Process and apparatus for the countercurrent lixiviation of solid material

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR THE CONTINUOUS COUNTER-CURRENT LIXIVIATION OF DISTINTEGRATED MATERIAL COMPRISING THE STEPS OF ESTABLISHING AND MAINTAINING A BODY OF THE MATERIAL IN CLOSELY PACKED, BUT LIQUID PREVIOUS CONDITION AND IN THE GEOMETRICAL SHAPE OF A SOLID OF REVOLUTION, SUPPLYING FRESH MATERIAL AT ONE END AND REMOVING TREATED MATERIAL FROM THE OTHER END OF THE SAID BODY, ROTATING SAID BODY ABOUT ITS AXIS CONVEYING THE MATERIAL LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH THE BODY FROM THE SUPPLY END TO THE DISCHARGE END, SUBJECTING THE SURFACE OF SAID BODY IN ONE ANGULAR RANGE OF ITS SAID ROTATION TO PRESSURE HAVING COMPONENT AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE AXIS OF SAID ROTATION, PASSING A FLOW TO LIXIVIATING LIQUID UNDER THE INFLUENCE FO GRAVITY IN COUNTER-CURRENT TO THE TRAVEL OF THE MATERIAL THROUGH A SECOND OF THE BODY, SAID SECTION HAVING FROM A CONSTANT SPEED OF ROTATION OF THE BODY A CONSTANT LOCATION RELATIVE OT A VERTICAL PLANE THROUGH THE AXIS OF ROTATION.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR THE LIXIVIATION OF A DISINTEGRATED SOLID MATERIAL COMPRISING A CLOSED, OBLONG TROUGH, HAVING AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF AN INLET AND AN OUTLET RESPECRIVELY FOR SAID MATERIAL, A SCREW CONVEYOR EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH SAID TOUGH AND HAVING HELICAL CONVEYING BLADES, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID CONVEYOR WITHIN SAID TROUGH TO ADVANCE SAID MATERIAL IN A CLOSELY PACKED, HOWEVER LIQUID PENETRABLE CONDITION FROM SAID INLET TO SAID OUTLET, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING A LIQUID EXTRACTION AGENT TO SAID TROUGH AT THE END OF SAME WHERE SAID OUTLET IS LOCATED, MEANS FOR DISCHARGING THE SAID LIQUID AT THE OPPOSITE END OF THE TOUGH, AND PASSING AREAS FOR SAID AGENT IN THE SAID HELICAL CONVEYING BLADES, THE SAID HELICAL CONVEYING BLADES CONSISTING IN A PLURALITY OF NUTUALLY SPACED HELICAL BANDS RUNNING ALONG A COMMON HELICAL SURFACE.