Process for preparing plastic compositions containing a silicate dispersed therein

Claim 1

A process for preparing a polymeric composition comprising a polymeric material containing finely dispersed therein a water insoluble inorganic silicate comprising the steps of (a) feeding a stream of an aqueous mixture containing a coagulable latex dispersion of a polymeric material and an aqueous solution of a water soluble alkali silicate into a reactor simultaneously with a separate stream of an aqueous solution containing at least one water soluble bivalent metal salt selected from the group consisting of chlorides and sulfates of a bivalent metal cation selected from the group of zinc, magnesium and calcium cation, to form a reaction slurry the pH of which is constantly maintained at such a value as is appropriate for precipitating a substantially neutral silicate of said bivalent metal by reaction of stoichiometrically equivalent amounts of the alkali silicate and the bivalent metal salt yet at which the precipitation of any hydroxy salt of the bivalent metal cation and of any alkali silicate is substantially prevented thereby maintaining a sufficiently elevated reaction temperature to effect the precipitation of the neutral bivalent metal silicate and the coagulation of the polymeric material to form a suspension of particles of said organic polymeric material having said bivalent metal silicate associated therewith, and (b) recovering said particles from said suspension.