System and method for reclaiming and optimizing land

• US 10,638,674 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Earth Purified, LLC
• Original Assignee: Earth Purified, LLC
• Inventors: Mueller, Jeff
• Primary Examiner(s): Oquendo, Carib A
• Application Number:
  US16/226,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20190191642A1
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 40512815, 40512825, 40512835, 40512845
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/06 Watering arrangements making use of perforated pipe-lines located in the soil
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/165 Cyclic operations, timing systems, timing valves, impulse operations
• CPC Class Codes: B09C 1/02 Extraction using liquids, e.g. washing, leaching , flotation
• CPC Class Codes: B09C 2101/00 In situ
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/441 by reverse osmosis
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/002 Construction details of the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/001 Upstream control, i.e. monitoring for predictive control
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/006 comprising a software program or a logic diagram
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2307/14 Treatment of water in water supply networks, e.g. to prevent bacterial growth
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 11/005 Drainage conduits
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 2201/50 Devices for sequentially discharging constant liquid quantities, e.g. into different irrigation channels

Abstract

The present invention is a system for treating land, either to reclaim or optimize the land. Embedded subsurface pipes deliver water to the land. The water may be loaded with soil-treating additives. As water streams from the pipes, it treats the land before passing into a drainage ditch around the periphery of the land. The water is removed from the ditch and recycled, removing contaminants (in reclamation operations) or adding more additives (in optimization operations), before returning to the pipes for another round of treatment, if necessary.

Claims

1. A system for treating land, comprising:

at least one pipe loop embedded in a plot of land, a wall of the at least one pipe loop having a plurality of pipe apertures extending therethrough;

at least one water main pipe connected to the at least one pipe loop;

at least one drainage trench encircling the plot of land and receiving water drained by way of gravity through a surface of the trench, the at least one drainage trench being lined along at least one surface with a liquid-permeable membrane;

at least one irrigation pump interposed between the at least one water storage unit and the at least one water main pipe; and

a stream of water circulating from the at least one pipe loop to the plot of land, draining by way of gravity through a surface of the trench to the at least one drainage trench, and traveling from the drainage trench to at least one water storage unit to the at least one water storage unit to the at least one irrigation pump to the at least one water main pipe and back to the at least one pipe loop.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one water processor interposed between the at least one drainage trench and the at least one water storage unit.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one filtration unit interposed between the at least one water storage unit and the at least one irrigation pump.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising at least one filtration pump interposed between the at least one water storage unit and the at least one filtration unit.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one ionization unit interposed between the at least one drainage trench and the at least one irrigation pump.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one additive unit connected to a water line leading to the at least one irrigation pump.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one heater unit interposed between the at least one water storage unit and the at least one irrigation pump.

8. The system of claim 1, the at least one drainage trench being lined along at least one surface with a non-permeable membrane.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one system controller operatively coupled to at least one other component of the system.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising at least one master controller operatively coupled to at least one system controller.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising at least one sensor operatively coupled to at least one system controller.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising at least one operational profile stored within the at least one system controller.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one operational profile comprises at least one of a command for at least one system component or at least one system setting, the at least one command or setting for treatment of a given contaminant or set of contaminants in a given environment or for optimization of the plot of land.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one branch valve connected to the at least one water main pipe.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one branch valve is operatively coupled to at least one system controller.

16. A method for using a system for treating land, comprising:

embedding at least one pipe loop below an upper surface of a plot of land;

connecting a beginning of the at least one pipe loop to an outlet pipe branch of at least one water main pipe connecting an end of the at least one pipe loop to an inlet pipe branch of the at least one water main pipe;

digging at least one drainage trench completely circumscribing the plot of land, and lining the at least one drainage trench along at least one surface with a liquid-permeable membrane;

connecting the at least one drainage trench to at least one water storage unit;

lining the at least one drainage trench with permeable membrane and non-permeable membrane;

connecting at least one irrigation pump between the at least one water main pipe and the at least one water storage unit;

connecting a system controller to the at least one irrigation pump; and

circulating a stream of water such that the stream of water circulates from the at least one pipe loop to the plot of land, drains by way of gravity through a surface of the trench to the at least one drainage trench, and travels from the drainage trench to the at least one water storage unit to the at least one irrigation pump to the at least one water main pipe and back to the at least one pipe loop.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising connecting a water processor between the at least one water storage unit and drainage trench to remove contaminants from the stream of water and removing the water processor at a later time.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising connecting a filtration unit between the irrigation pump and the at least one water storage unit to remove contaminants from the stream of water and removing the filtration unit at a later time.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising connecting a filtration pump between the filtration unit and the at least one water storage unit and removing the filtration pump with the filtration unit.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising connecting at least one ionization unit between the at least one drainage trench and the at least one irrigation pump to break down contaminants in the stream of water and removing the ionization unit at a later time.