Buoyant contact surfaces in waste treatment pond
AssigneeSolar Aquasystems, Inc.
InventorsSteven A. Serfling, Dominick Mendola
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wastewater treatment and reclamation system using natural ecological processes consisting of ponds; greenhouse pond cover; pollution-consuming, floating aquatic plants; high-surface-area, submerged, activated bio-web substrates for greatly increasing fixed bacterial film area and activity; aeration co-functioning with the bio-web substrate for accelerating bacterial metabolism and/or solar heat transfer, mixing and aerating the water body; and a polyculture of micro-invertebrates, fish and shellfish providing a balanced food chain for maximum removal and bio-concentration of nutrients and organics from the wastewater.
Claims13
A method for purifying polluted water comprising:
- flowing water to be purified into and through an earthened pond at a rate providing an average water residency of at least about 24 hours;
- suspending in said water a plurality of groups of bottom anchored flexible buoyant, non-biodegradable high-surface-area substrates maintaining an unobstructed water surface;
- each of said substrates being of elongated form and constructed to float upwardly from its anchor in a generally vertical orientation of its length with the majority of said substrates extending over at leas the majority of the depth of water in said pond;
- contacting suspended particulates in said water with said substrates to effect agglomeration and sedimentation of suspended particulates;
- and
- contacting the dissolved pollutants in said water with microorganisms on said substrates to effect bilogical uptake and metabolism of said dissolved pollutants and removal thereof form said water.
A water treatment system comprising an earthened pond and water therein;
- inlet means connected to said pond and adapted for connection to a source of polluted water for delivery of polluted water to said pond;
- water discharge means connected to said pond remote from said inlet means;
- said inlet and discharge means regulating the flow of water through said pond to provide a residence of water in said pond of at least 24 hours;
- a plurality of groups of high-surface-area substrates for supporting microorganisms distributed in said pond for traversing by water flowing therethrough, said substrates being of lighter than water and non-biodegradable material;
- a heavier than water anchor secured to one end of each substrate for support thereof on the bottom of said pond;
- and
- each of said substrates being of elongated form and constructed to float upwardly from said anchor in a generally vertical orientation of its length with the majority of said substrates extending over at least the majority of the depth of water in said pond.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.