Decomposition of heavy metal sulfate solutions with the recovery of sulfur dioxide and the heavy metal oxide

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF PROCESSING A SOLUTION OF HEAVY METAL SULPHATE TO PRODUCE SULPHUR DIOXIDE AND THE OXIDE OF THE METAL IN THE SULPHATE COMPRISING CONTINUOUSLY HEATING USING A FUEL YIELDING GASEOUS COMBUSTION PRODUCTS, A FINELYDIVIDED MASS OF METAL OXIDE THE SAMD AS THAT TO BE RECOVERED FROM THE SULPHATE SOLUTION IN AN OXIDE HEATING ENVIRONMENT, CONTINUOUSLY TRANSFERRING TO A CLOSED SECOND ENVIRONMENT METAL OXIDE SO HEATED, THE METAL OXIDE BEING TRANSFERRED SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF GASEOUS COMBUSTION PRODUCTS, SPRAYING THE SULPHATE SOLUTION INTO SAID CLOSED SECOND ENVIRONMENT ONTO THE HEATED OXIDE THEREIN, THE OXIDE IN SAID SECOND ENVIRONMENT BEING MAINTAINED BY THE CONSTANT TRANSFER OF HEATED OXIDE FROM THE HEATING ENVIRONMENT AT A TEMPERATURE WHEREIN THE SULPHATE IS DISASSOCIATED INTO THE OXIDE OF THE METAL AND HOT SULPHUR DIOXIDE GAS, REMOVING THE SULFUR DIOXIDE GAS FROM THE TOP OF SAID CLOSED SECOND ENVIRONMENT, CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWNING SOME OF THE OXIDE FROM SAID SECOND ENVIRONMENT AND TRANSFERRING PART OF IT TO THE FIRST ENVIRONMENT TO BE HEATED AND RECYCLED SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF GASEOUS COMBUSTION PRODUCTS TO THE SECOND ENVIRONMENT AND REMOVING PART OF THE OXIDE SO WITHDRAWN AS THE END PRODUCT, WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY RECIRCULATING SOME OF THE SULPHUR DIOXIDE REMOVED FROM THE SECOND ENVIRONMENT THROUGH THE HOT OXIDE IN SAID SECOND ENVIRONMENT TO AGITATE THE HOT OXIDE, THE OXIDE SO TRANSFERRED FROM ONE ENVIRONMENT TO THE OTHER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY CHEMICALLY UNCHANGED BY ANY REACTION IN EITHER ENVIRONMENT.