Water purification process and apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING MINERAL SALTS IN SOLUTION FROM A CONFINED BODY OF CONTINUOUSLY FLOWING WATER INCLUDING A PIPE LINE HAVING VERTICAL SECTIONS DISPOSED IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATION TO EACH OTHER AND INTERCONNECTED BY COUPLINGS AT UPPER AND LOWER ENDS, AIR INLET TUBES EXTENDING UPWARDLY INTO THE COUPLINGS CONNECTING LOWER ENDS OF CERTAIN OF SAID PIPE SECTIONS AND HAVING PERFORATED NOZZLES AT THEIR UPPER ENDS DIVIDING INCOMING AIR INTO UPWARDLY MOVING STREAMS SPACED TRANSVERSELY FROM EACH OTHER THROUHOUT THE TRANSVERSE AREA OF THE FLOWING WATER, AND OPEN ENDED DIFFUSERS OPEN AT ITS UPPER AND LOWER ENDS INTERPOSED VERTICALLY IN THE VERTICALLY EXTENDING SECTIONS OF THE PIPE LINE AND EACH HAVING MOUNTED THEREIN A PLURALITY OF FINE SCREENS SPACED FROM EACH OTHER LONGITUDINALLY OF THE CASING AND ENTIRELY TENDING TRANSVERSELY IN THE CASING AND ENTIRELY ACROSS WATER FLOWING THROUGH THE PIPE LINE FOR THE ENTIRE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA THEREOF AND CONSTITUTING MEANS FOR CAUSING A MIXTURE OF WATER AND AIR TO BE DIVIDED INTO FINE STREAMS AS IT PASSES THROUGH THE SCREENS AND THEREBY RESULTING IN MINERAL SALTS IN THE WATER BEING OXIDIZED.