A liquid-liquid contact device includes: an internal casing surrounding an inner chamber for providing countercurrent contact between a light liquid and a heavy liquid; an external casing surrounding the internal casing so as to form an outer chamber around the internal casing; a light liquid introduction tube guiding the light liquid to the inner chamber; and a heavy liquid introduction tube guiding the heavy liquid to the inner chamber. The internal casing has an upper opening and a lower opening which opens at a location below the upper opening. The external casing has a heavy liquid discharge outlet through which the heavy liquid is allowed to be discharged from the outer chamber, and a light liquid discharge outlet which is disposed above the heavy liquid discharge outlet and through which the light liquid is allowed to be discharged from the outer chamber.

A hemodialysis apparatus comprising diaphragm pumps for the movement of both dialysate and blood, and under the control of a controller, is capable of detecting blood flow conditions that give rise to an alarm and implement procedures to adjust, pause, or halt the pumping of dialysate and/or blood. The controller can direct the application of a time-varying pressure to fluid in the control chamber of a blood pump, and monitor the resulting pressure waveform during a fill stroke of the blood pump. A deviation of the measured pressure variation from an expected value can give rise to an alert to a user and to the initiation of an adjustment, pause, or cessation of the dialysate pump's activity.

The invention relates to an extraction process for the recovery of high-boiling aldehyde products and catalysts from a hydroformylation product solution.

In an improved fiber-film type contactor/separator an enhanced coalescing zone is provided by the presence of a disengagement device connected to a shroud that contains a bundle of high surface area vertical hanging fibers, where the enhanced coalescing zone diverts a portion of an admixture of immiscible liquids to flow radially in a path not parallel to the vertical axis of the hanging fibers whereby the diverted portion of liquids contacts a coalescing surface to cause at least one of the liquids to coalesce into droplets. The immiscible liquids are allowed to settle into separate phase layers and first and second outlets selectively remove the higher density liquid from the lower density liquid.

Disclosed is a method for extracting one or more chemical extracts from a plant product. The chemical extracts are purified and extracted by first separating at least a phytochemical bearing part of a plant product from one or more other portions of the plant product. A carrier oil is then heated at a target temperature to be used as the vehicle for extraction and then mixed with the at least a phytochemical bearing part while the target temperature is maintained. The process may be streamlined by having heating and mixing occur in a press device. The mixed carrier oil and the at least a phytochemical bearing part are then passed through the press device to produce an oil mixture. At least a chemical extract may be extracted from the oil mixture, and in some cases may be further purified by evaporation and/or centrifugation.

The disclosure includes a method, comprising passing a fluid into a co-current contactor, passing a solvent into the co-current contactor, dividing the solvent into solvent droplets having a first average droplet size, placing the fluid in contact with the solvent droplets to create a combined stream, coalescing at least a portion of the solvent droplets to create solvent droplets having a second average droplet size, wherein the second average droplet size is greater than the first average droplet size, and separating the fluid and the solvent.

The invention relates to a process for purifying an aqueous solution comprising ethanol, acetaldehyde and diethylacetal comprising: a step A) of countercurrent liquid-liquid extraction comprising an extraction section supplied at the top by said aqueous solution as a mixture with at least one fraction of the water/ethanol/acetaldehyde raffinate resulting from the back extraction step B), and at the bottom by an extraction solvent, and producing an extract at the top and a purified feedstock at the bottom; a step B) of countercurrent liquid-liquid back extraction comprising a back extraction section supplied at the top by an acidic aqueous solution, the pH of which is between 0.5 and 5, and at the bottom by the extract resulting from step A), and producing an extract at the top and a water/ethanol/acetaldehyde raffinate at the bottom.

The present disclosure relates, according to disclosed embodiments, to a system for extracting an organic compound from a natural source, the system comprising a computer processor operational to control the system; a storage vessel configured to store an extraction gas, the storage vessel comprising a storage vessel outlet in electrical communication with the computer processor; a valve in electrical communication with the computer processor, the valve comprising a valve inlet and a valve outlet, wherein the valve inlet connects to the storage vessel outlet; a dynamic extraction vessel; and a spray evaporation loop system configured to receive a solute from the dynamic extraction vessel, the spray evaporation loop system comprising an injection nozzle in electrical communication with the computer processor, the injection nozzle comprising an injection nozzle inlet connected to the first dynamic extraction vessel outlet; and a cyclonic separator in electrical communication with the computer processor.

An apparatus for extracting an oil from plant material includes an extraction chamber for plant material. The plant material is exposed to a heated gas stream with a temperature sufficient to volatilize on oil from the plant material. The gas stream is rapidly cooled to liquefy the oil into entrained droplets. The oil is collected with a collection solvent.

Methods for removing anions from an aqueous solution include contacting the aqueous solution with an initial organic phase composition in a primary stage to form a first mixture, the initial organic phase composition including a quaternary amine and a weak organic acid; separating a nitrate-depleted raffinate from the first mixture; mixing the remaining organic phase (now containing nitrate) with a first basic solution to obtain a second mixture; separating an aqueous phase sulfate-containing scrub solution from the second mixture; mixing the remaining organic phase with a second basic solution to form a third mixture; and separating the third mixture into an aqueous phase nitrate-rich solution and a secondary organic phase composition. The secondary organic phase composition can be recycled. The raffinate, the sulfate-containing scrub solution, and the nitrate-rich solution can then be further processed.