Treating silica magnesia materials

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR INCREASING THE SURFACE AREA AND THE PORE VOLUME OF HYDROUS SILICA MAGNESIA CATALYST PARTICLES CONTAINING A MAJOR PROPORTION OF SILICA WHICH COMPRISES SUJECTING HYDROUS SILICA MAGNESIA CATALYST PARTICLES TO A PRESSURE BETWEEN ABOUT 200 AND 800 P.S.I.G. AND A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 350* AND 600* F. FOR A PERIOD ABOUT 0.25 AND 4 HOURS IN A CONFINED ZONE, THEN DRYING THE SILICA MAGNESIA CATALYST PARTICLES BY HEATING SAID CONFINED ZONE TO MAINTAIN THE SELECTED TEMPERATURE AND PRESURE AND PERMITTING CONTINUOUS SLOW ESCAPE OF WATER VAPOR FROM SAID CONFINED ZONE TO MAINTAIN THE DESIRED PRESSURE FOR A PERIOD BETWEEN ABOUT 1 AND 6 HOURS UNTIL THE SILICA MAGNESIA CATALYST PARTICLES ARE SUBSTANTIALLY DRY AND THEN COOLING AND REMOVING THE TREATED AND DRY SILICA-MAGNESIA CATALYST PARTICLES FROM SAID CONFINED ZONE.