Method and composition for clarifying waste water
AssigneeAMCOL International Corporation
InventorLaura Kajita
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Abstract
A chemical composition and method for treating oil-contaminated waste waters, and, more particularly, waste waters in the form of oily emulsions that may also contain dissolved metal ions, and/or metal solids, to sorb (adsorb and/or absorb) the contaminants between and within platelets of sodium bentonite clay particles, and calcium bentonite clay particles, and the contaminants are encapsulated or trapped in a matrix of calcium bentonite platelets and sodium bentonite platelets that are flocculated by a flocculant, such as a cationic polymer, so that leaching of contaminants into the waste water, or subsequently into a liquid portion of a landfill, is unexpectedly reduced.
Claims28
A method of manufacturing a composition for the treatment of contaminated waste water comprising sodium bentonite, and calcium bentonite for absorption and encapsulation of a contaminant selected from the group consisting of oil, grease, metals and mixtures thereof, said composition including an acid for lowering the pH of the waste water and break oily emulsions, said method comprising:
- extruding a portion of the composition comprising the calcium bentonite and the acid, at a moisture content in the range of about 20% to about 45% by weight, to bind the acid to the calcium bentonite and prevent substantial reaction of the acid with the sodium bentonite;
- maintaining the sodium bentonite in a separate composition portion, separate from the acid and calcium bentonite during extrusion of the calcium bentonite and the acid so that the sodium bentonite is not extruded with the acid;
- pulverizing the extruded calcium bentonite to a desired powdered or granular particle size distribution;
- and
- combining the sodium bentonite with the calcium bentonite and the acid to form the composition.
A method in accordance with claim wherein the composition further includes a flocculating agent selected from the group consisting of a polymeric flocculant, activated carbon, talc, aluminum sulfate, ferric sulfate, and mixtures thereof.
A method in accordance with wherein the composition portions are combined after extruding and pulverizing both portions separately.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.