Production of furfural and acetic acid from pentosan containing material

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING FURFURAL AND ACETIC ACID FROM PENTOSAN CONTAINING MATERIAL, WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING UNHEATED PENTOSAN CONTAINING MATERIAL TOGETHER WITH WATER INTO THE TOP OF A COLUMN HAVING A TOP, A BOTTOM AND AN INTERMEDIATE ZONE, WHEREBY THEY DESCEND THROUGH SAID COLUMN TO THE BOTTOM THEREOF, INTRODUCING HYDROCHLORIC ACID INTO SAID COLUMN AT A POINT ABOVE THE BOTTOM THEREOF, VAPORIZING THE WATER AND HYDROCHLORIC ACID CONTAINED IN SAID MATERIAL AT THE BOTTOM OF THE COLUMN BY MEANS OF SUPERHEATED STEAM INTRODUCED INTO THE COLUMN AT THE BOTTOM THEREOF, THEREBY PRODUCING IN THE LIQUID PHASE OF THE MATERIAL DESCENDING THROUGH THE COLUMN AT A POINT ABOVE THAT AT WHICH VAPORIZATION OF THE WATER AND HYDROCHLORIC ACID TAKES PLACE A RECTIFYING EFFECT BY THE PASSAGE OF THE ACID VAPORS THROUGH SAID DESCENDING MATERIAL, SAID RECTIFYING EFFECT BEING DUE TO THE PARTIAL CONDENSATION OF THE HYDROCHLORIC ACID VAPORS BY THE WATER CONTAINED IN THE COLD MATERIAL ENTERING AT THE TOP OF THE COLUMN AND TO THE FACT THAT THE DESCENDING MATERIAL ALWAYS HAS A LOWER TEMPERATURE THAN THE ASCENDING VAPORS, WHEREBY THE ACID CONCENTRATION IN THE LIQUID PHASE INCREASES RELATIE TO ITS CONCENTRATION AT THE POINT OF INTRODUCTION OF SAID ACID AND REACHES A MAXIMUM AT A POINT NTERMEDIATE THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE COLUMN, SAID POINT OF MAXIMUM CONCENTRATION CONSTITUTING A ZONE OF MAXIMUM HYDROLYSIS OFF SAID PENTOSAN CONTAINING MATERIAL, WITHDRAWING THE RESULTANT GASEOUS PRODUCTS CONTAINING FUFURAL AND ACETIC ACID FROM THE TOP OF SAID COLUMN, AND CONTINUOUSLY DISCHARGING THE EXHOUSTED MATERIAL, DRIED AND FREE FROM ACID, FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID COLUMN.