# US 9,434,630 B2 · Water treatment device and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,434,630 B2 - Document ID: US9434630B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/360,415 - Filed: 2012-11-09 - Published: 2014-10-23 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2011-11-23 - Assignees: General Electric Company - Applicants: Zijun Xia; Wei Cai; Rihua Xiong; Chengqian Zhang; Jiyang Xia; Andrew Jon Zaske - Inventors: Zijun Xia; Wei Cai; Rihua Xiong; Chengqian Zhang; Jiyang Xia; Andrew Jon Zaske - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9434630B2 ## CPC - C02F 9/00: Multistage treatment of water, waste water or sewage - C02F 1/447: {by membrane distillation (distillation and evaporation without the use of membranes C02F1/04)} - C02F 1/46104: {Devices therefor; Their operating or servicing} - C02F 1/463: by electrocoagulation - C02F 1/469: by electrochemical separation, e.g. by electro-osmosis, electrodialysis, electrophoresis - C02F 1/4691: {Capacitive deionisation} - C02F 1/4693: {electrodialysis} - C02F 1/52: by flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities {(C02F1/463 takes precedence)} - C02F 1/441: {by reverse osmosis} - C02F: TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE (separation in general B01D; special arrangements on waterborne vessels of installations for treating water, waste water or sewage, e.g. for producing fresh water, B63J; adding materials to water to prevent corrosion C23F; treating radioactively-contaminated liquids G21F9/04; regeneration of reactants for recirculation into processes, see the relevant places for the processes) ## Abstract A water treatment device including an electro-coagulation (EC) unit for treating a stream of feed water to produce a stream of EC treated water of lower salinity than the stream of feed water, an electrical separation unit for treating the stream of EC treated water to obtain a stream of product water of lower salinity than the EC treated water, and a precipitation unit for providing a stream of wash water to wash the electrical separation unit and become a stream of reject water flowing back to the precipitation unit, wherein precipitation in the precipitation unit produces the stream of wash water of lower salinity than the stream of reject water. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A water treatment device, comprising: an electro-coagulation (EC) unit for treating a stream of feed water to produce a stream of EC treated water of lower salinity than the stream of feed water; an electrical separation unit for treating the stream of EC treated water to obtain a stream of product water of lower salinity than the EC treated water, the electrical separation unit comprising at least one of an electrodialysis reversal desalination (EDR) device and a supercapacitor desalination (SCD) device; and a precipitation unit for providing a stream of wash water to wash the electrical separation unit and become a stream of reject water flowing back to the precipitation unit, wherein precipitation in the precipitation unit produces the stream of wash water of lower salinity than the stream of reject water, wherein the stream of EC treated water flows to the electrical separation unit without flowing through the precipitation unit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The water treatment device according to claim 1, wherein the stream of EC treated water is lower in at least one of hardness, alkalinity, and silica concentration than the stream of feed water. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The water treatment device according to claim 1, wherein the stream of product water is lower in at least one of hardness, alkalinity, and silica concentration than the stream of EC treated water. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The water treatment device according to claim 1, further comprising a membrane desalination unit before the EC unit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The water treatment device according to claim 4, wherein the membrane desalination unit is a reverse osmosis membrane device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The water treatment device according to claim 1, wherein the electrical separation unit comprises the EDR device and the SCD device. ### Claim 7 A water treatment method comprising: treating a stream of feed water in an electro-coagulation (EC) unit to produce a stream of EC treated water of lower salinity than the stream of feed water; treating the stream of EC treated water in an electrical separation unit to obtain a stream of product water of lower salinity than the EC treated water, the electrical separation unit comprising at least one of an electrodialysis reversal desalination (EDR) device and a supercapacitor desalination (SCD) device; and providing a stream of wash water from a precipitation unit to wash the electrical separation unit and become a stream of reject water, wherein precipitation in the precipitation unit produces the stream of wash water of lower salinity than the stream of reject water, wherein the stream of EC treated water flows to the electrical separation unit without flowing through the precipitation unit. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The water treatment method according to claim 7, wherein the stream of feed water is from a membrane desalination unit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The water treatment method according to claim 8, wherein the membrane desalination unit is a reverse osmosis membrane device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The water treatment device according to claim 7, wherein the electrical separation unit comprises the EDR device and the SCD device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The water treatment method according to claim 7, wherein the stream of EC treated water is lower in at least one of hardness, alkalinity, and silica concentration than the stream of feed water. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The water treatment method according to claim 7, wherein the stream of product water is lower in at least one of hardness, alkalinity, and silica concentration than the stream of EC treated water.