# US 11,993,526 B2 · Water treatment method and water treatment device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,993,526 B2 - Document ID: US11993526B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/965,215 - Filed: 2019-02-07 - Published: 2021-03-04 - Granted: 2024-05-28 - Earliest claimed: 2018-02-09 - Assignees: Organo Corporation - Applicants: Organo Corporation - Inventors: Masaki Miyake; Yoshiaki Hasebe - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11993526B2 ## CPC - C02F 3/302: {Nitrification and denitrification treatment (C02F3/308 takes precedence)} - C02F 3/006: {Regulation methods for biological treatment} - C02F 3/1263: {Sequencing batch reactors [SBR]} - C02F 3/301: {Aerobic and anaerobic treatment in the same reactor} - C02F 3/12: Activated sludge processes - C02F 2101/16: Nitrogen compounds, e.g. ammonia - C02F 2203/004: comprising a selector reactor for promoting floc-forming or other bacteria - C02F 2209/14: NH3-N - C02F 2209/15: N03-N - C02F 2209/22: O2 - C02F 2209/38: Gas flow rate - 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 The water treatment method is for treating water to be treated that contains organic matter and a nitrogen component, and includes, in a biological treatment device including at least an aerobic tank: a biological treating for biologically treating inflowing water to be treated aerobically by using sludge that contains granules; a solid-liquid separating for separating the biological treatment solution in the aerobic tank into treated water and concentrated sludge using a solid-liquid separation device; and a sludge returning for returning the concentrated sludge obtained in the solid-liquid separating to a stage before the biological treatment device. The concentration of ammonium nitrogen remaining due to the nitrification reaction in the aerobic tank is measured with an ammonium nitrogen concentration measurement device, and the amount of gas containing oxygen dispersed to the aerobic tank is controlled with a blower so that the measured ammonium nitrogen concentration is within a prescribed range. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A water treatment method for treating a water containing organic matter, phosphorus, and a nitrogen component, the method comprising: conducting, in a biological treatment device having at least an aerobic tank, an aerobic biological treatment of an inflow water using a sludge containing granules, performing a solid-liquid separation such that a mixed liquid of a treated water and sludge in the aerobic tank is separated into the treated water and a concentrated sludge, and returning the concentrated sludge obtained during the solid-liquid separating to upstream of the biological treatment device, wherein an ammonium nitrogen concentration remaining as a result of a nitrification reaction in the aerobic tank is measured by an ammonium nitrogen concentration measurement device installed in an outflow portion of the aerobic tank, and an aeration amount of an oxygen-containing gas introduced into the aerobic tank is controlled so that the measured ammonium nitrogen concentration is from 0.5 mgN/L to 5 mgN/L, so as to cause a nitrification reaction to occur on surfaces of the granules, and a denitrification reaction to proceed within an interior of the granules, wherein the granules are formed in a granule formation tank installed outside the biological treatment device, and are supplied from the granule formation tank to the biological treatment device, and wherein the aerobic tank is connected directly to a solid-liquid separation device, the solid-liquid separating being conducted in the solid-liquid separation device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The water treatment method according to claim 1, wherein the aeration amount of the oxygen-containing gas introduced into the aerobic tank is controlled so that the ammonium nitrogen concentration in the outflow portion of the aerobic tank falls within a range from at least 1 mgN/L to not more than 3 mgN/L. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The water treatment method according to claim 1, wherein a particle size of the granules is at least 200 μm, and a sludge concentration in the aerobic tank is at least 2,000 mg/L. ### Claim 4 A water treatment method for treating a water containing organic matter, phosphorus, and a nitrogen component, the method comprising: conducting, in a biological treatment device having at least an aerobic tank, an aerobic biological treatment of an inflow water using a sludge containing granules, performing a solid-liquid separation such that a mixed liquid of a treated water and sludge in the aerobic tank is separated into the treated water and a concentrated sludge, and returning the concentrated sludge obtained during the solid-liquid separating to upstream of the biological treatment device, wherein an ammonium nitrogen concentration remaining as a result of a nitrification reaction in the aerobic tank is measured by an ammonium nitrogen concentration measurement device installed in an outflow portion of the aerobic tank, and an aeration amount of an oxygen-containing gas introduced into the aerobic tank is controlled so that the measured ammonium nitrogen concentration is from 0.5 mgN/L to 5 mgN/L, so as to cause a nitrification reaction to occur on surfaces of the granules, and a denitrification reaction to proceed within an interior of the granules, wherein the granules are formed in a granule formation tank that is provided by partitioning off a portion of the aerobic tank, and are supplied from the granule formation tank to a portion of the biological treatment device where the aerobic biological treatment is conducted, and wherein the aerobic tank is connected directly to a solid-liquid separation device, the solid-liquid separating being conducted in the solid-liquid separation device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The water treatment method according to claim 1, wherein the granule formation tank is a sequencing batch reaction tank. