Liquid purification or separation – Processes – Utilizing electrical or wave energy directly applied to...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-18
2001-08-28
Simmons, David A. (Department: 1724)
Liquid purification or separation
Processes
Utilizing electrical or wave energy directly applied to...
C210S205000, C210S908000, C204S290010, C205S759000, C205S761000, C205S695000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06280637
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to an electrocatalytic process for treating liquid waste or effluent. In particular, but not exclusively, the invention can be used to breakdown long chain fat and related type molecules into basic gaseous elements, hence reducing the fats, oils, greases and similar wastes content in effluent discharges which can cause serious blockages in discharge pipes and problems in sewerage treatment plants.
The use of electrolysis is known as a means to help separate fats and oils from liquid waste. U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,598 discloses the use of ozone injection and alternating direct current to convert oil and grease contaminated cleaning solutions back to useful polar water soluble surfactants, emulsifiers, etc.
EP-A-0323690 discloses the use of proton addition by magnetic fluxing to help separate oils and waste water. WO-A-86/07586 discloses the use of an electrolytic field to help the formation of oily contaminants into a “floc” for easier removal. U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,865 discloses the use of an electrolytic field to oxidise partially fats and greases and to increase their absorbability with the use of flocculating agents. GB-A-1520299 discloses the use of electrodes surrounding a closely spaced flow channel in which foaming and flocculation occurs to collect fats.
All these known disclosures describe the use of electrical forces to aid separation of the fats, greases and oils into a floc or the like which can be more easily removed. However, physical removal is still required, e.g. by skimming, sedimentation, filtration or other means, and the resultant waste fats and the like which are collected still need to be re-processed or disposed of.
Fats, oils and greases can be separated from liquid waste by more traditional methods such as dissolved air flotation (DAF); aerobic digestion (AD); and the use of grease traps with or without biological additions. DAF involves high energy costs and still requires the physical separation and disposal of fats. The AD process variant is a common system for treating a range of organic wastes and involves the use of large cumbersome plant. With high fat concentration in the waste, the air injection needs to be greatly increased resulting in large energy costs. Grease traps are merely physical collectors, often subject to maloperation, and require physical removal and disposal elsewhere of collected fatty waste.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an electrocatalytic process for treating liquid waste material.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provide a treatment unit for performing the process according to said one aspect of the present invention.
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patent: 19512955 (1996-10-01), None
patent: 2321646 (1998-08-01), None
Dann Dorfman Herrell and Skillman, P.C.
Lawrence Frank M.
Simmons David A.
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