Use of colloidal silica in catalyst manufacture

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR FORMING RELATIVELY LARGER SOLID INORGANIC OXIDE CATALYST MASSES HAVING SUPERIOR HARDNESS AND CRUSHING RESISTANCE FROM RELATIVELY SMALLER SOLID INORGANIC OXIDE CATALYST MASSES WHICH COMPRISES TREATING SAID SMALLER SOLID INORGANIC OXIDE CATALYST MASSES WITH A COLLIODAL SOLUTION OF SILICA FREE OF IONIC IMPURITIES RANGING IN AMOUNT FROM AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO BRING THE SMALLER SOLID INORGANIC OXIDE CATALYST MASSES TO A STAGE OF INCIPIENT WETTING TO AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO FORM A THICK, PASTY SLURRY, THE CONCENTRATION OF SILICA IN THE COLLOIDAL SOLUTION OF SILICA RANGING BETWEEN ABOUT ONE PERCENT AND ABOVE FIVE PERCENT WEIGHT, AND IN WHICH COLLOIDAL SOLUTION OF SILICA THE SILICA PARTICLES AS ORGINALLY PREPARED RANGE FROM ABOUT 10 TO 100 ANGSTROM UNITS IN AVERAGE DIAMETER AND THEREAFTER PRESSING THE TREATED MASSES INTO THE RELATIVELY LARGER MASSES.