Continuous adsorption process

Claim 1

CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR SEPARATING A LIQUID CHARGE MIXTURE OF ORGANIC MATERIALS OF DIFFERENT ADSORBABILITIES WHICH COMPRISES: PASSING A PARTICULATE ADSORBENT IN THE FORM OF A CONTINUOUS MOVING BED THROUGH AN ELONGATED COLUMN HAVING AN ADSORPTION SECTION ADJACENT ONE END, A DESORPTION SECTION ADJACENT THE OTHER END AND AN INTERMEDIATE ENRICHING SECTION THE ADSORBENT BEING INTRODUCED INTO THE COLUMN AT THE ADSORPTION SECTION END AND BEING WITHDRAWN THEREFROM AT THE DESORPTION SECTION END; INTRODUCING IN LIQUID PHASE INTO THE MOVING ADSORBENT THE LIQUID CHARGE AT A LOCUS INTERMEDIATE THE ADSORPTION AND ENRICHING SECTIONS AND A LIQUID DESORBING AGENT ADJACENT THE END OF THE COLUMN AT WHICH ADSORBENT IS WITHDRAWN, SAID DESORBING AGENT HAVING AN ADSORPTION INDEX FALLING WITHIN THE AREA FCGH OF FIG. 2; RETURNING ADSORBENT, SATURATED WITH DESORBING AGENT, AS WITHDRAWN FROM THE COLUMN. DIRECTLY TO THE OPPOSITE END FOR RE-USE WITHOUT FURTHER REGENERATION; FLOWING THE LIQUID CHARGE WITHIN SAID ADSORPTION SECTION COUNTERCURRENT TO THE ADSORBENT TO SELECTIVELY ADSORB THE MORE ADSORBABLE CHARGE COMPONENT THEREFROM WHILE DISPLACING DESORBING AGENT FROM THE ADSORBENT; WITHDRAWING A LIQUID STREAM, RICH IN THE LESS ADSORBABLE CHARGE COMPONENT AND CONTAINING DESORBING AGENT, ADJACENT THE END OF THE COLUMN AT WHICH ADSORBENT IS INTRODUCED AND SEPARATING DESORBING AGENT THEREFROM BY DISTILLATION; FLOWING A PORTION OF THE DESORBING AGENT INTRODUCED INTO THE COLUMN THROUGH SAID DESORPTION SECTION TO DESORB THE MORE ADSORBABLE CHARGE COMPONENT FROM THE ADSORBENT; WITHDRAWING A LIQUID STREAM COMPRISING DESORBENT AGENT AND MORE ADSORBALE CHARGE COMPONENT AT A LOCUS INTERMEDIATE THE ENRICHING AND DESORPTION SECTIONS AND SEPARATING DESORBING AGENT THEREFROM BY DISTILLATION.