Method and system for wastewater treatment with in situ cleaning of electrodes - Patents.com

Abstract

A wastewater treatment system with in-situ cleaning of electrodes comprises at least one reactor for treating wastewater containing chloride salts (sodium, potassium, calcium, etc.) with a chloride concentration between 500 mg / L and 5,000 mg / L, and a controller for controlling the current supplied to the reactor by controlling the electrode active area and / or the current density such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced during the wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce hydrochloric acid with a concentration between 500 mg / L and 5,000 mg / L, and the pH of the treated wastewater is equal to or less than 4. After the addition of sodium bisulfite to the treated wastewater, the wastewater is recirculated to the reactor. This ensures in-situ cleaning of the electrodes in the electrochemical reactor without the need for additional equipment.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to wastewater treatment involving in-situ cleaning of electrodes, and more particularly to a method and system for treating chloride-containing wastewater. [Background technology]

[0002] Wastewater treatment systems are in high demand due to increasingly stringent wastewater treatment regulations, the need for industrial facilities to remove recalcitrant water pollutants before discharge, and the current global shortage of clean water. Hence, there is an increased demand for cost-effective, sustainable wastewater treatment systems that minimize the addition of chemicals, do not generate secondary pollution, and have minimal operation and maintenance requirements.

[0003] A preferred approach for treating recalcitrant wastewater is by electrochemical oxidation, which has become a sustainable, safe and highly efficient treatment method for removing a wide variety of contaminants, including persistent organic pollutants, dioxins, nitrogen species (e.g. ammonia), pharmaceuticals, pathogens, microorganisms, and more. One approach for treating wastewater is by electrochemical oxidation of organic and / or inorganic contaminants, whereby such contaminants are oxidized at the anode surface.

[0004] In wastewater treatment systems utilizing electrochemical oxidation, the anode catalyst is selected from the group including platinum, tin oxide, antimony tin oxide, ruthenium oxide, iridium oxide, niobium doped antimony tin oxide, graphite, manganese oxide, diamond or boron doped diamond. Electrodes used in wastewater treatment can add to the overall system cost, especially for applications requiring large amounts of organic material to be removed.

[0005] In addition, electrodes are prone to fouling and subsequent degradation, resulting in the accumulation of contaminants on the electrode surface, reducing the effectiveness of wastewater treatment. Such deposits must be removed to clean the electrodes. Until now, damage from mineral deposits has typically required shutting down the system and manually cleaning or replacing the electrodes.

[0006] Manual cleaning or replacement of electrodes has traditionally been handled by reversing the polarity of the charge applied to the electrolyzers in the stack, but this requires that both the anode and cathode in the stack be coated with a catalyst in order to operate the cell with reverse polarity, which can be very expensive.

[0007] Another method used to clean electrodes is to add a solution containing low concentrations of organic acids such as lactic / gluconic or citric acid to the wastewater during the treatment process. Such methods add additional complexity to the system as the cleaning solution must be safely delivered to and discharged from the system. Furthermore, some sites have strict restrictions on the introduction of chemicals not required for wastewater treatment and may not allow the addition of organic acid solutions.

[0008] Such a method is presented, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,722,746, which describes a self-cleaning chlorine generator that introduces a predetermined amount of a pH-reducing agent, such as hydrochloric acid, into an electrolysis chamber when the system is not in operation to dissolve mineral deposits according to a predetermined cyclic schedule.

[0009] U.S. Patent No. 7,922,890 describes a similar method using acid generated in an acid generating cell separate from the electrolytic cell used to treat the brine solution, with the acid being fed to the electrolytic cell during a cleaning cycle when the electrolytic cell is shut down. The system operates in this acid cleaning mode until the carbonate detector signals that the system is clean and the acid used to clean the electrolytic cell is dumped into a separate waste line. Processing of the brine solution using the cleaned electrolytic cell can then resume.

[0010] In the prior art, additional chemical solutions that are not necessary to treat the wastewater or ensure the safe discharge of the treated wastewater must be added to the wastewater treatment system to wash the electrodes. These chemical solutions are added from a supply tank or are produced in a cell separate from the wastewater treatment electrochemical reactor and fed to the electrochemical reactor used for wastewater treatment. This makes the overall wastewater treatment system more complex and increases costs.

