Systems and processes for treatment of high total dissolved solids wastewater

A treatment system comprising:

• a source of wastewater comprising a chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration and a total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration of at least 10 g/L therein;
• a wet air oxidation unit in fluid communication with the source and configured to remove an amount of COD from the wastewater and generate a first treated stream comprising a first reduced COD concentration relative to the wastewater and the TDS concentration of at least 10 g/L;
• and
• a bioreactor downstream of and in fluid communication with the wet air oxidation unit, wherein the bioreactor comprises an amount of biomass and powdered activated carbon therein, and wherein the bioreactor is configured to remove further COD from the first treated stream and generate a second treated stream comprising at least a second reduced COD concentration relative to the first treated stream.

A treatment process for wastewater comprising a chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration and a total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration therein, the process comprising:

• (a) directing the wastewater to a wet oxidation unit for oxidation of oxidizable contaminants therein, thereby producing a first treated stream comprising a first reduced COD concentration and the total dissolved solids concentration;
• (b) diluting the first treated stream with a dilution fluid generated from a brine concentration process, wherein the dilution fluid from the brine concentration process comprises a lower total dissolved solids concentration relative to the first treated stream, thereby producing a diluted first treated stream with a reduced total dissolved solids concentration relative to the wastewater;
• and
• (c) directing the diluted first treated stream to a biological treatment process, wherein the biological treatment process comprises contacting the wastewater with an amount of a biological material and an activated carbon material to generate a second treated stream comprising a second reduced COD concentration with the reduced total dissolved solids concentration.

A treatment system for wastewater comprising a chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration and a total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration therein, the system comprising:

• a source of the wastewater;
• a wet air oxidation unit in fluid communication with the source configured to oxidize oxidizable contaminants therein and produce a first treated stream comprising a first reduced COD concentration and the TDS concentration;
• a bioreactor in fluid communication with the wet air oxidation unit via a fluid line, the bioreactor comprising a biomass and powdered activated carbon therein and configured to generate a second treated stream comprising a second reduced COD concentration;
• and
• a brine concentrator in fluid communication with the bioreactor and the fluid line, the brine concentrator configured to generate a dilution fluid having a lower TDS concentration relative to the first treated stream, the brine concentrator further configured to deliver the dilution fluid generated by the brine concentrator to the fluid line between the wet air oxidation unit and the bioreactor to produce a diluted first treated stream.