Patent ID: 8241410

Claim:
An apparatus for retrieving materials from a gas or liquid target material-containing stream comprising: a homogenizer body including an inlet and an outlet; and one or more target material-containing stream inlets for introducing said stream into an ante-chamber of the homogenizer body; an ante-chamber adjacent outlets of the one or more inlets into which the target material-containing stream is introduced upon exiting the one or more inlets, the ante-chamber containing a packing material for retarding flow of the stream through the ante-chamber so as to homogenize said stream, said ante-chamber having outlets for discharging said stream; one or more solvent inlets for introducing solvent into the homogenizer body, the solvent inlets being disposed such that a solvent stream is introduced into the homogenizer body at a mixing zone where the solvent stream is commingled with the stream exiting from the ante-chamber; a venturi within the homogenizer body disposed at a location immediately downstream from the mixing zone such that the commingled solvent stream and target material-containing stream are pulled into the venturi, resulting in homogenization of the solvent stream with the target material-containing stream such that the target materials in the target material-containing stream react with the solvent stream; an outlet through which the reaction stream exits from the homogenizer body; and a plurality of gas-liquid transfer tubes disposed through the homogenizer body and exiting directly through the venturi surface for introducing a reactive gas or liquid directly into the venturi.