Patent ID: 7416667

Claim:
An apparatus for continuously separating a flow of an aqueous emulsion including an aqueous continuous phase and a non-aqueous disperse phase to provide a flow comprising a non-aqueous phase and a further flow comprising a recovered aqueous phase containing an acceptable level of non-aqueous phase, which apparatus comprises in combination at least a first compartment and a second compartment wherein: (a) the first compartment includes a first feed means for receiving the flow of aqueous emulsion into a first enclosure occupying part of the space within the first compartment, which first enclosure is packed with a first body of high surface area particulate polymeric foam material, said first feed means comprising a fixed upstream foraminous sidewall of said first enclosure; an opposed fixed downstream foraminous sidewall forming part of the first enclosure through which a flow comprising a non-aqueous phase component and an aqueous phase component can flow into a first separation space for phase separation of said components, said first separation space comprising the remainder of the space within the first compartment; a first non-aqueous phase recovery means constructed and arranged to recover from the first separation space a non-aqueous flow comprising said non-aqueous phase component; and a first aqueous phase recovery means constructed and arranged to recover from the first separation space a recovered aqueous flow comprising said aqueous phase component; and (b) the second compartment includes a respective feed means for receiving said recovered aqueous flow into a respective enclosure occupying part of the space within the second compartment, which respective enclosure is packed with a respective body of high surface area particulate polymeric foam material, said respective feed means comprising a fixed upstream foraminous sidewall of said respective enclosure; an opposed fixed downstream foraminous sidewall forming part of the respective enclosure through which a flow comprising a respective non-aqueous phase component and a respective aqueous phase component can flow into a respective separation space for phase separation of said respective components, said respective separation space comprising the remainder of the space within the second compartment; a respective non-aqueous phase recovery means constructed and arranged to recover from said respective separation space a non-aqueous flow comprising said respective non-aqueous phase component; and a respective aqueous phase recovery means constructed and arranged to recover from said respective separation space a recovered aqueous flow comprising said respective aqueous phase component.