Oxidation process

• US 20090026147A1
• Filed: 07/17/2008
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Great Lakes Clean Water Limited Partnership
• Original Assignee: Great Lakes Clean Water Limited Partnership
• Inventors: Bain, Thomas W., Swales, Graham Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,449,777 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 210/750
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/78 with ozone C02F1/4672 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/44 Time
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2301/066 Overpressure, high pressure
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/04 Disinfection
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/18 Water
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/37 using solar energy

Abstract

A batch process for the treatment of an aqueous solution so that the treated product is more desirable for disposal includes obtaining an influent batch of aqueous solution for treatment, treating the batch of solution by an advanced oxidation process. The advanced oxidation process including causing ozone to be mixed with the solution, maintaining the mixture of solution and ozone at a pressure above atmospheric for a time of at least two seconds. In a preferred embodiment of the process, the process includes continuously recirculating the fluid to be treated, through a recirculation conduit, the recirculation conduit including an ozone injector and the ozone injector is adapted to inject ozone into the aqueous solution as the aqueous solution circulates through an ozone injector. Influent to be treated may be selected from the group including sewage, septage, leachate, ballast or other aqueous solutions where it is desirable to treat the fluid prior to disposal, further treatment, or reuse. The process is carried out to improve a level of disinfection and/or denutrification of the effluent.

Claims

1. A batch process for the treatment of an aqueous solution so that the treated product is more desirable for disposal, said process comprising;

obtaining an influent batch of aqueous solution for treatment, treating said batch of solution by an advanced oxidation process, said advanced oxidation process comprising causing ozone to be mixed with said solution, maintaining said mixture of solution and ozone at a pressure above atmospheric for a time of at least 2 seconds.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the process includes continuously recirculating the influent through a recirculation conduit, the recirculation conduit including an ozone injector, and wherein ozone is continuously injected into the aqueous solution as the aqueous solution circulates through the ozone injector.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein the ozone is mixed with the influent by use, at least in part, of a flash mixer.

4. The process of claim 3 wherein said mixture of influent and ozone is maintained at a pressure of at least 1.5 atmospheres for at least 2 seconds.

5. The process of claim 4 wherein said mixture is maintained at said pressure of at least 1.5 atmospheres for at least 6 seconds.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein said mixture is maintained at said pressure of at least 1.5 atmospheres for at least 12 seconds.

7. The process of claim 4 wherein said mixture is maintained at a pressure of at least 2.0 atmospheres for at least 2 seconds.

8. The process of claim 4 wherein the influent is sewage.

9. The process of claim 4 wherein the influent is septage.

10. The process of claim 4 wherein the influent is leachate.

11. The process of claim 4 wherein the influent includes pharmaceuticals.

12. The process of claim 4 wherein the influent is ballast water.

13. The process of claim 4 wherein the process further includes filtering the treated solution prior to disposal.

14. The process of claim 13 wherein the influent comprises a nitrogen content prior to treatment and the process further comprises off gassing nitrogen gasses as said mixture of ozone and solution recirculates.

16. The process of claim 3 wherein the process is carried out in a system having an oxygen concentrator connected to an ozone generator through an oxygen conduit, the oxygen conduit having an oxygen flow control valve and said process comprises controlling the flow of oxygen to said ozone generator to maximize the amount of ozone produced while minimizing the amount of oxygen and/or nitrogen downstream of the ozone generator.

15. The process of claim wherein the 14 influent has a phosphorus content prior to treatment.

17. An apparatus for treating aqueous solutions for disposal comprising:

a processing tank (reactor),

the tank having a fluid outlet and a fluid inlet;

a recirculation conduit,

the recirculation conduit fluidly connected to the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet;

the recirculation conduit including,

a pump for recirculating fluid from the processing tank (reactor),

through the recirculation conduit and back into the tank in a flow direction;

at least one ozone injector for injecting ozone into fluid being circulated by the pump, wherein the ozone injector is downstream of the pump,

a pressure device, the pressure device located within the recirculation conduit and downstream of the ozone injector,

wherein the pressure device is adapted to maintain a pressure in the portion of the recirculation conduit between the pump and the pressure device at a pressure above atmospheric.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the recirculation conduit includes a mixer, the mixer located downstream of the ozone injector and upstream of the pressure device.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the mixer is a flash mixer.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the pressure device is a flow restricting degassifier.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, said apparatus including a discharge conduit, said discharge conduit including a filter.

22. A system for monitoring an apparatus in accordance with claim 19, the apparatus further comprising an oxidation/reduction potential (ORP) sensor, the system comprising measuring the (ORP) of the fluid in the recirculation conduit, and continuing the processing of the fluid until the ORP of the processed fluid rises to a predetermined level.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the processing is continued until the ORP is at least +650 mV.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein the processing is continued until the ORP is at least +675 mV.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the influent is domestic sewage.

26. The system of claim 22 wherein the process is continued until the ORP is at least +800 mV.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the influent is one or more of the group consisting of municipal sewage, domestic sewage, leachate, septage, a pharmaceutical waste stream, ship'"'"'s ballast or any combination thereof.