Process and installation for treating liquids charged with pollutants

• US 5,302,298 A
• Filed: 12/13/1991
• Issued: 04/12/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wedeco Umwelttechnologien Wasser Boden LUFT GmbH (Xylem, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wedeco Umwelttechnologien Wasser Boden LUFT GmbH (Xylem, Inc.)
• Inventors: Leitzke, Ortwin
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCARTHY, NEIL
• Application Number:
  US07/778,141
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 55/52, 55/53, 55/196, 55/199, 55/202, 261/21, 261/94, 261/DIG. 42, 261/DIG. 75, 210/188, 210/760, 210/748, 210/199, 210/201, 210/205, 210/195.1, 210/197, 210/192, 96/207
• US Class Current: 210/748.15
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/10 Ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/202 Ozone
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/32 with ultraviolet light
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/78 with ozone C02F1/4672 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/78 Details relating to ozone treatment devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 261/42 Ozonizers

Abstract

A process and an installation for treating liquids, which are charged with pollutants that are difficult to break down, by means of wet oxidation with ozone-containing gas and UV radiation. The installation comprises injectors by means of which ozone-containing gas produced in an ozone generator can be passed into the liquid. The liquid is then introduced into a reaction and degasification vessel, before it passes through the UV irradiation units.

Claims

1. A process for treating a liquid, which is charged with pollutants that are difficult to break down, by wet oxidation with an ozone-containing gas and UV radiation, comprising the steps of:

passing and dissolving an ozone-containing carrier gas, without exposing the gas to UV radiation, into a liquid which is charged with pollutants, isolating undissolved carrier gas from the liquid containing ozone and removing gas bubbles from the ozonated liquid to render the ozonated liquid substantially free of gas bubbles, and thereafter irradiating the liquid containing ozone with UV radiation to achieve simultaneous radical formation and oxidation with radicals in the liquid.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the ozone-containing gas is fed under pressure greater than atmospheric pressure into the liquid.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein the liquid is kept under pressure greater than atmospheric pressure during passing of the ozone-containing gas into the liquid and during isolating of the undissolved carrier gas.

4. The process according to claim 1, wherein the liquid is treated repeatedly by circulation in a circuit.

5. The process according to claim 1, wherein the ozone-containing gas is introduced into an inflow supply of the liquid to be treated.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein the isolated, undissolved carrier gas contains residual ozone and wherein at least a portion of the isolated gas is passed into the ozonated liquid to attain a residual-ozone reaction.

7. The process according to claim 1, wherein the carrier gas is oxygen and wherein the ozone is produced from oxygen and wherein undissolved oxygen which is isolated from the liquid is dried and used to produce ozone.

8. The process according to claim 1, wherein the step of irradiating is conducted with UV light of a multiplicity of differing wavelengths.

9. The process according to claim 8, wherein a certain volume of the liquid is irradiated with the UV light of the differing wavelengths at the same time.

10. The process according to claim 8, wherein a certain volume of the liquid is irradiated with the UV light of the differing wavelengths one after the other.

11. The process according to claim 1, wherein the liquid charged with pollutants to be treated has a pH-value which is regulated to increase its ozone reactivity.

12. The process according to claim 1, wherein the liquid to be treated is heated so as to increase its reaction rate with ozone.

13. The process according to claim 1, wherein after the ozone-containing gas is introduced into the liquid and before the step of irradiating, the liquid is subjected to a flocculation filtration or a flocculation sedimentation.

14. An apparatus for treating a liquid which is charged with pollutants by oxidation with an ozone-containing carrier gas and UV radiation, comprising:

a source of ozone-containing carrier gas, a device for introducing the ozone-containing gas into a liquid to be treated, a device for irradiating the liquid containing ozone with UV light, which is disposed downstream from the device for introducing the ozone-containing gas, and a reaction- and degasification-vessel system disposed between the device for introducing the ozone-containing gas and the irradiating device for removing substantially all gas bubbles from liquid ozonated by said introducing device prior to the ozonated liquid reaching the irradiation device.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the reaction- and degasification-vessel system comprises a plurality of double vessels, each double vessel having an inner vessel disposed inside of an outer vessel, each outer vessel being closed and having an outlet line which lead from an upper region thereof for carrying non-dissolved carrier gas therefrom, each inner vessel being open at a top thereof to allow for an overflow of liquid, and each inner vessel receiving a supply line for the liquid containing ozone which feeds into a lower region of each inner vessel, and an outlet line for outflow of liquid emanating from a lower region of each outer vessel.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein each outer vessel has an outgoing line in a lower region thereof for outflow of a portion of liquid and recycling line for recirculating said portion of liquid to be treated again with ozone-containing gas by a second device for introducing ozone-containing gas.

17. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the reaction- and degasification-vessel system includes a first reaction and degasification vessel and a second reaction and degasification vessel arranged downstream from the first vessel, the second vessel having a supply line which is connected to an outgoing line of the first vessel.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the device for irradiating the liquid to be treated comprises an irradiation unit which is connected between the first and second reaction and degasification vessels.

19. The apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the device for irradiating the liquid to be treated comprises an irradiation unit which is arranged in an outgoing line of the reaction and degasification vessel system.

20. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the device for irradiating the liquid to be treated includes an outgoing line from the reaction- and degasifications-vessel system and a recycling line which leads from the outgoing line into an inflow line of the liquid a second device for introducing an ozone containing gas.

21. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a connecting line which leads from the outlet line of one reaction and degasification vessel into a lower region of an inner vessel of a subsequent downstream reaction and desgasification vessel.

22. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the device for introducing the ozone-containing gas into the liquid to be treated comprises a feed-in device arranged in an inflow supply line of the liquid.

23. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the device for introducing the ozone-containing gas into the liquid to be treated comprises a feed-in device arranged in a recycling line which leads back from an outgoing line of the reaction and degasification vessel system into an inflow supply line of the liquid.

24. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the source of ozone-containing gas comprises means for producing ozone by means of silent electric discharging out of oxygen-containing gas.

25. An apparatus for treating a liquid which is charged with pollutants by oxidation with an ozone-containing carrier gas and UV radiation, comprising:

a source of ozone-containing carrier gas, a device for introducing the ozone-containing gas into a liquid to be treated, a device for irradiating the liquid containing ozone with UV light, which is disposed downstream from the device for introducing the ozone-containing gas, and a reaction- and degasification-vessel system disposed between the device for introducing the ozone-containing gas and the irradiating device wherein the reaction- and degasification-vessel system comprises a plurality of double vessels, each double vessel having an inner vessel disposed inside of an outer vessel, each outer vessel being closed and having an outlet line which leads from an upper region thereof for carrying non-dissolved carrier gas therefrom, each inner vessel being open at a top thereof to allow for an overflow of liquid, and each inner vessel receiving a supply line for the liquid containing ozone which feeds into a lower region of each inner vessel, and an outlet line for outflow of liquid emanating from a lower region of each outer vessel.

26. An apparatus for treating a liquid which is charged with pollutants by oxidation with an ozone-containing carrier gas and UV radiation, comprising:

a source of ozone-containing carrier gas, a device for introducing the ozone-containing gas into a liquid to be treated, a device for irradiating the liquid containing ozone with UV light, which is disposed downstream from the device for introducing the ozone-containing gas, and a reaction- and degasification-vessel system disposed between the device for introducing the ozone-containing gas and the irradiating device, the reaction- and degasification-vessel system including a first reaction and degasification vessel and a second reaction and degasification vessel arranged downstream from the first vessel, the second vessel having a supply line which is connected to an outgoing line of the first vessel.