# US 11,390,546 B2 · Continuous flow wastewater treatment system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,390,546 B2 - Document ID: US11390546B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/455,289 - Filed: 2019-06-27 - Published: 2020-01-02 - Granted: 2022-07-19 - Earliest claimed: 2018-06-28 - Assignees: Aecom - Applicants: Aecom - Inventors: Beverley Stinson; Giampiero Galvagno; Keith Sears; Anthony Margevicius - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11390546B2 ## CPC - C02F 3/30: Aerobic and anaerobic processes - C02F 3/1221: {comprising treatment of the recirculated sludge} - C02F 3/286: {including two or more steps} - C02F 3/308: {Biological phosphorus removal} - C02F 2003/001: {using granular carriers or supports for the microorganisms} - C02F 2203/004: comprising a selector reactor for promoting floc-forming or other bacteria - Y02W 10/10: Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage - 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) - Y02W: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT ## Abstract A continuous flow wastewater treatment system is disclosed. The system can include a main processing circuit comprising an anoxic entry zone and an aerobic exit zone. The system can include a granule-producing sidestream incubator. The sidestream incubator can include an inlet that receives a first portion of return activated sludge (RAS) processed by the aerobic exit zone, a sidestream anoxic zone, and a sidestream anaerobic zone that cooperate to process the first portion of RAS. The sidestream incubator can include an outlet that delivers the processed first portion of RAS to the anoxic entry zone. The sidestream incubator can include a RAS bypass pathway that bypasses the granule-producing sidestream incubator to deliver a second portion of RAS processed by the aerobic exit zone to the anoxic entry zone. In some embodiments, the RAS and/or other fermentate can be step-fed into the sidestream incubator. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A continuous flow granular sludge wastewater treatment system comprising: a main processing circuit comprising an entry zone, a processing zone, and an exit zone; and a continuous flow sidestream incubator configured for processing granular sludge comprising: an inlet that receives a first portion of return activated sludge (RAS) processed by the exit zone; a sidestream processing zone that processes the first portion of RAS; a plurality of supply lines, each supply line of the plurality of supply lines configured to receive a portion of a readily biodegradable carbon (rbCOD) rich substrate and to feed the portion of the rbCOD rich substrate to the sidestream processing zone; an outlet that delivers the processed first portion of RAS to the entry zone; and a RAS bypass pathway that bypasses the sidestream incubator to deliver a second portion of RAS to the entry zone. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the main processing circuit comprises an aerobic processing zone. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the mainstream processing circuit further comprises an anoxic entry zone and an aerobic exit zone. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the sidestream processing zone comprises a sidestream anoxic zone and a sidestream anaerobic zone. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the sidestream anoxic zone is upstream of the sidestream anaerobic zone. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the sidestream anaerobic zone comprises a plurality of sidestream anaerobic zones in fluid communication with the sidestream anoxic zone, the sidestream anoxic zone and the plurality of sidestream anaerobic zones cooperating to process the RAS. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the sidestream incubator further comprises a second inlet that receives a phosphorus-rich fluid stream, a sidestream anoxic zone, and a sidestream anaerobic zone, the sidestream anoxic zone and the sidestream anaerobic zone cooperating to process the RAS, the second inlet disposed upstream of the sidestream anaerobic zone. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the sidestream processing zone comprises an aerobic zone. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, further comprising a nitrogen-rich supply line to deliver a nitrogen-rich liquid stream to the aerobic zone. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the second portion of RAS is greater than the first portion of RAS. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising a granule enhancing device in fluid communication with the sidestream incubator, the granule enhancing device configured to mix or to apply shearing forces to the RAS to enhance granule formation. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the granule enhancing device comprises a hydrocyclone device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein each supply line of the plurality of supply lines receives imported rbCOD rich substrate to react with the RAS. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein each supply line of the plurality of supply lines receives a portion of a rbCOD rich substrate from a waste primary sludge processing device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the food-to-mass (F:M) ratio in the sidestream incubator is at least 0.15 (rbCOD/VSS-d). ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising: a granule retention device fluidly connected downstream of one or more of the exit zone of the main processing circuit and at least a portion of the sidestream processing zone, the granule retention device configured to retain granules; and a granule delivery line to deliver the retained granules to one or more of the entry zone and the sidestream incubator. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) A method of manufacturing the system of claim 1, the method comprising retrofitting the sidestream incubator into an existing continuous flow wastewater treatment system. ### Claim 18 A continuous flow granular sludge wastewater treatment system comprising: a main processing circuit comprising an entry zone, a processing zone, and an exit zone; a continuous flow sidestream incubator configured for processing granular sludge comprising: an inlet that receives return activated sludge (RAS) processed by the exit zone; a sidestream processing zone that processes the RAS; and an outlet that delivers the processed RAS to the entry zone; and a granule enhancing device in fluid communication with the sidestream incubator, the granule enhancing device configured to mix or to apply shearing forces to the RAS to enhance granule formation. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, wherein the granule enhancing device comprises a shearing device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein the shearing device comprises a hydrocyclone device. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, wherein the granule enhancing device comprises a mixing device. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, wherein the granule enhancing device is fluidly connected to a sidestream anaerobic zone of the sidestream incubator. ### Claim 23 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, wherein the granule enhancing device is fluidly connected to one or more of an anoxic entry zone of the main processing circuit and an aerobic exit zone of the main processing circuit. ### Claim 24 A continuous flow granular sludge wastewater treatment system comprising: a main processing circuit comprising an entry zone, a processing zone, and an exit zone; a continuous flow sidestream incubator configured for processing granular sludge comprising: an inlet that receives return activated sludge (RAS) processed by the exit zone; a sidestream anoxic zone and a plurality of sidestream anaerobic zones in fluid communication with the sidestream anoxic zone, the sidestream anoxic zone and the plurality of sidestream anaerobic zones cooperating to process the RAS; a plurality of step pathways, each step pathway of the plurality of step pathways configured to receive a portion of the RAS from the sidestream anoxic zone and to feed the portion of the RAS to a sidestream anaerobic zone of the plurality of sidestream anaerobic zones; and an outlet that delivers the processed RAS to the entry zone. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The system of claim 24, wherein the sidestream anoxic zone is upstream of the plurality of sidestream anaerobic zones. ### Claim 26 (depends on 24) The system of claim 24, further comprising a granule enhancing device in fluid communication with the sidestream incubator, the granule enhancing device configured to mix or to apply shearing forces to the RAS to enhance granule formation.