Wet combustion of waste liquors

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR THE WET OXIDATION OF BLACK LIQUOR CONTAINING COMBUSTIBLE ORGANIC MATERIALS AND RECOVERABLE SODIUM VALUES AND OBTAINED FROM THE SODA PROCESS FOR THE PULPING OF WOOD WHEREIN THE BLACK LIQUOR IS EXOTHERMICALLY REACTED WITH AN OXYGENATING GAS, WHICH COMPRISES PASSING THE BLACK LIQUOR THROUGH A REACTION VESSEL CONCURRENTLY WITH A GASEOUS STREAM COMPRISING OXYGENATING GAS AND CARBON DIOXIDE WHEREBY ORGANIC CONSTITUENTS OF THE BLACK LIQUOR ARE OXIDIZED, WITH THE PRODUCTION OF EXOTHERMIC HEAT, TO PRODUCE A REACTION MIXUTRE COMPRISING (A) GASEOUS PHASE INCLUDING CARBON DIOXIDE AND STEAM AND (B) AN AQUEOUS OXIDIZED LIQUOR PHASE INCLUDING IN SOLUTION SODIUM COMBINED WITH CARBON DIOXIDE AND WATER; PASSING THE REACTION MIXTURE FROM THE REACTION VESSEL TO A SEPARATING VESSEL AND THERIN SEPARATING THE GASEOUS PHASE FROM THE OXIDIZED LIQUOR; PASSING THE SEPARATED OXIDIZED LIQUOR THROUGHA DECOMPOSITION VESSEL AT A TEMPERATURE MAINTAINED AT NOT LESS THAN 450*F. COUNTERCURRENTLY TO A STREAM OF OXYGENATING GAS SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM CARBON DIOXIDE THEREBY REMOVING CARBON DIOXIDE FROM SAID OXIDIZED LIQUOR AND SIMUL-