Patented Sept. ‘21, 1954 2,689,794

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,689,794 FUSED MINERAL COMPOSITION AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Leyman E. Jackson, Oak Park, Ill., assignor to Victor Chemical Works, a corporation of Illinois No Drawing. Application June 9, 1951, Serial No. 230,837 13 Claims. (Cl. 99--2) \1 , 2 This invention relates to a fused mineral com able ferrophosphorus will range in phosphorus position and a method of producing same. content from 18-27% and generally from about Reference is had to the co-pending application 22-25%. of W. H. Woodstock, Serial No. 155,779, ?led April Pyrolusite is a naturally occurring manganese 13, 1950, now Patent No. 2,657,992, which discloses U! ore, generally containing from 80-90% manganese a fused manganese, ferrous, phosphate composi dioxide (M1102). Manganese ores containing tion in clinker form readily soluble in phosphoric much lower contents of manganese dioxide may and other inorganic acids. When ?nely divided, be employed although in general such ores are as by crushing and milling, it may be used di less desirable than those having a minimum MnOz rectly in stock feed mixtures or incorporated in 10 content of 80%. pressed salt blocks for animal use as salt licks The copper, cobalt and zinc compounds em in amounts sufficient to supply the, desired nu ployed may be in the form of carbonates, oxides, tritional requirements of iron, phosphorus and phosphides, phosphates, sul?des, sulfates, etc., but manganese. it is preferred to employ the carbonates and In addition to iron, phosphorus and manganese, 15 oxides. such trace elements as copper, cobalt and zinc In one method of carrying out my invention, are often necessary as a mineral supplement in ?nely ground ferrophosphorus and manganese the diets of animals, fowl, and humans. Nor dioxide (in the ‘form of a pyrolusite) is thor mally, the amount of mineral supplements re oughly mixed with a minor proportion of ?nely quired in the diet is quite small and this presents ground copper, cobalt and zinc carbonates or the di?icult problem of uniformly distributing oxides in amounts sui?cient to supply the normal ‘ the trace elements in a suitable food product. ‘nutritional requirements of iron, manganese, Furthermore, proportions of the various mineral phosphorus, copper, cobalt and zinc in the diet. elements need to be varied over a fairly Wide In the production of my fused reaction mineral range to meet. individual nutritional require 25 product, it is necessary that the manganese di ments. In the past it has been customary to oxide be present in a major amount to prevent ?rst mix the individual mineral constituents with reduction of some of the metal compounds to one of the minor food ingredients such as salt elemental metals and su?icient ferrophosphorus or sugar. However, the problem of obtaining must be present to insure an exothermic fusion uniform distribution in ‘the case of the elements 30 reaction. It is preferred that the starting mix copper, cobalt and zinc remains. because the amount of these elements required in the diet ture consist of at least 50% and preferably 60% normally represents less than .l% of the salt or of manganese dioxide as ‘pyrolusite and about sugar dietary requirements. 15-30% ferrophosphorus, the combined amount My invention solves these di?iculties. I have of the two materials representing approximately produced a fused reaction product wherein a 70-90% of the mixture.‘ The combined amount minor proportion of the trace elements copper, of copper, cobalt and zinc compounds plus any , cobalt and zinc are homogeneously dispersed or additional iron oxide introduced may represent combined with major proportions of iron, man from about 10-30% of the mixture. ganese and phosphorus. In brief, certain copper, In a typical example, 58.3% pyrolusite, 191%7 cobalt and zinc compounds in the desired ratios 40 ferrophosphorus, 17.8% copper carbonate, 3.7% are ?nely ground, thoroughly mixed with ?ne cobalt carbonate and 1.2% zinc oxide in ?nely grindings of ferrophosphorus and pyrolusite, and milled powder form werelthoroughly mixed and the mixture heated to form a fused reaction the mixture placed in a brick-lined trough. A product. Generally, the reaction is exothermic, gas ?ame was placed at one end until the mixture but this is dependent upon de?nite proportions 45 ignited. Reaction took place with incipient of the mineral elements as disclosed hereinafter. fusion at red heat and rapidly spread throughout When this product is ?nely ground and thorough the charge to form a homogeneous fused clinker. ly mixed with animal feed, for example, the in In another example, a mixture of ?nely pow take by the animal includes all of the mineral dered pyrolusite (61.9%), ferrophosphorus (20 % ) , components uniformly distributed in a predeter copper oxide (12.8%), cobalt carbonate (4%), mined desirable ratio. and zinc oxide (1.3%) were thoroughly ‘mixed The term “ferrophosphorus” includes a num_ and the mixture placed in a brick-lined trough, ber of iron phosphides or mixtures thereof and ignited and burned without‘ additional supply of ‘ is usually produced in the production of phos external heat to form a homogeneous fused phorus by thermal methods. Commercially avail 55; ‘clinker. ‘ ' ‘ ' ‘ 2,689,794 3 The production of a fused reaction product cobalt, zinc and iron inorganic compounds are most suitable for dietary purposes often requires selected from the group consisting of carbonates, that the ratio or proportions of one element with oxides, phosphides, phosphates, sul?des and sul respect to another be increased. This is readily fates. achieved by varying the proportions of mineral 3. A composition of matter comprising a homo components. in ,the powdered starting mixture. geneous fused mixture of from about 70 to 90% In addition, it is‘ often. desirable