Recovery of metal values from lithium ores

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE TREATMENT OF LITHIUM ORE FOR THE RECOVERY OF LITHIUM VALUES THEREFROM WHEREIN A MIXTURE COMPRISING LITHIUM ORE, LIME AND CALCIUM CHLORIDE ARE HEATED TO A TEMPERATURE ABOVE 2,000* F. EFFECTING EVOLUTION OF LITHIUM CHLORIDE VAPOR THEREFROM AND PRODUCTION OF A SOLID RESIDUE CONTAINING LITHIUM COMPOUNDS OF INCREASED SOLUBILITYM THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES FORMING A DISPERSION OF SAID MIXTURE IN POWDERED SOLID FROM IN AIR, CHARGING SAID DISPERSION INTO A FLOW TYPE REACTION ZONE WHEREIN SOLIDS ARE SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY SUSPENDED AND ENTRAINED IN GASEOUS REACTANTS AND REACTION PRODUCTS INTO INTIMATE ADMIXTURE WITH A HYDROCARBON IN RELATIVE PROPORTIONS EFFECTING PARTIAL COMBUSTION OF SAID HYDROCARBON IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID ENTRAINED SOLIDS AT AN AUTOGEOUS TEMPERATURE ABOVE 2,000* F. WITH THE PRODUCTION OF CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN AND SIMULTANEOUS REACTION OF POWDERED SOLIDS IN SUSPENSION ENTRAINED IN GASEOUS REACTANTS AND RESULTING REACTION PRODUCTS FOR A PERIOD OF TIME WITHIN THE RANGE OF 1 TO 10 SECONDS; WITHDRAWING PRODUCT GAS CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE, HYDROGEN AND LITHIUM CHLORIDE VAPOR; RECEIVING LITHIUM CHLORIDE FROM SAID PRODUCT GAS; DISCHARGING HOT SOLID RESIDUE FROM SAID REACTION ZONE INTO CONTACT WITH WATER, EFFECTING WUICK COOLING OF SAID SOLIDS AND SOLUTIONS OF SOLID LITHIUM SALTS FROM SAID SOLID RESIDUE; AND RECOVERING LITHIUM VALUES FROM RESULTING SOLUTION.