# US 11,111,165 B2 · Process and apparatus for treating water > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,111,165 B2 - Document ID: US11111165B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/558,402 - Filed: 2016-03-16 - Published: 2018-02-22 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2015-03-16 - Assignees: Infinite Water Technologies Pty Ltd - Applicants: Infinite Water Technologies Pty Ltd - Inventors: Gheorghe Emil Duta - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11111165B2 ## CPC - C02F 1/725: {by catalytic oxidation} - C02F 1/441: {by reverse osmosis} - C02F 1/5245: {using basic salts, e.g. of aluminium and iron} - C02F 1/686: {Devices for dosing liquid additives} - C02F 1/727: {using pure oxygen or oxygen rich gas} - C02F 1/76: with halogens or compounds of halogens {(C02F1/4674 takes precedence)} - C02F 9/00: Multistage treatment of water, waste water or sewage - C02F 9/20: Portable or detachable small-scale multistage treatment devices, e.g. point of use or laboratory water purification systems - C02F 1/44: by dialysis, osmosis or reverse osmosis {(general membrane separation processes B01D61/00, membrane modules B01D63/00, electrodialysis C02F1/4693, combination of membrane modules and bioreactors C02F3/1268)} - C02F 1/5236: {using inorganic agents} - C02F 1/56: Macromolecular compounds - C02F 1/72: by oxidation {(C02F1/4672 takes precedence)} - C02F 2101/101: {Sulfur compounds} - C02F 2209/03: Pressure - C02F 2209/06: pH - C02F 2209/08: Chemical Oxygen Demand [COD]; Biological Oxygen Demand [BOD] - C02F 2303/04: Disinfection - C02F 2305/02: Specific form of oxidant - C02F: TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE (separation in general B01D; special arrangements on waterborne vessels of installations for treating water, waste water or sewage, e.g. for producing fresh water, B63J; adding materials to water to prevent corrosion C23F; treating radioactively-contaminated liquids G21F9/04; regeneration of reactants for recirculation into processes, see the relevant places for the processes) ## Abstract A process for treating water containing contaminants comprising the steps of: (a) contacting water to be treated with an inorganic oxidising salt containing manganese or iron for a time effective for oxidising a portion of said contaminants; (b) contacting water treated in oxidation step (a) with at least a chlorine containing agent for disinfection and to generate, in situ and through reaction with chemical compounds produced in pre-oxidation step (a), a coagulant for coagulating oxidised contaminants present in the water; (c) separating coagulated contaminants from the water; and (d) subjecting water to a catalytic oxidation for oxidising residual oxidisable contaminants, said catalytic oxidation being catalysed, in part, by manganese or iron species, depending on the residual selected oxidising salt left in solution in water after oxidation step (a). Permanganates are particularly advantageous inorganic oxidising salts and chlorine dioxide is a particularly preferred chlorine containing disinfecting agent for use in step (b). Apparatus for conducting the process is also disclosed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A process for treating water containing contaminants comprising the sequential steps of: (a) in a first vessel a first oxidation step comprising contacting water to be treated with an inorganic oxidising salt containing manganese or iron for a time effective for oxidising a portion of said contaminants; (b) contacting water treated in oxidation step (a) with at least a chlorine containing agent for disinfection and to generate, in situ and through reaction with chemical compounds produced in oxidation step (a), a coagulant for coagulating oxidised contaminants present in the water; (c) separating coagulated contaminants from the water; and (d) in a second vessel subjecting water from step (c) to a further oxidation step for oxidising residual oxidisable contaminants, said oxidation being catalytic oxidation catalysed, in combination, by: (i) manganese or iron depending on the selected inorganic oxidising salt left in solution after oxidation step (a); and (ii) a solid phase catalyst comprising a granular catalytic material for oxidising residual oxidisable contaminants, wherein the amount of inorganic oxidising salt added is such that, following separating step (c), sufficient manganese or iron remains in solution to act as a catalyst in step (d); and wherein step (d) is carried out using a bed reactor, column reactor and/or a filter bed. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inorganic oxidising salt is a metal permanganate, selected from the group consisting of potassium permanganate, sodium permanganate, barium permanganate, calcium permanganate, and aluminium permanganate. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The process as claimed in claim 2, further comprising sulphate removal and wherein said metal permanganate is selected from barium permanganate and calcium permanganate. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The process of claim 2, wherein the inorganic oxidizing salt contacted with the water in step (a) is potassium permanganate and the chlorine containing agent contacted with the water in step (b) is chlorine dioxide. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The process of claim 2, wherein treated water from catalytic oxidation step (d) has no visible colouration due to the presence of residual permanganate. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The process of claim 5, wherein said inorganic oxidising salt is potassium permanganate and water introduced to catalytic oxidation step (d) has visible colouration due to presence of potassium permanganate. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The process as claimed in claim 1, conducted at ambient temperature and ambient or about ambient pressure. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein said in situ coagulant formed in solution in oxidation step (a) is selected from the group consisting of oxides or hydroxides of manganese, iron and aluminum, and combinations thereof. