Production of nickel oxide

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING HIGH PURITY, SINGLE PHASE NIO POWDER CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY NO METALLIC NICKEL AND ADAPTED FOR USE IN FERRITES FOR THE ELECTRONIC INDUSTRY WHICH COMPRISES MIXING A MASS OF DISCRETE, SOLID PARTICLES OF CARBONYL NICKEL POWDER, HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE OF NOT MORE THAN ABOUT FOUR MICRONS AND CONTAINING LESS THAN 0.2% CARBON, LESS THAN 0.01% IRON AND NO POISONOUS ELEMENT FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF COBALT AND SULFUR, WITH A MASS OF DISCRETE PARTICLES OF HIGH PURITY, SINGLE PHASE, SOLID NIO POWDER NOT LARGER IN PARTICLE SIZE AND ABOUT ONE MICRON TO OBTAIN A MIXTURE OF A DISPERSED MASS OF DISCRETE, SOLID, CARBONYL NICKEL POWDER PARTICLES SURROUNDED BY DISCRETE, SOLID NIO POWDER PARTICLES, ADJUSTING SAID MIXTURE TO CONTAIN MORE THAN ABOUT 30% NIO, INTRODUCING SAID MIXTURE OF DISCRETE, SOLID NICKEL POWDER PARTICLES SURROUNDED BY SOLID NIO POWDER PARTICLES INTO A ROASTING ZONE, ROASTING SAID MIXTURE AS DISCRETE PARTICLES SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER AT A TEMPERATURE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 500* C. AND ABOUT 800*C. IN AN EXCESS AMOUNT OF OXIDIZING MEDIUM CONTAINING AT LEAST 20% OXYGEN, WHILE CAREFULLY CONTROLLING SAID ROASTING OPERATION TO AVOID SINTERING AND THE FORMATION OF MOLTEN MATERIAL, TO PROVIDE A ROASTED PRODUCT OF HIGH PURITY, SINGLE PHASE, SOLID NIO POWDER SUBSTANTIALLY DEVOID OF METALLIC NICKEL, MILLING AND SIEVING A PORTION OF SAID ROASTED PRODUCT TO A PARTICLE SIZE OF NOT LARGER THAN ABOUT ONE MICRON FOR USE IN FERRITES IN THE ELECTRONIC INDUSTRY, RETURNING THE REMAINING PORTION OF SAID ROASTED PRODUCT TO MAKE UP THE NIO PORTION OF A FRESH MIXTURE OF SOLID CARBONYL NICKEL POWDER AND SOLID NIO POWDER TO BE INTRODUCED INTO SAID ROASTING ZONE, IN AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO MORE THAN ABOUT 30% OF SAID FRESH MIXTURE, AND INTRODUCING SAID FRESH MIXTURE INTO SAID ROASTING ZONE.