Apparatus and method for treating a flow of a substance to be treated by means of a counterflow of an extracting substance

(canceled)

3:

• The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said at least one propelling radial protrusion (21a,21b) comprises a propelling surface (23) inclined relative to the rotation axis (S1) of the movable member (17).

4:

• The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the motor-driven treatment assembly (13) is provided with at least one corresponding second fixed member (29) and at least one second movable member (31) rotary relative to the fixed member and cooperating therewith to define a corresponding stage of turbulent mixing (33) to promote mixing of said substances passing in opposite directions inside the motor-driven treatment assembly.

5:

• The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the motor-driven treatment assembly (13) comprises a plurality of cavitation stages (19) and a plurality of mixing stages (33), alternating with each other and organized so as to be passed through in succession by said flow of substance to be treated and said counterflow of extracting substance in substantially parallel but substantially opposite directions.

6:

• The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said first fixed members (15) comprise corresponding first cylindrical stator rings (25) provided with radial protrusions (21a), and wherein said first rotary members (17) comprise corresponding rotor discs (27) provided with radial protrusions (21b) and surrounded by said first stator rings, and wherein said radial protrusions (21a,21b) are propelling radial protrusions.

7:

• The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said at least one propelling radial protrusion (21a, 21b) has a rectilinear or parabolic or sigma-shaped inclined configuration.

8:

• The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said second fixed members (29) comprise corresponding second cylindrical stator rings (35), and wherein said second rotary members (31) comprise a plurality of radial protrusions (37) and are surrounded by said second stator rings, and wherein said radial protrusions comprise corresponding cylindrical pins.

9:

• The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein adjacent radial protrusions (21a,21b) comprise mutually facing parallel inclined surfaces (23) defining corresponding inclined grooves or channels (51a,51b) for the passage of said substances.

11-12. (canceled)

13:

• The method according to claim 10, wherein said radial protrusions (21a, 21b) are propelling radial protrusions and comprise a propelling surface (23) inclined relative to the rotation axis (S1) of the movable member (17).