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The process of claim 8, wherein said in situ coagulant is MnOOH. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein said chlorine containing agent for step (b) includes, in descending order of preference, chlorine dioxide and a metal hypochlorite and excludes chlorine gas to minimise formation of disinfection by-products. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, further comprising a step (e) of membrane separation to remove dissolved salts, and wherein the chlorine containing agent contacted with the water in step (b) is chlorine dioxide. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The process of claim 11 wherein chlorine is added to water for disinfection of treated water for storage and distribution after step (d) or step (e). ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The process of claim 11, wherein potassium permanganate is used in step (a) and chlorine dioxide is used in step (b). ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, further comprising a step (e) of membrane separation to remove dissolved salts, and oxidation potential is measured ahead of membrane separation and adjusted to remove any one of dissolved oxygen and chlorine. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The process of claim 14, wherein chlorine added to treated water and is used for disinfection of treated water for storage and distribution after step (d) or step (e). ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The process of claim 14, wherein oxidation potential is adjusted by degassing. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein water is treated with oxygen, or at least an oxygen enriched gas before oxidation step (a). ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein biological oxidation demand (BOD) or chemical oxidation demand (COD) of water to be treated is reduced prior to step (a). ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The process of claim 18, wherein water to be treated has COD greater than about 1000 mg/L. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein said granular catalytic materials are granules consisting of silica or alumina supported metal oxides or mixtures of metal oxides selected from the group consisting of manganese oxide, manganese dioxide, iron oxides, aluminium oxides, titanium dioxide, perovskite, rare earth oxides, zeolites and electrically conductive catalytic materials. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the water to be treated is water obtained from a lake, pond, dam, river, underground aquifer, or is municipal or industrial wastewater. ### Claim 22 A process for treating water containing contaminants comprising the sequential steps of: (a) in a first vessel a first oxidation step comprising contacting water to be treated with an inorganic oxidising salt containing manganese for a time effective for oxidising a portion of said contaminants; (b) contacting water treated in oxidation step (a) with at least a chlorine containing agent for disinfection and to generate, in situ and through reaction with chemical compounds produced in oxidation step (a), a coagulant for coagulating oxidised contaminants present in the water; (c) separating coagulated contaminants from the water; and (d) in a second vessel subjecting water from step (c) to a further oxidation step for oxidising residual oxidisable contaminants, said oxidation being catalytic oxidation catalysed, in combination, by: (i) manganese left in solution after oxidation step (a); and (ii) a solid phase catalyst comprising a granular catalytic material for oxidizing residual oxidizable contaminants, further comprising sulphate removal and wherein said inorganic oxidising salt in step (a) is selected from barium permanganate, and calcium permanganate wherein the amount of inorganic oxidising salt added in step (a) is such that, following separating step (c), sufficient manganese remains in solution to act as a catalyst in step (d); and wherein step (d) is carried out using a bed reactor, column reactor and/or a filter bed. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The process of claim 22, wherein the water to be treated is water obtained from a lake, pond, dam, river, underground aquifer, or is municipal or industrial wastewater. ### Claim 24 A process for treating water containing contaminants comprising the sequential steps of: (a) in a first vessel a first oxidation step comprising contacting water to be treated with an inorganic oxidising salt containing manganese or iron for a time effective for oxidising a portion of said contaminants; (b) contacting water treated in oxidation step (a) with at least a chlorine containing agent for disinfection and to generate, in situ and through reaction with chemical compounds produced in oxidation step (a), a coagulant for coagulating oxidised contaminants present in the water; (c) separating coagulated contaminants from the water; and (d) in a second vessel subjecting water from step (c) to a further oxidation step for oxidising residual oxidisable contaminants, said oxidation being catalytic oxidation catalysed, in combination, by: (i) manganese or iron depending on the selected inorganic oxidising salt left in solution after oxidation step (a); and (ii) a solid phase catalyst comprising a granular catalytic material for oxidizing residual oxidizable contaminants, and said process is conducted at ambient temperature and ambient or about ambient pressure, wherein the amount of inorganic oxidising salt added in step (a) is such that, following separating step (c), sufficient manganese or iron remains in solution to act as a catalyst in step (d); and wherein step (d) is carried out using a bed reactor, column reactor and/or a filter bed. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The process of claim 24, wherein the water to be treated is water obtained from a lake, pond, dam, river, underground aquifer, or is municipal or industrial wastewater.