Gas purification process

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR TREATING GAS CONTAINING AMMONIA, AND ACIDIC GASES FOR THE SEPARATION AND RECOVERY OF AMMONIA AND ACIDIC GASES THEREFROM COMPRISING: SCRUBBING THE GAS IN A PRIMARY SCRUBBING STEP WITH AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF AN ALKALINE-REACTING METAL COMPOUND TO ABSORB THE ACIDIC GASES AND AMMONIA, HEATING THE FOULED ALKALINE SOLUTION IN AN ACTIFYING ZONE UNDER SUBATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE TO DRIVE OFF THE ABSORBED ACIDIC GASES, AMMONIA AND WATER WHILE REGENERATING THE ABOSRBENT SOLUTION, THEREAFTER PASSING THE ACIDIC GASES AND AMMONIA UNDER SAID SUBATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE IN A SECONDARY SCRUBBING STEP INTO CONTACT WITH A SEPARATE AQUEOUS AMMONIA SOLUTION TO ABSORB THE ACIDIC GASES AND AMMONIA UNDER SAID SUBATMOSHPERIC PRESSURE, WHEREBY THE VOLUME OF GAS IS REDUCED SUFFICIENTLY SO THAT IT CAN BE PRACTICALLY HANDLED IN A VACUUM PUMP TO ESTABLISH THE REQUIRED SUBATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE IN THE SAID ACTIFING ZONE, PASSING THE THUS TREATED GASES THROUGH A VACUUM PUMP TO DRAW THE VACUUM NECESSARY IN SAID ACTIFYING ZONE, AND DISTILLING THE RICH AQUEOUS AMMONIA SOLUTION TO SEPARATE ACIDIC GASES AND AMMONIA THEREFROM, IN WHICH THE ACIDIC GASES AND AMMONIA DRIVEN OUT OF THE ALKALINE ABSORBENT SOLUTION ARE PASSED THROUGH A CONDENSER TO SEPARATE A MAJOR PORTION OF THE WATER THEREIN BEFORE THE GASES ARE BROUGHT INTO CONTACT WITH THE AMMONIA SOLUTION, AND RETURNING THE CONDENSED WATER TO THE ALKALINE ABSORBENT SOLUTION.