72283results about "Water contaminants" patented technology

The invention is directed to a method and apparatus for treating wastewater. The wastewater treatment system includes a bioreactor including activated carbon and a first biological population. The wastewater treatment system may also include a membrane bioreactor and / or a wet oxidation unit.

Methods are disclosed to de-sulfate saline streams such as seawater, brine from seawater desalination plants, and the like. The disclosed methods can also co-produce de-ionized water and inorganic materials from such de-sulfated saline streams.

An Ultraviolet-C (UVC) based portable water purification system employing a novel array of baffles increases the efficiency per unit energy of irradiating UVC light in the eradication of pathogens in the water. Closed loop feedback allows monitoring the application of UVC light power to ensure high levels of pathogen eradication. This system is capable of eradicating a wide range of waterborne bacteria, viruses, protozoa, helminthes, yeast, and mold found in natural freshwater sources worldwide. By adding pre- or post-filters, the system can remove harmful organic compounds, pesticides, inorganic compounds and heavy metals from the water. The system can also be used to eradicate pathogens in fluids other than water. As a feature of this invention, a communications systems that can reach geographically dispersed populations at low cost without the need to install costly wired communications infrastructure is combined with and powered by the water purification system. In one embodiment, a packet radio system is provided to create nodes in a wireless mesh communications system to provide voice, data, video and internet communications using an array of the water purifiers to create a wireless mesh network.

A process for removing soluble and insoluble inorganic, organic, and microbiological contaminants from a fluid stream employing a pretreatment module, a post-treatment module, a recycle stream module or any combination thereof, and a membrane module, is provided. The process provided reduces the problems associated with membrane fouling and increases contaminant removal capacity.

The present invention provides a surface-independent surface-modifying multifunctional biocoating and methods of application thereof. The method comprises contacting at least a portion of a substrate with an alkaline solution comprising a surface-modifying agent (SMA) such as dopamine so as to modify the substrate surface to include at least one reactive moiety. In another version of the invention, a secondary reactive moiety is applied to the SMA-treated substrate to yield a surface-modified substrate having a specific functionality.

The present invention relates to carbon-carbon composite material comprising a carbonaceous carrier and nanosize carbon structures (e.g. CNT or CNF), wherein the nanosize carbon structures are grown on the carbonaceous carrier. The carrier may be porous, as in activated carbon or consists of carbon black particles. In accordance with the invention, nanocarbon growth in the pores of porous carriers can be realized. The process for the manufacture of a this carbon-carbon-composite material comprises the steps of treating a carbonaceous carrier material with a metal-containing catalyst material, said metal being capable of forming nanosize carbon structures, and growing nanosize carbon structures by means of a CVD (chemical vapour deposition) method on the treated carrier in a gas atmosphere comprising a carbon-containing gas, followed by an optional surface modification step. This process allows optimising porosity, hydrodynamical properties and surface chemistry independently from each other, which is particularly beneficial in respect of the use of the composite for water purification. Carbon black-based composites are particularly useful for filler applications.

A method for removing a solute from a fluid using magnetically conditioned coagulation includes magnetically conditioning the fluid by applying a conditioning magnetic field to enhance the precipitation of solute particles for coagulation; adding a coagulant to the fluid before, during, or after application of the conditioning magnetic field to coagulate the increased available solute particles to form colloids; and collecting the colloids for removal from the fluid.

Wastewater treatment systems and processes for: removal of solids, pathogens, nitrogen, and phosphorus from municipal and agricultural wastewater include nitrification of wastewater and increasing the pH of the nitrified wastewater by adding a metallic-containing salt and hydroxide to precipitate phosphorus to form a useable effluent having a specified nitrogen:phosphorus ratio that is useful as a fertilizer or spray for remediation of contaminated soils. The presence of infectious microorganism such as enteropathogenic bacteria and picarnoviruses will be reduced in the useable effluent. The precipitated phosphorus is recovered and used to form useable phosphorus products.

The invention discloses a particle electrode for efficiently removing various organic compounds and a preparation method thereof. The preparation method comprises the following steps of adding AgNO3 to isopropanol to obtain a solution A, adding treated Al2O3 to the solution A, filtering the solution to obtain a particle B and micro-emulsion X, and obtaining a particle D after washing the particle B with ethanol; adding the particle D to X to obtain a particle F after filtration; utilizing Ce(NO3)2, NiCl2, CuCl2, isopropanol and concentrated hydrochloric acid to prepare solutions B, C, D, E and F; adding the particle F to the solution B to obtain a particle I through filtration; adding the particle I to the solution C to obtain a particle J through filtration, washing the particle J with ethanol, and drying the particle J, thus obtaining a particle K; adding the particle K to the solution D to obtain a particle L through filtration, washing the particle L with ethanol, and drying the particle L, thus obtaining a particle M; adding M to E to obtain a particle N through filtration, washing the particle N with ethanol, and drying the particle N, thus obtaining a particle O; adding the particle O to the solution F to obtain a particle P through filtration, washing the particle P with ethanol, and drying and roasting the particle P for four hours, thus obtaining the needed particle electrode.

A process for the production of purified water and hydrocarbons comprising at least one stage of separation of the water and hydrocarbons formed during a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, at least one stage of purification of the separated water by bringing it into contact with at least one adsorbent selected from the group consisting of: the active carbons, clays which are hydrophobic or rendered hydrophobic, and zeolites which are hydrophobic or rendered hydrophobic. This process may optionally include a stripping stage before the adsorption step.