Carbon separation process

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE GENERATION OF A SYNTHESIS GAS MIXTURE BY PARTIAL OXIDATION OF A HYDROCARBONACEOUS MATERIAL AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE IN WHICH THE GENERATED GAS MIXTURE COMPRISING CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN CONTAINS MINOR AMOUNTS OF SOLID CARBON PARTICLES PRODUCED BY SAID PARTIAL OXIDATION PROCESS, AND THE GENERATED GAS MIXTURE IS CONTACTED IN A GAS SCRUBBING ZONE WITH AN AQUEOUS LIQUID TO EFFECT REMOVAL OF SAID CARBON PARTICLES FROM THE MIXTURE WITH THE RESULTING FORMATION OF AN AQUEOUS SLURRY OF SAID CARBON PARTICLES, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES INCORPORATING IN THE AQUEOUS SLURRY A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF A WATER-INSOLUBLE LONG CARBON CHAIN FATTY ACID AND A GLYCERIDE OF THE FATTY ACID IN AN AMOUNT OF AT LEAST ABOUT ONE HALF THE OIL ABSORPTION VALUE OF THE CARBON AND THEREAFTER RECOVERING IN A SEPARATION ZONE THE RESULTING SEPARATED CARBON PARTICLES OF REDUCED WATER CONTENT FROM THE CONTACTED SLURRY.