Abstract: A liquid purification system capable of separating a first liquid from a second liquid, in which the first liquid is a corrosive aqueous liquid that is wholly or partly immiscible in and forms a discontinuous phase with a second, continuous phase-forming organic liquid is provided including a housing, a fluid inlet in the housing, a first liquid outlet in the housing, a second liquid outlet in the housing, at least one coalescing assembly for coalescing the first liquid, and a liquid separating region in the housing. The coalescing assembly has at least one coalescing element which includes a halocarbon polymer packing material having a solid capture efficiency of as high as 20 .mu.m, is substantially chemically inert to corrosive liquids and is adapted to separate liquids differing in interfacial tension of at least about 0.6 dynes/cm.

Abstract: A liquid purification system is provided which is capable of separating a first liquid, that is wholly or partly immiscible in and forms a discontinuous phase with a second, continuous phase-forming liquid, from the second liquid, which includes at least one coalescing element or assembly for coalescing the first liquid having at least one fluid inlet at the top thereof; and at least one separating element or assembly for separating droplets of the first liquid from the second liquid, the at least one coalescing element or assembly being arranged in superposed and fluid communicable relationship above the at least one separating element or assembly

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of reducing the butterfat content of a liquid milk product comprising (a) providing a coalescing medium having a critical wetting surface tension of no more than about 50 dynes/cm, preferably a fibrous coalescing medium with an average fiber diameter of up to about 50 microns and a sheet weight of about 5 to about 30 oz/yd.sup.2, (b) passing a liquid milk product containing butterfat through the coalescing medium at a flow rate of about 1 to about 20 gpm/ft.sup.2 coalescing medium surface area to form coalesced butterfat particles and reduced-butterfat content liquid milk product, and (c) separating the coalesced butterfat particles from the reduced-butterfat content liquid milk product.