Continuous process for treating arsenic and sulfur-containing ore under fluidizing conditions

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR TEATING ARSENIC AND SULFUR-CONTAINING ORE UNDER FLUIDIZING CONDITIONS IN AT LEAST TWO TREATMENT ZONES WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING SIAID ORE TO THE FIRST ZONE; DIVIDING HOT SULFUR DIOXIDE GAS FROM THE LAST ZONE INTO FIRST AND SECOND STREAMS; PASSING THE FIRST OF SAID STREAMS OF HOT SULFUR DIOXIDE GAS IN OUT-OF-CONTCT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH THE ORE IN THE FIRST ZONE FOR HEATING SAID ORE WITHOUT CONTAMINATING SAID STREAM OF GAS WITH ARSENIC AND SEPARATELY WITHDRAWING SAID ARSENIC-FREE SULFUR DIOXIDE GAS; PASSING THE SECOND OF SAID STREAMS OF HOT SUFLUR DIOXIDE GAS FROM THE LAST ZONE THROUGH AND IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE ORE IN THE FIRST ZONE, SAID SULFUR DIOXIDE GAS BEING INTORDUCED AT A VELOCITY SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN THE ORE IN FLUIDIZED CONDITION AND BEING AT A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO VOLATILIZE THE ARSENIC CONTENT OF THE ORE AS ARSENIC SULFIDE BUT NOT THE LABILE SULFUR OF THE ORE; SEPARATELY AND CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING THE RESULTING ARSENIC SULFIDE CONTAINING SULFUR DIOXIDE GAS; CONTINUOUSLY TRANSFERING A SUBSTANTIALLY ARSENIC-FREE ORE RESIDUUM FROM THE FIRST ZONE TO THE LAST ZONE, THEREBY MAINTAINING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT AMOUNT OF FLUIDIZED ORE AND ARSENIC-FREE RESIDUUM UNDER TREATMENT IN THE FIRST ZONE AND FEEDING SAID ORE RESIDUUM TO THE LAST ZONE; CONTINUOUSLY PASSING AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS UPWARDLY THROUGH AND IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE ARSENIC-FREE ORE RESIDUUM IN THE LAST ZONE FOR OXIDIZING SULFUR THEREIN AND AT A VELOCITY SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN THE ORE RESIDUUM IN SAID LST ZONE IN FLUIDIZED CONDITION, THE AMOUNT OF OXYGEN IN SAID LAST-MENTIONED GAS BEING SUFFICIENT FOR SUPPORTING COMBUSTION AND THEREBY FORMING HOT SULFUR DIOXIDE GS; AND CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING DESULFURIZED AND ARSENIC-FREE ORE RESIDUUM FROM THE LAST ZONE.