Separation of straight-chain compounds from branched-chain compounds

Claim 1

THE PROCESS FOR SEPARATING ORGANIC ALIPHATIC STRAIGHTCARBON ATOM CHAIN MATERIAL CONTAINING FROM 6 TO 50 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE FROM ADMIXTURE WITH AN ORGANIC LIQUID CONTAINING BRANCHED-CARBON ATOM CHAIN ORGANIC MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES FORMING A FILTER CAKE OF CRYSTALLINE UREA FROM A SUSPENSION OF UREA CRYSTALS HAVING A SIZE IN THE RANGE OF 40 TO 80 STANDARD MESH IN AN INERT NONSOLVENT LIQUID; SPRAYING SAID FILTER CAKE IN A FIRST SPRAYING STEP WITH A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF FINELY DISPERSED ACTIVATOR COMPRISING AN ALCOHOL CONTAINING FROM 1 TO 5 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE SO AS TO WET THE SURFACES OF SAID UREA CRYSTALS, THEREBY ACTIVATING SAID UREA; SPRAYING SAID FILTER CAKE IN A SECOND SPRAYING STEP WITH AN EFFLUENT RECYCLE LIQUID HEREINAFTER DESCRIBED; SPRAYIG SAID FILTER CAKE IN A THIRD SPRAYING STEP WITH SAID ORGANIC LIQUID CONTAINING SAID STRAIGTH-CHAIN AND BRANCHED-CHAIN ORGANIC MATERIALS AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW 90* F. WHEREBY A SOLID ADDUCT IS DORMED BETWEEN SAID ACTIVATED UREA AND THE MAJOR PORTION OF SAID STRAIGHT-CHAIN ORGANIC MATERIAL WHICH ADDUCT IS RETAINED AS PART OF SAID FILTER CAKE WHILE SAID ORGANIC LIQUID CONTAINING BRANCHED-CHAIN MATERIAL AND A MINOR PORTION OF STRAIGHT-CHAIN ORGANIC MATERIAL IS PERMITTED TO PASS THROUGH SAID FILTER CAKE WITHOUT FORMING AN ADDUCT WITH UREA; RECOVERING SAID ORGANIC LIQUID WHICH PASSES THROUGH SAID FILTER CAKE AND RETURNING SAID LIQUID TO SECOND EFFLUENT RECYCLE FOR SAID HERINBEFORE REFERRED TO SECOND SPRAYING STEP WHEREBY STRAIGHT-CHAIN ORGANIC MATERIALS THEREIN FORM SOLID ADDUCTS; SPRAYING SAID FILTER CAKE IN A FOURTH SPRAYING STEP WITH A HYDROCARBON CONTAINING FROM 3 TO 5 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE AT A RATE AND IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO WASH ANY UNREACTED ORGANIC COMPOUNDS FROM SAID FILTER CAKE; REMOVING SAID FILTER CAKE COMPRISING SAID SOLID ADDUCT TO A DECOMPOSITION ZONE; AND DECOMPOSING SAID ADDUCT SO AS TO LIBERATE SAID UREA AND SAID STRAIGHT-CHAIN ORGANIC MATERIAL.