Method for treating a waste stream using photosynthetic microorganisms
AssigneesBiotechna Environmental International, Ltd., Howard M. Wexler
InventorsHoward M. Wexler, Joseph F. Startari
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to a method for treating a waste stream by contacting the waste stream sequentially with a consortium of prokaryotic microorganisms, preferably purple non-sulfur bacteria, followed by a the green algae Chlorella. The consortium of prokaryotic microorganisms assimilate a first portion of the wastes, and the green algae assimilate the remaining portion of the wastes to produce a substantially purified effluent stream. The process of the present invention preferably includes a photobioreactor in order to increase the amount of light made available to the photosynthetic microorganisms, and result in improved uptake of waste materials from the waste stream.
Claims39
A method for treating a waste stream containing organic and inorganic wastes, comprising the steps of:
- (a) contacting a waste stream comprising organic and inorganic wastes with a first mixture of microorganisms comprising one or more photosynthetic prokaryotic organisms under controlled process conditions and in the presence of light in at least one first reaction vessel, said first reaction vessel in fluid communication with at least one first photobioreactor, wherein a first portion of said wastes is assimilated by said first mixture of microorganisms to produce a partially purified waste stream comprising said first mixture of microorganisms and a second portion of said wastes;
- (b) removing said first mixture of microorganisms from said partially purified waste stream to produce an isolated first mixture of microorganisms and a partially purified effluent stream containing said second portion of said wastes;
- (c) transferring said partially purified effluent stream from said at least one first reaction vessel to at least one second reaction vessel;
- (d) contacting said partially purified effluent stream with a second mixture of microorganisms comprising algae under controlled process conditions and in the presence of light in said at least one second reaction vessel, said second reaction vessel in fluid communication with at least one second photobioreactor, wherein substantially all of said second portion of said wastes is assimilated by said second mixture of microorganisms to produce a substantially purified waste stream comprising said second mixture of microorganisms and a substantially purified effluent;
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- (e) removing said second mixture of microorganisms from said substantially purified waste stream to produce an isolated second mixture of microorganisms and said substantially purified effluent.
A method for treating a waste stream containing organic and inorganic wastes, comprising the steps of:
- (a) contacting a waste stream comprising organic and inorganic wastes with a first mixture of microorganisms comprising one or more photosynthetic prokaryotic organisms under controlled process conditions and in the presence of light in at least one first photobioreactor, wherein a first portion of said wastes is assimilated by said first mixture of microorganisms to produce a partially purified waste stream comprising said first mixture of microorganisms and a second portion of said wastes;
- (b) removing said first mixture of microorganisms from said partially purified waste stream to produce an isolated first mixture of microorganisms and a partially purified effluent stream containing said second portion of said wastes;
- (c) transferring said partially purified effluent stream from said at least one first photobioreactor to at least one second photobioreactor;
- (d) contacting said partially purified effluent stream with a second mixture of microorganisms comprising algae under controlled process conditions and in the presence of light in said at least one second photobioreactor, wherein substantially all of said second portion of said wastes is assimilated by said second mixture of microorganisms to produce a substantially purified waste stream comprising said second mixture of microorganisms and a substantially purified effluent;
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- (e) removing said second mixture of microorganisms from said substantially purified waste stream to produce an isolated second mixture of microorganisms and said substantially purified effluent.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.