Counterflow microbiological processes
OwnerBoris M. Khudenkoinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multistage biological treatment method receives material to be treated, and passes the material through multiple reactors. From each reactor some of the contents are removed and separated, and the biomass is moved into the previous stage while the material to be treated and metabolic products are moved into the succeeding stage. Thus, the predominant flow of the biomass is upstream and the predominant flow of the material to be treated in downstream. Preferably, alternate reactors are anaerobic, and alternate reactors are aerobic, so the material is alternately subjected to anaerobic, then aerobic, environments. The process can be improved by applying physical, physical-chemical, chemical, and biochemical actions to the treatment system.
Claims23
A method for the multi-stage biological treatment of an influent material, wherein the said influent material is processed in a plurality of sequential reactors having contents of mixed liquor, said method comprising the steps of:
- 1) dividing said mixed liquor in said reactor into two portions;
- 2) directing one of said portions for separating said mixed liquor into biomass and clarified water;
- 3) directing said clarified water separated from said biomass to at least one subsequent reactor;
- 4) directing more than an excess of said biomass separated from said clarified water to a previous reactor;
- and
- 5) directing the other portion of said mixed liquor from step 1) to a subsequent reactor,
- wherein in the first reactor, the said separated biomass, limited to excess biomass, is discharged, and in the last reactor, the entire amount of the said mixed liquor is separated into biomass and clarified water and the biomass is directed to a previous reactor, whereby a counterflow is established with the predominant flow of said mixed liquor being downstream and the predominant flow of said biomass being upstream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.