Polymer-Embedded Filter Bag for Stormwater Particle Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional erosion control methods fail to meet stringent storm water regulations, requiring more effective solutions for capturing particles in runoff water and controlling erosion, especially in areas undergoing development or environmental disturbances, while also being easy to install, maintain, and configure to various landscapes.
Innovation Solution
A system employing elongated filter bags made of filtration fabric with a polymeric material for agglomerating colloidal particles, combined with a skirt impregnated with a water-soluble anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) to enhance particle settlement and filtration, effectively reducing soil erosion and improving water clarity by slowing water flow and promoting sedimentation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional silt fencing products and straw bales are used for erosion control, then installation is simple and low cost, but they fail to meet stringent storm water regulations and provide insufficient particle capture efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines multiple erosion control functions into a single integrated filter bag system that performs settling, filtering, and agglomeration simultaneously. The filter bag merges the functions of conventional silt fences and straw bales while adding polymeric agglomeration capability, achieving superior particle capture efficiency and regulatory compliance without proportionally increasing system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The filter bag employs composite construction combining filtration fabric with polymeric materials (such as polyacrylamide) for agglomeration. This composite approach enhances particle capture efficiency by combining mechanical filtration with chemical agglomeration, meeting stringent storm water regulations while maintaining practical deployability
2Reliability
If filter bags with polymeric material are used for agglomerating particles, then particle capture efficiency improves, but installation and configuration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The erosion control system is divided into modular filter bags that can be independently deployed and configured. Each filter bag is a self-contained unit with integrated polymeric material, allowing for easy installation and adjustment to various landscape configurations without requiring complex assembly procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The filter bags are designed to be self-contained units with polymeric material pre-integrated into the filtration fabric. The bags require minimal preparation and can be directly installed in runoff paths, eliminating the need for complex setup procedures while maintaining high particle capture efficiency through the self-contained agglomeration capability
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple processing steps (settling, filtering, agglomerating) are implemented, then water clarification quality improves, but system complexity and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The filter bag integrates three distinct water treatment processes (settling, filtering, and agglomerating) into a single device. Water flows through the bag where particles settle due to reduced velocity, are filtered by the filtration fabric, and are agglomerated by the polymeric material, achieving high water clarification quality without requiring separate processing units
Solution Approach 2:
The filter bag serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a settling pond by reducing water velocity, functions as a physical filter through its fabric construction, and provides chemical agglomeration through integrated polymeric materials. This multi-functionality achieves superior water clarification while minimizing the number of separate components required
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 system provides superior erosion control and water clarification by sequentially settling, filtering, and agglomerating particulate matter, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards, reducing land disturbance, and maintaining effectiveness across diverse applications.
Implementation Method 1
A polymeric material is preferably disposed within the filter bag for agglomerating colloidally suspended particles in water passing through the bag wall from the dammed up pool
Implementation Method 2
as water seeps through the bags, the bags also act as a filter to remove soil particles
Implementation Method 3
whereby the agglomerated particles settle within the filter bag and remain
Implementation Method 4
a skirt impregnated with a water-soluble anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) to enhance particle settlement and filtration
Data Source
AI summary
An erosion control system and method wherein a fabric filter bag is embedded with and/or filled with a flocculating polymer and is positioned on a sloping soil surface to dam and pond water flowing thereacross for settling of the particles in the water, and as the ponding water seeps into the bag the colloidal particles will be filtered or agglomerated for settling. The water then passes through and out of the bag and is further subjected to agglomeration and filtering by a skirt of filter material also impregnated with flocculating polymer, said skirt being anchored to the bag or stacked to maintain the position adjacent and downslope from the bag.