Apparatus for decontaminating a liquid surfactant of dioxane

• Main Authors: SACHDEVA; YESH P, GABRIEL; RICHARD L
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 01.07.1997
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED OTHERWISE THAN BY REACTIONSONLY INVOLVING UNSATURATED CARBON-TO-CARBON BONDS; METALLURGY; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; SEPARATION; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; TRANSPORTING

An apparatus for decontaminating a liquid surfactant of a dioxane having a vapor pressure which is higher than the vapor pressure of the surfactant includes an elevated reservoir for dioxane-contaminated liquid surfactant and an elongate inclined conduit, which has an upper portion for receiving a stream of the contaminated liquid surfactant from the elevated reservoir and a lower portion for discharge of decontaminated liquid surfactant. A heat source is suitable for heating contaminated liquid surfactant in the elongate inclined conduit in an amount sufficient to cause the dioxane contaminant of the liquid surfactant to volatilize, thereby decontaminating the surfactant. A gas source is suitable for directing a gas through the inclined conduit to transport volatilized dioxane out of the conduit. A receptacle is connected to the elongate inclined conduit for receiving the decontaminated liquid surfactant discharged from the inclined conduit.