Process and apparatus for regenerating absorbent and extraction media

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR REMOVING DISSOLVED OXYGENATED ORGANIC CHEMICALS FROM AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A SUBSTANTIALLY NON-SURFACE ACTIVE SALT OF A PREFERENTIALLY OILSOLUBLE CARBOXYLIC ACID WHEREBY SAIS CHEMICALS ARE REMOVED FROM SAID SOLUTION BY THE ACTION OF A VAPOROUS STRIPPING AGENT THEREON, THE STEPS WHICH COMPRISE INTRODUCING SAID SOLUTION INTO AN UPPER PORTION OF A STRIPPING ZONE AND CONTACTING SAID SOLUTION WITH SAID STRIPPING AGENT, WITHDRAWING THE RESULTING PARTIALLY STRIPPED SOLUTION FROM AN INTERMEDIATE POINT SAID ZONE, WITHDRAWING OVERHEAD FROM SAID ZONE A HETEROGENEOUS FRACTION COMPRISING SAID CHEMICALS AND WATER, ALLOWING SAID FRACTION TO STRATIFY AND RETURNING THE WATER LAYER TO SAID ZONE AT A POINT BELOW THE LEVEL OF SAID INTERMEDIATE POINT, DIVERTING AT LEAST A MINOR PORTION OF SAID PARTIALLY STRIPPED SOLUTION TO SAID ZONE AT A POINT BELOW THE INTRODUCTION OF SAID WATER LAYER BUT ABOVE AT LEAST THE LOWERMOST STRIP PING STAGE IN SAID ZONE, CONTACTING SAID MINOR PORTION OF THE STRIPPED SOLUTION WITH SAID VAPOROUS STRIPPING AGENT, WITHDRAWING FROM SAID ZONE ALL OF THE LIQUID COMPONENTS PRESENT AT A POINT INTERMEDIATE THE LEVELS IN SAID