Recovery of aconitic acid from molasses

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF TREATING MOLASSES WHICH COMPRISES DILUTING AND TREATING THE SAME TO PRECIPITATE PART OF THE ACONITIC ACID CONTENT THEREOF IN THE FORM OF INSOLUBLE ALKALINE EARTH ACONITATES, PASSING THE RESULTING ACONITATE-CONTAINING MOLASSES IN CONTACT WITH AN ANION EXCHANGE RESIN, WHICH RESIN HAS BEEN CONVERTED TO THE SALT FORM BY TREATMENT WITH A MINERAL ACID, TO SEPARATE THE REMAINDER OF THE ACONITIC ACID THEREFROM AS RESIN ACONITATE AND TO PRODUCE A SUBSTANTIALLY ACONITIC ACID-FREE MOLASSES, ELUTING THE ACONITIC ACID FROM THE RESIN WITH DILUTE SULFURIC ACID TO FORM AN EFFLUENT CONTAINING SULFURIC ACID AND ACONITIC ACID, UTILIZING AT LEAST PART OF SAID EFFLUENT TO TREAT THE PRECIPITATED ACONITATES TO REMOVE CALCIUM FROM THE ACONITATES AND SULFURIC ACID FROM THE EFFLUENT IN THE FORM OF CALCIUM SULFATE AND TO FORM A SOLUTION CONTAINING ACONITIC ACID FROM BOTH SAID EFFLUENT AND SAID TREATMENT OF THE ACONITATES, ADMIXING WITH SAID SOLUTION ANY EFFLUENT WHICH HAS NOT BEEN UTILIZED FOR SAID TREATMENT OF THE ACONITATES, AND CONCENTRATING THE COMBINED SOLUTIONS TO CRYSTALLIZE ACONITIC ACID THEREFROM WHEREBY THE SULFURIC ACID USED FIRST FOR THE ELUTION OF THE ACONITIC ACID IS USED AT LEAST IN PART FOR TREATING THE PRECIPITATED ACONITATES AND WHEREBY ACONITIC ACID IS RECOVERED FROM BOTH THE PRECIPITATED ACONITATE AND FROM THE ANION EXCHANGE TREATMENT BY THE SAME CRYSTALLIZING OPERATION.