Patent ID: 8444829

Claim:
A process of separating a liquid component from a liquid mixture using a continuous contacting apparatus, the process consisting essentially of: providing a heat transfer wall having an evaporation side and a dew-formation side; continuously contacting the liquid mixture with the evaporation side of the heat transfer wall; flowing a carrier gas across the evaporation side of the heat transfer wall to provide a carrier gas saturated with the separable liquid component; heating the saturated carrier gas; flowing the heated saturated carrier gas across the dew-formation side of the heat transfer wall to provide condensation of the separable liquid component from the heated saturated carrier gas; the heat of condensation being captured for reuse in the evaporation cycle, wherein the flow of the carrier gas across the evaporation side of the heat transfer wall is countercurrent to the flow of the carrier gas across the dew-formation side of the heat transfer wall; wherein the evaporation side of the that transfer wall further comprises a wetting material placed on the wall; wherein the saturated gas is heated by a method selected from the group consisting of adding steam; gas-liquid contacting with a hot water stream; heat exchanging with a slip carrier gas stream that is brought into contact with a desiccant; and reacting the carrier gas with a reactant; wherein primary treatment components of the apparatus are fabricated from plastic; and, further comprising adding an anti-gellant or an anti-flocculant to said liquid mixture before contacting the liquid mixture with the evaporation side of the heat transfer wall.