Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology – Micro-organism – tissue cell culture or enzyme using process... – Process involving micro-organisms of different genera in the...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-14
2003-05-13
Lilling, Herbert J. (Department: 1651)
Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology
Micro-organism, tissue cell culture or enzyme using process...
Process involving micro-organisms of different genera in the...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06562585
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to new denitrifying aerobic bacterial compositions and to aerobic methods for biological treatment of aqueous bodies and aqueous systems polluted by nitrogen waste products.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Water systems commonplace in today's environment including aquarium aquaculture, streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, and ground water, are all subject to contamination by many inorganic and organic compounds, as well as nitrogen waste components, in particular, ammonium, nitrites and nitrates, which at certain concentrations become highly toxic. Municipal wastewater solutions, for examples raw sewage, and industrial effluents, often contain high levels of ammonium as well as phenols, cyanides, sulfates, thiocyanates, thiosulfates, and other toxic waste compounds. Many spent military explosives contain organonitrate waste, and removing such waste in an economical fashion without contamination of the environment remains a challenge. These nitrogen waste streams are one of the principal major ecological and environmental problems facing mankind, and will continue to pose serious problems as the population grows and waste production increases.
PRIOR ART
Removing nitrogen waste from contaminated aqueous bodies and wastewater streams is accomplished primarily by bacterial degradation. Specifically, bacteria from the families of Nitrosomas, Nitrobactor, and Pseudomonas are used to digest the nitrogen waste. These bacterial types are members of the well-characterized nitrogen cycle. The bacterial families of the classical nitrogen cycle act to transform nitrogen containing waste products to nitrogen gas and other, offensive odiferous and environmentally contaminating gases. Bacterial cultures from the Nitrosomas and Nitrobactor families convert, via aerobic bioxidative processes, the ammonia or organic amine waste to nitrate waste. At very low or with no oxygen present, pseudomonas bacterial cultures are employed to bioreduce the nitrate waste products and transform such waste into nitrogen gas in combination with methane, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfate and carbon dioxide. This bioreduction by Pseudomonas cultures is accomplished anaerobically. The time required to establish the classical nitrogen cycle using the nitrobacter and pseudomonas families is from about twenty eight days to six weeks, and is dependent upon: (a) temperature; (b) bio mass available for culture; (c) the amount and type of biological platform for colonization; (d) concentration of hydronium ion (pH); (e) amount of dissolved oxygen; and, (f) available food (REF). Optimal conditions for the biological redox processes of removing nitrogen pollutants from water bodies, or wastewater streams requires a fine balance of these factors; limiting one or more results in a significantly less efficient biological processing and thus engendering a substantially longer time to process the waste.
The prior art has many examples of teachings that employ bacterial compositions to accomplish, or aid in accomplishing, the biologically mediated purification of wastewater. For example, denitrifying bacterial compositions are used in combination with solid column packings in the teachings of Francis, U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,936. These compositions are believed to belong to the family of Pseudomonas. Hater, et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,385 teaches a wastewater purification process involving bacterial compositions comprising, in addition to non ionic surfactants and the lipid degrading enzymes Lipase, three strains of
Bacillus subtillis,
3 strains of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
one strain of
Pseudomonas stutzeri,
one strain of
Pseudomonas putida,
and one strain of
Eschericia hermanii
grown on a bran base. Wong, et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,587 teaches a bacterial composition, that is in combination with enzymes and a gel support is necessary to achieve satisfactory waste treatment. Bacterial species mentioned in Wong et al are
Bacillus subtillis, Bacillus licheniformis, Cellulomonas
and
acinetobacter lwoffi.
Similarly, Wong and Lowe, U.S. Pat. No. 4,882,059 teach a process for biological treatment of wastewater comprising bacterial species that aid in the solubilization of the solid debris. The bacterial species used in the teaching of Wong and Lowe are of the following bacterial types:
Bacillus amyloliquefaciens
and
aerobacter aerogenes.
These bacterial types are taught to be employed primarily for solubilization and biodegradation of starches, proteins, lipids and cellulose present in the waste product.
Other patents for treating wastewater streams are Luck, U.S. Pat. No. 3,801,494; Erickson et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,944; Bhattacharyya, U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,013; Semp et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,469; Li et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,036; and Rusherford, et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,140.
The shortcomings of the prior art are the extreme sensitivity of the method, not only for the time required to establish the nitrogen cycle, but also for the criticality of the various parameters of the processes, such as pH, temperature, food source and bacterial habitat. Also, a major shortcoming of the prior art are the elaborate mechanical and chemical methods and processes required to assist the bacterial compositions in the purification process. Another major shortcoming of the prior art is that there exists no effective method to significantly reduce or eliminate completely the odiferous side-products that are produced. The gases produced by the classical denitrification biological processes, specifically hydrogen sulfide, as well as others are the source of the foul smell that is one of the most noticeable problems associated with waste treatment, and the most toxic to man and the environment.
There exists a need in treatment of aqueous bodies, wastewater streams and systems and other applications for a more efficacious and faster biological process for converting toxic inorganic and organic amino, nitroso, nitrite, nitro and nitrate so that they are non-toxic to human, animal and marine species.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is the discovery of a novel composition and method for the aerobic oxidation and reduction of organic and inorganic nitrogen waste, and in particular a unique composition of bacteria and of bacteria and enzymes that, in addition to oxidizing ammonia and nitrites, organic amines and organonitrites, will aerobically reduce nitrates to molecular nitrogen. The proper application of the present invention leads to a significantly improved method for biological processing of aqueous bodies, wastewater streams and systems that overcome many of the shortcomings of the prior art, by—in particular: (1) the elimination of toxic or explosive by-products; (2) reduction of time required to establish the nitrogen cycle (reduced from about 28 days to 1-3 days and to 24 hours); (3) reduction of sensitivity to pH; (4) elimination of the need for side-processes for Aactivation@ or for other enzymes or apparatus to facilitate biological degredative process; and (5) the sensitivity to temperature.
The present invention includes use of a mixture of bacteria selected from and limited to bacillus bacteria for the purification of contaminated aqueous bodies, wastewater systems and wastewater streams. it is a totally aerobic process.
In one aspect the present invention includes a method for the purification of contaminated aqueous bodies, wastewater systems and wastewater streams using a composition of certain combinations of the bacterial families:
Bacillus subtillis, Bacillus sphaericus, Bacillus megatarium, Bacillus licheniformis, Enterobacter sakazakii, Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus pasteurii, Bacillus cirroflagellosus, Bacillus pumilus,
and optionally with a carbon platform and carbon source, and optionally with the enzymes Cellulase, Amylase, Protease, Lipase, and optionally with selected pancreatic preparations, and kidney microbia compositions.
It is the prime objective of the present invention to provide for a composition and method for bacteria-mediated
Cohen Lawrence S.
Lilling Herbert J.
LandOfFree
Beneficial bacterial preparation and method does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Beneficial bacterial preparation and method, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Beneficial bacterial preparation and method will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3077097