Apparatus for wastewater treatment
AssigneePEC Research, Inc.
InventorDonald M. Stearns
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process for treating wastewater containing insoluble solid waste material and soluble solid waste material including the following series of steps: (1) controlling the oxygen content of the wastewater to a level at which growth of anaerobic bacteria is substantially eliminated, (2) separating the insoluble solid waste material from the wastewater, (3) treating the soluble solid material in the wastewater with a predetermined amount of aerobic bacteria, and (4) reducing the amount of aerobic bacteria in the wastewater. The insoluble solid waste material separated from the wastewater can be burned to produce electrical energy. Apparatus for carrying out the process are also disclosed.
Claims9
An apparatus for treating wastewater flowing through said apparatus, said wastewater containing insoluble solid waste material and soluble solid waste material, comprising:
- means for collecting and transmitting said wastewater;
- oxygenator means for controlling the oxygen content of said wastewater in said means for collecting and transmitting to a level at which growth of anaerobic bacteria is substantially eliminated;
- separating means for separating said insoluble solid waste material from said wastewater, said separating means being downstream of and operably connected to said means for collecting and transmitting;
- treatment means for treating said soluble solid material in said wastewater with a predetermined amount of aerobic bacteria, said treatment means being downstream of and operably connected to said separating means, and being downstream of said means for collecting and transmitting;
- and
- bacteria reduction means for reducing the amount of aerobic bacteria in said wastewater, said bacteria reduction means being downstream of and operably connected to said treatment means.
An apparatus for separating solid material having a plurality of different densities from a mixture containing liquid material and said solid materials, comprising:
- a hollow, substantially vertical column through which said mixture may flow;
- an inlet for said mixture positioned at a lower section of said column;
- means for disbursing a gas in said liquid material entering said column;
- means for adding paper fiber to said mixture entering said column;
- and
- means for controlling the rate of upward flow of said mixture containing said gas disbursed therein and said paper fiber through said column;
- whereby solid material having a higher density is collected at a lower portion of said column and separate from said liquid material and solid material having a lower density attaches to rising gas bubbles and is collected at an upper portion of said column separated from said liquid material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.