Continuous adsorption process

Claim 1

CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR SEPARATING A LIQUID CHARGE MIXTURE OF ORGANIC MATERIALS OF DIFFERENT ADSORBABILITES BY MEANS OF A SELECTIVE ABSORBENT WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A PARTICULATE ADSORBENT, IN THE MANNER HEREINAFTER SPECIFIED, THROUGH A PLURALITY OF CONTACT ZONES IN SERIES, INTRODUCING A LIQUID STREAM OF THE CHARGE INTO ONE OF SAID CONTACT ZONES OTHER THAN THE LAST IN SAID SERIES, MAINTAINING IN EACH CONTACT ZONE A SUSPENSION OF ADSORBENT IN THE ORGANIC LIQUID BEING TREATED THEREIN, WITHDRAWING FROM EACH CONTACT ZONE A STREAM OF SUCH SUSPENSION AND FEEDING IT TO AN INDIVIDUAL SEPARATION ZONE, THEREIN SEPARATING NON-ADSORBENT LIQUID FROM ADSORBENT AND ADSORBATE, CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING THE SEPARATED ADSORBENT AND ADSORBATE FROM EACH INDIVIDUAL SEPARATION ZONE OTHER THAN THE LAST INTO THE CONTACT ZONE NEXT DOWNSTREAM WITH RESPECT TO THE DIRECTION OF ADSORBENT FLOW THROUGH THE SYSTEM, CONTINUOUSLY RETURNING A PORTION OF SUCH NON-ADSORBED LIQUID FROM EACH INDIVIDUAL SEPARATION ZONE TO THE CONTACT ZONE FROM WHICH IT WAS WITHDRAWN, CONTINUOUSLY PASSING THE REMAINDER OF SUCH NON-ADSORBED LIQUID FROM EACH SEPARATION ZONE OTHER THAN THE FIRST TO THE NEXT UPSTREAM CONTACT ZONE, WITHDRAWING AS A PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS SUCH REMAINDER OF NON-ADSORBED LIQUID OBTAINED FROM THE FIRST SEPARATION ZONE, PASSING THE ADSORBENT AND ADSORBATE OBTAINED FROM THE LAST SEPARATION ZONE TO A DESORPTION ZONE AND THEREIN REMOVING ADSORBATE FROM THE ADSORBENT, CONTINUOUSLY RETURNING A PORTION OF THE REMOVED ADSORBATE HAVING ESSENTIALLY THE SAME COMPOSITION AS THE TOTAL ADSORBATE TO THE LAST CONTACT ZONE AS REFLUX, WITHDRAWING THE REMAINDER OF THE REMOVED ADSORBATE AS THE OTHER PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS, AND RETURNING DRY ADSORBENT TO THE FIRST CONTACT ZONE FOR RE-USE IN THE PROCESS.