Forming highly absorbent, low bulk density sodium silicate by contacting with H2 O2 and heating to about 45° to 60°C

Claim 1

A process for preparing spheroidal, amorphous, water soluble alkali metal silicates having a mol ratio of SiO 2 to alkali metal oxides of 1 to 3.75, a specific nitrogen surface area between 2.5 and 7 m 2 /g., a bulk density of less than 0.5 g./cc., an absorbency for nonionic surfactants of from 35 to 400 percent by weight of silicate, a maximum water content of 25 percent by weight and a maximum active oxygen content of 1.33 percent by weight which comprises contacting granules of alkali metal silicate having less than 500 ppm. of transition metal ions at a temperature of from 0° to 45°C. with from 2 to 100 percent by weight of hydrogen peroxide, based on the weight of alkali metal silicate, in an aqueous solution having a concentration of from 5 to 100 percent by weight of hydrogen peroxide, diffusing the hydrogen peroxide into the hydrated alkali metal silicate structure for from about 5 minutes to about 1 hour at a temperature of from 0° to 45°C. while maintaining the alkali metal silicate in discrete particulate form having an average aggregate particle size of a maximum of 1 cm. and having a viscosity of from 5000 to 100,000 poise, and rapidly heating the silicate to from about 45° to 60°C. to destroy substantially all of the hydrogen peroxide.