US 5,707,528 AGranted

System and process for treating organic-contaminated aqueous waste streams

OwnerWilliam Wesley Berryinventor

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Abstract

A method and system for removing miscible organic compounds from contaminated water is disclosed. The system of the present invention comprises a polisher for filtering out trace amounts of suspended solids, a system of columns connected in series and containing an adsorbent to adsorb miscible organic compounds, a source of ozone, and a contact tower for contacting the contaminated water with the ozone such that the ozone decomposes the miscible organic compounds to produce water that is substantially free of miscible organic compounds. The present invention also comprises a method of rejuvenating the adsorbent in individual columns.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A method for removing miscible organic compounds from contaminated water, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing contaminated water which contains miscible organic compounds;
(b) feeding the contaminated water from said providing step (a) to a prefilter system which includes a polisher;
(c) filtering out suspended solids from the contaminated water in the polisher to produce polished water;
(d) feeding the polished water from said filtering step (c) to a system of columns which contain an adsorbent and are connected in series with a lead column and a tail column such that the polished water enters the system of columns through the lead column and exits through the tail column, said adsorbent being a block co-polymer that primarily adsorbs heavier miscible organic compounds from the polished water;
(e) adsorbing the miscible organic compounds from the polished water with the adsorbent in the columns to produce primary treated water in which the majority of the heavier organic compounds have been removed;
(f) providing a source of ozone;
(g) feeding the ozone from said providing step (f) to a contact tower;
(h) feeding the primary treated water from said adsorbing step (e) to a contact tower;
(i) decomposing the miscible organic compounds in the primary treated water with the ozone in the contact tower to produce secondary treated water that is substantially free of miscible organic compounds and suspended solids;
(j) discharging the secondary treated water from the contact tower;
(k) disconnecting the lead column of said feeding step (d) when the adsorbent in the lead column is about 75% to 80% exhausted;
(l) transferring the flow of polished water from the lead column in said disconnecting step (k) to the next column in the system of columns such that the next column becomes the lead column;
(m) connecting in series a column which contains fresh adsorbent to the tail column in said feeding step (d) such that the connected column becomes the tail column;
(n) providing a source of ozone and water;
(o) circulating said ozone and water in the lead column of said disconnecting step (k);
(p) removing the adsorbed organic compounds in said adsorbent with said ozone and water to rejuvenate said adsorbent in said column;
and,
(q) discharging said ozone and water with the decomposed miscible organic compounds from said column of said removing step (p) to produce a freshly rejuvenated adsorbent column.

15 more elements

A system for removing miscible organic compounds from contaminated water, comprising:

(a) a source of contaminated water containing miscible organic compounds;
(b) a prefilter system which includes a polisher for removing suspended solids from said contaminated water to produce polished water;
(c) means for communicating said contaminated water from said source of contaminated water to said prefilter system;
(d) a system of columns connected in series with a lead column and a tail column such that polished water enters said system through said lead column and exits through said tail column and containing an adsorbent for adsorbing miscible organic compounds from the polished water to produce primary treated water in which the majority of the heavier organic compounds have been removed, said adsorbent being a block co-polymer that primarily adsorbs heavier miscible organic compounds from the polished water;
(e) means for communicating the effluent of one said column as influent to the next said column connected in series;
(f) means for communicating the polished water from said prefilter system to said lead column;
(g) a source of ozone;
(h) a contact tower for contacting the primary treated water with the ozone such that the ozone decomposes the miscible organic compounds in the primary treated water, producing secondary treated water that is substantially free of miscible organic compounds;
(i) means for communicating ozone from said source of ozone to said contact tower;
(j) means for communicating said primary treated water from said tail column to said contact tower;
and,
(k) means for discharging said secondary treated water from said contact tower;
and,
(l) means for regenerating said adsorbent in said columns by contact with ozone provided from said source thereof.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A method for removing miscible organic compounds from contaminated water, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing contaminated water which contains miscible organic compounds;
(b) feeding the contaminated water from said providing step (a) to a prefilter system which includes a polisher;
(c) filtering out suspended solids from the contaminated water in the polisher to produce polished water;
(d) feeding the polished water from said filtering step (c) to a system of columns which contain an adsorbent and are connected in series with a lead column and a tail column such that the polished water enters the system of columns through the lead column and exits through the tail column, said adsorbent being a block co-polymer that primarily adsorbs heavier miscible organic compounds from the polished water;
(e) adsorbing the miscible organic compounds from the polished water with the adsorbent in the columns to produce primary treated water in which the majority of the heavier organic compounds have been removed;
(f) providing a source of ozone;
(g) feeding the ozone from said providing step (f) to a contact tower;
(h) feeding the primary treated water from said adsorbing step (e) to a contact tower;
(i) decomposing the miscible organic compounds in the primary treated water with the ozone in the contact tower to produce secondary treated water that is substantially free of miscible organic compounds and suspended solids;
(j) discharging the secondary treated water from the contact tower;
(k) disconnecting the lead column of said feeding step (d) when the adsorbent in the lead column is about 75% to 80% exhausted;
(l) transferring the flow of polished water from the lead column in said disconnecting step (k) to the next column in the system of columns such that the next column becomes the lead column;
(m) connecting in series a column which contains fresh adsorbent to the tail column in said feeding step (d) such that the connected column becomes the tail column;
(n) providing a source of ozone and water;
(o) circulating said ozone and water in the lead column of said disconnecting step (k);
(p) removing the adsorbed organic compounds in said adsorbent with said ozone and water to rejuvenate said adsorbent in said column;
and,
(q) discharging said ozone and water with the decomposed miscible organic compounds from said column of said removing step (p) to produce a freshly rejuvenated adsorbent column.

15 more elements