Method and system for treating water used for industrial purposes

• US 8,518,269 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2011
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• 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:
  US13/136,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20120024794A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 210/742
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 21/30 Control equipment
• 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 1/24 by flotation C02F1/465 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/441 by reverse osmosis
• 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 1/5236 using inorganic agents
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/56 Macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/722 Oxidation by peroxides
• 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 2101/203 Iron or iron compound
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2101/206 Manganese or manganese compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/02 Non-contaminated water, e.g. for industrial water supply
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/08 Seawater, e.g. for desalination
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/10 from quarries or from mining activities
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/02 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/04 : Oxidation reduction potential [ORP]
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/10 : Solids, e.g. total solids [TS], total suspended solids [TSS] or volatile solids [VS]
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/11 : Turbidity
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/185 : The treatment agent being halogen or a halogenated compound
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 5/08 : Treatment of water with complexing chemicals or other solubilising agents for softening, scale prevention or scale removal, e.g. adding sequestering agents
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 20/131 : Reverse-osmosis
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/33 : using wind energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/37 : using solar energy

Abstract

A low cost method and system for treating water, which will be used in an industrial process, is provided. 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 mobile suction means, and at least one filtration means. The coordination means can control the necessary processes depending on the system needs (e.g., water quality or purity). The method and system of the invention purifies the water and eliminates suspended solids without the need of filtering the totality of the water volume, but only filtering a small fraction of up to 200 times less than the flow filtered by a conventional water treatment filtration system.

Claims

1. A method of providing water for an industrial process wherein the water is purified and suspended solids in the water are eliminated by filtering a small fraction of the total volume of water, the method comprising:

a. Collecting water with a concentration of total dissolved solids (TDS) of up to 60,000 ppm, wherein;

i. if the collected water has a total dissolved solids concentration less than or equal to 10,000 ppm, the Langelier Saturation Index must be less than 3, or

ii. if the collected water has a total dissolved solids concentration greater than 10,000 ppm, the Stiff &

Davis Saturation Index must be less than 3;

b. Storing said water in at least one container, wherein said container has a bottom able to be thoroughly cleaned by a mobile suction means;

c. During a 7 day interval, treating said water in said container during the interval by periodically adding disinfectant agents to said water to establish an oxidation reduction potential (ORP) of at least about 500 mV for a total ORP treatment time during the interval that is dependent on temperature of said water being treated, wherein;

i. For water having a temperature up to 35 degrees Celsius (°

C.), said total ORP treatment time comprises a minimum period of about 1 hour for each °

C. of water temperature;

ii. For water having a temperature greater than 35°

C. and less than 70°

C., said total ORP treatment time comprises a minimum period of hours calculated by the following equation;

[35 hours]−

[(Temperature of the water in degrees Celsius−

35)×

1 hour/°

C.]=minimum period of hours;

or

iii. For water having a temperature of 70°

C. or more, said total ORP treatment time comprises a minimum period of about 1 hour;

d. Activating the following processes through a coordination means to purify said water and eliminate the suspended solids by only filtering a small fraction of the total volume of said water in said container, wherein said coordination means receives information regarding water quality parameters controlled by said coordination means, said water quality parameters including iron and manganese concentrations, turbidity, and thickness of settled material, and activates one or more of processes i to v to adjust said water quality parameters within their limits;

i. Applying oxidant agents to said water in said container to regulate iron and manganese concentrations in said water, wherein the oxidant agents are applied to said water in an amount sufficient to maintain and/or prevent the iron or manganese concentration from exceeding 1 ppm;

ii. Applying coagulants, flocculants, or a mixture thereof to said water in said container to regulate the turbidity of said water, wherein the coagulants, flocculants, or mixture thereof are added to said water in an amount sufficient to prevent the turbidity of said water from exceeding 5 NTU;

iii. Suctioning a portion of said water containing settled particles produced by process i and/or ii with a mobile suction means to regulate the thickness of the settled material so that the thickness of settled material does not exceed an average of 100 mm;

iv. Filtering the portion of said water suctioned by the mobile suction means, with at least one filtration means; and

v. Returning filtered water to said container; and

e. Utilizing said treated water in a downstream process, wherein said treated water is used;

i. as a raw material for an industrial process and circulates in an open cycle;

or

ii. for discharging purposes, irrigation, infiltration, or a combination thereof.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the Langelier Saturation Index or Stiff &

Davis Saturation index is kept under 2 by a process selected from pH adjustment, the addition of antiscalants, or a water softening process.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the antiscalants comprise phosphonic acid, PBTC (phosphobutan-tricarboxylic acid), chromates, zinc polyphosphates, nitrites, silicates, organic substances, caustic soda, malic acid-based polymers, sodium polyacrylate, ethylene diamine tetracetic acid sodium salts, benzotriazole, or a combination thereof.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the collected water can be a residual liquid from an industrial process or water collected from a natural water source and/or treated water.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the disinfectant agents comprise ozone, biguanide products, bromine based compounds, halogen based compounds, or a combination thereof.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information received by said coordination means is obtained by empirical methods.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the oxidizing agents comprise halogen based compounds;

permanganate salts;

peroxides;

ozone;

sodium persulfate;

potassium persulfate;

oxidants produced by electrolytic methods, or a combination thereof.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the flocculant or coagulant agents comprise polymers, cationic polymers;

anionic polymers;

aluminum salts;

quats and polyquats;

calcium oxide;

calcium hydroxide;

ferrous sulphate;

ferric chloride;

polyacrylamide;

sodium aluminate;

sodium silicate;

chitosan;

gelatin;

guar gum;

alginates;

moringa seeds;

starch derivatives;

or a combination thereof.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising dechlorinating said water in said container if residual chlorine is detected in said water, the dechlorinating step comprising an active carbon filter or chemicals comprising sodium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, or a combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said total ORP treatment time is discontinuous during the 7 day interval.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

i. for water having a temperature up to 35 degrees Celsius (°

C.), said total ORP treatment time comprises an approximate period of about 1 hour for each °

C. of water temperature;

ii. for water having a temperature greater than 35°

C. and less than 70°

C., said total ORP treatment time comprises an approximate period of hours calculated by the following equation;

[35 hours]−

[(Temperature of the water in degrees Celsius−

35)×

1 hour/°

C.]=period of hours;

or

iii. for water having a temperature of 70°

C. or more, said total ORP treatment time comprises an approximate period of about 1 hour.