Method for oxidizing organic substances

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR OXIDIZING ORGANIC SUBSTANCES WITH LIQUID AQUEOUS NITRIC ACID AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES AND UNDER SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, AND REGENERATING THE NITRIC ACID THEREBY REDUCED TO NITROGEN OXIDE BY REACTING THE LATTER WITH FREE OXYGEN AND WATER, THE COMBINATION OF STEPS WHICH COMPRISES: (A) CONTINUOUSLY FORMING A MIXTURE OF THE ORGANIC SUBSTANCE, AN AMOUNT OF THE NITRIC ACID IN EXCESS OF THAT REQUIRED FOR THE OXIDATION, AND FINELY DISPERSED THEREIN A GAS CONTAINING THE FREE OXYGEN IN THE LOWER PORTION OF AN ELONGATED, SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL, REACTION VESSEL, (B) CONTINUOUSLY PASSING SAID MIXTURE IN A SUBSTANTIALLY QUIESCENT STATE UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID REACTION VESSEL UNDER THE SUPER-ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE WHILE MAINTAINING THE ELEVATED TEMPERATURES TO FORM AND MAINTAIN AN AQUEOUS REACTION MIXTURE INCLUDING OXIDIZED ORGANIC SUBSTANCE UNREACTED NITRIC ACID, NITROGEN OXIDE, WATER AND FREE OXYGEN, (C) CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING SAID REACTION MIXTURE FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID REACTION VESSEL, (D) CONTINUOUSLY PASSING AT LEAST THE LIQUID AND GASEOUS CONSTITUENTS OF SAID REACTION MIXTURE DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A SECOND SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL VESSEL WHILE COOLING TO REGENERATE BY REACTION OF THE NITROGEN OXIDE, WATER AND FREE OXYGEN, SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE NITRIC SAID CONSUMED IN STEP (A), (E) WITHDRAWING THE RECOVERED SUBSTANCES FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID SECOND VESSEL, WHILE MAINTAINING THE SELECTED SUPER-ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM, AND (F) SEPARATING THE NITRIC ACID FROMTHE OTHER SUBSTANCES RECOVERED IN STEP (E).