Production of potassium carbonate by anion exchange

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR CONVERTING A POTASSIUM SALT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, POTASSIUM SULFATE AND MIXTURES THEREOF INTO A POTASSIUM CARBONATE MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF POTASSIUM CARBONATE AND POTASSIUM BICARBONATE COMPRISING: TREATING A STRONGLY BASIC QUATERNARY AMMONIUM ANION EXCHANGE RESIN WITH A SOLUTION OF THE SALT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SODIUM CARBONATE AND SODIUM BICARBONATE TO CONVERT SAID RESIN TO THE CORRESPONDING CARBONATE FORM THEREOFF PASSING OVER SAID CARBONATE FORM OF SAID RESIN AT ABOUT ROOM TEMPERATURE AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A FIRST POTASSIUM SALT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF POTASSIUM CHLORIDE AND POTASSIUM SULFATE TO CONVERT A PORTION OF SAID FIRST POTASSIUM SALT IN SOLUTION TO A SOLUTION OF A POTASSIUM CARBONATE MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF POTASSIUM CARBONATE, POTASSIUM BICARBONATE AND MIXTURE THEREOF BY ANION EXCHANGE, THE SAID CARBONATE FORM OF SAID RESIN SERVING AS SUBSTANTIALLY THE SOLE SOURCE OF CARBONATE IONS, SEPARATING THE AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF SAID POTASSIUM CARBONATE MATERIAL FROM SAID RESIN AND CONCENTRATING SAID SOLUTION UNTIL SAID SOLUTION IS SATURATED WITH RESPECT TO BOTH SAID FIRST POTASSIUM SALT AND SAID POTASSIUM CARBONATE MATERIAL, COOLING THE CONCEENRATED SOLUTION SO FORMED TO A SUFFICIENT EXTENT TO PRECIPITATE SUBSTANTIALLY ALL SAID FIRST POTASSIUM SALT FROM SAID SOLUTION, AND SEPARATING SAID FIRST POTASSIUM SALT PRECIPITATE FROM THE SUPERNATANT LIQUOR SO FORMED TO LEAVE A SUBSTANTIALLY PURE POTASSIUM CARBONATE MATERIAL SOLUTION.