Electrolysis: processes – compositions used therein – and methods – Electrolytic material treatment – Water – sewage – or other waste water
Patent
1997-09-05
1999-04-27
Phasge, Arun S.
Electrolysis: processes, compositions used therein, and methods
Electrolytic material treatment
Water, sewage, or other waste water
205759, 205755, 204228, 204275, 204290R, C02F 1461
Patent
active
058977651
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for electrochemically treating water with a view to softening it, as well as to a device for carrying out this method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Among the various treatments of water with a view to softening it, different methods and apparatus are known, employing a bipermutation of ions on ion exchanger polymers. Treatments are also known, in which there are added to the water to be treated chemical reagents such as lime or soda. In both cases, these techniques employ outside chemical reagents. The use of the latter involves, on the one hand, a substantial modification of the quality of the water and, on the other hand, a regular maintenance and supply of consumable products generating high exploitation costs.
Furthermore, different water treatment techniques exist which employ magnetic fields or electric fields. These different known methods have a "delaying" action on the phenomena of scale deposit, provoking the germination of the calcium carbonate within the water and/or intervening on the speed of growth of these germs. The drawback of these water treatment techniques is that they do not provoke crystallization and immediate precipitation of the calcium carbonate contained in the water to be treated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims at overcoming these drawbacks by proposing a method and apparatus making it possible, under particularly economical and reliable conditions, to obtain a total or partial controlled softening of the water.
The present invention thus has for its object a method for electrochemically treating water to reduce its degree of hardness, in which the water to be treated is electrolyzed between an anode and a cathode connected to the positive and negative terminals respectively of a current generator, each consisting of at least one electrode, characterized in that it comprises the steps consisting in constituting at the cathode a thin porous coating at least partially formed by calcium carbonate, simultaneously electrolyzing the water and generating a gas flow through the pores of the cathode, so that the crystals at least partially made up of calcium carbonate and formed on said coating during electrolysis are detached therefrom by the gas flow.
In an embodiment of the invention, the degree of hardness of the treated water may be controlled, particularly in automatized manner, by measuring the value of a given parameter of said water and modifying the value of the intensity of the electric current which traverses the liquid to be treated as a function of the value of said parameter.
The present invention also has for an object a device for electrochemically treating water with a view to reducing its degree of hardness, constituted by an electrolytic cell comprising an anode and a cathode respectively connected to the positive and negative terminals of a current generator, each constituted by at least one electrode, characterized in that the cathode comprises a coating constituted, at least in part, by adhesive and porous calcium carbonate, and means for propelling a gas flow through the pores of this cathode, so as to detach and cause to precipitate the deposits which are formed on said coating, particularly the calcium carbonate deposits.
In an embodiment of the invention, the cathode is constituted by a porous metal, particularly a sintered metal, coated with a thin, porous layer of calcium carbonate.
The jet of gas may be constituted by hydrogen, this latter being obtained in particular by bringing the potential of the cathode to a sufficient given value.
In an embodiment of the device according to the invention, said device comprises means adapted to measure the value of a given parameter of the treated water and means for modifying the value of the intensity of the electric current which traverses the electrolytic cell as a function of the value of said parameter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Various forms of embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter b
REFERENCES:
patent: 4173525 (1979-11-01), Nakamatsu et al.
patent: 4772369 (1988-09-01), Mercier
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