SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TREATING OIL, FAT AND GREASE IN COLLECTION SYSTEMS

• US 20100193430A1
• Filed: 02/01/2010
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Innovators Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Robert Whiteman
• Inventors: Whiteman, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,969,633 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 210/610
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/02 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/05 Conductivity or salinity
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/06 pH
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/08 Chemical Oxygen Demand [COD]; Biological Oxygen Demand [BOD]
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/10 Solids, e.g. total solids [TS], total suspended solids [TSS] or volatile solids [VS]
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/11 Turbidity
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/22 O2
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/42 Liquid level
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/12 Prevention of foaming
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2305/06 Nutrients for stimulating the growth of microorganisms
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/00 Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage C02F1/006 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/006 Regulation methods for biological treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/12 Activated sludge processes
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/28 Anaerobic digestion processes
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/34 characterised by the microorganisms used
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/348 characterised by the way or the form in which the microorganisms are added or dosed
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/10 Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage

Abstract

The present invention relates to apparatus, methods, and applications for treating wastewater collection systems contaminated with fats, oils and grease (FOG), such as wet wells, transfer or lift stations, or main sewer lines, and more particularly to biological processes for removing the FOG from wastewater. This invention further relates to apparatus and methods for growing microbes on-site at a wastewater treatment facility or FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system location, and for economically inoculating sufficient microbes to solve various treatment problems rapidly.

Claims

1. A method of reducing fat, oil, and/or grease (FOG) in a FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system, the method being performed on-site at the FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system location and comprising the steps of:

providing an on-site system for growing of FOG-degrading microbes at the FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system location, the on-site system comprising;

a main tank, an input for water, an output for a treatment batch, a mixing apparatus, and a temperature control apparatus;

depositing nutrient, water and an inoculum comprising FOG-degrading microbes into the on-site system;

growing the inoculum in the on-site system to provide a treatment batch comprising an increased number of the FOG-degrading microbes;

directly applying at least a portion of the treatment batch, said portion containing FOG-degrading microbes, to the FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system, such that the FOG-degrading microbes are not isolated, concentrated or freeze dried between the steps of growing and applying, and wherein the FOG-degrading microbes reduce FOG in the FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system; and

providing an aeration device, wherein the aeration device is placed on-site and adjacent to the FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system and the on-site system, the aeration device providing a sufficient aeration to agitate the surface of the wastewater in the FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the aeration device is a 100 cfm air blower or a compressor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the aeration device provides oxygen at a rate from about 20 scfm to about 200 scfm.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system is a wet well.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system is a transfer station.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system is a main sewer line.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the treatment batch comprises the FOG-degrading microbes in a concentration of 10⁶ cfu/ml to 10¹⁰ cfu/ml.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the inoculum comprises the FOG-degrading microbes in a concentration of 10³ cfu/ml to 10⁸ cfu/ml.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the treatment batch applied to the FOG-contaminated wastewater provides a FOG-degrading microbe concentration in the contaminated wastewater of at least 10³ cfu/ml.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the on-site system is mobile.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying is through a spray nozzle device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying is through a network of spray nozzle devices.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying comprises releasing at least a portion of the treatment batch, said portion containing the FOG-degrading microbes, into the FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system at a first FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system location;

and releasing another portion of the treatment batch, said portion containing the FOG-degrading microbes, into the FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system at a second FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system location.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the FOG-degrading microbes are deposited into the on-site system as a liquid inoculum.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the FOG-degrading microbes are deposited into the on-site system as a dried culture in a water-soluble package.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising heating and mixing the inoculum, water and nutrient to provide the treatment batch.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising transferring the contents of the main tank into a holding tank;

and applying at least a portion of the treatment batch from the holding tank to the FOG-contaminated wastewater in the contaminated wastewater collection system.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising depositing a defoamer to the on-site system.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the on-site system comprises a pre-tank for growing the inoculum.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the contents of the main tank are monitored from a remote location.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein a portion of the treatment batch is used to re-inoculate a subsequent growing.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the FOG-degrading microbes are in gelatin capsules.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the FOG-degrading microbes are custom blended.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the nutrient is in water soluble bags.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the on-site system comprises multiple growth tanks.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the main tank holds from about 250 gallons to about 1000 gallons.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the nutrient comprises micronutrients, macronutrients, and carbon sources.

28. A method for extending the time between consecutive pumping-out of fat, oil, and/or grease (FOG) from a FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system comprising:

providing an on-site system for growing of FOG-degrading microbes at a FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system location, the on-site system comprising;

a main tank, an input for water, an output for a treatment batch, a mixing apparatus, and a temperature control apparatus;

depositing nutrient, water and an inoculum comprising the FOG-degrading microbes into the on-site system;

growing the inoculum in the on-site system to provide a treatment batch comprising an increased number of the FOG-degrading microbes;

directly applying at least a portion of the treatment batch, said portion containing FOG-degrading microbes, to the FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system, such that the FOG-degrading microbes are not isolated, concentrated or freeze dried between the steps of growing and applying, and wherein the FOG-degrading microbes reduce FOG in the FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system; and

providing an aeration device, wherein the aeration device is placed on-site and adjacent to the FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system and the on-site system, the aeration device providing a sufficient aeration to agitate the surface of the FOG-contaminated wastewater in the FOG-contaminated wastewater collection system.