Preparation of carbon and metal oxide materials

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF METAL OXIDE-CARBON COMPOSITES IN WHICH THE METAL OF THE OXIDE IS SELECTED FROM A GROUP CONSISTING OF ALUMINUM, MAGNESIUM, BERYLLIUM, CALCIUM, TITANIUM AND ZIRCONIUM WHILE EMPLOYING A CHAMBER HAVING IN SERIES A DECOMPOSITION ZONE AND A COMBUSTION ZONE, MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING METAL OXIDE PARTICLES INTO SAID COMBUSTION ZONE, AND MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING HYDROCARBON GASES HAVING FROM 1-4 CARBON ATOMS INTO SAID DECOMPOSITION ZONE, THE STEPS COMPRISING HEATING SAID METAL OXIDE PARTICLES DURING PASSAGE THROUGH SAID COMBUSTION ZONE TO A TEMPERATURE IN EXCESS OF 900*C., CONTINUOUSLY PASSING SAID HEATED PARTICLES OF METAL OXIDE INTO SAID DECOMPOSITION ZONE INTO CONTACT WITH THE HYDROCARBON WHEREBY THE HYDROCARBON DISASSOCIATES INTO HYDROGEN, WHICH IS RELEASED AS A GAS, AND CARBON, WHICH IS RETAINED BY THE METAL OXIDE AS A SOLID, CONTINUOUSLY SEPARATING THE RELEASED HYDROGEN, MIXING THE HYDROCARBON WITH AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS, AND CONTINUOUSLY BURNING THE MIXTURE IN SAID COMBUSTION ZONE IN THE PRESENCE OF METAL OXIDE TO PREHEAT THE METAL OXIDE PASSING THROUGH SAID ZONE.