Process for the treatment of pulverulent material

Claim 1

A METHOD OF TREATING SOLID PARTICULATE MATERIAL HAVING NON-UNIFORM SURFACE CHARACTERISTICS AND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SOLID CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS, SAND, FLUE DUST, AND ORE AND METAL POWDERS, AND HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE OF UP TO ABOUT 6 MM., COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FORMING AN INTIMATE MIXTURE OF 100 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF SAID SOLID PARTICULATE MATERIAL AND BETWEEN 1/2 AND 30 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF AN OIL IN WATER EMULSION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF BETWEEN 1 AND 39 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF A HYDROPHOBIC OIL IN BETWEEN 60 AND 95 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF WATER HAVING BETWEEN 4 AND 39 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF A WATER-SOLUBLE BINDER DISSOLVED THEREIN, SO AS TO FORM A MASS CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF PARTICLES OF SAID MATERIAL WITH SAID HYDROPHOBIC OIL AND SAID BINDER ADHERING THERETO, WHEREBY A PULVERULENT MATERIAL WILL BE FORMED CONSISTING OF PARTICLES OF MORE UNIFORM SURFACE CHARACTERISTICS THAN SAID SOLID PARTICULATE MATERIAL, ADAPTED TO BE PACKED MORE DENSELY THAN SAID SOLID PARTICULATE MATERIAL AND ALSO ADAPTED TO BE BRIQUETTED UPON ADMIXTURE OF A WATER-INSOLUBLE BINDER; MIXING THE THUS FORMED MASS WITH A WATER RESISTANT BINDER IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT BRIQUETTING OF THE THUS FORMED MIXTURE; AND BRIQUETTING THE THUS FORMED MIXTURE, WHEREBY BRIQUETTES OF HIGHLY UNIFORM QUALITY ARE FORMED.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF TREATING SOLID PARTICULATE MATERIAL HAVING NON-UNIFORM SURFACE CHARACTERISTICS AND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SOLID CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS, SAND, FLUE DUST, AND ORE AND METAL POWDERS, AND HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE OF UP TO ABOUT 6 MM., COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FORMING AN INTIMATE MIXTURE OF 100 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF SAID SOLID PARTICULATE MATERIAL AND BETWEEN 1/2 AND 30 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF AN OIL IN WATER EMULSION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF BETWEEN 1 AND 39 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF A HYDROPHOBIC OIL IN BETWEEN 60 AND 95 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF WATER HAVING BETWEEN 4 AND 39 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF A WATER-SOLUBLE BINDER DISSOLVED THEREIN, SO AS TO FORM A MASS CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF PARTICLES OF SAID MATERIAL WITH SAID HYDROPHOBIC OIL AND SAID BINDER ADHERING THERETO, WHEREBY A PULVERULENT MATERIAL WILL BE FORMED CONSISTING OF PARTICLES OF MORE UNIFORM SURFACE CHARACTERISTICS THAN SAID SOLID PARTICULATE MATERIAL, ADAPTED TO BE PACKED MORE DENSELY THAN SAID SOLID PARTICULATE MATERIAL AND ALSO ADAPTED TO BE BRIQUETTED UPON ADMIXTURE OF A WATER-INSOLUBLE BINDER; MIXING THE THUS FORMED MASS WITH A WATER RESISTANT BINDER IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT BRIQUETTING OF THE THUS FORMED MIXTURE; AND BRIQUETTING THE THUS FORMED MIXTURE, WHEREBY BRIQUETTES OF HIGHLY UNIFORM QUALITY ARE FORMED.