Reviification of adsorbents

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS OF RECOVERING ORGANIC OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS FROM A HYDROCARBON STREAM CONTAINING DISSOLVED CARBOXYLIC ACIDS, KETONES, ALDEHYDES AND ALCOHOLS WHEREIN THE BULK OF THE OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS ARE REMOVED FROM THE HYDROCARBON STREAM BY EXTRACTION WITH A SOLVENT AND THE REMAINING HYDROCARBON STREAM IS WASHED WITH WATER, DRIED, AND CONTACTED WITH A SOLID ABSORBENT FOR REMOVING UNEXTRACTED PORTIONS OF THE OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS, THE IMPROVED METHOD OF OPERATION WHICH COMPRISES ACTIVATING THE ABSORBENT BY CONTACTING IT AT A TEMPERATURE OF 150* TO 200*C. WITH THE VAPOR OF A HYDROCARBON BOILING WITHIN THE NAPHTHA BOILING RANGE WHEREBY THE ABSORBENT IS WETTED WITH SAID HYDROCARBON, CONTACTING THE WETTED ADSORBENT WITH SAID DRIED HYDROCARBON CONTAINING UNEXTRACTED OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 20* TO 40*C. FOR SELECTIVELY ADSORBING OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS ON THE ADSORBENT AND WITHDRAWING HYDROCARBONS FROM WHICH OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS HAVE THUS BEEN REMOVED, SUBSEQUENTLY CONTACTING SAID ADSORBENT WITH AN ELUANT WHICH HAS A HIGHER CAPACITY FOR ADSORPTION THAN THE INITIALLY ADSORBED OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS AND WHICH IS LOWER BOILING THAN SAID INITIAL OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS WHEREBY THE INITIALLY ADSORBED COMPOUNDS ARE DISPLACED, WITHDRAWING THE DISPLACED COMPOUNDS AND UNADSORBED ELUANT LIQUID AND DISTILLING THE LOWER BOILING ELUANT LIQUID FROM THE HIGHER BOILING OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS, SUBSEQUENTLY DISPLACING ADSORBED ELUANT LIQUID FROM THE ADSORBENT BY CONTACTING THE ADSORBENT AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 150* AND 200*C. WITH A HYDROCARBON BOILING IN THE NAPHTHA BOILING RANGE, REMOVING DISPLACED ELUANT WITH THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE LAST NAMED HYDROCARBON WHILE LEAVING THE ADSORBENT WET WITH HYDROCARBON AND READY FOR FURTHER ADSORPTION OF OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS, SEPARATING DISPLACED ELUANT LIQUID FROM THE HYDROCARBON WITH WHICH IT IS ADMIXED, COMBINING THE ELUANT FROM THE FRACTIONATION AND SEPARATION STEPS AND RE-EMPLOYING SAID COMBINED ELUANT AND SAID SEPARATED HYDROCARBON RESPECTIVELY IN REPEATED CYCLES AS HEREINABOVE SET FORTH.