Patent ID: 7207445

Claim:
An apparatus for separating impurities from a liquid by a non-dispersive contacting of a liquid—liquid reactive system, said liquids being immiscible with each other, which comprises: a cylindrical column separated into a first stage and a second stage, a plurality of modules of packed metallic fibers mounted in the first stage of said column on a support, each of said modules having said metallic fibers mounted within a tube in said first stage, said tube having a bottom end and a top end, a cap on said top end, the caps provided with orifices designed for a specific flow rate, a first distributor provided in the first stage of the column for distributing a first liquid located above said support such that said first liquid completely wets said fibers by capillary action and forms a film thereon, said first distributor comprising a plurality of said tubes, each tube having a diameter greater than the holes in said cap, a second distributor fitted at a bottom portion of the second stage for distributing a second liquid containing impurities on to the metallic fibers, said second distributor having a first plurality of holes each of a diameter greater than the diameter of said tubes, and a second plurality of holes being smaller than said first plurality of holes and adjacent the holes of the first plurality of holes and each of said tubes extending between said first and second distributors, the top end being adjacent the first distributor and a bottom end protruding through said first plurality of holes in the second distributor, wherein said second liquid flows concurrently with said first liquid so that the impurities present in said second liquid react with said first liquid and dissolve therein; and a separator connected to a bottom end of said column for receiving said fibers and separating the first liquid and purified second liquid.