Adsorption process

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS WHEREIN A FEED LIQUID IS SEPARATED IN AN ADSORPTION ZONE INTO AT LEAST TWO COMPONENTS BY CONTACT WITH A MIXTURE SOLID ADSORBENT PARTICLES HAVING A RELATIVELY WIDE PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION AND HAVING A RELATIVELY HIGH AMOUNT OF FINES CONDUCTIVE TO CAUSING AN EXCESIVE PRESSURE DROP, THE IMROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES CHARGING SAID MIXTURE OF ADSORBENT PARTICLES INTO A CLOSED ADSORPTION ZONE, PASSING A FLUIDIZING LIQUID ESSENTIALLY FREE OF DEACTIVANTS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID PARTICLES IN SAID ADSORPTION ZONE AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TO CLASSIFY SAID PARTICLES ACCORDING TO SIZE UNTIL ENOUGH FINES ARE CARRIED OUT OF SAID ADSORPTION ZONE TO PROVIDE THEREIN A FIXED BED OF SATISFACTORY PRESSURE DROP, RECOVERING THE ENTAINED ACTIVES FINES IN AN EXTERNAL SEPARATION ZONE, PASSING FEED LIQUID DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID BED OF CLASSIFED ADSORBENT PARTICLES IN SAID CLOSED ADSORPTION ZONE, THEREAFTER PASSING A DESORBENT LIQUID THROUGH SAID BED IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO DESORB THE ADSORBED COMPONENT, RECOVERING A PRODUCT CONTAINING SAID DESORBED COMPONENT, THEN AGAIN PASSING A FLUIDIZING LIQUID ESSENTIALLY FREE OF DEACTIVANTS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID BED AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TO ENTRAIN DEACTIVATED ADSORBENT FINES OUT OF THE CLOSED ADSORPTION ZONE, AND REPLACING THE DEACTIVATED FINES BY THE PREVIOUSLY RECOVERED ACTIVE ADSORBENT FINES.