Wastewater photo biomass/algae treatment method
AssigneeEarth Renaissance Technologies, LLC
InventorsMarcus G. Theodore, Larry P. Wardle
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A treatment method for wastewater employing sulfur dioxide and lime chemical dewatering technology in conjunction with an environmental photo biomass/algae biological treatment system growing photo biomass/algae to reduce dissolved solids, heavy metals, and ammonia in the wastewater to produce recovered treated wastewater for vegetation consumption, biofuel feedstock, and biofuel and carbon credits.
Claims19
A treatment method for a wastewater stream containing solids and liquids with organic and macronutrients suitable for growth of plants, algae, and photo biomass, comprising:
- a. injecting sulfur dioxide into the wastewater stream
- b. holding the sulfur dioxide-treated wastewater stream for the dwell time required to partially agglomerate wastewater solids, acid leach any heavy metals from the solids into wastewater stream liquids, and disinfect the wastewater stream liquids,
- c. separating solids for disposal or reuse from the sulfur dioxide-treated wastewater stream liquids,
- d. pH adjusting the sulfur dioxide-treated wastewater liquids to reduce the biocidal properties of any free SO2, bi-sulfite, and sulfite and provide a pH required for environmental biological treatment, and
- e. passing the pH adjusted sulfur dioxide-treated wastewater liquids through an environmental biological system to grow unicellular and multicellular photoautotrophic, mixotrophic and paraphyletic and polyphyletic forms, and photobiomass including seaweeds, and cyanobacteria and photosynthetic bacteria as well as aqueous photosynthetic plants suitable for consuming nutrients from wastewater and use as a biofuel feedstock for separation and reuse, and reduce dissolved solids, heavy metals, nutrients, phosphorus and ammonia compounds in the wastewater liquids to provide recovered treated wastewater for reuse.
A treatment method for wastewater stream inflows entering a wastewater treatment plant or treated wastewater streams resulting from a wastewater treatment plant's processing steps containing solids and liquids with organic and macronutrients suitable for growth of plants, algae, and photo biomass, comprising:
- a. injecting sulfur dioxide into the wastewater stream inflows or treated wastewater streams resulting from a wastewater treatment plant's processing steps,
- b. holding the sulfur dioxide-treated wastewater inflows and streams for the dwell time required to partially agglomerate wastewater solids, acid leach any heavy metals from the solids into the wastewater stream liquids, and disinfect the wastewater stream liquids,
- c. separating solids for disposal or reuse from the sulfur dioxide-treated wastewater stream liquids,
- d. pH adjusting the sulfur dioxide-treated wastewater liquids with calcium oxide or lime to adjust the calcium levels in recovered treated wastewater to meet soil SAR conditions for land application to raise vegetation and reduce the biocidal properties of any free SO2, bi-sulfite, and sulfite and provide a pH required for environmental photo biomass/algae biological treatment, and
- e. passing the pH adjusted sulfur dioxide-treated wastewater liquids through an environmental biological system to grow unicellular and multicellular photoautotrophic, mixotrophic and paraphyletic and polyphyletic forms, and photobiomass including seaweeds, and cyanobacteria and photosynthetic bacteria as well as aqueous photosynthetic plants for separation and reuse, and reduce dissolved solids, heavy metals, nutrients, and phosphorous and ammonia compounds in the wastewater liquids to provide recovered treated wastewater for reuse.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.