[0011] Despite substantial developments in the art, there remains a need to have a simplified system that performs in-situ cleaning of electrodes without adding chemical solutions not yet used during wastewater treatment or during the treated water discharge process, and that has no additional equipment for supplying or generating the chemical solutions used to clean the electrodes of electrochemical reactors used in wastewater treatment. Summary of the Invention

[0012] The present invention relates to a wastewater treatment system for treating wastewater containing chloride salts having a chloride concentration of 500 mg / L to 5,000 mg / L, a reaction tank; at least one reactor equipped with at least one electrode for treating wastewater, a pump for feeding wastewater from the reaction tank to the reactor; a controller for controlling the current supplied to the reactor by a power supply; a tank for storing sodium bisulfite which is added to the reaction tank at the end of the wastewater treatment when the reactor stops treating the wastewater in order to produce a certain amount of hydrochloric acid in the reaction tank, The controller is a wastewater treatment system that controls the current supplied to the reactor so that a total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce hydrochloric acid in the reaction tank at a concentration between 500 mg / L and 5,000 mg / L, and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is 4 or less for in-situ cleaning of the electrodes.

[0013] A controller controls the current supplied to the reactor by controlling the size of an electrode active area and / or the current density supplied to the reactor.

[0014] In some embodiments, the size of the electrode active area is experimentally determined such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce a hydrochloric acid concentration of 500-5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank, and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is 4 or less.

[0015] In another embodiment, the size of the electrode active area is controlled based on the amount of aqueous free chlorine detected in the reaction tank during operation of the system such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce a hydrochloric acid concentration of 500-5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is 4 or less.

[0016] In some embodiments, when the current supplied to the reactor is controlled by controlling the current density, the current density is experimentally determined such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce a hydrochloric acid concentration of 500 to 5,000 mg / L in said reaction tank, and the pH of the treated wastewater in said reaction tank is 4 or less.

[0017] Alternatively, the current density may be controlled based on the amount of aqueous free chlorine detected in the reaction tank during operation of the system such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce a hydrochloric acid concentration of 500-5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is 4 or less.

[0018] Furthermore, in some other embodiments, both the size of the electrode active area and the current density are experimentally determined such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of the wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce a hydrochloric acid concentration of 500-5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank, and the treated pH in the reaction tank is 4 or less.

[0019] Additionally, in another embodiment, both the electrode active area and current density are controlled based on the amount of aqueous free chlorine detected such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce a hydrochloric acid concentration of 500-5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank, and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is 4 or less.

[0020] Further disclosed is a method for treating wastewater, the method comprising: a. supplying a stream of wastewater to be treated containing chloride salts having a chloride concentration between 500 mg / L and 5,000 mg / L to a reaction tank, and supplying the wastewater from the reaction tank to at least one reactor for treating the wastewater to remove chlorides and other contaminants contained in the wastewater; b. controlling the current supplied to the reactor to treat wastewater; c. at the end of treatment, after the reactor has stopped treating the wastewater and before the wastewater is discharged from the system, supplying an amount of sodium bisulfite to the treated wastewater in the reaction tank to reduce the level of aqueous free chlorine below a predetermined level at which the wastewater can be discharged; d. Recirculating treated wastewater from the reaction tank through the reactor and back to the reaction tank for an experimentally determined period of time to clean the electrodes of the reactor; Equipped with.

[0021] The current supplied to the reactor to treat the wastewater is controlled such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce a hydrochloric acid concentration of between 500 mg / L and 5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank, and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is below 4 for in-situ cleaning of electrodes.

[0022] The current supplied to the reactor may be controlled by controlling the size of the electrode active area of ​​the reactor and / or the current density.

[0023] In some embodiments, the size of the electrode active area is controlled to an experimentally determined value such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce a hydrochloric acid concentration of 500-5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank, and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is 4 or less.

[0024] In another embodiment, the size of the electrode active area is controlled based on the amount of aqueous free chlorine detected in the reaction tank during operation of the system such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce a hydrochloric acid concentration of 500-5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is 4 or less.

[0025] In some embodiments, the current density is controlled at an experimentally determined value such that the amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce a hydrochloric acid concentration of 500-5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank, and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is 4 or less.

