Process of treating iron in gas-pervious form to improve its characteristics

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF TREATING A STARTING MATERIAL CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF METALLIC IRON ALL OF WHICH IS IN GAS-PERVIOUS FORM RESULTING FROM THE CHEMICAL REDUCTION OF AT LEAST ONE HALIDES OF IRON BY A GASEOUS REDUCING AGENT, WHILE MAINTAINING THE IRON PRODUCED BELOW ITS MELTING POINT AND WITHOUT THE APPLICATION OF ANY SUBSTANTIAL MECHANICAL FORCE TENDING TO COMPACT THE REDUCED IRON SO PRODUCED, SAID METALLIC IRON HAVING A HYDROGEN LOSS OF NOT OVER ABOUT 11/2%, SAID PROCESS COMPRISING THE STEP OF CONTACTING SAID STARTING MATERIAL, WHILE AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 1000*F. TO ABOUT 2100*F., WITH A NON-OXIDIZING GAS CONTAINING AS ITS ESSENTIAL ACTIVE INGREDIENT GASEOUS HYDROGEN CHLORIDE IN A VOLUME CONCENTRATION OF AT LEAST ABOUT 0.1%, AND MAINTAINING SAID STARTING MATERIAL, WHILE IN SAID TEMPERATURE RANGE, IN CONTACT WITH SAID GAS FOR A TIME PERIOD SUFFICIENT TO CHANGE SAID STARTING MATERIAL TO ONE WHICH IS COMPRESSIBLE TO A BODY HAVING A PREDETERMINED BULK DENSITY WITH A PRESSURE SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THAT REQUIRED TO OBTAIN THE SAME BULK DENSITY WITH THE SAME STARTING MATERIAL PROIR TO THE TREATMENT AFORESAID.