Liquid purification or separation – Processes – Treatment by living organism
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-05
2002-04-30
Upton, Christopher (Department: 1724)
Liquid purification or separation
Processes
Treatment by living organism
C210S620000, C210S631000, C210S650000, C210S167050, C210S195200, C210S196000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06379546
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process for utilizing waste waters which comprises the separate collection of gray water and/or black water and membrane filtration of the separately collected gray water and/or the solids/liquid separation of the separately collected black water. The present invention preferably relates to a process of producing potable water from gray water or from one or more of its partial streams. Moreover, an apparatus for producing potable water from gray water and an apparatus for utilizing black water and its use are described.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present method comprises the treatment and recycling of the separately collected individual waste water streams of gray water and black water, which is preferably divided into faecal waste water and urinal waste water and can be separately collected, in order to thus provide a precondition for a highly efficient water management in regions with water problems.
The process is preferably based on the separate routing of black and gray waters and also preferably on the use of water-saving toilets.
The gray water can be used to produce potable water. The individual partial gray water streams can be pretreated separately and used to produce potable water. One aspect of the process is the use of sea water desalinization plants in the treatment of gray water. The effects achieved in the desalinization plant are not only a substantial removal of residual substances and simultaneous sanitation, but also a great reduction of the osmotic pressure.
The basic idea underlying the process is the maximization of the mineral fertilizer concentration by open liquid circulation by collecting the waste water together with the organic waste fraction in the discharge of waste water treatment plants.
The nutrients of the urinal waste water can be separately collected by separation toilets and urinals and can be anaerobically recovered. The black or faecal waste water is oxidized to nitrification and is reused to flush toilets and urinals, and is thus only used as a transportation means, in which the nutrients can be concentrated and discharged. Moreover, nitrate can be used as a flotation aid of the solids in the anaerobic first solids/liquid separation. In the case of composting, there is an additional cycle. This liquid cycle starts with the irrigation of the compost with the effluent from an aerobic waste water treatment step. The nutrients released by composting are thus washed away and concentrated in the outlet of the waste water treatment plant by irrigation water supplied to the aerobic treatment step. Suitable measures to greatly prevent denitrification can also be taken depending on the process variant. The theoretically smallest discharge volume of about 2 l/(PE*d) and the thus possible drying of the mineralized nutrient enables treatment without difficulties and odorless recycling of the nutrients into the nutrient cycle.
Bio waste is processed together with any resulting sludges in order to produce bio gas and compost.
The starting substrates
Definitions
Waste and dirty waters are the sum parameters of all types of individual waste streams of industrial or domestic origin. The following individual waste water streams are of particular interest here:
Faecal waste water is defined as waste water which is only laden with feces (for instance from the feces outlet of urine separation toilets); other waste waters of similar composition stemming from other sources can be admixed here.
Urinal waste water is defined as waste water which is only laden with urine and stems from all kinds of urinals and/or from the urine-laden outlet of urine separation toilets; in this case, too, other waste waters of similar composition stemming from other sources can be admixed.
Black water is defined as waste water laden with both urine and feces, for instance from all kinds of toilets and urinals. Urinal waste water and/or faecal waste water can be drained and collected in a separate sewerage net. Moreover, the black water and/or its partial streams of urine waste water and faecal waste water can be received in surges in the same sewerage nets, and treated separately. In cases of particular similarity regarding pollution parameters, other waste waters from agriculture (for instance liquid pig manure) and/or from other sources can be admixed.
Gray water is defined as domestic waste water which is not or hardly laden with urine and/or feces and/or is defined as other waste water of similar composition stemming from laundries and/or other sources, which can be received in one or several separate sewerage nets. According to its origin and/or composition it can be subdivided into several grey water partial streams. The gray water can be composed of all conceivable combinations of all conceivable numbers of domestic and similar waste water sources, but must not contain black water (feces and/or urine), although a portion of faecal and/or urinal waste water admixed to one or several partial streams of the gray water does not make a difference to this definition.
Toilet as used herein is the general term for all types of toilets. Toilets with water supply can be divided into flush toilets and water-saving toilets.
Flush toilets are conventional toilets which are commercially available today and may also be equipped with water-saving devices (for instance a water saving key).
Water-saving toilets are special constructions with a high water saving effect, such as for instance vacuum toilets, urine separation toilets, etc.
Urinals are all types of separate urine outlets with or without water flushing, as for instance simple runs, urinals with individual or automatic water flushing, water-free urinals, etc.
Bio waste is defined as solid, biologically degradable waste products which may contain biologically inert components.
Carbon as used herein is defined as referring to all organic carbon compounds (CSB and BSB) which may be contained in black and gray waters and in bio waste. It may also refer to carbonates.
Nitrogen as used herein is defined as referring to all organic and inorganic nitrogen compounds which may be contained in black water and gray water and in bio waste.
Phosphorus as used herein is defined as referring to all organic and inorganic phosphorus compounds which may be contained in black water and gray water and in bio waste.
Filtration covers all coarse screen and/or fine screen filters and/or membrane (filtration) methods that can be used in waste water purification and potable water recovery. It includes all filtration and/or membrane methods known to the a skilled person, such as ultra or microfiltration, which are for instance described in the ATV volumes, Ulmann's Enzyklopädie, and other technical literature and technical journals, for instance Korrespondenz Abwasser, etc., and/or available on the market. Furthermore, process-enhancing additives may be added.
Solids/liquid separation covers all separation processes of liquid and solid materials which can be used in domestic waste water purification and potable water recovery, as e.g. sedimentations, and which are suitable (hydrocyclone classifiers, for example, do not lend themselves to solids/liquid separation in larger people equivalents connection sizes). For instance all types of filtration processes including reverse osmosis and/or other membrane processes for solids/liquids separation can be used. They include all processes for solids/liquid separation known to a skilled person, such as for instance adsorption processes, precipitation, filtration and membrane processes, dedimentation and flotation processes etc., which are for instance described in the ATV volumes, Ullman's Enzyklopädie and other technical literature and technical journals, e.g. Korrespondenz Abwasser etc, and/or available on the market. Furthermore, process-enhancing additives may be added.
Fixed bed processes cover all processes in which microorganisms grow sessily on a fixed and/or mobile matrix, such as trickling filters, RBC (rotating bio contactor) filters an
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
Upton Christopher
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