to: have larger by weight of iron and manganese compounds and proportions of iron in the product than is possi from about 10 to 30% by weight of copper, co ble to introduce by the use of ferrophosphorus. balt and zinc in the form of manganous, ferrous, This can be accomplished by introducing certain 10 copper, zinc and cobalt oxides and phosphates. compounds of iron, as for example iron oxide. In 4. As a mineral supplement composition of mat a typical example, a mixture of ?nely powdered ter, a fusion reaction product of a mixture com pyrolusite (54.7%) , ferrophosphorus (17.8%), prising approximately 50-60% by weight pyro ferric oxide (6.3%), copper carbonate (16.3%), lusite, approximately 15-30% by weight ferro cobalt carbonate (3.3%) and zinc oxide (1.1%) 15 phosphorus, and approximately 10-30% by weight was placed in a brick-lined trough and a gas of a mixture of copper, cobalt and zinc com ?ame placed at One end until the mixture ignited. pounds selected from a group consisting of car Reaction took place with incipient fusion at red bonates, oxides, phosphides, phosphates, sul?des heat to form a fused clinker product. After cool and sulfates. “ ing 'andmilling, the clinker product analyzed ap 5. As a mineral supplement composition of mat proximately: ter, a fusion reaction. product ofv a mixture com Percent prising approximately 50-60% by weight pyro Manganese ______32 lusite containing at, least 80% MnOz, 15-30% Iron ______18.6 by weight ferrophosphorus, and approximately Phosphorus ______5.2 10-30% by weight of a. mixture of iron, copper, Copper ______8.7 cobalt and zinc compounds selected from the Cobalt ______1.4 group consisting of carbonates, oxides, phosphides, Zinc ______.7 phosphates, sul?des and sulfates. 6. A fused reaction product of a starting mix, The product was soluble in a .25% I-ICl solution ture comprising from 70-90% by weight of ferro indicating complete solubility in the gastric juices phosphorus and pyrolusite, there being at least of the stomach which contain from .2 to .3% of 50% by weight of ferrophosphorus, and 10-30% free HCl. Feeding tests show the mineral com by weight of a mixture of iron oxide, copper ponents of the reaction product to- be nutrition carbonate, cobalt carbonate, and zinc oxide. ally available. 35 7. The fused reaction product of claim 6 where The relative proportions of copper to cobalt to in the pyrolusite contains at least 80% M1102. zinc in my reaction mixture are not critical; how 8. The fused reaction product of claim 6 where ever, it is preferred that these materials not in at least 1% of each of the compounds of the exceed 30% by weight of. the total reaction mix metals copper, cobalt, and zinc is present in the ture in order to facilitate the exothermic fusion mixture. ' ' reaction. It is tobe noted that from the stand 9. A method of producing a fused mineral sup point of supplying the average mineral require plement composition. comprising mixing from ments of animal diets, the proportion of mineral about 70 to 90% by weight of ?nely divided pyro constituents in the above examples may be as lusite and ferrophosphorus with from about 10 sumed as typically illustrative, but it is to be un 45 to 30% by weight of. ?nely divided copper, cobalt derstood that the present invention is not lim and zinc inorganic compounds andheating the ited to such proportions. They may be varied mixture at a temperature and for a period of to meet- the individual mineral requirements for time sufficient to produce a homogeneous, fused the animal, fowl, or human diet. This means reaction product, the copper, cobalt and zinc that in. the event that greater proportions of inorganic compounds being selected from the MnOz, copper, cobalt and zinc to ferrophospho group consisting of carbonates, oxides, phos rus are required than speci?ed above, a fused re phides, phosphates, sul?des and sulfates. _ action product. can be made provided external 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the ingredi heating is supplied during the reaction period. ents of the reaction, are in a proportion sufficient The foregoing detailed description is given for to support an exothermic reaction. clearness of understanding only and no unnec 11. The method of claim 9. wherein the ingredi essary limitations should be understood there ents include approximately 50-60% pyrolusite,’ from as modi?cations will be obvious to those 15-30% ferrophosphorus and 10-30% of. a mix skilled in the art. ture of copper, cobalt and zinc oxides and car I claim: 1. As a new composition of matter, a fusion 60 bonates. ‘ reaction product comprising essentially from 12. The method as set forth in claim 9 wherein the reaction is carried on to form a fused clinker. about 70 to 90% by weight of ferrophosphorus 13. A method of producing a fused mineral and pyrolusite and from about 10 to 30% by supplement composition comprising mixing from weight of inorganic compounds of copper, zinc about 70 to 90% by weight of ?nely divided fer and cobalt, wherein said inorganic compounds 65 rophosphorus and pyrolusite containing at least are selected from the group consisting of car 80% MnOz, and from about 10 to 30% by weight. bonates, oxides, phosphides, phosphates, sul?des of inorganic compounds of iron, copper, cobalt and sulfates, and at least 50% by weight of the mixture being pyrolusite. and zinc selected from the group consisting of 2. A fusion reaction product comprising essen 70 oxides, carbonates, sul?des, sulfates, phosphides, and phosphates, and heating the mixture at a tially from about 70. to. 90% by weight ferro temperature and for a period of time su?icient phosphorus and manganese dioxide and from about 10 to 30% by weight of inorganic metal to produce a homogeneous fused reaction product. . compounds selected from the group consisting of copper, cobalt, zinc and iron, wherein the copper. 75 No references; cited.