Method of purifying, concentrating, and converting petroleum sulfonates

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF TREATING A MATERIAL CONSISTING OF A MAJOR PROPORTION OF HYDROCARBON OIL CONTAINING ALKALI METAL MAHOGANY SULFONATES, ALKALI METAL GREEN ACID SULFONATES AND WATERSOLUBLE INORGANIC SULFATE AND SULFITE, WHICH COMPRISES: FORMING A MIXTURE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF SAID HYDROCARBON OIL, SAID ALKALI METAL MAHOGANY SULFONATES, SAID ALKALI METAL GREEN ACID SULFONATES, SAID WATER-SOLUBLE INORGANIC SULFATE AND SULFITE, AT LEAST 10 PARTS BY VOLUME OF WATER PER 100 PARTS BY VOLUME OF SAID HYDROCARBON OIL AND SULFONATES AND AT LEAST 5 PARTS BY VOLUME PER 100 PARTS BY VOLUME OF SAID HYDROCARBON OIL AND SULFONATES OF A HYDROCARBON OIL-SOLUBLE EMULSION BREAKING LIQUID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF BUTYL, AMYL AND HEXYL ALCOHOLS, THE AMOUNTS OF SAID WATER AND SAID EMULSION BREAK ING LIQUID BEING SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE THREE SEPARABLE PHASES, A CONCENTRATED MAHOGANY SULFONATE PHASE CONTAINING HYDROCARBON OIL, WATER AND EMULSION BREAKING LIQUID, A HYDROCARBON OIL PHASE REJECTED FROM SAID CONCENTRATED MAHOGANY SULFONATE PHASE AND AN AQUEOUS PHASE CONTAINING ALKALI METAL GREEN ACID SULFONATES AND WATERSOLUBLE INORGANIC SULFATE AND SULFITE; AND SEPARATING SAID THREE PHASES FROM EACH OTHER.