Method of separating, from a liquid mixture, a liquid in dispersed phase from a liquid in continuous phase

A method comprising:

• separating in a liquid mixture, a liquid in a continuous phase from a liquid in the form of drops in a phase dispersed therein, by providing a apparatus including a chamber (10) having a liquid-permeable layer (11, 12) for the passage of the liquid mixture therethrough, the layer having through-holes of which at least the majority has a cross-sectional area which is greater than the cross-sectional area of at least the majority of the drops of the liquid in the dispersed phase, means for shearing said liquid mixture, including a rotor (23) arranged in the chamber on the inlet side of the liquid-permeable layer for maintaining a film (24) of liquid, movable along the layer, from the dispersed phase on the layer, and means for maintaining a higher pressure on the inlet side of the layer. than on its outlet side sufficient to cause drops of the liquid in the dispersed phase to coalesce in the firm and in the through-holes of the layer, feeding said liquid mixture to said inlet side, withdrawing continuous phase and coalesced dispersed phase from said outlet side, and separating said continuous phase depleted from the dispersed phase from said coalesced dispersed phase.