Radioactive decontamination of milk

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR THE RADIOACTIVE DECONTAMINATION OF MILK CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF: (1) ACIDIFYING SUCCESSIVE PORTIONS OF THE CONTAMINATED MILK TO BE PROCESSED TO REDUCE ITS PH TO A LEVEL BETWEEN ABOUT 5 AND 6; (2) FLOWING A FIRST PORTION OF SAID MILK INTO A CATION DECONTAMINATING SECTION OF AN ION EXCHANGE COLUMN LOOP HAVING A SHIFTABLE CATION EXCHANGE RESIN BED THEREIN, TO BRING THE SAME INTO CONTACT WITH A FIRST PORTION OF THE CATION EXCHANGE RESIN THEREIN, AND EXCHANGING STRONTIUM-90 CATIONS FOR AT LEAST ONE CATION SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF CALCIU, MAGNESIUM, SODIUM, AND POTASSIUM; WHILE, (3) SIMULTANEOUSLY TREATING A SECOND PORTION OF SAID CATION EXCHANGE RESIN IN A REGENERATING SECTION OF SAID ION EXCHANGE COLUMN LOOP, BY FLOWING A REGENERATING SALT SOLUTION THERETHROUGH, SAID REGENERATING SALT SOLUTION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A BALANCED AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF CALCIUM MAGNESIUM, SODIUM, AND POTASSIUM CHLORIDES; (4) SUBSTANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUSLY INTERRUPTING THE FLOW OF SAID MILK AND SAID REGENERATING SALT SOLUTION; (5) SHIFTING THE CATION EXCHANGE RESIN BED IN SAID ION EXCHANGE COLUMN LOOP FROM ONE SECTION THEREOF TO ANOTHER CONTIGUOUS SECTION THEREIN, THEREBY REPLACING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID RESIN IN SAID DECONTAMINATING SECTION WITH ANOTHER PORTION OF SAID RESIN PREVIOUSLY REGENERATED IN SAID REGENERATING SECTION AND DISPLACING A PORTION OF RESIN CARRYING THE CATIONS PREVIOUSLY ELIMINATED FROM THE MILK INTO SAID REGENERATING SECTION FOR REGENERATION THEREOF; (6) THEREAFTER RE-ESTABLISHING THE LIQUID CONTENT OF SAID DECONTAMINATING SECTION AS CONSISTING OF MILK, WHILE MAINTAINING SAID DECONTAMINATING SECTION FREE FROM ADULTERATION WITH ANY LIQUID COMPONENTS OTHER THAN MILK; (7) THEREAFTER SIMULTANEOUSLY FLOWING A SECOND PORTION OF SAID ACIDIFIED MILK AND A SECOND PORTION OF SAID REGENERATING SALT SOLUTION THROUGH SAID DECONTAMINATING AND REGENERATING SALT SECTION RESPECTIVELY PURSUANT TO STEPS (2) AND (3) ABOVE; (8) AND REPEATING THE SAME CYCLE OF STESP (4)-(7) AS LONG AS DESIRED; (9) TREATING THE SUCCESSIVE PORTIONS OF MILK REMOVED FROM SAID DECONTAMINATING SECTION TO DECREASE THE HYDROGEN ION CONTENT THEOF, WHEREBY THE ORIGINAL PH OF THE MILK IS SUBSTANTIALLY RESTORED.