Purification of gases with shaped purifying materials

Claim 1

IN A METHOD IN WHICH SULFUR IS REMOVED FROM A GAS BY CONTACT OF THE GAS WITH A MOLDED DESULFURIZATION MATERIAL, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES ESTABLISHING A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL CONTACT ZONE, SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY PASSING SUCH A MOLDED, DESULFURIZATION MATERIAL HAVING A GRAIN SIZE OF ABOUT 5-10 MM. DOWNWARD THROUGH SAID ZONE IN THE FORM OF A SUBSTANTIALLY STEADILY DOWNWARDLY MOVING NON-EDDYING GRAVITY BED, PASSING SAID DESULFURIZATION MATERIAL OVER AT LEAST ONE DOWNWARDLY INCLINED MATERIAL SUPPORT SURFACE IN SAID ZONE, SAID MATERIAL SUPPORT SURFACE ALLOWING THE PASSAGE OF GAS THERETHROUGH, AN SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY PASSING A SULFURCONTAINING GAS TO BE DESULFURIZED UPWARD THROUGH SAID ZONE AND SAID MATERIAL SUPPORT SURFACE IN COUNTER-CURRENT FLOW CONTACT WITH SAID MATERIAL AT A FLOW VELOCITY OF ABOUT 20-80 CM. PER SECOND, SAID FLOW VELOCITY BEING SUFFICIENT TO SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE THE DOWNWARD PRESSURE AND WEIGHT OF SAID MATERIAL WITHOUT SUBSTANTIALLY IMPEDING THE DOWNWARD FLOW THEREOF AND WITHOUT CAUSING EDDYING.