Assemblies and methods for treating wastewater

Abstract

An assembly for treating wastewater may include a vessel having an inlet configured to direct wastewater into the vessel and an outlet configured to direct treated water out of the vessel. The inlet and the outlet are generally disposed at opposite ends of the longitudinal dimension of the vessel such that the wastewater generally flows in the longitudinal direction. The assembly includes at least one mass of loose fibre matrix removably inserted into the vessel. The at least one mass of loose fibre matrix extends substantially across a width dimension of the vessel, wherein the width dimension is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension. The mass of loose fibre matrix supports the growth of a biofilm-coated matrix that permits the flow of wastewater through the mass of loose fibre matrix. The vessel and the mass of loose fibre matrix are sized and arranged such that the wastewater is exposed to the biofilm-coated matrix for a time sufficient to remove a desired metal from the wastewater.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.