Process for separating inorganic anions with hydrous oxide anion exchangers

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR SEPARATING INORGANIC ANIONS FROM AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION CONTAINING SUCH ANIONS COMPRISING CONTACTING SAID SOLUTION WITH A NON-SILICEOUS MIXED HYDROUS OXIDE ANION EXCHANGER WHEREBY SAID ANION EXCHANGER IS ENRICHED WITH SAID ANIONS; SAID ANION EXCHANGER CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE ACIDIC HYDROUS OXIDE COMPONENT CONTAINING AN ELEMENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF P (V), V (V), MO (VI), W (VI) AND AS (V), AND AT LEAST ONE BASIC HYDROUS OXIDE COMPONENT CONTAINING AN ELEMENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TI (IV), ZR (IV), TH (IV), NO (V), TA (V), AND BI (III) IN A SUFFICIENT QUANTITY, RELATIVE TO SAID ACIDIC COMPONENT, SO THAT THE ISOELECTRIC POINT OF SAID MIXED HYDROUS OXIDE IN CONTACT WITH SAID SOLUTION IS BASIC WITH RESPECT TO THE PH OF SAID AQUEOUS SOLUTION THEREBY IMPARTING EFFECTIVE ANION EXCHANGE PROPERTIES TO SAID ANION EXCHANGER IN SAID SOLUTION, SAID ANION EXCHANGER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY INSOLUBLE IN SAID SOLUTION AND, PRIOR TO ITS BEING PLACED IN CONTACT WITH SAID SOLUTION, BEING DRIED AT A TEMPERATURE LOWER THAN THAT AT WHICH ITS HYDROUS CHARACTER AND ITS ANION EXCHANAGE CHARACTERISTICS ARE DESTROYED; AND SEPARATING THE RESULTING ANION-ENRICHED ANION EXCHANGER FROM SAID AQUEOUS SOLUTION.