Process for the separation and recovery of inorganic salts

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION AND SEPARATE RECOVERY OF SODIUM CHLORITE, POTASSIUM CHLORATE AND SODIUM CHLORIDE FROM SOLUTIONS CONTAINING ALL THREE OF THESE SALTS IN APPROXIMATELY EQUIMOLAR AMOUNTS WHICH COMPRISES: CONCENTRATING THE SOLUTION BY EVAPORATION TO AN EXTENT WHICH WILL EFFECT CRYSTALLIZATION OF A FIRST CROP OF POTASSIUM CHLORATE ONLY AT A RELATIVELY LOW TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 5*C., SEPARATING AT SAID RELATIVELY LOW TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 5*C. THE CRYSTALLINE POTASSIUM CHLORATE FORMED, CONCENTRATING BY EVAPORATION THE MOTHER LIQUOR FROM WHICH THE FIRST CROP OF CRYSTALLINE POTASSIUM CHLORATE HAS BEEN REMOVED TO EFFECT CRYSTALLIZATION OF SODIUM CHLORIDE, SAID CONCENTRATION BEING CARRIED OUT AT A TEMPERATURE SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THAT AT WHICH THE FIRST CROP OF POTASSIUM CHLORATE WAS CRYSTALLIZED, AND BEING CONTINUED TO A POINT SUCH THAT FURTHER CONCENTRATION WOULD RESULT IN CRYSTALLIZATION OF SODIUM CHLORITE, SEPARATING THE CRYSTALLINE SODIUM CHLORIDE AT APPROXIMATELY THE TEMPERATURE AT WHICH IT IS FORMED, AND LOWERING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE MOTHER LIQUOR FROM WHICH THE CRYSTALLINE SODIUM CHLORIDE IS REMOVED TO EFFECT THE CRYSTALLIZATION OF A SECOND CROP OF POTASSIUM CHLORATE ONLY.