Method of separating carbon dioxide from gaseous mixtures

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF SEPARATING CARBON DIOXIDE FROM A GASEOUS MIXTURE CONTAINING INITIALLY FROM 15 TO 50% BY VOLUME OF CARBON DIOXIDE WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING SAID MIXTURE IN AN ABSORPTION ZONE WITH A LIQUID ABSORBENT COMPOSITION COMPRISING FROM 5 TO 20 PERCENT BY WEIGHT WATER, FROM 15 TO 60 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF ETHANOLAMINE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MONOETHANOLAMINE, DIETHANOLUMINE AND MIXTURES THEREOF AND THE BALANCE BEING A CYCLOTETTRAMETHYLENE SULFONE UNDER ABSORPTION CONDITIONS SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCDE AN EFFLUENT PRODUCT GAS CONTAINING LESS THAN 200 PARTS PER MILLION OF CARBON DIOXIDE; RECOVERING A FAT ABSORBENT COMPOSITION FROM SAID ABSORPTION ZONE AS TWO SEPARATE LIQUID PHASE, A FAT AMINE PHASE AND A FAT SULFONE PHASE, SEPARATETLY REGENERATING SIAD PHASES BY REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON SAID FAT SULFONE PHASE TO A PRESSURE LOWER THAN THAT MAINTAINED IN SAID ABSORPTION ZONE WHEREBY A FIRST REJECT EFFUENT COMPRISING CARBON DIOXIDE IS RELEASED AND A LEAN SULFONE STREAM IS OBTAINED, AND BY BOTH REDUCING THE PRESSURE TO A PRESSURE WHICH IS LOWER THAN THAT MAINTAINED IN SAID ABSORPTION ZONE AND ADDING HEAT TO SAID FAT AMINE PHASE TO RAISE AND PHASE TO A TEMPERATURE WHICH IS HIGH THAN SAID ABSORPTION ZONE WHEREBY IS SECOND REJECT EFFLUENT COMPRISING CARBON DIOXIDE IS RELEASED AND A LEAN AMINE STREAM IS OBTAINED; COMBINING SAID LEAN AMINE AND SAID LEAN SULFONE STREAMS; AND RECYCLING SAID COMBINED STREAM TO CONTACT ADDITIONAL QUANTITIES OF SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE.