Method for wastewater treatment
First Claim
1. A method of treating wastewater, comprising(a) admitting wastewater into a wastewater treatment container having a top, a bottom, and a height dimension therebetween and filling the wastewater treatment container to a level with wastewater;
- (b) mixing and/or aerating the wastewater in the wastewater treatment container with a mixing/aeration system positioned below the level of wastewater in the wastewater treatment container and including an inlet for receiving retentate wastewater and an outlet for discharging retentate wastewater into the wastewater treatment container;
(c) treating the wastewater in the wastewater treatment container;
(d) providing the wastewater from the wastewater treatment container to a solids/liquids separation system at a pressure and flow rate sufficient to affect separation of solids and the liquid in the wastewater stream within the solids/liquids separation system, the solids/liquid separation system having a retentate outlet;
(e) recycling the retentate from the solids/liquid separation system to the inlet of the mixing/aeration system; and
(f) drawing off treated effluent from the solids/liquid separation system;
wherein providing the wastewater from the wastewater treatment container to the solids/liquid separation system includes pumping the wastewater using a pump having an inlet in fluid communication with the wastewater treatment container and an outlet in fluid communication with the solids/liquids separation system; and
wherein the pump inlet is in fluid communication with the bottom of the wastewater treatment container.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for treating wastewater includes a treatment container for receiving and treating wastewater and a mixing/aeration system disposed in the treatment container. Wastewater is pumped under pressure from the treatment container through a solids/liquid separation system, preferably comprising multiple parallel membrane bioreactors, to separate the solids and liquids in the wastewater. Liquid retentate from the solids/liquid separation system is cycled back to the treatment container via the mixing/aeration system. The closed-loop system and method for solids/liquid separation and aeration/mixing provides for reduced equipment requirements and energy usage during operation.
121 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of treating wastewater, comprising
(a) admitting wastewater into a wastewater treatment container having a top, a bottom, and a height dimension therebetween and filling the wastewater treatment container to a level with wastewater; -
(b) mixing and/or aerating the wastewater in the wastewater treatment container with a mixing/aeration system positioned below the level of wastewater in the wastewater treatment container and including an inlet for receiving retentate wastewater and an outlet for discharging retentate wastewater into the wastewater treatment container; (c) treating the wastewater in the wastewater treatment container; (d) providing the wastewater from the wastewater treatment container to a solids/liquids separation system at a pressure and flow rate sufficient to affect separation of solids and the liquid in the wastewater stream within the solids/liquids separation system, the solids/liquid separation system having a retentate outlet; (e) recycling the retentate from the solids/liquid separation system to the inlet of the mixing/aeration system; and (f) drawing off treated effluent from the solids/liquid separation system; wherein providing the wastewater from the wastewater treatment container to the solids/liquid separation system includes pumping the wastewater using a pump having an inlet in fluid communication with the wastewater treatment container and an outlet in fluid communication with the solids/liquids separation system; and wherein the pump inlet is in fluid communication with the bottom of the wastewater treatment container. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A method of treating wastewater, comprising
(a) admitting wastewater into a wastewater treatment container having a top, a bottom, and a height dimension therebetween and filling the wastewater treatment container to a level with wastewater; -
(b) mixing and/or aerating the wastewater in the wastewater treatment container with a mixing/aeration system positioned below the level of wastewater in the wastewater treatment container and including an inlet for receiving retentate wastewater and an outlet for discharging retentate wastewater into the wastewater treatment container; (c) treating the wastewater in the wastewater treatment container; (d) providing the wastewater from the wastewater treatment container to a solids/liquids separation system at a pressure and flow rate sufficient to affect separation of solids and the liquid in the wastewater stream within the solids/liquids separation system, the solids/liquid separation system having a retentate outlet; (e) recycling the retentate from the solids/liquid separation system to the inlet of the mixing/aeration system; and (f) drawing off treated effluent from the solids/liquid separation system; wherein the solids/liquid separation system includes a permeate outlet separate from the retentate wastewater outlet thereof. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of treating wastewater, comprising
(a) admitting wastewater into a wastewater treatment container having a top, a bottom, and a height dimension therebetween and filling the wastewater treatment container to a level with wastewater; -
(b) mixing and/or aerating the wastewater in the wastewater treatment container with a mixing/aeration system positioned below the level of wastewater in the wastewater treatment container and including an inlet for receiving retentate wastewater and an outlet for discharging retentate wastewater into the wastewater treatment container; (c) treating the wastewater in the wastewater treatment container; (d) providing the wastewater from the wastewater treatment container to a solids/liquids separation system at a pressure and flow rate sufficient to affect separation of solids and the liquid in the wastewater stream within the solids/liquids separation system, the solids/liquid separation system having a retentate outlet; (e) recycling the retentate from the solids/liquid separation system to the inlet of the mixing/aeration system; and (f) drawing off treated effluent from the solids/liquid separation system; and further comprising creating, with a pumping system, a pressure differential across the mixing/aeration system and the solids/liquid separation system to move treated wastewater from the wastewater treatment container to the inlet of the solids/liquid separation system and retentate wastewater from the outlet of the solids/liquid separation system to the inlet of the mixing/aeration system and out of the outlet of the mixing/aeration system into the wastewater treatment container. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification