Continuous adsorption process

Claim 1

CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR SEPARATING A LIQUID MIXTURE OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS OF DIFFERENT ADSORBABILITIES BY MEANS OF A SELECTIVE ADSORBENT WHICH COMPRISES FEEDING PARTICULATE ADSORBENT TO AN ADSORPTION ZONE, FEEDING A LIQUID STREAM OF THE CHARGE MIXTURE INTO THE ADSORPTION ZONE AND FLOWING IT COUNTERCURRENT TO THE ADSORBENT TO SELECTIVELY REMOVE THE MORE ADSORBABLE CHARGE COMPONENT AND YIELD A RAFFINATE STREAM RICH IN THE LESS ADSORBABLE CHARGE COMPONENT, INTRODUCING THE USED ADSORBENT, CARRYING THE MORE ADSORBABLE CHARGE COMPONENT AS ADSORBATE, INTO A FIRST DESORPTION ZONE AND THEREIN PASSING IT COUNTERCURRENT TO A LIQUID DESORBING AGENT TO DISPLACE SAID ADSORBATE FROM THE ADSORBENT, SAID DESORBING AGENT BOILING OUTSIDE OF THE BOILING RANGE OF THE CHARGE MIXTURE AND BEING MORE HIGHLY ADSORBABLE THAN THE LESS ADSORBABLE CHARGE COMPONENT, THEN PASSING THE ADSORBENT THROUGH A SECOND DESORPTION ZONE COUNTERCURRENT TO A LIQUID STREAM COMPRISING RAFFINATE PRODUCT TO DISPLACE DESORBING AGENT FROM THE ADSORBENT, WITHDRAWING FROM SAID SECOND DESORPTION ZONE A MIXTURE OF DESORBING AGENT AND THE LESS ADSORBABLE CHARGE COMPONENT, PASSING SAID MIXTURE TO A DISTILLATION ZONE AND THEREIN DISTILLING IT TO SEPARATE DESORBING AGENT AND YIELD RAFFINATE PRODUCT ESSENTIALLY FREE OF DESORBING AGENT, AND MAINTAINING IN SAID SECOND DESORPTION ZONE A FLOW RATIO OF RAFFINATE PRODUCT TO ADSORBENT HIGHER THAN SUCH RATIO IN THE ADSORPTION ZONE BY RECYCLING LIQUID RAFFINATE PRODUCT FROM SAID DISTILLATION ZONE TO SAID SECOND ADSORPTION ZONE.