Continuous Batch Reactor, System, and Process for Treatment of Metal-Contaminated Fluids
AssigneeBattelle Memorial Institute
InventorHenry O. Pate
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fluid treatment device, system, and process are described that provide a filtered, metal-depleted (treated) fluid. The system includes two pairs of tanks that are piped and valved to allow one pair to fill/react while the other pair decants/discharges, which provides a continuous flow of metal-depleted (treated) fluid. Power requirements are minimal since fluid is pumped at a low head pressure. The design has applications in the potable water, industrial, mining, chemical and environmental sectors.
Claims16
A fluid treatment system for removing metals from a metal-contaminated fluids, said system comprising:
- a reactor tank defining a reactor chamber that has a top and a bottom, a reactor inlet and a reactor outlet, said reactor inlet is positioned closer to said bottom than said reactor outlet;
- and
- a preselected quantity of a predetermined metal-selective sorbent located within said reactor tank;
- whereby a preselected volume of a metal-contaminated fluid passes into said reactor chamber through said inlet generally uniformly dispersing and mixing with said metal-selective sorbent, said metal-selective sorbent selectively binds to metals in said fluid and settles toward the bottom of said chamber and a treated fluid that has had the metals removes remains closer to the top of the reactor tank where it can be evacuated through said outlet.
A method for removing metals from a metal-contaminated fluid, characterized by the steps of:
- mixing said metal-contaminated fluid with a preselected quantity of a metal-selective sorbent to form a dispersed metal sorbent fluid mixture;
- wherein said sorbent binds with selected metals within said metal-contaminated fluid;
- and
- separating said sorbent from said dispersed metal sorbent fluid mixture to form a treated fluid that is metal depleted.
A fluid treatment system for removing metals from a metal-contaminated fluids, said system comprising:
- pairs of reactor tanks and filter tanks operatively interconnected to provide a stream of treated fluid;
- each of said reactor tanks defines a reactor chamber that has a top and a bottom, an inlet and an outlet, said inlet is positioned closer to said bottom than said outlet;
- and a preselected quantity of a predetermined metal-selective sorbent located within said reactor tank;
- whereby a preselected volume of a metal-contaminated fluid passes into said reactor chamber through said inlet generally uniformly dispersing and mixing with said metal selective sorbent, said selective metal sorbent selectively binds to metals in said fluid and settles toward the bottom of said chamber and a treated fluid that has had the metals removed remains closer to the top of the reactor tank where it can be evacuated through said outlet;
- each of said reactor tanks is operatively connected to a filter tank, each of said filter tanks has a filter tank inlet, a filter tank outlet, a top and a bottom;
- said filter tank defines a filter chamber;
- and a filter insert positioned within said filter chamber, said filter insert defines a filter portion and flow channel within said filter chamber;
- whereby treated fluids from said reactor tank outlet are passed into said filter tank inlet and through said filter portion wherein sorbent fines are collected, and filtered treated fluids pass into said flow channel and out of said filter tank through said outlet to at least one subsequent set of reactor and filter tanks that provides a progressive and stepped removal of metals from said treated fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.