Sustainable system for treating water bodies affected by bacteria and microalgae at low cost

• US 9,062,471 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2013
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crystal Image Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Crystal Lagoons (Curacao) B.V. (Crystal Lagoons Corp.)
• Inventors: Fischmann T., Fernando
• Primary Examiner(s): Soohoo, Tony G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Keyworth, Peter
• Application Number:
  US13/856,387
• Publication Number:
  US 20130213866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• Field of Search: 210/167.16
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/004 using large scale industrial sized filters
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/008 Control or steering systems not provided for elsewhere in subclass C02F
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/442 by nanofiltration
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/444 by ultrafiltration or microfiltration
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/50 by addition or application of a germicide or by oligodynamic treatment C02F1/4606, C02F1/467, C02F1/76 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/66 by neutralisation; pH adjustment for degassing C02F1/20; using ion-exchange C02F1/42; for flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities C02F1/52; for removing dissolved compounds C02F1/58
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/76 with halogens or compounds of halogens C02F1/4674 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/766 by means of halogens other than chlorine or of halogenated compounds containing halogen other than chlorine
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/78 with ozone C02F1/4672 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/007 Contaminated open waterways, rivers, lakes or ponds
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/42 from bathing facilities, e.g. swimming pools
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/04 Oxidation reduction potential [ORP]
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 5/14 containing phosphorus
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/1209 Treatment of water for swimming pools filters B01D
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/1281 Devices for distributing chemical products in the water of swimming pools

Abstract

A sustainable method and system for treating and maintaining bodies of water at low cost for low density recreational use is disclosed. A system of the invention generally includes at least one containing means, at least one coordination means, at least one chemical application means, at least one non-intrusive mobile suction means, and at least one filtration means. The coordinating means can receive information regarding water quality parameters that are controlled, and can timely activate the processes necessary to adjust the water quality parameters within their respective limits. The disclosed methods and system filter only a small fraction of the total water volume, up to 200 times less per day than the flow filtered by conventional swimming pool filtration systems. The disclosed methods and system also use less chemicals, up to 100 times less than conventional swimming pool water treatment systems. The methods and system of the present invention can be used to treat recreational water bodies affected by bacteria and microalgae and provide sustainable methods for producing water that complies with bacteriological and physicochemical requirements for recreational water, as set forth by governmental regulatory agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for bathing with full body contact.

Claims

1. A system for treating and maintaining a body of water affected by bacteria and microalgae at low cost by filtering a small fraction of the total volume of the body of water, the system comprising:

a container for storing the body of water, the container having a volume greater than 50,000 m³ and comprising a membrane or liner for receiving settled particles that is fixed to a bottom surface of the container;

at least one feeding line of affluent water to the container;

a coordination means for maintaining the water in the container within predetermined water quality limits;

at least one chemical application means for applying or dispersing a disinfectant or antiscalant to the water in the container;

a mobile suction means for moving along the bottom of the container and suctioning a portion of the water from the bottom of the container containing settled particles;

a propelling means for moving the mobile suction means along the bottom of the container, the propelling means operatively coupled to the mobile suction means;

a filtration means having a capacity to filter up to about 2.5% of the total volume of the body of water in a 24 hour period for filtering the portion of water containing settled particles suctioned by the mobile suction means;

at least one collecting line coupled between the mobile suction means and the filtration means; and

a return line from the filtration means to the container;

wherein the coordination means is configured to receive information obtained by visual inspection, an empirical method, an algorithm, or a detector regarding the water quality parameters and control activation of the chemical application means, mobile suction means, and filtration means to adjust the water quality parameters within predetermined limits, the water quality parameters comprising oxidation reduction potential (ORP), temperature, and thickness of settled particles.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the membrane or liner covering the bottom of the container comprises a geo-membrane, geotextile membrane, plastic liner, or a combination thereof.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the chemical application means comprises an injector, a sprinkler, manual application, a dispenser by weight, piping, or a combination thereof.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the propelling means comprises a rail system, a cable system, a manually propelled system, a robotic system, a system guided from a distance, a boat with an engine, a floating device with an engine, or a combination thereof.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile suction means is operatively coupled to the propelling means by a flexible cord, rope, line, cable, string, or a combination thereof.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile suction means is operatively coupled to the propelling means by a rigid rod, bar, pole, shaft, or a combination thereof.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the filtration means comprises a cartridge filter, sand filter, micro-filter, ultra-filter, nano-filter, or a combination thereof.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the coordination means is configured to control the activation of the chemical application means based on the received information to periodically apply disinfectant agents to the water in the container during 7 day intervals to establish an ORP of at least about 500 mV for a total treatment time during each 7-day interval that is dependent on the temperature of the water being treated and comprises a minimum period of about 1 hour for each degree Celsius (°

C.) of water temperature up to a maximum temperature of 45°

C.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein disinfectant agent comprises chlorine, a chlorine compound, ozone, biguanide product, halogen-based compound, bromine based compound, or a combination thereof.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the antiscalant comprises a phosphonate based compound, phosphonic acid, PBTC (phosphobutan-tricarboxylic acid), chromate, zinc polyphosphate, nitrite, silicate, organic substance, caustic soda, malic acid-based polymer, sodium polyacrylate, ethylene diamine tetracetic acid sodium salt, benzotriazole, or a combination thereof.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the water quality parameters further comprise one or more of pH, total dissolved solids, Langelier Saturation Index, or Stiff and Davis Saturation Index.