Plant husbandry – Process
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-24
2001-02-20
Carone, Michael J. (Department: 3643)
Plant husbandry
Process
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189262
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the treatment of contaminated waste water at or from an industrial site or a landfill leachate, or in any other setting, and also to the growing of trees for earth remediation treatment of waste water, or contaminated soil or groundwater. More specifically, the present invention concerns methods and apparatus for the growth and use of trees for remediating industrial waste water or contaminated soil or groundwater.
The preservation and protection of the environment are among the most paramount social and economic issues affecting our society today. In instances where soil and/or groundwater have been contaminated by industry, the assessment of the contamination must be swiftly implemented, and the remediation of the assessed contamination must be as effective and inexpensive as possible.
Of course, preventing the contamination of soil and groundwater as a proactive step is a logical and extremely important objective. Thus, in most instances, industry is required by regulation to take timely prophylactic measures rather than reacting to contamination later on. Thus industrial waste water, broad term used to encompass any kind of contaminated or potentially contaminated water from an industrial or like setting, must be treated prior to being discharged into a sewer system or anywhere else leading to ultimate discharge into the environment. Presently, techniques for remediation of industrial waste water include the use of activated carbon filters, settling basins, resin columns, waste water lagoons, aeration systems, reverse osmosis, and ultra-filtration.
In such situations, the waste water itself must be treated in some manner before it is discharged into the environment. Otherwise, soil or groundwater water may become contaminated with the constituents contained within the waste water.
The use of vegetation for remediation of contaminated soil or groundwater water is known and is often referred to as “phytoremediation.” An explanation of contamination and remediation, and particularly bioremediation (i.e., techniques which take advantage of natural biological processes) is contained within U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,829,191 and 5,829,192. These patents also disclose techniques of applicant for using vegetation to remediate contaminated soil or ground water. These patents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as if fully set forth herein.
The techniques described in applicant's above patents can be used to remediate waste water in any setting, including an industrial setting where waste water is discharged from an industrial plant as a by-product of a manufacturing process or other processes.
Vegetation used for remediation purposes is typically not grown in a special manner for remediation purposes only. The above patents disclose certain techniques for growing trees so that remediation is commenced more quickly and efficiently than with other techniques. These techniques and the apparatus used therewith facilitate the growth of a root system which is long, such that when grown at a contaminated site for remediation, the root system and its large surface area is at or substantially closer to the depth or source of contamination. These techniques include the initial growth of vegetation off-site for later transplanting at a contaminated site.
The present invention provides for the efficient use of vegetation for the remediation of a contaminated site or the remediation of discharged industrial waste water. It includes techniques and apparatus which are effective for remediation as well as versatile for adaptation for various applications. In some ways, the present invention builds on and improves the techniques disclosed in the above patents. One aspect of the present invention is directed to the actual remediation of contaminated water, such as discharged industrial waste water or landfill leachate water, and another aspect relates to the growth of vegetation for use in remediation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Most waste water generated at industrial or landfill sites must be treated prior to being released into a public system. The present invention relates to the processing of waste water through the use of vegetation contained in a structure through which waste water can flow.
One aspect of the present invention relates to the use of phytoremediation technology as a bioreacter to remediate contaminated waste water discharged as a byproduct of an industrial process or any other contaminated waste water. The present invention can accommodate streams of waste water flowing at any various rate, such as 2.0 gallons per minute or greater (based on initial laboratory conditions—greater flow rates can be developed through multiple modules, adjustments in the material utilized as a soil matrix, to adjust retention, etc. and otherwise). The present invention has a distinct advantage over a lagoon system in that the waste stream treatment is effectively concurrent with flow, resulting in little to no retention time requirements that necessitate storing large volumes of water. It also has a cost and efficacy advantage over many other engineered systems. In another application, such as treating stormwater, the present invention could be used to treat and reduce water volume more effectively than simple evaporation from holding ponds by introducing “islands” of connected modular units that, due to their polystyrene or polyurethane makeup, or the provision of pontoons and/or stabilizers, could be made to float on the pond's surface maintaining a vegetative water extraction treatment capacity regardless of the rise and fall of the pond water evaluation. Of course, the “islands” may not float, but merely be arranged together.
The present invention preferably comprises several units and sub-units, each being modular. In the preferred embodiment, each module is constructed or molded from material with good insulation properties. Materials such as polyurethane or polystyrene provide such insulation properties and will thus protect the root system from temperature extremes or other conditions. Void spaces or cavities are formed in the modules. To allow for reuse of the module, and ease of plant replacement, the void spaces are lined with a flexible plastic which is substantially impervious to liquid or lined with a rigid material such as PVC or cardboard tubing (which in turn can be lined with plastic tubing or flexible plastic). Such constructions restrict moisture and root penetration into the polystyrene or polyurethane material. Under certain circumstances it would be desirable to position a plug in the center of or elsewhere in the void to reduce weight by reducing the volume of the root medium and/or to concentrate the root mass. This simply provides for usage of a module for other applications since the void can be “modified” in this or any other manner.
Given the construct of the modules, trees can be readily replaced in case of vegetation mortality or other loss of treatment efficacy, resulting in virtually no system down time. In addition, the present invention can be effective during colder weather which is a time when many other biological treatment systems become dormant or require either an enclosed structure and/or large amounts of energy in order to maintain growing conditions.
A typical system in accordance with the present invention comprises a tree actively growing in four to five foot deep, 6″ diameter cylinders filled with a rooting media appropriate for the waste water treatment and flow requirements. In-situ columns could be 12-24 inches in diameter or more and 5 to 30 feet in depth or more. The rooting activity of the vegetation extends throughout the cylinder's length, providing the advantages discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,829,191 and 5,829,192. In one embodiment, thirty-six to fifty cylinders are arranged in an upright orientation and would fit neatly on a 4′×4′ forklift pallet which would complete a single module.
Waste water to be treated can be delivered
Bergin James S.
Carone Michael J.
Lerner David Littenberg Krumholz & Mentlik LLP
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