Purification of sugar solutions

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF PURIFYING SUGAR SOLUTIONS IN A CONTINUOUS MANNER WHICH COMPRISES PASSING THE HOT SUGAR SOLUTION UPWARDLY THROUGH AN ELONGATED VERTICAL COLUMN COUNTERCURRENT TO A DOWNWARDLY FLOWING BED OF DECOLORIZING ADSORBENT, CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLYING THE HOT SUGAR SOLUTION, OF CONSTANT VISCOSITY, TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID COLUMN WITH UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION OF THE SUGAR SOLUTION OVER THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE BED AND CAUSING THE SUGAR SOLUTION TO FLOW UPWARDLY AS A SUBSTANTIALLY LINEAL ASCENDING COLUMN OF SUGAR LIQUOR THROUGH THE DOWNWARDLY FLOWING BED AT A RATE TO MAINTAIN SAID BED OF ADSORBENT IN AN EXPANDED STATE AS A SUBSTANTIALLY LINEAL DESCENDING COLUMN OF EXPANDED ADSORBENT, MAINTAINING A BODY OF PURIFIED SUGAR SOLUTION ABOVE SAID BED, SUPPLYING ADSORBENT THROUGH THE BODY OF PURIFIED SUGAR SOLUTION TO OBTAIN A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION OF THE ADSORBENT TO THE TOP OF THE BED AND WITHDRAWING SPENT ADSORBENT FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE BED, MAINTAINING A SUFFICIENT LENGTH OF COUNTERCURRENT FLOW OF THE SUGAR SOLUTION AND RATE OF ADSORBENT SUPPLY TO EFFECT PURIFICATION OF THE SUGAR SOLUTION, AND WITHDRAWING THE PURIFIED SUGAR SOLUTION UNIFORMLY FROM SAID BODY OF SUGAR SOLUTION ABOVE THE BED.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF PURIFYING SUGAR SOLUTIONS IN A CONTINUOUS MANNER WHICH COMPRISES PASSING THE HOT SUGAR SOLUTION UPWARDLY THROUGH AN ELONGATED VERTICAL COLUMN COUNTERCURRENT TO A DOWNWARDLY FLOWING BED OF DECOLORIZING ADSORBENT, CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLYING THE HOT SUGAR SOLUTION, OF CONSTANT VISCOSITY, TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID COLUMN WITH UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION OF THE SUGAR SOLUTION OVER THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE BED AND CAUSING THE SUGAR SOLUTION TO FLOW UPWARDLY AS A SUBSTANTIALLY LINEAL ASCENDING COLUMN OF SUGAR LIQUOR THROUGH THE DOWNWARDLY FLOWING BED AT A RATE TO MAINTAIN SAID BED OF ADSORBENT IN AN EXPANDED STATE AS A SUBSTANTIALLY LINEAL DESCENDING COLUMN OF EXPANDED ADSORBENT, MAINTAINING A BODY OF PURIFIED SUGAR SOLUTION ABOVE SAID BED, SUPPLYING ADSORBENT THROUGH THE BODY OF PURIFIED SUGAR SOLUTION TO OBTAIN A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION OF THE ADSORBENT TO THE TOP OF THE BED AND WITHDRAWING SPENT ADSORBENT FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE BED, MAINTAINING A SUFFICIENT LENGTH OF COUNTERCURRENT FLOW OF THE SUGAR SOLUTION AND RATE OF ADSORBENT SUPPLY TO EFFECT PURIFICATION OF THE SUGAR SOLUTION, AND WITHDRAWING THE PURIFIED SUGAR SOLUTION UNIFORMLY FROM SAID BODY OF SUGAR SOLUTION ABOVE THE BED.