Ammonium sulfate production

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS FOR PRODUCING GRANULAR AMMONIUM SULFATE PARTICLES WHEREIN SUCH PARTICLES ARE PRODUCED BY CONCENTRATING AND THICKENING AN AMMONIUM SULFATE SOLUTION TO YIELD A MAGMA OF FINE AMMONIUM SULFATE CRYSTALS, SUBJECTING THE RESULTING MAGMA TO AGITATION IN AN AGITATION ZONE TO WHICH FINE SUBSTANTIALLY DRY AMMONIUM SULFATE CRYSTALS ARE ADDED IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN AN OPTIMUM MOISTURE CONTENT SUFFICIENT TO PROMOTE AGGLOMERATION OF SAID CRYSTALS INTO RELATIVELY LARGER GRANULES BUT INSUFFICIENT TO PROMOTE STICKING TOGETHER OF THE RESULTING RELATIVELY LARGER GRANULES ON SUBSEQUENT DRYING, REMOVING GRANULES FROM SAID AGITATION ZONE, DRYING SAID REMOVED GRANULES, AND CLASSIFYING SAID GRANULES INTO AN INTERMEDIATE PRODUCT SIZE FRACTION AS WELL AS AN UNDERSIZE AND AN OVERSIZE FRACTION AS WELL AS AN OVERSIZE FRACTIONS CONSTITUTING THE SOURCE OF DRY CRYSTALS ADDED TO SAID AGITATION ZONE; THE IMPROVEMENT ENABLING MAINTENANCE OF A RELATIVELY HIGHER MOISTURE CONTENT IN SAID AGITATION ZONE WHILE INCREASING THE YIELD OF SAID INTERMEDIATE PRODUCT SIZE GRANULES THEREIN, COMPRISING ADDING AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE TO THE AMMONIUM SULFATE MAGMA INTRODUCED INTO SAID AGITATION ZONE.