US 8,282,826 B1 · Bacterial cultivation system for growth of substrate specific micro-organisms for use in industrial wastewater remediation

Abstract

A waste treatment method includes the concentration of selected strains of bacteria in a selected medium in the presence of nutrients and water, under aerobic conditions. This concentrated batch is discharged for downstream applications in wastewater remediation. A cultivation chamber having inlet ports and a circular vent port allows for adequate air introduction and heat release. Aeration is achieved by recirculation of the fluid medium from the top of the apparatus through a pipe that runs the length of the inner wall and is specially configured at the top to minimize cell damage. Fluid can be routed tangentially in clockwise and counterclockwise directions. The conical bottom has an orifice allowing for recirculation of the fluid medium tangentially to the sidewalls. Upon completion of the batch cultivation, the medium and bacteria are discharged for downstream applications in wastewater remediation of paper mill, chemical plant, oil refinery, and other industrial effluents.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of wastewater remediation of a volume of wastewater stored in a reservoir, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a vessel having an interior holding a volume of nutrient in liquid medium;
b) adding a volume of bacteria to the nutrient liquid medium;
c) providing a fluid transfer system that is in fluid communication with the vessel, the transfer system including an influent flow line, a pump and an effluent flow line;
d) for a first time interval, recirculating the combination of nutrient liquid and bacteria through a flow path that begins within the vessel interior and flows from the vessel via the effluent flow line to the pump, returning to the vessel interior via the influent flow line;
e) after the first time interval, transmitting a volume of the combination of nutrient liquid medium and bacterial to the reservoir;
and
f) wherein in step “d” the bacteria concentration increases to a concentrate of between about 1.0×107 to 1.0×1010 cfu (colony forming units) per milliliter (ml).

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Bacterial cultivation system for growth of substrate specific micro-organisms for use in industrial wastewater remediation

Life of this patent

Bacterial cultivation system for growth of substrate specific micro-organisms for use in industrial wastewater remediation

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20