Coating of ammonium nitrate fertilizer

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS WHEREIN FLUIDIZABLE AMMONIUM NITRATE CRYSTALS ARE COATED WITH FLUIDIZABLE PARTICLES OF A COMBINATION COATING AND NEUTRALIZING MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF FULER''S EARTH, DIATOMACEOUS EARTH, KIESELGUHR, AND CALCIUM CARBONATE AND HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE SMALLER THAN THAT OF SAID AMMONIUM NITRATE CRYSTALS, THE IMPROVED METHOD OF COATING SAID CRYSTALS WHEREBY THE SAID COATING IS UNIFORMLY DEPOSITED ON SAID CRYSTALS AT A CONTROLLED RATE WHICH COMPRISES ELECTROSTATICALLY CHARGING THE SAID CRYSTALS AND THE SAID COATING MATERIAL PARTICLES WITH CHARGES OF OPPOSITE SIGN, RESPECTIVELY SUSPENDING THE SAID ELECTROSTATICALLY CHARGED CRYSTALS AND THE SAID ELECTROSTATICALLY CHARGED MATERIAL PARTICLES IN SEPARATE STREAMS OF AN INERT CARRIER GAS, SEPARATELY PASSING SAID STREAMS TO A COATING ZONE TO FORM A FLUIDIZED BED OF SAID PARTICLES AND SAID CRYSTALS AND CONTROLLING THE RATE OF DEPOSITION OF SAID PARTICLES ON SAID CRYSTALS BY ADJUSTING THE RATE OF FLOW OF SAID CARRIER GAS THROUGH THE SAID BED, BY ADJUSTING THE AMOUNT OF ELECTROSTATIC CHARGE ON THE SAID PARTICLES AND THE SAID CRYSTALS, RESPECTIVELY, AND BY ADJUSTING THE RELATIVE DIFFERENCE IN PARTICLE SIZE OF THE SAID PARTICLES AND THE SAID CRYSTALS.