Non-stripping bioreactor for biological sulfide oxidation from wastewaters and groundwaters containing hydrogen sulfide
AssigneeUop LLC
InventorsF. Stephen Lupton, William Sheridan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method is presented for biological removal of contaminants like sulfide from ground waters and industrial waters. A portion of the bioreactor effluent water is recycled to the bioreactor and the sulfide oxidizing bacteria by biological oxidation oxidizes sulfides in the water to produce soluble sulfates. The present invention uses a packed bed bioreactor configuration that uses packing material to maximize the concentration of sulfide oxidizing bacteria.
Claims12
A process for removing sulfides from a feed water stream in a bioreactor wherein the feed water stream contains from about 1 mg/L to about 2500 mg/L of sulfur compounds on an elemental sulfur basis, the process comprising:
- (a) passing the feed water stream through a fixed film bioreactor containing an effective quantity of autotrophic obligate chemolithotrophic bacteria immobilized on a packing material within said bioreactor;
- (b) recycling a portion of a recycle water from a bioreactor effluent to the bioreactor;
- (c) passing air to the said recycle water to saturate the recycle water with dissolved oxygen to produce oxygenated recycle water;
- (d) mixing the oxygenated recycle water with the feed water stream to provide a mixed water stream that is passed through the bioreactor;
- (e) oxidizing the sulfides in said mixed water stream in the bioreactor to form sulfates;
- and
- (f) removing a purified water stream comprising less than about 0.5 mg/L sulfides from said bioreactor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.