Solvent extraction apparatus

An apparatus for solvent extraction of a mother liquor with a solvent immiscible with and having a different specific gravity than the mother liquor, comprising an extraction chamber;

• means for introducing the solvent, mother liquor, and a carrier gas into the chamber and, simultaneously atomizing the solvent and the mother liquor and dispersing same in the carrier gas to produce in said chamber a cloud phase, said means for introducing and atomizing being a spray nozzle, the introduction into the chamber of the atomized solvent and mother liquor dispersed in the carrier gas being through one and the same spray nozzle, neither the solvent nor the mother liquor being atomized prior to said step of introducing and simultaneously atomizing means for separately conducting the solvent, the mother liquor and the carrier gas to the spray nozzle;
• condensation means arranged in said extraction chamber for terminating the cloud phase and producing a condensed extracted mother liquor phase and a condensed solvent phase containing the substance to be extracted;
• and means for separating the condensed extracted mother liquor phase from the condensed solvent phase on the basis of the different specific gravities of same.