Continuous gas-lift ion-exchange process and apparatus

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR CONCENTRATING IONS OF IONIZABLE SOLUTES IN A CONTINUOUS MANNER, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES FEEDING A DESCENDING MASS OF A PARTICULATE ION EXCHANGE MATERIAL INTO THE TOP OF A MULTIPLE CHAMBERED COLUMN, FEEDING AN ASCENDING AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF AN IONIZABLE COMPOUND INTO THE BOTTOM OF SAID COLUMN, SAID ION EXCHANGE MATERIAL AND SAID AQUEOUS SOLUTION BEING AGITATED WITHIN EACH CHAMBER OF SAID MULTIPLE CHAMBERED COLUMN BY A RISING STREAM OF INERT GAS ENTERING THROUGH AN AXIAL INLET AT THE BOTTOM OF EACH CHAMBER AND LEAVING THROUGH AN AXIAL OUTLET AT THE TOP OF EACH CHAMBER AFTER HAVING BEEN DEFLECTED BY A BAFFLE BELOW SAID TOP AXIAL OUTLET, THE ION EXCHANGE MATERIAL, AQUEOUS SOLUTION AND GAS FEEDS BEING REGULATED SO AS TO FORM A SUSPENSION OF SAID ION EXCHANGE MATERIAL IN SAID SOLUTION IN A REGION OF TURBULENCE WITHIN SAID CHAMBERS WHEREIN SAID ION EXCHANGE MATERIAL IS CAUSED TO HAVE A LONGER RESIDENCE TIME IN SAID CHAMBER THAN WOULD BE REALIZED IN THE ABSENCE OF SAID STREAM OF GAS, FEEDING SETTLED ION EXCHANGE MATERIAL FROM ONE CHAMBER TO THE NEXT LOWER CHAMBER IN AN OFFSET LINE, DISCHARGING TREATED AQUEOUS SOLUTION FROM THE UPPERMOST SECTION OF THE COLUMN, WITHDRAWING REACTED ION EXCHANGE MATERIAL FROM THE LOWERMOST CHAMBER OF SAID COLUMN AND RECOVERING CHEMICALLY ABSORBED IONS FROM SAID REACTED ION EXCHANGE MATERIAL.