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US 6,531,063 B1Granted
Zeolite bed leach septic system and method for wastewater treatment
OwnerJane Anne Roseinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A septic system and method for the removal of nitrogen contaminants, such as nitrates and ammonia, from a wastewater effluent. The system comprises one or more zeolite tanks which contain a regenerable, granulated zeolite material to receive wastewater effluent from a septic tank and to capture the nitrogen contaminants to provide a treated, decontaminated effluent to flow out of the tank into a leach field. The system includes a secondary treatment.tank to reduce suspended solids and the biological oxygen demand (BOD) of the wastewater effluent prior to introduction into the zeolite tank. The system also includes an ion sensor to monitor the ammonium ion concentration in the system and to signal the need to regenerate the zeolite tank with saline water.
Claims51
A septic system for the removal of nitrogen contaminants from septic wastewater effluent, which system comprises:
- a) a source of wastewater containing nitrogen contaminants;
- b) a septic tank- connected to said source of wastewater to receive such .wastewater and to provide a wastewater effluent from said septic tank;
- c) a secondary treatment means to receive the wastewater effluent, to reduce suspended solids in the wastewater effluent and to lower biological oxygen demand (BOD) and discharge a clarified wastewater;
- d) a zeolite tank means to receive the clarified wastewater and the tank means containing zeolite material selected to capture and.retain the nitrogen contaminants in the clarified wastewater and to provide a decontaminated wastewater effluent;
- e) a leach field means to receive the decontaminated wastewater effluent from the zeolite tank means;
- and
- f) a means to regenerate periodically, the zeolite material in the zeolite tank means, when the zeolite material can no longer substantially capture and retain the nitrogen contaminants.
4 more elements
A septic system for the removal of nitrogen contaminants from septic wastewater effluent, which system comprises:
- a) a source of wastewater containing nitrogen contaminants;
- b) a septic tank connected to said source of wastewater to receive such wastewater and to provide a wastewater effluent from said septic tank;
- c) a zeolite tank means to receive wastewater effluent from the septic tank and containing zeolite material selected to capture and retain the nitrogen contaminants in the wastewater effluent and to provide a decontaminated wastewater effluent;
- d) a leach field means to receive the treated wastewater effluent from the zeolite tank means;
- e) a means to regenerate periodically, the zeolite material in the zeolite tank means, when the zeolite material can no longer substantially capture the nitrogen contaminants;
- and
- f) a sensor means to detect the concentration of nitrogen contaminants in the decontaminated wastewater effluent, which sensor means provides a signal when the contamination rises above a selected concentration to activate the regeneration of the zeolite bed.
4 more elements
A septic system for the removal of nitrogen contaminants from septic wastewater effluent, which system comprises:
- a) a source of wastewater containing nitrogen contaminants;
- b) a septic tank connected to said source of wastewater to receive such wastewater and to provide a wastewater effluent from said septic tank;
- c) a zeolite tank means to receive wastewater effluent from the septic tank and containing zeolite material selected to capture and retain the nitrogen contaminants in the wastewater effluent and to provide a decontaminated wastewater effluent;
- d) a leach field means to receive the treated wastewater effluent from the zeolite tank means;
- and
- e) a means to regenerate periodically, the zeolite material in the zeolite tank means, when the zeolite material can no longer substantially capture the nitrogen contaminants, which means to regenerate includes:
- i) a rock salt bed;
- ii) an ammonium-saline waste holding tank to receive an ammonium-saline waste stream from the regeneration of the zeolite tank means;
- and
- iii) a means to distribute wastewater effluent through the rock salt bed and into the zeolite tank means and to discharge an ammonium-saline waste stream into the holding tank.
7 more elements
A method for the removal of nitrogen contaminants from a wastewater-treated effluent from a septic system, which method comprises:
- a) withdrawing a wastewater effluent containing nitrogen contaminants from a septic tank;
- b) treating the wastewater effluent to reduce suspended solids and to lower the biological oxygen demand (BOD);
- c) introducing the treated wastewater effluent into a zeolite tank, which zeolite tank contains zeolite material selected to capture and retain the nitrogen contaminants in the treated wastewater effluent;
- d) capturing and retaining, in the zeolite material, the nitrogen contaminants until the zeolite material has been substantially exhausted, to provide a decontaminated wastewater effluent;
- e) regenerating periodically, the zeolite material in the zeolite tank, by treating the zeolite material to displace the captured nitrogen contaminants from the zeolite material;
- and
- f) distributing the decontaminated waste effluent from the zeolite tank into a leach field for soil percolation.
4 more elements
A method for the removal of nitrogen contaminants from a wastewater treated effluent from a septic system, which method comprises:
- a) withdrawing a wastewater effluent from a septic tank;
- b) introducing the wastewater effluent into a zeolite tank, which zeolite tank contains zeolite material selected to capture and retain the nitrogen contaminants in the wastewater effluent;
- c) capturing and retaining, in the zeolite material, the nitrogen contaminants until the zeolite material has been substantially exhausted, to provide a decontaminated wastewater effluent;
- d) sensing the concentrations of the nitrogen contaminants and providing a sensing signal for regeneration of the zeolite material;
- e) regenerating periodically, the zeolite material in the zeolite tank by treating the zeolite material with a saline solution to displace the captured nitrogen contaminants from the zeolite material;
- and
- f) distributing the decontaminated waste effluent from the zeolite tank into a leach field for soil percolation.
4 more elements
A system for the removal of nitrogen contaminants from wastewater effluent, which system comprises:
- a) a source of wastewater containing nitrogen contaminants;
- b) a septic tank connected to said source of wastewater to receive such wastewater and to provide a wastewater effluent;
- c) a means to receive the wastewater effluent, to reduce suspended solids in the wastewater effluent, and to lower biological oxygen demand (BOD) and discharge a clarified wastewater;
- d) a means to receive the clarified wastewater, and which means having zeolite material selected to capture and retain the nitrogen contaminants in the clarified wastewater and to provide a decontaminated wastewater effluent;
- e) a means to receive the decontaminated wastewater effluent from the zeolite material;
- and
- f) a means to regenerate periodically the zeolite material when the zeolite material can no longer substantially capture and retain the nitrogen contaminants.
4 more elements
A system for the removal of nitrogen contaminants from wastewater effluent, which system comprises:
- a) a source of wastewater containing nitrogen contaminants;
- b) a septic tank connected to said source of wastewater to receive such wastewater and to provide a wastewater effluent;
- c) a means to receive the wastewater effluent, and the means comprises zeolite material selected to capture and retain the nitrogen contaminants in the wastewater effluent and to provide a decontaminated wastewater effluent;
- d) a means to receive the treated wastewater effluent from the zeolite material;
- e) a means to regenerate periodically the zeolite material when the zeolite material can no longer substantially capture the nitrogen contaminants;
- and
- f) a means to sense the concentration of nitrogen contaminants in the decontaminated wastewater effluent, which means provides a signal when the contamination reaches a selected concentration, to give notice of the need for regeneration of the zeolite material.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.