Water Treatment Process and Plant Using Ballasted Flocculation and Settling

A wastewater treatment system comprising:

• a. a flocculation tank provided with at least one agitator;
• b. a ballast inlet to direct ballast into the flocculation tank wherein the ballast is a granular material having adsorption properties, ion exchange properties, or molecule exchange properties;
• c. a flocculating agent inlet to direct flocculating agent into the flocculation tank;
• d. a settling tank having an outlet for treated water disposed downstream of the flocculation tank;
• e. an mixing tank having at least one agitator, the mixing tank disposed downstream from the settling tank;
• f. a separator for separating ballast and sludge from a sludge-ballast mixture;
• g. a first sensor to continuously measure the concentration of suspended solids, organic matter or other impurities in water to be treated disposed upstream from the flocculation tank;
• and
• h. at least one calculator to continuously analyze the measurements taken by the first sensor and determine the amount of ballast necessary to obtain the treated water of a predetermined quality.

A wastewater treatment system for treating water, comprising:

• a. a flocculation tank provided with at least one agitator;
• b. a ballast inlet for injecting ballast into the water to be treated;
• c. a flocculating agent inlet for injecting a flocculating agent into the water to be treated;
• d. wherein the wastewater treatment system mixes the ballast and flocculating agent with the water in the flocculating tank resulting in a water-floc mixture;
• e. a settling tank disposed downstream from the flocculating tank wherein a sludge-ballast mixture settles and wherein the settling tank produces treated water that is directed from the settling zone;
• and
• f. a separator for receiving the sludge-ballast mixture and separating ballast and sludge from the sludge-ballast mixture such that at least a portion of the ballast can be recycled and mixed with the water being treated.