Removal of selenium in contaminated wastewater streams
AssigneeApplied Process Technology, Inc.
InventorsCharles Borg, David Friese, Tyze-Kuan Tim Yin
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Abstract
Compositions and methods for the removal of selenium species from water containing high-salt concentrations and/or petroleum contaminants are described. The compositions and methods use a selenium-reducing microorganism adapted to adverse environments.
Claims31
A method for removing selenium species from high-salt waters, comprising
- contacting high-salt water with at least one selenium reducing bacteria capable of growing in high-salt water in the presence of dissolved hydrogen and an organic carbon source, said contacting forming a reduced selenium species, and
- separating the water from the reduced selenium species.
A method for selecting a selenium-reducing, high-salt-tolerant microorganism, comprising:
- (a) growing a naturally-occurring selenium-reducing bacteria under low salt conditions,
- (b) iteratively increasing the salt concentration while maintaining a biofilm, and
- (c) recovering the selenium-reducing bacteria that grow under high-salt conditions.
A business method, comprising:
- obtaining high-salt wastewater from a customer,
- removing selenium from the water using selenium-reducing, high-salt tolerant bacteria,
- returning high-salt, selenium-depleted water to the customer for reuse, and
- charging the customer a price.
A method for removing selenium species from petroleum-contaminated water, comprising
- contacting petroleum-contaminated water with at least one selenium reducing bacteria capable of growing in petroleum-contaminated water in the presence of dissolved hydrogen and an organic carbon source, said contacting forming a reduced selenium species, and
- separating the water from the reduced selenium species.
A method for selecting a selenium-reducing, petroleum contaminant-tolerant microorganism, comprising:
- (a) growing a naturally-occurring selenium-reducing bacteria under conditions of low petroleum contamination,
- (b) iteratively increasing the amount of at least one petroleum contamination while maintaining a biofilm, and
- (c) recovering the selenium-reducing bacteria that grow under conditions of petroleum contamination.
A business method, comprising:
- obtaining petroleum contaminated wastewater from a customer,
- removing selenium from the water using selenium-reducing, petroleum contamination tolerant bacteria,
- returning petroleum contaminated, selenium-depleted water to the customer for reuse, and
- charging the customer a price.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.