[0026] Additionally, in another embodiment, the current density is controlled based on the amount of aqueous free chlorine detected in the reaction tank during operation of the system such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce a hydrochloric acid concentration of 500-5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank, and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is 4 or less.

[0027] In some embodiments, both the size of the electrode active area and the current density are experimentally determined such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce a hydrochloric acid concentration of 500-5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank, and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is 4 or less.

[0028] Additionally, in another embodiment, both the size of the electrode active area and the current density are controlled based on the detected amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of the wastewater treatment such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced during the wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce a hydrochloric acid concentration of 500-5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank, and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is 4 or less.

[0029] The present invention relates to a system and method for treating wastewater containing chloride salts (sodium, potassium, calcium, etc.). [Brief description of the drawings]

[0030] The drawings illustrate certain preferred embodiments of the invention, but are not to be construed as limiting the spirit or scope of the invention in any way.

[0031] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a system for treating wastewater with in-situ cleaning of electrodes according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] Certain terms have been used in this description and are intended to be construed in accordance with the definitions provided below. Furthermore, terms such as "a" and "comprises" are intended to be open-ended.

[0033] A wastewater treatment system according to the present invention is shown in FIG.

[0034] The electrochemical wastewater treatment system 100 comprises an equalization tank 102, a reaction tank 110, and at least one reactor 112 containing a stack of electrolytic cells. A stream of wastewater to be treated 101 is fed to the equalization tank 102 through a filter 103, and a stream of wastewater 105 leaving the equalization tank is fed to the reaction tank 110 by a pump 106. A stream of wastewater to be treated 107 is fed from the reaction tank 110 through a filter 109 by a pump 108 to the reactor 112. The recirculation cycle of the treated wastewater stream 114 leaving the reactor to the reaction tank and the wastewater to be treated through the reactor 112 and back to the reaction tank 110 is repeated as long as necessary to remove the contaminants from the wastewater to the required level. The time required to remove the contaminants from the wastewater can be determined through empirical testing of the system or by continuously monitoring the contaminant levels in the reaction tank. If it is determined that the level of contaminants reached in the reaction tank is below the level at which the water can be disposed of in the environment, a solution of sodium bisulfite (SBS) is fed from tank 118 to reaction tank 110 to reduce the level, thereby reducing the level of aqueous free chlorine in the treated wastewater and, as further described below, reducing the pH of the wastewater to be disposed of; once it is determined that the level of aqueous free chlorine in the tank and the pH of the wastewater have reached the required limits, valve 122 is opened and treated wastewater stream 120 is disposed of from the system.

[0035] The system is also provided with means for adjusting the conductivity of the wastewater being treated. A solution of sodium hydroxide is fed from tank 116 via a pump into treated wastewater stream 114 and recirculated to reaction tank 110. In a preferred embodiment, the temperature of the wastewater in the reaction tank is maintained within predetermined limits by circulating at least a portion of the wastewater from reaction tank 110 through a radiator 113.

[0036] The system further includes a controller 130 that receives information from an operational data collector 132 and controls a power supply 134 that supplies electrical current to the reactor 112. The operational data collector 132 collects information regarding, among other parameters, the concentration of contaminants in the reaction tank and the amount of aqueous free chlorine in the reaction tank. The amount of aqueous free chlorine in the reaction tank is provided to the data collector by a sensor that monitors the redox potential of the wastewater.

[0037] The present invention relates to a system and method for treating wastewater containing chloride salts (sodium, potassium, calcium, etc.). In the examples described herein, the wastewater to be treated contains sodium chloride, but those skilled in the art will understand that similar chemical reactions occur during the electrochemical treatment of wastewater containing potassium chloride, calcium chloride, etc., and the described system and method. In the present invention, "wastewater" refers to wastewater containing any type of chloride. During the electrochemical oxidation treatment process of the wastewater to be treated, chloride ions from the wastewater are oxidized to aqueous free chlorine. Since it is necessary to prevent the aqueous free chlorine generated during wastewater treatment from being converted to chlorine gas, the pH of the wastewater being treated is controlled to be higher than about 9, so that all the aqueous free chlorine generated during the treatment process remains in the aqueous phase as hypochlorite, as in the following reaction: NaCl+H2O → NaClO+H2

[0038] Because there are limits to the level of chlorine that can be discharged from a wastewater treatment system, sodium bisulfite (SBS) is added to the treated wastewater after treatment is stopped and before it is discharged into the environment to neutralize the hypochlorite to hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid, as shown in the following reaction: NaClO+NaHO3S→HCl+H2SO4

[0039] The addition of sodium bisulfite reduces the pH of the treated water depending on the content of aqueous free chlorine. In systems used in the past to treat wastewater containing sodium chloride, it was found that the pH of the wastewater was reduced to about 6-8 after sodium bisulfite was added to neutralize the aqueous free chlorine.

