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US 2019/0375662 A1Published application
Systems and methods for treating wastewater
AssigneeRegents of the University of Minnesota
InventorsPaige Novak, Santiago Romero-Vargas Castrillon, Anndee Huff, Marc A. Hillmyer, Michael Tsapatsis
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates to wastewater treatment systems for attracting and retaining anaerobic ammonia oxidizing (anammox) bacteria, methods of treating wastewater using such wastewater treatment systems, and the like.
Claims20
A wastewater treatment system for attracting and retaining anammox bacteria, the system comprising:
- a plurality of elongated air-permeable hollow fiber membranes spaced apart and assembled into an array, each having a proximal end mounted to a header and an unmounted distal end freely extending therefrom, and
- a plurality of zeolite particles provided on the surface of each of the plurality of elongated air-permeable hollow fiber membranes,
- wherein the plurality of elongated air-permeable hollow fiber membranes is adapted to controllably deliver air to bacteria that generate nitrite and the plurality of zeolite particles is selected to preferentially adsorb ammonium from wastewater, wherein the system attracts and retains anammox bacteria by concentrating, on the surface of the elongated air-permeable hollow fiber membranes, the ammonium and nitrite for use by the anammox bacteria.
A wastewater treatment system for selectively attracting and retaining anammox bacteria, the system comprising:
- a plurality of hard polymer pieces capable of being suspended in a mixed-liquid system, and
- a plurality of zeolite particles provided on the surface of each of the plurality of hard polymer pieces,
- wherein the plurality of hard polymer pieces is adapted to promote biofilm growth and retention of one or more of anammox bacteria, AOB, and AOA, and the plurality of zeolite particles is selected to preferentially adsorb ammonium from wastewater,
- wherein the system attracts and retains anammox bacteria by concentrating, on the surface of the hard polymer pieces, ammonium for use by the anammox bacteria.
1 more element
A method of treating wastewater, comprising:
- contacting a wastewater treatment system with an influent wastewater stream containing at least ammonia, wherein the wastewater treatment system includes a plurality of zeolite particles provided on the surface of an air-permeable membrane and is configured to attract and retain anammox bacteria for oxidation of ammonium to dinitrogen gas;
- and
- recovering an exit stream with less total nitrogen content than the influent wastewater stream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.