Manufacture of perchlorates

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF AMMONIUM PERCHLORATE WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF LITHIUM CHLORIDE INTO AN ELECTROLYTIC CELL BETWEEN AN ANODE AND A CATHODE, PASSING AN ELECTRIC CURRENT THROUGH THE SOLUTION FROM THE ANODE TO THE CATHODE AT AN EFFECTIVE CELL VOLTAGE IN EXCESS OF THE THEORETICAL DECOMPOSITION VOLTAGE REQUIRED TO FORM A PERCHLORATE FROM A CHLORIDE, THEREBY ELECTROLYTICALLY OXIDIZING THE CHLORIDE IN THE SOLUTION TO PERCHLORATE, CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING PERCHLORATE-CONTAINING ELECTROLYTE FROM THE CELL, REACTING THE WITHDRAWN ELECTROLYTE WITH AMMONIUM CARBONATE, THEREBY PRECIPITATING LITHIUM CARBONATE AND FORMING A SOLUTION CONTAINING AMMONIUM PERCHLORATE, RECOVERING THE AMMONIUM PERCHLORATE FROM THE SOLUTION, CHLORINATING THE LITHIUM CARBONATE TO FORM LITHIUM CHLORIDE, AND RETURING THE LITHIUM CHLORIDE SO FORMED TO THE ELECTROLYTIC CELL.