Apparatus and method for oxidative treatment of organic contaminants in waste water

Abstract

A method of making an aqueous mixture of ozone and water comprising pumping a solution of ozonated water through a high cavitation rate homogenizing device, thereby causing formation of gas phase nanobubbles of ozone in the solution. The high cavitation rate homogenizing device may be a homogenizing mixer. The high cavitation rate homogenizing device may be comprised of rotors and stators moving in close proximity relative to each other and separated by the solution of ozonated water. The relative motion of the rotors and stators may cause up to 500 million cavitation events per second in the solution of ozonated water, thereby causing the formation of gas phase nanobubbles of ozone.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]Treatment of organic contaminants in waste water by oxidative decomposition.BACKGROUND ART[0002]Considerable advances in the treatment of waste waters with ozone gas have been developed over the past two decades. One significant issue with the implementation of this technology has been in the area of maintenance. When treating waste waters, the surfaces of the ozone gas diffusion equipment may become fouled with the contaminants and impact on system performance. In the municipal waste water industry this condition has limited the use of the technology in the area of sludge stabilization. In the agricultural industry this has limited the use of the technology in the area of raw dairy manure treatment. In the oil and gas field industry this condition has limited the use of ozone technology in the areas of drilling waste treatment and waste waters with entrained oily contaminants.[0003]In many cases, the contaminants are not completely eliminated by the ozone, and ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present disclosure describes a method of using ozonation to remove organic contaminants from waste water. A new technique is used to prevent the fouling of gas diffusion devices. The method involves injecting a stream of ozonated source water into a stream of the waste water, and then subjecting them to high cavitation homogenization and mixing. This causes the formation of nanobubbles of ozone, which dissolve into the liquid phase of the combined stream and oxidize the organic contaminants present. The nanobubbles may be formed by injecting hydrogen peroxide solution into the waste water stream, which enhances the oxidation and decomposition of the organic contaminants into species such as carbon dioxide and water. The method achieves efficient oxidation and decomposition of organic contaminants in waste water.

Problems solved by technology

One significant issue with the implementation of this technology has been in the area of maintenance.

When treating waste waters, the surfaces of the ozone gas diffusion equipment may become fouled with the contaminants and impact on system performance.

In the municipal waste water industry this condition has limited the use of the technology in the area of sludge stabilization.

In the agricultural industry this has limited the use of the technology in the area of raw dairy manure treatment.

In the oil and gas field industry this condition has limited the use of ozone technology in the areas of drilling waste treatment and waste waters with entrained oily contaminants.

Means to accommodate these variable parameters are rare, and if present, often have limited flexibility.

The relative motion of the rotors and stators may cause up to 500 million cavitation events per second in the solution of ozonated water, thereby causing the formation of gas phase nanobubbles of ozone.

In such circumstances, the high cavitation rate homogenizing device may cause cavitation of the microbubbles to form the nanobubbles.

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