Method for Removing Organic Matter from Water and a Device for Carrying Out Said Method

• US 20080290029A1
• Filed: 12/07/2006
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies Support
• Original Assignee: OTV SA SA
• Inventors: Gaid, Abdelkader, Schrotter, Jean-Christophe, Suty, Herve, Croue, Jean-Philippe, Humbert, Hugues, Poussade, Yvan
• Granted Patent: US 8,110,110 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 210/638
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/26 Synthetic macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/262 obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon to carbon unsaturated bonds, e.g. obtained by polycondensation macromolecular compounds obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds per se C08G
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/265 modified or post-treated polymers polymer carriers or substrates subjected to further impregnating or coating B01J20/3208
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28004 Sorbent size or size distribution, e.g. particle size
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3242 Layers with a functional group, e.g. an affinity material, a ligand, a reactant or a complexing group
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 39/19 obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 41/13 obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/001 Processes for the treatment of water whereby the filtration technique is of importance C02F1/44 takes precedence; construction of filters in general B01D24/00 - B01D41/00
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/283 using coal, charred products, or inorganic mixtures containing them
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/42 by ion-exchange ion-exchange in general B01J
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/44 by dialysis, osmosis or reverse osmosis general membrane separation processes B01D61/00, membrane modules B01D63/00, electrodialysis C02F1/4693, combination of membrane modules and bioreactors C02F3/1268
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2001/007 Processes including a sedimentation step
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2001/422 using anionic exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2001/425 using cation exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2101/306 Pesticides
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 9/00 Multistage treatment of water, waste water or sewage

Abstract

A system and method is provided for removing organic matter from water. The method includes contacting the water with a powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge and having a particle size of between 0.1 mm and 2 mm. The powdered material is a modified product of natural origin. The system and method also provides for the regeneration of the powdered material in situ and reused.

Claims

1-42. -42. (canceled)

43. A method for removing natural or synthetic organic matter from water, comprising:

contacting the water to be treated with a powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge, having a particle size of between 0.1 μ

m and 2 mm, said powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge being a modified product of natural origin, and regenerating the material in situ without being solubilized, and re-used.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the particle size is between 15 μ

m and 150 μ

m.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein said water is raw water, pretreated water, drinking water or an effluent.

46. The method of claim 43 wherein said modified product of natural origin is selected from a modified plant gum and modified starch, and mixtures thereof.

47. The method of claim 43, wherein said product of natural origin before modification is starch selected from wheat starch, potato starch, corn starch, sweet potato starch, tapioca starch, cassaya starch, sago starch or rice starch.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein said modified product of natural origin is starch which has undergone a pregelatinization pretreatment.

49. The method of claim 43 wherein said product of natural origin before modification is a plant gum selected from glucomannans, xyloglucans and galactomannans, and mixtures thereof.

50. The method of claim 43, wherein said product of natural origin is selected from modified starch and a modified plant gum, said modified starch and said modified plant gum comprising respectively one or more cationic or cationizable groups.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein the cationic or cationizable groups are selected from quaternary ammoniums, tertiary amines, pyridiniums, guanidiniums, phosphoniums and sulfoniums.

52. The method of claim 50, wherein the cationic or cationizable groups are associated with negatively charged counterions selected from chloride, bromide, iodide, fluoride, sulfate, methyl sulfate, phosphate, hydrogen phosphate, phosphonate, carbonate, hydrogen carbonate and hydroxide ions.

53. The method of claim 43 wherein said product of natural origin is selected from modified starch and a modified plant gum, said modified starch and said modified plant gum comprising respectively one or more anionic or anionizable groups.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein the anionic or anionizable groups are selected from carboxylate, sulfate, sulfonate, phosphate and phosphonate groups.

55. The method of claim 43, wherein said product of natural origin is modified so as to render it water-insoluble.

56. The method of claim 43, wherein said product of natural origin, which is modified and/or optionally insoluble, is mixed with agents for trapping natural organic substances, such as active carbon or cationic celluloses.

57. The method of claim 43, wherein said product of natural origin, which is modified and/or optionally insoluble, is mixed with inert fillers such as sand or polymer powder.

58. The method of claim 43, wherein after the water has been brought into contact with said material, the treated effluent is subjected to at least one separation step.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein said separation is carried out using a filter, a grid, a semipermeable membrane, a settling tank, a strainer, a perforated top or a hydrocyclone.

60. The method of claim 43, wherein the method is carried out continuously.

61. The method of claim 43, wherein said material is floating or placed in a fluidized bed.

62. The method of claim 43, wherein the method also comprises at least one step of removing natural or synthetic micropollutants or residual constituents of the organic matter, in which the treated effluent originating from the water brought into contact with a powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge is subjected to a subsequent purification treatment.

