Chemical oxidation process in the adsorbed phase

Claim 1

IN A CHEMICAL PROCESS FOR THE OXIDATION OF AN OXIDIZABLE REACTANT BY MEANS OF A VAPORIZABLE OXIDIZING AGENT WHEREIN SAID REACTANT AND SAID OXIDIZING AGENT ARE BROUGHT TO REACTION CONDITIONS OF TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE AND BROUGHT INTO CONTACT FOR A SUFFICIENT TIME TO EFFECT A SUBSTANTIAL DEGREE OF OXIDATION OF SAID REACTANT AND PRODUCE OXIDATION PRODUCTS THROUGH OXIDATION REACTIONS WHICH ARE FAVORABLY AFFECTED BY THE APPLICATION OF PRESSURE, THE IMPROVEMENT THEREIN OF SUBJECTING THE REACTANTS AND THE OXIDATION REACTION TO THE EFFECT OF AN ELEVATED PRESSURE WITHOUT EXTERNALLY APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE REACTANTS WHICH COMPRISES PASSING DOWNWARDLY THROUGH AT LEAST ONE CONTACTING ZONE A MOVING BED OF SOLID GRANULAR ADSORBENT WHICH IS IMPREGANATED WITH A CATALYTIC MATERIAL FAVORABLY AFFECTING THE RATE OF SAID OXIDATION REACTION, ADSORBING THE LESS READILY ADSORBABLE REACTANT IN THE ABSENCE OF OTHER ADSORBED REACTANTS ON SAID SOLID GRANULAR ADSORBENT THEREBY SUBJECTING THE ADSORBED REACTANT ALONE TO THE SUPERATMOSPHERIC ADSORBED PHASE PRESSURES, THEN IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF OTHER REACTANTS IN THE GAS PHASE CONTACTING THE THUS TREATED