Method of treating water and wastewater with a ballasted flocculation process and a chemical precipitation process
First Claim
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1. A method of treating water or wastewater with both a ballasted flocculation process and a chemical precipitation process for removing suspended solids and contaminants, comprising:
- a. directing water or wastewater having suspended solids and contaminants into a treatment area;
b. mixing insoluble granular ballast material with the water or wastewater to form a mixture;
c. subjecting the mixture to mixing and maintaining the insoluble granular material in suspension, and flocculating and aggregating the suspended solids and contaminants around the granular material;
d. transferring the mixture and granular material to a sedimentation tank;
e. settling the insoluble granular material in the sedimentation tank to form settled sludge and separating clarified effluent from the settled sludge;
f. transferring the settled sludge from the sedimentation tank and separating the sludge from the granular material;
g. recycling the separated granular material and mixing the separated granular material with the water or wastewater;
h. mixing the separated sludge with an alkaline reagent to form an alkaline treated sludge and mixing the alkaline treated sludge with the water or wastewater;
i. chemically precipitating contaminants from the water or wastewater as a result of the alkaline treated sludge being mixed with the water or wastewater;
j. directing the water or wastewater treated with the alkaline treated sludge to the treatment area; and
k. wherein suspended solids and contaminants are removed from the water or wastewater through both ballasted flocculation and chemical precipitation.
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for the treatment of water and wastewater. In one embodiment, a method of treating water according to the present invention includes mixing sludge and precipitant with the water to be treated, mixing ballast with the water, and separating the water into treated water and sludge. Some or all of the separated sludge may be recycled for mixing with the precipitant and water to be treated.
73 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method of treating water or wastewater with both a ballasted flocculation process and a chemical precipitation process for removing suspended solids and contaminants, comprising:
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a. directing water or wastewater having suspended solids and contaminants into a treatment area;
b. mixing insoluble granular ballast material with the water or wastewater to form a mixture;
c. subjecting the mixture to mixing and maintaining the insoluble granular material in suspension, and flocculating and aggregating the suspended solids and contaminants around the granular material;
d. transferring the mixture and granular material to a sedimentation tank;
e. settling the insoluble granular material in the sedimentation tank to form settled sludge and separating clarified effluent from the settled sludge;
f. transferring the settled sludge from the sedimentation tank and separating the sludge from the granular material;
g. recycling the separated granular material and mixing the separated granular material with the water or wastewater;
h. mixing the separated sludge with an alkaline reagent to form an alkaline treated sludge and mixing the alkaline treated sludge with the water or wastewater;
i. chemically precipitating contaminants from the water or wastewater as a result of the alkaline treated sludge being mixed with the water or wastewater;
j. directing the water or wastewater treated with the alkaline treated sludge to the treatment area; and
k. wherein suspended solids and contaminants are removed from the water or wastewater through both ballasted flocculation and chemical precipitation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of softening water by utilizing both a ballasted flocculation process and a chemical precipitation process, comprising:
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a. directing the water to be treated to a treatment area;
b. mixing insoluble granular ballast material with the water to form a mixture;
c. subjecting the mixture to mixing and maintaining the insoluble granular material in suspension, and flocculating and aggregating suspended solids and contaminants around the granular material;
d. transferring the mixture including the granular material to a sedimentation tank;
e. settling the granular material in the sedimentation tank to form settled sludge and separating clarified effluent from the settled sludge;
f. transferring the settled sludge from the sedimentation tank and separating the sludge from the granular material;
g. recycling the separated granular material and mixing the separated granular material with the water or wastewater that forms the mixture;
h. mixing the separated sludge with lime or soda ash to form a treated sludge mixture;
i. mixing the treated sludge with the water to be treated and wherein the water to be treated includes calcium and/or magnesium;
j. chemically precipitating the calcium or magnesium wherein in the case of calcium, the calcium is precipitated as calcium carbonate and in the case of magnesium, the magnesium is precipitated as magnesium hydroxide;
k. wherein suspended solids and magnesium or calcium are removed from the water through ballasted flocculation and chemical precipitation. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification