Shaped body of porous silica particles and method for its production

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR EFFECTING CONTROLLED DENSIFICATION OF A PARTICULATE, POROUS SOLID HAVING AN AMORPHOUS SILICA INTERNAL STRUCTURE AND A SPECIFIC SURFACE AREA OF AT LEAST 200 SQUARE METERS PER GRAM, THE STEPS COMPRISING MAKING A FLUID MIXTURE OF THE SOLID AND AN ORGANIC LIQUID HAVING A BOILING POINT BELOW 200*C. SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ALCOHOLS, HYDROCARBONS, AND KETONES, HEATING THE MIXTURE UNDER PRESSURE TO A TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE BOILING POINT OF THE ORGANIC LIQUID, REDUCING THE PRESSURE AND VAPORIZING OFF ORGANIC LIQUID UNTIL THE AMOUNT REMAINING IS ABOUT FROM 20% OF THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT WHICH CAN BE PRESENT IN THE POROUS SOLID IN AN APPARENTLY DRY, FREE-FLOWING POWDER FORM TO THE AMOUNT REQUIRED TO FILL THE PORES OF THE SOLID, AND MECHANICALLY COMPACTING THE SOLID CONTAINING THE RESIDUAL LIQUID.