Installation for biological water treatment for the production of drinkable water

• US 5,932,099 A
• Filed: 03/24/1997
• Issued: 08/03/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies Support
• Original Assignee: Omnium Detraitements et Devalorisation
• Inventors: Faivre, Michel, Sibony, Jacques, Cote, Pierre, Tazi-Pain, Annie
• Primary Examiner(s): Wyse, Thomas G.
• Application Number:
  US08/823,533
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 210/605, 210/614, 210/616-618, 210/620, 210/630, 210/631, 210/638, 210/639, 210/96.1, 210/150, 210/151
• US Class Current: 210/605
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2321/185 Aeration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2321/2058 by vibration of the membrane, e.g. with an actuator
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/18 Apparatus therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 65/02 Membrane cleaning or sterilisation ; Membrane regeneration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 65/08 Prevention of membrane fouling or of concentration polarisation
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/444 by ultrafiltration or microfiltration
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/085 Fluidized beds
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/10 Packings; Fillings; Grids packing elements in general B01J19/30, B01J19/32
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/1273 Submerged membrane bioreactors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/10 Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage

Abstract

This invention relates to a plant for the biological treatment of water to produce drinking water, characterized in that it comprises at least one biological reactor (7) provided with injection means (9) for injecting oxygenated gas, at least one separation membrane (11 for microfiltration or ultrafiltration immersed in said reactor (7), and addition means (10) for adding to said reactor (7) at least one pulverulent material in suspension serving as a support for a biomass, said pulverulent material possibly being a reactive powder which also allows fixation of the substrate required by said biomass.

Claims

1. Plant for the biological treatment of drinking water characterized in that it comprises at least one biological reactor (7) provided with means for injecting oxygenated gas (9), at least one separation membrane (11) for microfiltration or ultrafiltration immersed in said reactor (7), and addition means (10) within said reactor (7) for adding at least one pulverulent material in suspension serving as a support for a biomass, said pulverulent material possibly being made up of a reactive powder which also allows fixation of the substrate required by said biomass.

2. Plant according to claim 1, characterized in that said reactive powder is chosen from the group made up of powdered activated carbon, zeolites, ion exchange resins and clays.

3. Plant according to claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises at least one anoxic denitrification unit upstream of said biological reactor (7).

4. Plant according to claim 1, characterized in that said biological reactor (7) has sludge drainage means (14) in its upper and lower parts.

5. Plant according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises pre-treatment means (3,4) provided upstream of said biological reactor, including clarification means (3).

6. Plant according to claim 1, characterized in that said membranes (11) are made up of hollow fibre membranes.

7. Plant according to claim 1, characterized in that the civil engineering works used for its set-up entails conversion of existing civil engineering works of a drinking water treatment plant with physical filtration through granular material, said biological reactor (7) consisting of a granular material filtration basin of said drinking water treatment plan.

8. Plant according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises means of measurement (10a) for measuring concentrations of pollutants of said water, to which means of measurement is connected said addition means (10).

9. Process of biological water treatment to produce drinkable water, characterized in that it consists of passing the water through a plant in accordance with claim 1, of using said addition means of said plant to permit the addition to said reactor of at least one pulverulent material serving as a support for the biomass and/or the addition, at least intermittent, to said reactor of at least one reactive powder, said reactive powder being added in relation to the pollutants present in the raw water and/or to the temperature of the drinking water to be treated.

10. Process in accordance with claim 9 characterized in that it is set in operation when the temperature of the drinking water to be treated allows normal activity of said biomass permitting biological degradation of CODB and nitrogenous pollution in said water, and in that it consists of setting in operation said addition means to distribute at least one reactive powder in said reactor in relation to at least one parameter chosen from the group made up of pesticide content of the water, COD content of the water and heavy metal content of the water.

11. Process in accordance with claim 10 characterized in that it consists of setting in operation said means of addition of at least one pulverulent material to distribute powdered activated carbon in said reactor in order to adsorb COD and pesticides present in the drinking water to be treated.

12. Process in accordance with claim 10, characterized in that it consists of setting in operation said means of addition of at least one pulverulent material to distribute a zeolite or clay in said reactor in order to adsorb the heavy metals present in the drinking water to be treated.

13. Process in accordance with claim 10, characterized in that it comprises a stage consisting of maintaining within said reactor the reactive powders whose adsorbent properties have been exhausted, the latter subsequently forming a non-reactive pulverulent material which serves as a fixation support for the biomass.

14. Process in accordance with claim 9, characterized in that said means of addition of pulverulent material is set in operation when the temperature of the drinking water to be treated inhibits the biological activity of said biomass, in order to distribute within the reactor at least a first reactive powder intended to adsorb organic compounds and at least a second reactive powder intended to adsorb ammonia pollution.

15. Process in accordance with claim 12, characterized in that said first powder is powdered activated carbon.

16. Process in accordance with claim 12, characterized in that said second powder is chosen from the group made up of zeolites and clays.

17. Process in accordance with claim 12, characterized in that it consists of renewing the first and second powders when the adsorbing properties of the latter are exhausted.