Production of silica bonded zeolitic molecular sieve granules

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF SUBSTANTIALLY SPHERICAL SILICA BONDED MOLECULAR SIEVE GRANULES COMPRISING THE STEPS OF (A) FORMING A FLOWABLE SUSPENSION OF A MOLECULAR SIEVE ZEOLITE-SILICA SOL HAVING A PH OF BETWEEN 8-10 BY ADDING TO AN AQUEOUS SILICA SOL UNDE STIRRING, A POWDERY MOLECULAR SIEVE ZEOLITE IN AN AMOUNT TO PRODUCE A PRODUCT HAVING A MOLECULAR SIEVE ZEOLITE CONTENT OF BETWEEN 50 AND 90%, SAID SILICA SOL HAVING A SPECIFIC SURFACE AREA OF 150 TO 400 M.2/G. BET ON DRYING, SAID SILICA SOL BEING USED IN A CONCENTRATION OF 10 TO 40% BY WEIGHT OF SIO2, A SUSPENSION OF SAID ZEOLITE IN DISTILLED WATER HAVING A PH NOT EXCEEDING 11, (B) FORMING A SUSPENSION OF FINELY DIVIDED MAGNESIUM OXIDE BY ADDING MAGNESIA USTA TO WATER, (C) ADMIXTURE THE SUSPENSIONS OBTAINED IN STEPS (A) AND (B), UTILIZING THE SAME IN AN AMOUNT PRODUCING A PRODUCT HAVING AN MGO CONTENT OF BETWEEN 0.1 TO 3% BY WEIGHT. (D) SUBSTANTIALLY IMMEDIATELY INTRODUCING THE SUSPENSION FORMED IN STEP (C) IN DROPWISE FORM INTO A LIQUID IMMISCIBLE WITH WATER WHEREBY SPHERICAL GRANULES ARE FORMED BY SOL-GEL CONVERSION, AND (E) SEPARATING THE GRANULES FORMED IN STEP (C) FROM THE LIQUID AND DRYING AND DEHYDRATING SAID GRANULES.