Apparatus and method for removing mercury and mercuric compounds from dental effluents
AssigneeADA Technologies, Inc.
InventorsJason Albiston, Craig S. Turchi, Allan Carlson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention is directed to processes for removing a contaminant from dental effluents and includes transporting a three-phase effluent through a suction line into a particle collection vessel, introducing a suction line cleaning solution which includes a reagent into the suction line, and introducing the three phase effluent and the line cleaning solution into the collection vessel, wherein the effluent separates into solid. liquid, and gas phases in the collection vessel and the reagent includes a flocculant and/or a precipitant. and removing the gaseous and liquid phases from the collection vessel. The contaminant includes mercury. lead. and arsenic.
Claims29
A process for removing a contaminant from a three-phase dental effluent, comprising:
- transporting a three-phase effluent from dental work on a patient through a suction line into a collection vessel, wherein the effluent comprises one or more contaminants;
- contacting a liquid phase of the three-phase effluent with at least one reagent;
- introducing the three-phase effluent into the collection vessel, wherein the three-phase effluent separates into a solid phase, the liquid phase, and a gas phase in the collection vessel and the at least one reagent comprises at least one of an agglomerating agent and a precipitating agent to improve the collection efficiency for one or more contaminants;
- removing the gas phase from the collection vessel;
- and
- removing the liquid phase from the collection vessel, wherein the at least one reagent is contained in a line cleaning solution and wherein the line cleaning solution is introduced into the suction line in the contacting step.
A process for removing a contaminant from a three-phase dental effluent, comprising:
- transporting a three-phase effluent from dental work on a patient through a suction line into a collection vessel, wherein the effluent comprises one or more contaminants;
- contacting a liquid phase of the three-phase effluent with at least one reagent, wherein the at least one reagent comprises a reducing agent to reduce oxidized forms of mercury to elemental mercury;
- after the contacting step, maintaining an oxidation-reduction potential Eh of a liquid phase of the effluent to no more than about 0.38 Volts;
- introducing the three-phase effluent into the collection vessel, wherein the three-phase effluent separates into a solid phase, the liquid phase, and a gas phase in the collection vessel;
- removing the gas phase from the collection vessel;
- and
- removing the liquid phase from the collection vessel, wherein the at least one reagent is contained in a line cleaning solution and wherein the line cleaning solution is introduced into the suction line in the contacting step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.