Process for the fractionating of sulphite lye

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE FRACTIONATING OF SULPHITE WASTE LYE, COMPRISING THE FOLLOWING STEPS: EVAPORATING AMMONIUM SULPHITE LYE CONTAINING AMMONIUM AS PRINCIPAL CATION TO A PRACTICALLY DRY POWDER, EXTRACTING SAID POWDER WITH METHANOL, REMOVING THE HIGH MOLECULAR LIGNISULPHONIC ACIDS INSOLUBLE IN SAID ORGANIC LIQUID FROM THE SOLUTION THUS OBTAINED, ADDING TO SAID SOLUTION AN ALIPHATIC ALCOHOL WITH FROM 3 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS, THEREBY PRECIPITATING THE AMMONIUM SALTS OF THE LOW MOLECULAR LIGNINSULPHONIC ACIDS, REMOVING THE PRECIPITATED AMMONIUM SALTS OF THE LOW MOLECULAR LIGNISULPHONIC ACIDS FROM TEH SOLUTION, ADDING TO THE THUS OBTAINED SOLUTION AN ALKALI TO A PH OF ABOUT 10 THEREBY PRECIPITATING THE SULPHOCARBOXYLIC ACIDS AS SODIUM SALTS, REMOVING SAID PRECIPITATED SALTS FROM THE SOLUTION, ADDING TO THE SOLUTION THUS OBTAINED A SOLUBLE METAL SALT, THE CATION OF WHICH HAS A VALENCY GREATER THAN 1 THEREBY PRECIPITATING THE ALDONIC ACIDS AS SALTS, REMOVING THE PRECIPITATED SALTS OF THE ALDONIC ACIDS, REMOVING THE ELECTROLYTES FROM THE SOLUTION THUS OBTAINED, AND RECOVERING THE ORGANIC LIQUIDS BY FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION, THEREBY OBTAINING AS RESIDUE THE CARBOHYDRATES AS A SEPARATE FRACTION.