[0040] It has also been found that the increased production of hypochlorite requires more sodium bisulfite to neutralize the aqueous free chlorine, which further reduces the pH of the treated wastewater to about 4 or less, which is beneficial for dissolving hardness scales deposited on the electrode surfaces when the treated wastewater is recirculated through the reactor. As has been found, the exchange between chloride and carbonate ions in the hardness scales promotes the dissolution of the hardness deposits, which results in the hardness scales deposited on the electrode surfaces dissolving in the treated water.

[0041] The present system and method are designed to address this problem of treating wastewater containing chloride salts with chloride concentrations between 500 mg / L and 5,000 mg / L and lowering the pH of the discharged treated wastewater to about 4 or less for in-situ cleaning of the electrodes by increasing the amount of chemical solution produced within the wastewater treatment reactor, but not by providing a chemical solution for cleaning the electrodes from an external electrolytic cell, and without using additional chemicals not already involved in the wastewater treatment process.

[0042] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the current supplied to the reactor is controlled by the controller 130 such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced during treatment requires the addition of an amount of sodium bisulfite, produces an amount of hydrochloric acid in the range of 500 mg / L to 5,000 mg / L, and the pH of the treated wastewater is equal to or less than 4. The current supplied to the reactor to meet these requirements can be determined experimentally through tests performed on the water to be treated in a laboratory, or it can be actively controlled during operation by monitoring the amount of aqueous free chlorine produced during treatment. As mentioned above, the amount of aqueous free chlorine produced during wastewater treatment is monitored by a sensor that monitors the redox potential of the wastewater.

[0043] The current supplied to the reactor 112 can be controlled by controlling the size of the electrode active area of ​​the reactor 112 or by controlling the current density. The electrode active area is defined as the total area of ​​the electrodes in the reactor 112 that are active and receiving current from the power source 134 to treat the wastewater. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the system may include only one reactor 112, in which case the electrode active area is defined by the area of ​​the electrodes in the reactor that are receiving current from the power source and operating to treat the wastewater. The controller 130 controls the current density supplied to the reactor 112 and / or the number of electrodes or reactors connected to the power source to achieve the desired current supplied to the reactor according to the conditions described above.

[0044] The method of operating the system described above and shown in Figure 1 can be summarized as follows: A stream of wastewater to be treated 101 is fed to a pressure equalization tank 102 and then through a pump 106 to a reaction tank 110. From the pressure equalization tank 110, the wastewater to be treated 107 is fed to a reactor 112 connected to a power source where wastewater treatment takes place. Treated wastewater 114 is recirculated back to the reaction tank 110 and the cycle is repeated for an experimentally determined period of time until the contaminant concentration in the wastewater is reduced to a limit at which disposal of the treated wastewater is acceptable. The contaminant concentration in the wastewater in the reaction tank is monitored by an operational data collection device 132 and communicated to a controller which shuts off power to the reactor 112 when the contaminant concentration reaches a desired level.

[0045] During the treatment process, the operational data collection device 132 also collects information about the wastewater in the reaction tank 110, such as the amount of aqueous free chlorine that is produced during the treatment process.

[0046] After the wastewater has been treated and before it is discarded from the system, the reactor 112 is disconnected from the power source, sodium bisulfite solution is fed from tank 118 to the reaction tank 110, the pH of the wastewater in the reactor tank is monitored by data collection device 132, and when the pH of the wastewater in the tank reaches 4 or less, the wastewater is recirculated through the reactor 112 and back to the tank for an experimentally determined time to provide in-situ cleaning of the electrodes. The treated wastewater stream 120 is then discharged from the system.

