Liquid purification or separation – Processes – Treatment by living organism
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-21
2001-12-11
Barry, Chester T. (Department: 1724)
Liquid purification or separation
Processes
Treatment by living organism
Reexamination Certificate
active
06328893
ABSTRACT:
This application is the national stage of PCT/IB98/00564 filed Apr. 2, 1998.
This invention relates to a method of processing waste water, in particular from malt factories and breweries, which in operational use is contaminated with microorganisms, salts and organic compounds.
As investigations concerning influences on the beer quality have shown, microorganisms introduced with the malt and their spores, above all the chlamydospore fungus fusarium, nickel and iron ions in conjunction with isohumulon as well as calcium oxalate severely impair the beer quality. To minimize the risk of such contaminations of the malt, drinking water is used for soaking the barley grains for the process of germination, which drinking water is contaminated with microorganisms, salts and organic compounds after the barley grains have started to germinate, and is discharged as waste water. Therefore, malting involves a great demand of drinking water, which can no longer be utilized after the operational use.
It is therefore the object underlying the invention to process waste water, in particular from malt factories and breweries, as described above such that it can be utilized again.
This object is solved by the invention in that after a treatment with activated sludge the waste water is subjected to a reverse osmosis, before it is recirculated to the operational use.
By combining a biological treatment of the waste water with a subsequent reverse osmosis, the waste water can surprisingly be cleaned from all contaminants, and drinking-water quality can be achieved, so that the cleaned waste water can be recirculated to the operational use without having to fear a malt contamination impairing the future beer quality, which malt is recovered from barley grains by means of a steep water cleaned in this way. After a biological decomposition of the organic contaminants of the waste water, the remaining microorganisms, dissolved molecules and salts can be separated therefrom by means of a reverse osmosis, where the residue is discharged continuously and the permeate can be utilized as pure steep water with drinking-water quality. Since due to the reverse osmosis the steep water is additionally decalcified, there is even obtained the advantage of an increase in quality achievable thereby as compared to fresh drinking water. Although the described processing of the waste water involves particular advantages for malting, it is of course not restricted to this field of application and can be used whereever waste waters and/or rinsing waters must be expected, which are contaminated with microorganisms, salts and organic compounds, as this may be the case with waste waters e.g. from the food or beverage industry.
When the waste water to be cleaned also includes flocculating substances, it is recommended to subject the waste water to a precipitation preferably with iron(III) chloride as precipitating agent, after it has been reacted with activated sludge. Together with other solids present, possibly after a sedimentation, the precipitated substances can then be separated by means of a filter, before the precleaned waste water is supplied to the reverse osmosis. By means of this prefiltration an unnecessary membrane contamination during the reverse osmosis can be avoided.
The waste water cleaned in this way need, however, not be supplied directly to the operational use. It may undergo a temporary storage in suitable containers. To be able to exclude a microbial contamination of the cleaned waste water during the temporary storage, the waste water can be sterilized after it has been cleaned, for instance by means of a UV radiation or an ozone treatment.
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Lindemann Johannes
Manderscheid Karl
Rettig Horst
Barry Chester T.
Collard & Roe P.C.
Frings Recycling-AnLagen GmbH & Co. KG
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