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The water treatment method according to claim 1, wherein the ammonium nitrogen concentration remaining as a result of a nitrification reaction in the aerobic tank is measured by an ammonia measurement device installed at least in an end portion of the aerobic tank. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The water treatment method according to claim 6, wherein at least one water quality measurement unit selected from among an ammonium nitrogen concentration measurement unit, a dissolved oxygen measurement unit and a nitrate concentration measurement unit is installed in a location along a lengthwise direction that is different from the installation location of the ammonia measurement device, and the aeration amount of the oxygen-containing gas introduced into the aerobic tank is controlled so that a measured value from each of the at least one water quality measurement unit falls within a prescribed range. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The water treatment method according to claim 1, wherein a water depth of the biological treatment device containing the aerobic tank is 5 m or less. ### Claim 9 A water treatment device for treating a water containing organic matter, phosphorus, and a nitrogen component, the water treatment device comprising: a biological treatment device that contains at least an aerobic tank and an oxygen-containing gas supply unit for supplying an oxygen-containing gas to the aerobic tank, and is configured to conduct an aerobic biological treatment of an inflow water using a sludge containing granules, a solid-liquid separation device that is configured to perform a solid-liquid separation of a mixed liquid of a treated water and sludge in the aerobic tank into the treated water and a concentrated sludge, a sludge return unit that returns the concentrated sludge obtained in the solid-liquid separation device to upstream of the biological treatment device, an ammonium nitrogen concentration measurement unit that includes an ammonium nitrogen concentration measurement device installed in an outflow portion of the aerobic tank that measures an ammonium nitrogen concentration remaining as a result of a nitrification reaction in the aerobic tank, and a control unit that is configured to control an aeration amount of the oxygen-containing gas introduced into the aerobic tank so that an ammonium nitrogen concentration measured by the ammonium nitrogen concentration measurement unit is from 0.5 mgN/L to 5 mgN/L, so as to cause a nitrification reaction to occur on surfaces of the granules, and a denitrification reaction to proceed within an interior of the granules, wherein the aerobic tank is connected directly to the solid-liquid separation device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The water treatment device according to claim 9, wherein the control unit controls the aeration amount of the oxygen-containing gas introduced into the aerobic tank so that the ammonium nitrogen concentration in the outflow portion of the aerobic tank, measured using the ammonium nitrogen concentration measurement unit, falls within a range from at least 1 mgN/L to not more than 3 mgN/L. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The water treatment device according to claim 9, wherein a particle size of the granules is at least 200 μm, and a sludge concentration in the aerobic tank is at least 2,000 mg/L. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The water treatment device according to claim 9, wherein the granules are formed in a granule formation tank installed outside the biological treatment device, and are supplied from the granule formation tank to the biological treatment device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The water treatment device according to claim 9, wherein a portion of the aerobic tank is configured as a granule formation tank that is partitioned off from a portion of the biological treatment device where the aerobic biological treatment is conducted, and granules formed in the granule formation tank are supplied from the granule formation tank to the portion of the biological treatment device where the aerobic biological treatment is conducted. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The water treatment device according to claim 12, wherein the granule formation tank is a sequencing batch reaction tank. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The water treatment device according to claim 9, wherein the ammonium nitrogen concentration measurement unit is installed in an end portion of the aerobic tank. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The water treatment device according to claim 9, wherein at least one water quality measurement unit selected from among an ammonium nitrogen concentration measurement unit, a dissolved oxygen measurement unit and a nitrate concentration measurement unit is installed in a location along a lengthwise direction different from an installation location of the ammonium nitrogen concentration measurement unit, and an aeration amount of the oxygen-containing gas introduced into the aerobic tank is controlled so that a measured value from each of the at least one water quality measurement unit falls within a prescribed range. ### Claim 17 (depends on 9) The water treatment device according to claim 9, wherein a water depth of the biological treatment device containing the aerobic tank is 5 m or less.