Precipitating metal powder by reduction

Claim 1

IN HYDROMETALLURGICALLY PRECIPITATING A METAL, SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CADMIUM, COBALT, COPPER AND NICKEL, FROM A SOLUTION OF SOLUBLE SALTS THEREOF, BY THE ACTION OF NON-SULFIDIZING REDUCING GAS AT SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AND INCREASED REDUCTION TEMPERATURE, AS ADDITIONAL METAL DEPOSITED ON COMPATIBLE SEED POWDER, SAID SEED POWDER HAVING BEEN PREVIOUSLY CHEMICALLY PRECIPITATED IN AN ACTIVE SENSITIVE CONDITION IN THE PRESENCE OF RESULTANT REDUCED LIQUOR, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES: REMOVING A MAJOR PORTION OF SAID RESULTANT REDUCED LIQUOR UNDER SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE OF AN ATMOSPHERE COMPRISING SAID REDUCING GAS; CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAING SAID PREPCIPITATED SEED POWDER IMMERSED IN THE RESIDUAL VOLUME OF REDUCED LIQUOR WHILE MAINTAINING THEREON A PARTIAL OVERPRESSURE OF SAID REDUCING GAS OF AT LEAST 0.5 P. S. I. G.; THEN ADDING TO SAID RESIDUAL SOLUTION AND SEED POWDER ON ADITONAL VOLUME OF SAID SALTS SOLUTION TO BE REDUCED; WITH SAID REDUCING GAS, MAINTAINING THE RESULTANT SLURRY UNDER A TOTAL PRESSURE ABOVE THAT AUTOGENORSLY DEVELOPED; PRODUCING IN SAID SLURRY A REDUCTION TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 50*C. TO ABOUT 100*C., AND AGITATING RESULTANT PRESSURIZED SLURRY AT SAID REDUCTION TEMPERATURE UNTIL REDUCTION AND PRECIPITATION OF SAID METAL SUBSTANTIALLY CEASES.