Purification of liquids, such as sugar solutions, by treatment with an adsorbent

Claim 1

IN AN OPERATION WHEREIN AQUEOUS SUGAR SOLUTION CONTACTS A FIXED BED OF PARTICLE-FORM SOLID ABSORBENT MATERIAL TO IMPROVE THE COLOR AND OTHER PROPERTIES OF THE SUGAR SOLUTION AND WHEREIN THE ABSORBENT, THUS EMPLOYED, BECOMES DEPLETED OF ITS ABILITY TO IMPROVE SAID SUGAR SOLUTION AND WHEREIN THE RESULTING DEPLETED ADSORBENT IS TREATED TO REMOVE OCCLUDED SUGAR SOLUTION AND TO REMOVE ADSORBED WATER-SOLUBLE, INORGANIC MATERIAL, PREVIOUSLY ADSORBED FROM SAID SUGAR SOLUTION, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES DISCHARGING DEPLETED ADSORBENT FROM A FIXED BED OF ADSORBENT WHEN THE ADSORBENT THEREIN HAS BEEN SUBSTANTIALLY DEPLETED OF ITS CAPACITY TO EFFECT IMPROVEMENT OF SUGAR SOLUTION IN CONTACT THEREWITH, SUPPLYING THE DISCHARGED DEPLETED ADSORBENT TO A DESWEETENING ZONE WHEREIN SAID DEPLETED ADSORBENT IS SUBJECTED TO CONTINUOUS COUNTER CURRENT CONTACT WITH A STREAM OF WATER INTRODUCED INTO THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID DESWEETENING ZONE, THE DEPLETED ADSORBENT BEING SUPPLIED TO THE TOP PORTION OF SAID DESWEETENING ZONE AND THE RESULTING DESWEETENED ADSORBENT BEING REMOVED FROM THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID DESWEETENING ZONE, THE DEPLETED ADSORBENT PASSING THROUGH SAID DESWEETENING ZONE IN A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS MANNER AS A DOWNWARDLY MOVING BED, WITHDRAWING FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID DESWEETENING ZONE AN AQUEOUS SUGAR STREAM CONTAINING DISSOLVED THEREIN SUGAR SOLUTION WHICH HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN OCCLUDED IN THE DEPLETED ADSORBENT SUPPLIED TO THE DESWEETENING ZONE, SUPPLYING WITHDRAWN DESWEETENED ADSORBENT FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID DESWEETENING ZONE TO THE UPPER PORTION OF A DEASHING ZONE, MOVING THE THUS-WITHDRAWN, DESWEETENED ADSORBENT DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID DEASHING ZONE AS A DOWNWARDLY MOVING BED IN CONTACT WITH A STREAM OF WATER TO EFFECT REMOVAL OF WATER-SOLUBLE, INORGANIC MATERIALS FROM SAID ADSORBENT BY DISSOLUTION, WITHDRAWING FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID DEASHING ZONE THE RESULTING DESWEETENED, DEASHED ADSORBENT AND REGENERATING AND RETURNING THE THUS-TREATED ADSORBENT FOR EVENTUAL CONTACT WITH ADDITIONAL AQUEOUS SUGAR SOLUTION IN THE AFORESAID FIXED BEDS TO IMPROVE SAID SUGAR SOLUTION.