Abstract: An apparatus for electrostatically coating a workpiece has an insulating separator valve mechanism for electrically separating a paint supply passage for supplying an electrically conductive paint to a coating gun, into a paint supply passage to which a high voltage will be applied and a paint supply passage to which no high voltage will be applied. The insulating separator valve mechanism has a first valve body connectable to said paint supply passage through a first on/off valve, and a second valve body connectable to said paint supply passage through a second on/off valve. While the first and second valve bodies are connected to each other and the first and second on/off valves are closed, a paint trap is cleaned by a cleaning medium, which is discharged into a second dump passage. A process of cleaning the paint trap for a paint color change is efficiently and reliably carried out to reliably remove paint residuals from the paint trap.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing sorbic acid in a continuous manner which comprises preparing a polyester from ketene and crotonaldehyde and then decomposing the polyester with hydrochloric acid in a multiple reactor system under such conditions that the degree of the decomposition of the starting polyester in each reactor is maintained at either (1) not more than 45 percent, or (2) not less than 90 percent.