Separation process

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR SEPARATING AN ORGANIC COMPOUND CAPABLE OF FORMING A SOLID ADDUCT WITH AN AMIDE SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF UREA AND THIOUREA FROM ADMIXTURE WITH AN ORGANIC COMPOUND NOT CAPABLE OF FORMING SUCH AN ADDUCT WHICH COMPRISES PASSING SAID ADMIXTURE DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A FIXED BED OF SAID AMIDE BOUND ON AN INERT GRANULAR SUPPORT BY A VISCOUS ACTIVATOR FOR THE ADDUCT-FORMING REACTION SELECTED FROM A GROUP CONSISTING OF GLYCEROL, GLYCOL, TRIETHANOLAMINE AND DIETHANOLAMINE AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT SAID ADMIXTURE TO CONTACT SAID BED FOR A PERIOD OF TIME WITHIN THE RANGE OF ONE MINSUTE TO 2 HOURS, MAINTAINING SIAD BED AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 50* TO 100* F. AND UNDER A PRESSURE SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN SAID ADMIXTURE IN THE LIQUID PHASE, DISCONTINUING FLOW OF SAID ADMIXTURE THROUGH SAID BED WHEN THE ADDUCT-FORMING CAPACITY OF SAID AMIDE HAS BEEN DEPLETED, REGENERATING THE RESULTING ADDUCT-CONTAINING BED BY PASSING A REGENERATING MEDIUM COMPRISING AN INERT GASEOUS HEAT CARRIER THERETHROUGH AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 125 TO 250* F. AND AT A PRESSURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF ATMOSPHERIC TO 500 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH, REMOVING SAID REGENERATING MEDIUM CONTAINING LIBERATED ADDUCT-FORMING ORGANIC COMPOUND AND RECOVERING SAID ADDUCT-FORMING COMPOUND AS A PRODUCT, WASHING SAID REGENERATED BED WITH A LIQUID WASHING MEDIUM COMPRISING A LOW BOILING ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBON AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 125* TO 150* F. TO REMOVE ANY REMAINING ADDUCT-FORMING COMPOUND THEREFROM, SEPARATING SAID WASHING MEDIUM FROM ANY ADDUCT-FORMING COMPOUND WHICH IT CONTAINS, AND COOLING SAID BED BY REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON SAID BED CONTAINING SAID LIQUID WASHING MEDIUM TO THEREBY CAUSE SAID MEDIUM TO EVAPORATE AND COOL SAID BED.