Heat-dried detergent processes

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A HEAT-DRIED BUILT DETERGENT WHEREIN SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE IS INTERMIXED WITH A LIQUID AQUEOUS MEDIUM CONTAINING AN AMOUNT OF WATER MORE THAN SUFFICIENT TO HYDRATE SAID SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE TO THE HEXAHYDRATE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES MAINTAINING SAID AQUEOUS MEDIUM FREE OF AN AMOUNT OF ORGANIC DETERGENT ACTIVE MATERIAL SUFFICIENT TO MATERIALLY REDUCE THE RATE OF HYDRATION OF SAID SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE UNTIL AT LEAST A MAJOR PORTION OF SAID SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE IS TRANSFORMED TO THE HEXAHYDRATE; SAID AMOUNT OF ORGANIC DETERGENT ACTIVE MATERIAL CONSTITUTING AT MOST ABOUT 10 WEIGHT PERCENT OF THE RESULTING MIXTURE; MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID AQUEOUS MEDIUM DURING SAID HYDRATION BETWEEN ABOUT 55*C. AND ABOUT 110* C. TO PREVENT THE FORMATION OF LUMPS THAT OTHERWISE WOULD BE FORMED BY THE HYDRATING SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE IN THE SUBSTANTIAL ABSENCE OF ORGANIC DETERGENT ACTIVE MATERIAL, BUT NOT AT SO HIGH A TEMPERATURE AS TO PREVENT THE HYDRATION OF SAID SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE, AND THEREAFTER INTERMIXING WITH THE RESULTING DETERGENT SLURRY AN ORGANIC DETERGENT ACTIVE MATERIAL, AND THEN HEAT-DRYING SAID SLURRY.