Submerged ammonia removal system and method
AssigneeUniversity of Utah Research Foundation
InventorsKraig Johnson, Lawrence D. Reaveley, Youngik Choi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for reducing the content of ammonia in water provides a submerged surface having a growth of nitrifying bacteria thereon. An aeration system creates air bubbles that travel along the surface as they rise to create aerobic conditions on the surface, and to circulate the water along the surface to allow the nitrifying bacteria to remove ammonia from the water.
Claims18
A system for reducing the content of ammonia in a body of water, comprising:
- a continuously inclined surface configured to provide a continuous interaction of air bubbles against substantially an entire length of the inclined surface while traveling toward a top of the body of water, the continuously inclined surface being substantially submerged in the body of water, wherein substantially the entire surface is at an incline;
- a bio-film of nitrifying bacteria disposed on the surface;
- and
- an aeration system, couplable to an air supply system, configured to release air bubbles toward a bottom of the inclined surface, such that the air bubbles travel along the surface as they rise so as to (i) create aerobic conditions at the bio-film and (ii) engage the air bubbles in a continuous mixing action in a micro climate of the bio-film in response to an orientation of the continuously inclined surface.
A system for reducing the content of ammonia in wastewater, comprising:
- a continuously inclined surface,
- substantially submerged in the wastewater,
- wherein substantially the entire surface is is at an inclined orientation to provide a continuous interaction of air bubbles against substantially an entire length of the inclined surface,
- substantially shielded from sunlight, and
- having a bio-film of nitrifying bacteria thereon;
- and
- an aeration system, configured to release air bubbles at a lower extremity of the inclined surface, such that
- the air bubbles travel along the inclined surface as they rise to create aerobic conditions at the bio-film, and
- the wastewater is circulated along the inclined surface.
A method for reducing the content of ammonia in water, comprising the steps of:
- providing a submerged surface having a bio-film of nitrifying bacteria growing thereon;
- orienting substantially the entire submerged surface at a continuous incline in order to provide a continuous mixing action of air bubbles in a micro climate of the bio-film along substantially an entire length of the submerged surface in response to an orientation of the continuously inclined surface;
- creating air bubbles that travel along the surface as they rise to create aerobic conditions on the surface;
- contacting the water along the submerged surface to allow the nitrifying bacteria to remove ammonia from the water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.