Mercury-Transformative Microbes for Wastewater Effluent Treatment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Toxic mercury compounds in wastewater effluent, particularly from dental procedures, are highly cytotoxic to digestive microbes used in dental evacuation systems, reducing their effectiveness and longevity.
Innovation Solution
A treatment composition comprising a surfactant, digestive microbes, and mercury-transformative microbes is introduced into the wastewater effluent system. The mercury-transformative microbes, induced to express merA and merB genes, transform toxic organomercurial compounds into inert elemental mercury, while digestive microbes degrade organic compounds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If digestive microbes are used to degrade organic compounds in wastewater effluent, then organic foul is reduced, but toxic mercury ions damage or kill the microbes, reducing their functionality and longevity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces mercury-transformative microbes as an intermediary component that converts toxic organomercurial compounds into less toxic elemental mercury. These transformative microbes act as a protective mediator that reduces the toxicity of the environment, thereby protecting the digestive microbes from damage while allowing them to continue their organic degradation function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines two distinct microbial populations into a single treatment system: digestive microbes for organic compound degradation and mercury-transformative microbes for mercury detoxification. This merged system allows both functions to operate simultaneously in the same wastewater treatment environment, resolving the contradiction between productivity and reliability.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If mercury-transformative microbes are added to transform organomercurial compounds into elemental mercury, then toxic mercury levels are reduced, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mercury-transformative microbes perform self-service by using their own enzymatic systems (mercuric reductase and organomercurial lyase) to convert toxic mercury compounds into less toxic forms. This self-detoxification capability eliminates the need for additional chemical treatment steps or complex external control systems, thereby reducing overall system complexity while effectively reducing toxic mercury levels.
3Productivity
If high concentrations of digestive microbes are used to maintain functionality in toxic environments, then organic degradation efficiency is maintained, but the cost and complexity of maintaining microbe viability increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of mercury toxicity into a benefit by introducing transformative microbes that use the toxic organomercurial compounds as substrates for transformation. The very substance that was harmful to the digestive microbes becomes the substrate for the transformative microbes, which convert it into less toxic elemental mercury. This approach maintains organic degradation efficiency without requiring excessive amounts of digestive microbes or expensive protective measures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively reduces toxic mercury levels in wastewater effluent by transforming organomercurial compounds into non-toxic elemental mercury, thereby protecting digestive microbes and maintaining their functionality.
Implementation Method 1
the mercuric reductase is responsible for the transfer of electrons
Implementation Method 2
The lyase reduces the highly toxic organomercurial compounds into almost nontoxic volatile elemental mercury
Implementation Method 3
a solution including a surfactant, digestive microbes suspended in the solution
Data Source
AI summary
A method for reducing toxic mercury in wastewater effluent comprises the steps of: identifying a system into which wastewater effluent is introduced, the wastewater effluent including organic compounds and organomercurial compounds; producing a treatment composition comprising a solution including a surfactant, digestive microbes suspended in the solution, and mercury-transformative microbes suspended in the solution; and providing the treatment composition into the system containing the wastewater effluent, such that the digestive microbes degrade the organic compounds in the wastewater effluent, and the mercury-transformative microbes reduce the organomercurial compounds in the wastewater effluent into nontoxic volatile elemental mercury. In certain systems for reducing toxic mercury in wastewater effluent, a biological capture medium is positioned within a vessel and configured to provide a capture point for microbes to adhere to and create biofilms. One such system is a dental evacuation system in which wastewater effluent is introduced into the system via an aspirator.