Back to results
US 8,784,660 B2Granted
Method for the remediation of water generated from natural resource production operations
AssigneeSam Houston State University
InventorsR. Gavin Jones, Phillip Grisham, Kenneth Wilson, Sabin Holland, Michael D. Rainone
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In some embodiments, a wastewater treatment system may reduce contaminants in water. A system may include one or more bioreactors which include a substrate that supports a biofilm. The bacteria used to form the biofilm may be selected to maximize the reduction of contaminants in water. Various components of the wastewater treatment system may be optimized to improve the efficiency and energy consumption of the wastewater system.
Claims90
A method of removing one or more inorganic salts from wastewater produced from a drilling site, the method comprising:
- collecting wastewater produced from a drilling site;
- introducing, into a bioreactor, the wastewater from the drilling site, wherein the bioreactor comprises one or more substrates and one or more bacteria coupled to the substrate, wherein one or more of the bacteria are capable of reducing the concentration of inorganic salts in water comprising at least 0.5% by weight of one or more inorganic salts;
- contacting the wastewater from the drilling site with the bacteria in the bioreactor;
- and
- removing at least a portion of the contacted water from the bioreactor, wherein the concentration of one or more inorganic salts in the removed portion of the contacted water is less than the initial concentration of one or more inorganic salts in the wastewater from the drilling site;
- wherein one or more of the bioreactors further comprise an oxygen inlet conduit and a diffuser coupled to the oxygen inlet conduit, wherein the method further comprises passing oxygen through the oxygen inlet conduit into the diffuser and through the diffuser into the bioreactor.
3 more elements
A method of removing one or more inorganic salts from wastewater produced from a hydraulic fracturing site, the method comprising:
- collecting wastewater produced from the hydraulic fracturing site;
- introducing, into a bioreactor, the wastewater from the hydraulic fracturing site, wherein the bioreactor comprises one or more substrates and one or more bacteria coupled to the substrate, wherein one or more of the bacteria are capable of reducing the concentration of inorganic salts in water comprising at least 0.5% by weight of one or more inorganic salts;
- contacting the wastewater from the hydraulic fracturing site with the bacteria coupled to the substrate;
- and
- removing at least a portion of the contacted water from the bioreactor, wherein the concentration of one or more inorganic salts in the removed portion of the contacted water is less than the initial concentration of one or more inorganic salts in the wastewater from the hydraulic fracturing site;
- wherein one or more of the bioreactors further comprise an oxygen inlet conduit and a diffuser coupled to the oxygen inlet conduit, wherein the method further comprises passing oxygen through the oxygen inlet conduit into the diffuser and through the diffuser into the bioreactor.
3 more elements
A method of removing one or more inorganic salts from wastewater produced from a mining site, the method comprising:
- collecting wastewater produced from the mining site;
- introducing, into a bioreactor, the wastewater produced from the mining site, wherein the bioreactor comprises one or more substrates and one or more bacteria coupled to the substrate, wherein one or more of the bacteria are capable of reducing the concentration of inorganic salts in water comprising at least 0.5% by weight of one or more inorganic salts;
- contacting the wastewater produced from the mining site with the bacteria coupled to the substrate;
- and
- removing at least a portion of the contacted water from the bioreactor, wherein the concentration of one or more inorganic salts in the removed portion of the contacted water is less than the initial concentration of one or more inorganic salts in the wastewater produced from the mining site;
- wherein one or more of the bioreactors further comprise an oxygen inlet conduit and a diffuser coupled to the oxygen inlet conduit, wherein the method further comprises passing oxygen through the oxygen inlet conduit into the diffuser and through the diffuser into the bioreactor.
3 more elements
A method of removing one or more inorganic salts from wastewater produced from a drilling site, the method comprising:
- collecting wastewater produced from a drilling site;
- introducing, into a bioreactor, the wastewater from the drilling site, wherein the bioreactor comprises one or more substrates and one or more bacteria coupled to the substrate, wherein one or more of the bacteria are capable of reducing the concentration of inorganic salts in water comprising at least 0.5% by weight of one or more inorganic salts;
- contacting the wastewater from the drilling site with the bacteria in the bioreactor;
- and
- removing at least a portion of the contacted water from the bioreactor, wherein the concentration of one or more inorganic salts in the removed portion of the contacted water is less than the initial concentration of one or more inorganic salts in the wastewater from the drilling site;
- wherein one or more of the bacteria comprise primary adherer bacteria that couple to the substrate and secondary bacteria which couple to the primary adherer bacteria to form a biofilm.
3 more elements
A method of removing one or more inorganic salts from wastewater produced from a hydraulic fracturing site, the method comprising:
- collecting wastewater produced from the hydraulic fracturing site;
- introducing, into a bioreactor, the wastewater from the hydraulic fracturing site, wherein the bioreactor comprises one or more substrates and one or more bacteria coupled to the substrate, wherein one or more of the bacteria are capable of reducing the concentration of inorganic salts in water comprising at least 0.5% by weight of one or more inorganic salts;
- contacting the wastewater from the hydraulic fracturing site with the bacteria coupled to the substrate;
- and
- removing at least a portion of the contacted water from the bioreactor, wherein the concentration of one or more inorganic salts in the removed portion of the contacted water is less than the initial concentration of one or more inorganic salts in the wastewater from the hydraulic fracturing site;
- wherein one or more of the bacteria comprise primary adherer bacteria that couple to the substrate and secondary bacteria which couple to the primary adherer bacteria to form a biofilm.
3 more elements
A method of removing one or more inorganic salts from wastewater produced from a mining site, the method comprising:
- collecting wastewater produced from the mining site;
- introducing, into a bioreactor, the wastewater produced from the mining site, wherein the bioreactor comprises one or more substrates and one or more bacteria coupled to the substrate, wherein one or more of the bacteria are capable of reducing the concentration of inorganic salts in water comprising at least 0.5% by weight of one or more inorganic salts;
- contacting the wastewater produced from the mining site with the bacteria coupled to the substrate;
- and
- removing at least a portion of the contacted water from the bioreactor, wherein the concentration of one or more inorganic salts in the removed portion of the contacted water is less than the initial concentration of one or more inorganic salts in the wastewater produced from the mining site;
- wherein one or more of the bacteria comprise primary adherer bacteria that couple to the substrate and secondary bacteria which couple to the primary adherer bacteria to form a biofilm.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.