Concentration of phosphate mineral

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF CONCENTRATING PHOSPHATE-CONTAINING MINERAL MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES BOTH COARSE AND FINE PHOSPHATE AND SILICEOUS PARTICLES, COMPRISING SUBJECTING SAID MATERIAL TO ROUGHING CONCENTRATION IN WATER WITH NEGATIVE-ION REAGENT MATERIAL TO YIELD A PHOSPHATE-EN RICHED CONCENTRATE HAVING A REDUCED CONTENT OF COARSE SILICEOUS PARTICLES, SUBJECTING SAID CONCENTRATE, IN AQUEOUS PULP, TO HYDRAULIC CLASSIFICATION BY SETTLING WHILE ADDING WATER, FOR SEPARATING A COARSE SETTLED PRODUCT HAVING A GREATER PHOSPHATE CONTENT THAN SAID CONCENTRATE AND FOR PRODUCING A RINSED PHOSPHATE-CONTAINING TAILING INCLUDING FINE SILICEOUS PARTICLES, SAID HYDRAULIC CLASSIFICATION COMPRISING EFFECTING DOWNWARD SETTLING OF COARSE PARTICLES FROM THE SOLIDS OF SAID PULP, AND COLLECTION OF THE AFORESAID COARSE SETTLED PRODUCT AT A LOWERMOST LOCALITY, WHILE DIRECTING SAID ADDITIONAL WATER CONTINUOUSLY UPWARD THROUGH THE REGION OF SAID DOWNWARD SETTLING AND INTO A LOCALITY THEREABOVE WHILE SEGREGATING AND CARRYING AWAY THE SAID RINSED TAILING OF FINE PARTICLES FROM SAID LAST-MENTIONED LOCALITY AND SEPARATELY REMOVING EXCESS WATER AS OVERFLOW, AND SUBJECTING SAID TAILING TO SILICAREMOVING CONCENTRATION IN WATER WITH POSITVE-ION REAGENT MATERIAL TO SEPARATE SILICEOUS PARTICLES AND PRODUCE A CONCENGRATE HAVING A GREATER PHOSPHATE CONTENT THAN THE FIRST-MENTIONED CONCENTRATE.