Abstract: A method for the use of a porous, preferably dimensionally stable, particulate material in a packed filter bed for separating a disperse liquid phase from a gas and/or separating a disperse liquid phase from a liquid, with the average size of the particles being in the range of from 0.1 to 10 mm and the internal surface area of the material being such that, after it has been filled with the disperse liquid phase to be separated and placed, as a packed bed, at a distance of from R to r from the center in a centrifuge rotating at an angular velocity w, for which it holds that0<w.sup.2 (R.sup.2 -r.sup.2).ltoreq.20 (rad/s).sup.2 m.sup.2,wherein w stands for the angular velocity (in rad/s) and R and r represent the largest and the smallest radius (in m), respectively, of the material in the centrifuge, at least 1% of the liquid will have been separated after 5 minutes, while at least 10% of the liquid will have been separated after 60 minutes is disclosed.

Abstract: It is proposed to use a synthetic granulate or powder with a particle size of 0.1 to 10 mm as packing material for the removal of liquid, gaseous and/or dissolved constituents from a process stream, which packing material is made up of a porous, preferably dimensionally stable polymer having an overall porosity of 50 to 95% by volume, which when used as an extracting medium has pores of a diameter of 0.01 to 50 .mu.m, with an extracting liquid immobilised therein, or when used as a coalescence medium has a cellular body/window structure with the diameter of more than 50% by volume of the bodies being in the range of 100 to 700 .mu.

Abstract: A method for the making and use of a porous, preferably dimensionally stable, hydrophobic polymer for the extraction of metal ions from an aqueous solution, with the polymer being in the form of a regenerative granulate or powder having an average particle diameter of from 0.1 to 10 mm and pores of from 0.1 to 50 .mu.m, which is obtained by the dissolving of a polymer, with heating, at a temperature above the upper critical demixing temperature Tc in a complexing agent containing hydrophobic liquid, followed by lowering of the temperature, resulting in a porous polymer filled with the hydrophobic liquid, and the mechanical diminution of the solidified mass is disclosed. Favorable results have been attained using polypropylene as the hydrophobic polymer, bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl)thio acid as the complexing agent, and with a mixture of dibenzyl toluene and/or polypropylene glycol ether being part of the hydrophobic liquid.