Liquid purification or separation – With gas-liquid surface contact means – With separator
Patent
1994-11-28
1995-11-28
Upton, Christopher
Liquid purification or separation
With gas-liquid surface contact means
With separator
210202, 210259, 210266, 210280, 211616, 211631, 211904, C02F 302
Patent
active
054704600
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD OF INVENTION
The invention relates to an apparatus for the purification of industrial waste water, and more particularly to an improve bioreactor apparatus configuration for purifying cyanide-containing waste water.
BACKGROUND ART
Cyanide-containing waste water formed after the cyanization stage of the gold-refining process, as well as in some galvanic processes such as electroplating, besides possessing free cyanides, further contains cyanide complexes such as thiocyanates and other heavy metals which pollute waste water and thus negatively affect the environment. Accordingly, the need for purification of cyanide-containing waste water is extremely urgent.
The use of microorganisms for the purification of this waste water allows use of an ecologically pure process to clean cyanide-containing waste water. The known apparatus for the purification of cyanide-containing waste water utilizing microorganisms includes a bioreactor with immersed stirring units consisting of 48 discs of 3.6 m in diameter, on which microorganisms are placed (Fundam. and Appl. Biohydrament Proc. 6 Int. Symp. Biohydramet. Vancouver, Aug. 21-29, 1985, Amsterdam, e.a. 1986, 327-329). The discs with the microorganisms thereon are rotated with a velocity of 0.5-1.6 rpm so as to simultaneously stir and cause contact between the microorganisms and cyanide-containing waste water. The microorganisms (bacteria) gradually separate from the discs and fall down to the bottom of the bioreactor. The precipitate consisting of worked-out cells of the bacteria with the sorbed metals, including cyanide, is removed from the effluent by filtration. This process may only be utilized for cyanide-containing waste water having about 6.5 mg/l of cyanides and about 7.8 mg/l of solid phase (suspended solids). In addition, the apparatus designed to carry out such process is only able to accomplish this task over the duration of about 1 week.
FIG. 2 of GB-A-847,640 discloses inter alia an apparatus (treatment plant) for successively removing in stages firstly phenols, then cyanides, and then ammonia, from waste waters using microorganisms. The stage for removing cyanides comprises firstly putting the cyanide-containing effluent into a settling tank 9, and subsequently passing the effluent to an microorganism inoculated percolating filter 14, or series of filters. The filter 14 consists of a bed of aggregate such as graded coke or cinders held in place by a retaining wall and supported in such a manner as to permit the flow of air to the bacteria through the interstices of the bed by natural ventilation. Means of distributing the liquor uniformly over the filter cross-section is provided by a rotary distributor circling the bed, operating at two revolutions per minute. The inoculation of the filter 14 is carried out by treating the aggregate with the microbiological inoculum, and spreading it over the surface of the filter, thereby forming the filter bed. Significantly, the microbiological treatment takes place in a single stage by spraying the liquid effluent onto microorganism-inoculated bed. Under these conditions a period of about one to three weeks is required for the maximum thiosulphate, thiocyanate and cyanide conversion to take place.
The present apparatus, however, due to advantages inherent in its configuration, can be used for cleaning cyanide-containing waste water with much higher initial content of both cyanides and suspended solids. In addition, the required cleaning can be accomplished in a short time.
BRIEF SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an improved apparatus to clean cyanide-containing waste water.
A further object of this invention is to provide an improved apparatus which maximizes the ability of microorganisms to break down and/or remove cyanide and cyanide complexes from waste water.
A still further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which allows use of an electric field to assist microorganisms in their ability to remove and break down cyani
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Fundamental and Applied Biohydrometallurgy, pp. 327-339.
Derwent's abstract No. 85-11435/19, week 8519, ABSTRACT OF SU, A, 1116-022 (KOMM MINE METAL) 30 Sep. 1984 (30.09.84).
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Burenkov Eduard K.
Kogan Boris S.
Pertsov Nikolay V.
Podolskaya Valentina I.
Ulberg Zoya R.
958075 Ontario Inc.
Fors Arne I.
Horne D. Doak
Imai Jeffrey T.
Upton Christopher
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