Device and Method for Purifying a Liquid

• US 20090223904A1
• Filed: 02/08/2006
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Homeflow Technologies SA
• Original Assignee: Homeflow Technologies SA
• Inventors: Cohen, Avraham, Frenkel, Hella, Tanny, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US11/816,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20090223904A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 210/760
• 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 1/004 using large scale industrial sized filters
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/006 Water distributors either inside a treatment tank or directing the water to several treatment tanks; Water treatment plants incorporating these distributors, with or without chemical or biological tanks for settling tanks B01D21/24
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/008 Control or steering systems not provided for elsewhere in subclass C02F
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/281 using inorganic sorbents
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/283 using coal, charred products, or inorganic mixtures containing them
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/78 with ozone C02F1/4672 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2101/103 Arsenic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2101/14 Fluorine or fluorine-containing compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2101/20 Heavy metals or heavy metal compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2301/043 Treatment of partial or bypass streams
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2301/046 Recirculation with an external loop
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/04 Disinfection
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 9/00 Multistage treatment of water, waste water or sewage

Abstract

A device for purifying a liquid in particular water is provided with an ozonating for treatment of said liquid with ozone and with a storage reservoir hydraulically connected to the ozonation unit. The device is provided with re-circulation means for re-circulating said treated liquid from said storage reservoir through a re-circulation line. The re-circulation line is provided with at least one filtration unit.

Claims

1-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A device for purifying a liquid that is contaminated with microbiological and/or metal ions that can be oxidized to a higher oxidation state, said device comprising

at least one ozonation unit for treatment of said liquid with ozone and a physically separate, treated liquid storage reservoir hydraulically connected to said ozonation unit,

said device further comprising recirculation means for recirculating said ozone treated liquid from said storage reservoir through a recirculation line, and

wherein said recirculation line has at least one filtration unit.

32. A device according to claim 31, further comprising at least one ozonation unit for treatment of liquid with ozone and a storage reservoir for storing said treated liquid, wherein said device is provided with means for ozonating said liquid in said storage reservoir and/or in said recirculation line.

33. A device according to claim 31, wherein a part of said recirculation line forms a part of a hydraulic connection between said ozonation unit and said storage reservoir.

34. A device according to claim 31, further comprising means for periodically recirculating said liquid through said recirculation line.

35. A device according to claim 31, further comprising pump and control means for recirculating said liquid until the amount of pollutants to be removed from the liquid by said filtration unit is below a predeterminable level.

36. A device according to claim 31, wherein the filtration unit is adapted for removal of arsenic compounds and/or fluorides.

37. A device according to claim 31, wherein the filtration unit is an activated alumina filter.

38. A device according to claim 36, wherein the recirculation line has a further filtration device arranged upstream of said filtration unit.

39. A device according to claim 38, wherein the further filtration device comprises an activated carbon filter.

40. A device according to claim 31, wherein the ozonation unit is designed for a batchwise ozonation of a quantity of liquid.

41. A device according to claim 32, further comprising a connection between an ozonation chamber and the storage reservoir, wherein excess ozone in said ozonation chamber is transferable to said storage reservoir through said connection.

42. A device according to claim 31, wherein said storage reservoir is connected to an ozone generator by means of a reservoir ozonation connection.

43. A device according to claim 31, wherein said storage reservoir is provided with a vent filter for removing ozone in a gas when gas is vented out of said storage reservoir.

44. A device according to claim 32, further comprising an ozone generator connected both to said ozonation chamber and to said storage reservoir.

45. A device according to claim 31, further comprising a pump for feeding said liquid from said ozonation chamber to said storage reservoir.

46. A device according to claim 45, wherein said pump is hydraulically connected to said storage reservoir with valve means in such a way that:

in a first operating mode said pump is adapted to feed liquid from said ozonation chamber to said storage reservoir,

in a second operating mode said pump is adapted to recirculate liquid in a recirculation line and through said filtration unit and,

in a third operating mode, said pump is adapted to feed purified liquid from said storage reservoir to a dispensing pipe.

47. A device according to claim 31, wherein the device comprises control means to place the device in at least one of the following operational modes:

a) a reaction and storage mode, wherein raw liquid is treated in the reactor for a predetermined ozone treatment time, after which it is pumped through the filter or filters and stored in the reservoir,

b) a periodic reservoir ozonation and recycle mode, wherein liquid in the reservoir is ozone treated for a predetermined time, whereby water from the reservoir is recycled through the filter and back to the reservoir,

c) wherein in a stagnation period ozonation treatment mode, any liquid in the reaction chamber and the reservoir is ozonated for a predetermined time and after predetermined stagnation periods if the purifier is not used for a predetermined time.

48. A method for purifying a liquid, comprising steps of

ozonating the liquid in an ozonation unit,

transferring the ozonated liquid to a storage reservoir, thereby feeding said liquid through at least one filtration unit, and

recirculating said liquid from said storage reservoir through a recirculation line and back to said storage reservoir through at least one filtration unit.

49. A method according to claim 48, wherein said liquid is recirculated from time to time.

50. A method according to claim 49, wherein said liquid is recirculated if a predetermined quantity of purified water has not been dispensed for a predetermined period of time.

51. A method according to claim 48, wherein said liquid is recirculated until the amount of pollutants to be removed from said filtration unit is reduced below a predeterminable level or wherein said liquid is recirculated for a predetermined or predeterminable period of time.

52. A method according to claim 48, wherein the ozone treated liquid is fed through a prefiltration device, preferably through an activated carbon microporous block filter before being fed through said filtration unit.

53. A method according to claim 48, wherein a predetermined quantity of liquid is ozone treated in said ozonation chamber and wherein the treated quantity of liquid is fed to a storage reservoir after said treatment.

54. A method, preferably according to claim 48, wherein

liquid is ozonated in an ozonation unit,

ozonated liquid is transferred to a storage reservoir, and

the liquid in said storage reservoir is at least temporarily treated with ozone.

55. A method according to claim 54, wherein excess ozone in said ozonation unit is fed to said storage reservoir at least temporarily.

56. A method according to claim 53, wherein ozone produced by an ozone generator is fed to said storage reservoir through a reservoir ozonation connection.

57. A method according to claim 48, wherein ozone contained in the gas phase in said storage reservoir is removed from a gas stream exiting from said storage reservoir by passage through a vent filter.

58. A method according to claim 48, wherein the liquid is fed to said filtration unit at a constant flow rate.

59. A method according to claim 48, wherein

in a first operating mode liquid is transferred from said ozonation chamber to said storage reservoir by a pump,

in a second operating mode liquid is recirculated through said filtration unit by said pump, and

in a third operating mode liquid is dispensed by said pump.

60. A method according to claim 48, wherein during recirculation, liquid containing dissolved ozone is moved through said recirculation line and/or through said filtration unit.

61. A method according to claim 48, wherein pollutants in the liquid are oxidised during ozonation in the ozonation chamber and wherein oxidised pollutants are removed in said filtration unit.

62. A method according to claim 48, wherein

in a reaction and storage mode, raw water is treated in the reactor for a predetermined ozone treatment time, after which it is pumped through the filter or filters and stored in the reservoir,

in a periodic reservoir ozonation and recycle mode, water in the reservoir is ozone treated for a predetermined time, whereby water from the reservoir is recycled through the filter and back to the reservoir and

in a stagnation period ozonation treatment mode, any water in the reaction chamber and the reservoir is ozonated for a predetermined time and after predetermined stagnation periods if the purifier is not used for a predetermined time.