Process for producing fibrous alkali metal titanates

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A FIBROUS, WATER-INSOLUBLE ALKALI METAL TITANATE CORRESPONDING TO THE FORMULA M2O(TIO2)N WHEREIN M IS AN ALKALI METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SODIUM, POTASSIUM, RUBIDIUM, CESIUM, AND MIXTURES, THEREOF, AND N HAS A VALUE OF FROM 4 TO 8, WHICH COMPRISES REACTING IN THE LIQUID PHASE IN THE PRESENCE OF LIQUID WATER, AT TEMPERTURES RANGING FROM 225*C. TO 350*C. AND PRESSURE RANGING FROM 34 TO ABOUT 136 ATMOSPHERES, A MIXTURE OF A BASIC, WATERSOLUBLE OXYGEN-CONTAINING ALKALI METAL COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AN OXIDE, CARBONATE, BICARBONATE, HYDROXIDE, AND MIXTURES THEREOF, WITH AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING TITANIUM COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF A TITANIUM SALT, TITANIUM DIOXIDE, RUTILE ORE AND ILMENITE, EMPLOYING A SUFFICIENT CONCENTRATION OF TITANIUM AND ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS IN SAID MIXTURE AS WILL PROVIDE A SOLUTION HAVING A PH OF AT LEAST 12.5 AND A WEIGHT RATIO OF TITANIUM OXYGEN COMPOUND, CALCULATED AS TIO2, PLUS WEIGHT OF ALKALI METAL COMPOUND, CALCULATED AS MOH, TO THE WEIGHT OF WATER PRESENT OF FROM 0.075 TO 3, AND THEN SEPARATING AND RECOVERING THE DESIRED FIBROUS, WATER-INSOLUBLE ALKALI METAL TITANTE FROM THE RESULTING REACTING PRODUCTS.