Treatment of phosphate slimes

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF DEWATERING PHOSPHATE SLIMES COMPRISING PROVIDING AS A PHOSPHATE SLIME A MIXTURE OF HYDROPHILIC CLAY, PHOSPHATE SALT AND AT LEAST ABOUT 95 PERCENT WATER, SAID DEWATERING INCLUDING RUN-OFF OF SOME WATER, FEEDING A FIRST TIME UNIT''S PRODUCTION OF SUCH SLIME ON A GIVEN UNIT AREA TO A DEPTH OF ABOUT 12 TO 24 INCHES, EXPOSING SUCH SLIME IN SUCH AREA TO AIR AT A RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF LESS THAN 100 PERCENT AND A TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 50*F., KNEADING SUCH MIXTURE DURING SAID AIR EXPOSE FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO REDUCE THE PROPORTION OF WATER IN SAID SLIME BY AT LEAST ABOUT 10 PERCENT BY WEIGHT BASED ON THE TOTAL WEIGHT OF SAID FIRST TINE UNIT''S INITIAL FEED; SIMULARLY FEEDING AND TREATING ANOTHER EQUAL TINE UNTI''S PRODUCTION OF SAID SLIME IN A SEQUENTIALLY DISPOSED UNIT AREA IMMEDIATELY UPON COMPLETING SAID FIRST TIME UNIT''S FEEDING STEP; CONTINUING FEEDING AND TREATMENT OF SUCCESSIVE EQUAL TIMED UNIT''S SLIME PRODUCTION AS AFORESAID IN SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TIME AND PLACE SEQUENTIAL SERIES OF SUCH AREAS, THE NUMBER OF WHICH CORRESPONDS TO THE NUMBER OF TIME UNITS NECESSARY TO REDUCE THE WATER CONTENT OF SAID FIRST TIME UNIT''S PRODUCTION OF SLIME SAID 10 PERCENT MINIMUM; AND THEREAFTER REPEATING SAID FEEDING, EXPOSING AND KNEADING FOR EACH SAID AREA IN THE NAMED TIME AND PLACE SEQUENCE AS MANY TIMES AS NECESSARY TO PRODUCE THE DESIRED AMOUNT OF HARVEST FROM EACH SAID AREA, THE INITIAL 10 PERCENT REDUCTION OF WATER IN THE FIRST TINE UNIT''S PRODUCTION RESULTING WITHIN THE TIME SPAN OF THE COMPLETED FIRST SEQUENCE.