70. The method of claim 43 further comprising:

feeding a lower part of at least one ascending-flow reactor, containing said powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge, with water to be treated, said reactor comprising at the lower part a distributing floor and at an upper part a floor or a grid, and

collecting the treated effluent at the upper part of the reactor.

71. The method of claim 43, further comprising:

feeding a lower part of at least one 2-compartment reactor, wherein one of the compartments is an ascending-flow compartment and the other is a descending-flow compartment, containing said powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge, with water to be treated, said reactor comprising at the lower part a distributing floor and at an upper part a floor or a grid, and

collecting the treated effluent at the upper part of the reactor.

72. The method of claim 70, wherein said material is floating.

73. The method claim 70, wherein said material is collected at the lower part of the reactor.

74. The method of claim 70 further comprising:

feeding at least one ascending-flow reactor, containing an adsorbent material, with said treated effluent, said reactor comprising at the lower part a distributing floor and at an upper part a floor or a grid, and

collecting the purified effluent after a subsequent purification treatment.

75. The method of claim 70 further comprising:

feeding at least one 2-compartment reactor, wherein one of the compartments is an ascending-flow compartment, and the other is a descending-flow compartment, containing an adsorbent material, with said treated effluent, said reactor comprising at the lower part a distributing floor and at the upper part a floor or a grid, and

collecting the purified effluent after a subsequent purification treatment.

63. A method for removing natural or synthetic organic matter from water comprising:

contacting water to be treated with a powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge, having a particle size of between 0.1 μ

m and 2 mm, said powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge being a modified product of natural origin, and subsequently purifying the treated effluent originating from the water brought into contact with said material.

64. The method of claim 63, wherein said purification treatment is carried out by adsorption onto an adsorbent material.

65. The method of claim 64, wherein said adsorbent material is of crosslinked and functionalized solid type having a particle size of between 0.1 μ

m and 2 mm.

66. The method of claim 63, wherein after the treated effluent has been brought into contact with said adsorbent material, the purified effluent is subjected to at least one separation step.

67. The method of claim 66, wherein the separation is carried out using a filter, a grid, a semipermeable membrane, a settling tank, a strainer, a perforated top, a hydrocyclone or a flotation separator.

68. The method of claim 63 wherein the adsorbent material is regenerated in situ and re-used.

69. The method of claim 63 wherein the method is carried out continuously.

76. The method according to claim 63, further comprising:

contacting said water to be treated with said powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge, having a particle size of between 0.1 μ

m and 2 mm,

subjecting the treated effluent to at least one separation step,

feeding at least one ascending-flow reactor, containing an adsorbent material, with said treated effluent, said reactor comprising a lower part having a distributing floor and an upper part having a floor or a grid, and

collecting the purified effluent after the subsequent purification treatment.

77. The method of claim 63, further comprising:

contacting said water to be treated with said powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge, having a particle size of between 0.1 μ

m and 2 mm,

subjecting the treated effluent to at least one separation step,

feeding at least one 2-compartment reactor, wherein one of the compartments is an ascending-flow compartment and the other is a descending-flow compartment, containing an adsorbent material, with said treated effluent, said reactor comprising at a lower part a distributing floor and at an upper part a floor or a grid, and

collecting the purified effluent after the subsequent purification treatment.

78. The method of claim 76 wherein the feeding with water to be treated and the collecting of the treated effluent, before purification, comprises:

feeding the lower part of at least one ascending-flow reactor, containing said powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge, with water to be treated, said reactor comprising at the lower part a distributing floor and at the upper part a floor or a grid, and

collecting the treated effluent at the upper part of the reactor.

79. The method of claim 76 wherein feeding the water to be treated and the collecting of the treated effluent, before purification, comprises:

feeding the lower part of at least one 2-compartment reactor, wherein one of the compartments is an ascending flow compartment and the other is a descending-flow compartment, containing said powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge, with water to be treated, said reactor comprising at the lower part a distributing floor and at the upper part a floor or a grid, and

collecting the treated effluent at the upper part of the reactor.

81. A system for treating water and removing organic matter from the water comprising:

a reactor,

means for feeding a powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge into the reactor,

means for feeding the water to be treated into the reactor and causing the treated water to be contacted with said powdered material,

means for separating the treated effluent from the water being treated; and

means for collecting the treated effluent.

82. The system of claim 81 including means for collecting the powdered material and regenerating the powdered material after the powdered materials have been used to treat the water.

83. The system of claim 81 wherein the reactor comprises a two compartment reactor including an ascending flow compartment and a descending flow compartment and wherein the means for feeding the water to be treated into the reactor is configured to direct the water to be treated into the ascending flow compartment.

84. The system of claim 83, including means for collecting the powdered material and regenerating the powdered material after the powdered material has been used to treat the water;

and wherein the system includes an upstream separation system for regenerating and recycling the powdered material.