Method for electrolysis

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC DECOMPOSITION OF AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF AN INORGANIC SALT IN AN ELECTROLYTIC CELL HAVING AN ANODE COMPARTMENT CONTAINING ANODE MEANS SEPARATED FROM A CATHODE COMPARTMENT CONTAINING CATHODE MEANS BY A DIAPHRAGM UNIT STRUCTURE COMPRISING TWO ESSENTIALLY CONTINUOUS NON-POROUS PERMSELECTIVE DIAPHRAGMS HAVING THE SAME KIND OF PERMSELECTIVITY AND SPACED FROM EACH OTHER TO FORM A CENTRAL COMPARTMENT OF SAID UNIT STRUCTURE, SAID CENTRAL COMPARTMENT HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET WHICH ARE IN EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION WITH EACH OTHER THROUGH A CONDUIT, AND AT LEAST ONE OF SAID DIAPHRAGMS COMPRISING (A) A MATRIX WHICH IS POLYMERIC MATERIAL FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF POLYETHYLENE, POLYISOBUTYLENE, VULCANIZED NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC RUBBER, POLYVINYL CHLORIDE AND COPOLYMERS OF VINYL CHLORIDE AND VINYL ESTERS OF LOWER ALIPHATIC ACIDS AND (B) PARTICLES OF AN INSOLUBLE INFUSIBLE ION-EXCHANGE RESIN INTIMATELY AND UNIFORMLY DISPERSED THROUGHOUT SAID MATRIX, SAID PARTICLES BEING OF SUCH SIZE AS TO PASS THROUGH A UNITED STATES STANDARD SIEVE SIZE NO 50 AND BEING PRESENT IN SAID DIAPHRAGM IN AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT TO SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE TOTAL WEIGHT OF SAID DIAPHRAGM, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES: INTRODUCING THE SAID SALT SOLUTION INTO AN ELECTRODE COMPARTMENT; EFFECTING THE ELECTROLYSIS OF SAID SOLUTION BY IMPRESSING A DECOMPOSITION VOLTAGE ACROSS THE ELECTRODES OF SAID CELL, WHEREBY A PRODUCT OF ELECTROLYSIS MIGRATES INTO SAID CENTRAL COMPARTMENT; INTRODUCING INTO SAID EXTERNAL CONDUIT A CHEMICAL COMPOUND REACTIVE WITH SAID PRODUCT OF ELECTROLYSIS TO FORM A REACTION PRODUCT WHICH UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF ELECTROLYSIS HAS A DIFFUSION COEFFICIENT THROUGH THE DIAPHRAGM NO GREATER THAN ABOUT THE DIFFUSION COEFFICIENT OF CARBONATE ION THROUGH THE DIAPHRAGM; AND SEPARATELY RECOVERING THE PRODUCTS OF THE CELL SO PRODUCED.