[0047] The current supplied to the reactor during wastewater treatment is controlled so that the sodium hypochlorite produced during wastewater treatment produces 500-5,000 mg / L of hydrochloric acid in the reactor tank after the addition of sodium bisulfite, and the pH of the treated wastewater is below 4. The amount of current supplied to the reactor is determined experimentally through tests performed in a laboratory for the particular characteristics of the wastewater being treated, or by continuously monitoring the amount of aqueous free chlorine in the reactor tank 110 through data collection device 132 during wastewater treatment.

[0048] The current supplied to the reactor is controlled to achieve the above requirements by controlling the size of the electrode active area of ​​the reactor used for wastewater treatment or by controlling the density of the current supplied to the reactor. In some embodiments, both the size of the electrode active area and the current density are controlled based on the above requirements.

[0049] Thus, in some embodiments, the size of the electrode active area is controlled such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of the wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce a concentration of 500-5,000 mg / L of hydrochloric acid in the reaction tank, and the pH of the treated wastewater is equal to or less than 4 after dosing of the sodium bisulfite solution. The required size of the electrode active area can be determined experimentally through tests performed in a laboratory for the particular characteristics of the wastewater being treated, or by continuously monitoring the level of aqueous free chlorine in the reactor tank 110 through the data collection device 132 during the wastewater treatment. In general, if the determination of the size of the electrode active area required is made through laboratory tests, the electrode active area is maintained the same during the wastewater treatment, whereas if the determination of the size of the electrode active area is based on monitoring the level of aqueous free chlorine, the size of the electrode active area can be changed during the operation of the wastewater treatment in response to the detected aqueous free chlorine level by increasing or decreasing the number of reactors in operation or, if only one electrochemical reactor is used, by increasing or decreasing the number of operating electrodes connected to a power source.

[0050] In other embodiments, the current density provided by the power supply 134 to the reactor 112 is controlled such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of the wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce a concentration of 500-5,000 mg / L of hydrochloric acid in the reactor tank, and the pH of the treated wastewater is equal to or less than 4 after dosing of the sodium bisulfite solution. The current density can be determined experimentally through tests performed in a laboratory for the particular characteristics of the treated wastewater, or by continuously monitoring the level of aqueous free chlorine in the reactor tank 110 through the data collection device 132 during the wastewater treatment. As with the electrode active area, when the current density is determined experimentally, the current density is typically maintained constant during the operation of the wastewater treatment, whereas when the current density is determined based on continuously monitoring the level of aqueous free chlorine in the reactor tank during the wastewater treatment, it will vary during the operation of the wastewater treatment in response to the detected aqueous free chlorine level.

[0051] In an alternative embodiment, both the size of the electrode active area and the current density of the power supplied to the reactor are simultaneously controlled such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of the wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite such that a concentration of 500-5,000 mg / L of hydrochloric acid is produced in the reactor tank, and the pH of the treated wastewater is equal to or less than 4 after the administration of sodium bisulfite. The values ​​of the electrode active area and current density can be determined experimentally through tests performed in a laboratory for the particular characteristics of the wastewater being treated, or can be determined by continuously monitoring the level of aqueous free chlorine in the reactor tank 110 during wastewater treatment by the data collection device 132. As with the above embodiment, the values ​​of the electrode active area size and current density can be constant if experimentally determined, or can vary during the wastewater treatment operation if they are based on monitored levels of aqueous free chlorine produced during treatment.

[0052] In all embodiments, the electrode active area and / or current density of the power supplied to the reactor required to produce hydrochloric acid in a concentration of 500-5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank and / or to reduce the pH of the treated wastewater to 4 or less after dosing with sodium bisulfite according to the invention is higher than the electrode active area and / or current density supplied to the reactor solely for treating the wastewater to reduce the concentration of pollutants such that the wastewater discharge requirements are met.

[0053] An advantage of the present system and method over the prior art is that no additional chemical solutions are added to the wastewater treatment system to clean the electrodes, which are not required to ensure the treatment of the wastewater or the safe discharge of the treated wastewater. It is known in wastewater systems to add sodium bisulfite to the treated wastewater in amounts different from those described herein to neutralize hypochlorite to hydrochloric and sulfuric acids to meet wastewater discharge requirements.

[0054] While particular elements, embodiments and applications of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, since modifications may be made by those skilled in the art, particularly in light of the above teachings, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Such modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

[0055] The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. All U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications, and non-patent publications referenced herein and / or listed in the Application Data Sheet, including U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 177,274 (filed April 20, 2021), are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. If necessary, aspects of the embodiments can be modified to provide further embodiments using concepts from various patents, applications, and publications. These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the scope of the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. The claims are therefore not limited by this disclosure.

