Liquid purification or separation – Processes – Chemical treatment
Patent
1996-01-25
1998-06-16
Hruskoci, Peter A.
Liquid purification or separation
Processes
Chemical treatment
210620, 261DIG75, C02F 172
Patent
active
057664900
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to improved apparatus for oxygenating water and other liquids and a method for oxygenation with that apparatus.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The most effective method and apparatus for saturating water with oxygen on an industrial scale is described in international patent application WO 95/29130. (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/411,708). According to this known process, water is introduced into a sealed enriching vessel which is under oxygen pressure, the water is subdivided such as by running it over a series of trays and the water is inflowing contact with the oxygen before about up to 55-60 mg/l oxygen is dissolved in the water. This known method and apparatus works very well, however, it was desired to develop a high capacity, smaller and less costly and more portable apparatus capable of producing on an industrial scale super oxygenated water containing even more oxygen and retaining the dissolved oxygen for longer periods than with the known method.
Effective bioremediation requires a high rate of oxygen use, but replenishment of oxygen occurs very slowly in groundwater. As a result, oxygen levels in the contaminated systems are often quickly depleted, even when water has been thoroughly aerated before the onset of the bioremediation process. Bioremediation processes would be much more effective if oxygen levels could be maintained in the groundwater for a longer period of time after they are aerated. This means both higher concentrations of dissolved oxygen, and a lessened degree of degassing of oxygen from the water.
Groundwater pollution control efforts have generally focused on using various "pump and treat" methods which have met only with very limited success while being extremely costly and time consuming. A later development of bioremediation, also known as in-situ or passive remediation, has recently presented itself as a more cost-effective means of treatment, and is by far the most rapidly expanding sector of groundwater treatment technology. Most bioremediation sites utilize aerobic microorganisms to degrade the contaminants. In some circumstances the contaminants themselves are the primary substrate. However, due to resistance of most synthetic organic chemicals to biodegradation, the microbes often require an additional food source, such a methane or methanol to utilize the contaminants. In any case, the organisms need a surplus of dissolved oxygen to maintain the aerobic conditions necessary for accelerated by biodegradation.
Experience demonstrated to date that the maintenance of adequate dissolved oxygen levels is one of the larger challenges to bioremediation projects. It was determined that the greater the dissolved oxygen content, the greater and more rapid the treatment. A study conducted by the U.S. Air Force in 1992 found that with about 35 mg/l dissolved oxygen feed water, an 80% reduction in dichloroethane could be obtained within 150 hours. In a laboratory study in 1993 it was found that vinyl chloride could be reduced by 95% within two weeks by infusing the contaminated groundwater with about 25 mg/l dissolved oxygen. Low dissolved oxygen bioremediation operations have proven to be very slow at best, and completely unsuccessful at worse. For example, in another 1993 experiment it was determined that oxygen levels around 18 mg/l produced little or no reduction in dichlorethane after twelve days.
Four different methods have been employed in the past to introduce oxygen into aquifers: air sparging, electrolysis, hydrogen peroxide, and surface aeration. All of these have limitations. Air sparging in the case of aquifers involved sinking wells into the aquifer to provide contact between the groundwater and the atmosphere. This, however, produces very low oxygen levels, comparable to those that occur naturally, of about 10-14 mg/l in cold water. Electrolysis was not found to offer any practical, real word applications, because concentrations of only up to 16 mg/l could be obtained but at the same time the organisms for the
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Abramoff Frank
Taylor Darrell L.
Hruskoci Peter A.
Life International Products, Inc.
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