Digestion of elemental sulfur in bioreactor during biological oxidation of sulfide in wastewater and groundwater
AssigneeUop LLC
InventorsF. Stephen Lupton, Rachel E. Hanson, William G. Sheridan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method is presented for biological removal of contaminants like sulfide from ground waters and industrial waters. A fixed film compartmentalized bioreactor or bioreactors are used to convert sulfide to elemental sulfur and the subsequent conversion of the elemental sulfur to sulfates. The present invention uses a packed bed bioreactor configuration that uses packing material to maximize the concentration of sulfide oxidizing bacteria.
Claims20
A process for biological conversion of hydrogen sulfide in a solution to sulfate ion in a feed water stream using a fixed film compartmentalized bioreactor, comprising:
- a) passing said feed water stream through a first stage of the fixed film compartmentalized bioreactor operating under low aeration conditions;
- b) oxidizing hydrogen sulfide to elemental sulfur;
- c) stripping of hydrogen sulfide from the first stage of the bioreactor;
- oxidizing the elemental sulfur to sulfate ion in a second stage of the fixed film compartmentalized bioreactor operating under high aeration and pH control;
- e) removing a purified water stream from the second stage comprising sulfides in the range of about 0.1 mg/L to about 0.5 mg/L sulfides from said bioreactor;
- and
- f) wherein an effective quantity of autotrophic obligate chemolithotrophic bacteria is immobilized on a highly porous foam packing material with high surface area within said bioreactor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.