Claims

1. 1. A wastewater treatment system for treating wastewater containing chloride salts having a chloride concentration of 500 mg / L to 5,000 mg / L, comprising: a. a reaction tank; b. at least one reactor comprising at least one electrode for treating wastewater; c) a pump for supplying wastewater from the reaction tank to the reactor; d. a controller for controlling the current provided to the reactor by a power supply; e. a tank for storing sodium bisulfite that is added to the reaction tank at the end of wastewater treatment when the reactor stops treating the wastewater to produce a certain amount of hydrochloric acid in the reaction tank; Equipped with The controller controls the current supplied to the reactor so that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of the wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce hydrochloric acid in the reaction tank at a concentration between 500 mg / L and 5,000 mg / L, and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is 4 or less for in-situ cleaning of the electrodes.

2. 2. The system of claim 1, The system, wherein the controller controls the current supplied to the reactor by controlling the size of an electrode active area and / or the current density supplied to the reactor.

3. 3. The system of claim 2, The size of the electrode active area or the current density is experimentally determined so that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of the wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce hydrochloric acid at a concentration of 500 to 5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank, and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is 4 or less.

4. 3. The system of claim 2, The size of the electrode active area or the current density is controlled based on the amount of aqueous free chlorine detected in the reaction tank during operation of the system so that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce hydrochloric acid at a concentration of 500 to 5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank, and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is 4 or less.

5. 3. The system of claim 2, The size of the electrode active area and the current density are both experimentally determined such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce hydrochloric acid at a concentration of 500 to 5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank, and the treated pH in the reaction tank is 4 or less.

6. 3. The system of claim 2, The system is characterized in that both the size of the electrode active area and the current density are controlled based on the amount of aqueous free chlorine detected so that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce a hydrochloric acid concentration of 500 to 5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank, and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is 4 or less.

7. 1. A method for treating wastewater, comprising: a. feeding a stream of wastewater to be treated containing chloride salts having a chloride concentration between 500 mg / L and 5,000 mg / L to a reaction tank, and feeding the wastewater from said reaction tank to at least one reactor comprising at least one electrode for treating the wastewater to remove chlorides and other contaminants contained in the wastewater; b. controlling the current supplied to the reactor to treat wastewater; c) at the end of treatment, after the reactor has stopped treating the wastewater and before the wastewater is discharged from the system, supplying an amount of sodium bisulfite to the treated wastewater in the reaction tank to reduce the level of aqueous free chlorine below a predetermined level at which the wastewater can be discharged; d. Recirculating treated wastewater from said reaction tank through said reactor and back to said reaction tank for an experimentally determined period of time to clean said reactor electrodes; Equipped with The method of claim 1, wherein the current supplied to the reactor for treating the wastewater is controlled such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of the wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce a concentration of hydrochloric acid between 500 mg / L and 5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank, and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is 4 or less for in-situ cleaning of electrodes.

8. 8. The method of claim 7, The method according to claim 1, wherein the current supplied to the reactor is controlled by controlling the size of the electrode active area of ​​the reactor and / or the current density.

9. 9. The method of claim 8, The size of the electrode active area or the current density is controlled to an experimentally determined value such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce hydrochloric acid at a concentration of 500 to 5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank, and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is 4 or less.

10. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the size of the electrode active area or the current density is controlled based on the amount of aqueous free chlorine detected in the reaction tank during operation of the system such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce a hydrochloric acid concentration of 500 to 5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank, and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is 4 or less.

11. 9. The method of claim 8, The size of the electrode active area and the current density are both experimentally determined such that the total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce a hydrochloric acid concentration of 500-5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank, and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is 4 or less.

12. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein both the size of the electrode active area and the current density are controlled based on the detected amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of the wastewater treatment such that a total amount of aqueous free chlorine produced by the end of the wastewater treatment requires the addition of an experimentally determined amount of sodium bisulfite to produce a hydrochloric acid concentration of 500 to 5,000 mg / L in the reaction tank, and the pH of the treated wastewater in the reaction tank is 4 or less.

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