Method of treating carbon black

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR MODIFYING THE PROPERTIES OF CARBON BLACK BY ATTRITIONING IN A CLOSED SYSTEM WHICH COMPRISES: (A) CONTINUOUSLY CHARGING A FEED STREAM OF CARBON BLACK TO AN ATTRTION MILL AND THEREIN SUBJECTING THE BLACK TO THE ATTRITIONING ACTION OF HARD SURFACED OBJECTS; (B) CONTINUOUSLY DISCHARGING ATTRITED CARBON BLACK PARTICLES FROM SAID MILL; (C) SUBSEQUENTLY INDISCRIMINATELY DIVIDING SAID ATTRITED PARTICLES, THUS FORMING FIRST AND SECOND PORTIONS THEREOF; (D) REMOVING SAID FIRST PORTION FROM THE PROCESS AS THE PRODUCT THEREOF AT A PREDETERMINED, MEASURED RATE, SAID PRODUCT BEING COMPOSED OF UNCLASSIFIED ATTRITED PARTICLES REMOVED FROM THE MILL; (E) RECIRCULATING SAID SECOND PORTION TO SAID MILL IN AN UNCLASSIFIED STATE AND AT A PREDETERMINED AND MEASURED RATE; (F) CONTINUOUSLY CHARGING AND COJOINING UNMODIFIED CARBON BLACK AT A PREDETERMINED AND MEASURED RATE WITH SAID RECIRCULATED SECOND PORTION SO AS TO FORM THE FEED STREAM CONTINUOUSLY CHARGED TO THE ATTRITIONING MILL, THE RATE AT WHICH THE RECCIRCULTED ATTRITED BLACK IS FED TO SAID MILL BEING AT LEAST AS GREAT AS THE RATE AT WHICH UNMODIFIED CARBON BLACK IS FED TO THE MILL; WHEREBY THE CARBON BLACK CONTINUOUSLY PASSED THROUGH THE ATTRITION MILL CONSISTS OF THE CARBON BLACK PARTICLES TO BE MODIFIED AND A PORTION OF THE UNCLASSIFIED ATTRITED PARTICLES WHICH HAVE BEEN DISCHARGED FROM THE MILL, THE THE MODIFIED CARBON BLACK PRODUCT CONSISTS OF ANOTHER JPORTION OF THE UNCLASSIFIED ATTRITED PARTICLES WHICH HAVE BEEN DISCHARGED FROM THE MILL, AND THE CARBON BLACK PRODUCT CONSISTS OF A MIXTURE OF CARBON BLACK PARTICLES WHICH HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO AN UNEQUAL NUMBER OF PASSES THROUGH THE MILL.