Method for processing aluminum-based drinking water treatment residuals to generate a green-engineered mulch for removing stormwater pollutants
AssigneeThe Trustees of the Stevens Institute of Technology
InventorsDibyendu Sarkar, Viravid Na Nagara, Rupali Datta
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Abstract
A green-engineered mulch product and methods for making same are disclosed. The mulch product includes a coating of aluminum-based water treatment residuals which makes the product “green.” Furthermore, coating aluminum-based water treatment residuals on mulch eliminates the problem of the low hydraulic conductivity of aluminum-based water treatment residuals and makes it feasible to utilize its pollutant removal potential without requiring any modification to existing best management practices or additional maintenance.
Claims41
A method for preparing a green product capable of removing contaminants from stormwater, comprising the steps of:
- grinding aluminum-based water treatment residuals into a powder, which comprises ground aluminum-based water treatment residuals;
- mixing said powder with a biopolymer solution, thereby creating a coating solution;
- coating mulch chips with said coating solution, thereby creating coated mulch chips;
- and
- adding said coated mulch chips into an ionic crosslinker, thereby creating said green product.
A coating adapted for application to mulch chips and the like, comprising a biopolymer;
- ground aluminum-based water treatment residuals;
- and an ionic crosslinker binding said biopolymer and said ground aluminum-based water treatment residuals together.
In combination:
- mulch chips;
- and a coating applied to said mulch chips, said coating comprising a biopolymer, ground aluminum-based water treatment residuals and an ionic crosslinker.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.