER SAID REACTION IS COMPLETE AND DURING THE CONTINUED MOVEMENT OF THE FERTILIZER SOLIDS TOWARDS THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY VENTING SAID STEAM FROM SAID MIXING ZONE AT A POINT ADJACENT THE DISCHARGE END THEREOF; AND FINALLY CONTINUOUSLY DISCHARGING A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM, GRANULATED AND RELATIVELY DRY PRODUCT FROM SAID ZONE.