Method, system, and composition of matter for reducing toxic mercury in wastewater effluent

A system for reducing toxic mercury in wastewater effluent, the system comprising:

• an inlet through which the wastewater effluent is introduced into the system;
• an outlet through which the wastewater effluent leaves the system;
• a vessel positioned between the inlet and the outlet, wherein the vessel contains a treatment composition comprising a solution including a surfactant, digestive microbes suspended in the solution, and mercury-transformative microbes suspended in the solution;
• and
• a biological capture medium positioned within the vessel, the biological capture medium configured to provide a capture point for microbes to adhere to and create biofilms.

A dental evacuation system, comprising:

• an aspirator through which wastewater effluent is introduced into the dental evacuation system;
• an outlet through which the wastewater effluent leaves the dental evacuation system;
• a vessel positioned between the aspirator and the outlet;
• and
• a biological capture medium positioned within the vessel, the biological capture medium configured to provide a capture point for digestive microbes and mercury-transformative microbes to adhere to and create biofilms;
• wherein the digestive microbes reduce organic foul within the wastewater effluent, and the mercury-transformative microbes transform mercuric chloride ions (Hg+2) within the wastewater effluent into inert (Hg0).

A method for reducing toxic mercury in wastewater effluent, comprising the steps of:

• identifying a system into which wastewater effluent is introduced, the wastewater effluent including organic compounds and organomercurial compounds;
• producing a treatment composition comprising a solution including a surfactant, digestive microbes suspended in the solution, and mercury-transformative microbes suspended in the solution;
• and
• providing the treatment composition into the system containing the wastewater effluent, such that the digestive microbes degrade the organic compounds in the wastewater effluent, and the mercury-transformative microbes reduce the organomercurial compounds in the wastewater effluent into nontoxic volatile elemental mercury.

A composition of matter for reducing toxic mercury in wastewater effluent, the composition comprising:

• digestive microbes that reduce organic foul within the wastewater effluent;
• mercury-transformative microbes that produce mercuric reductase and organomercurial lyase, the mercury-transformative microbes having been introduced to low levels of methyl chloride within a growth medium such that merA and merB genes are expressed in reproduced microbes;
• and
• a solution including a surfactant;
• wherein the digestive microbes and the mercury-transformative microbes are suspended in the solution.