BRPI1102494A2 - TREATMENT OF GRAY WATER FOR REUSABLE PURPOSES - Google Patents

Abstract

GRAY WATER TREATMENT FOR REUSE IN NON-DRINKING PURPOSES. Invention Patent for a technique that aims to not use drinking water, from public distribution, in the sanitary basins. The idea is to store the water, coming from the showers and washbasins (2) in the storage reservoir (3), treat it with floating chlorinator (4) in the treatment reservoir (5) intermediated by sand filter (6) used to treat pools. Once treated, the water will be used to feed the toilet bowls (7). This saves water spent on discharges, saving users, in addition to the environmental benefits of a more conscious use of this good.

Description

Descriptive Report

"TREATMENT OF GRAY WATER FOR REUSE

POTHABLE "

The present invention is a technique for the purpose of not using potable water from public distribution in toilets or other non-potable purposes such as a broom or watering plants. This saves the water spent on discharges, generating savings for users, as well as the environmental benefits of a more conscious use of this good.

Currently there are compact treatment plants that aim to treat secondary sewage to reuse water mainly in toilets. They usually differ reasonably from each other, according to the supplier company. Usually they have a biological filter, a free surface sand filter and chlorination at the end. The main problem with these stations is that they are quite expensive, thus discouraging their acquisition to reduce water consumption.

In view of this problem and in order to overcome them, a new method of treatment of secondary sewage, object of the present patent, whose idea is to treat water from showers and toilets, also called secondary sewage, with chlorinators was developed. floats and sand filters used to treat swimming pools. Once treated, as detailed below, water can be used to feed toilets and other non-potable purposes. Using existing equipment on the market, it is possible to set up a compact treatment plant using this method, spending much less than the existing ones on the market. Another advantage is that through this method stations can be sized for different numbers of users, whereas conventional stations work with much lower variability and only for buildings with high utilization rates.

Figure 1 shows a simplified scheme of operation of the method to which this patent application refers. In buildings where the proposed reuse is implemented, there must be separate fall pipes for toilets (7) (primary sewage) and other toilet hydraulic installations (secondary sewage). Thus, primary sewage follows the normal path to the public sewage collection system (1), passing through the manhole and all standard sewage collection devices in conventional buildings. In houses or buildings that do not have a public sewage collection system, the effluents from the toilets (7) will flow to the sewers normally.

Secondary sewage, which did not have the slightest contact with primary sewage,

It will be guided through its drop pipe to the underground where it will be carried by pipes (2) to the storage tank (3). In the treatment reservoir (5), chlorine will be applied through floating chlorinators (4) which should have their supply of chlorine tablets replenished regularly. The amount of chlorine to be applied to the floating chlorinators is proportional to the size of their reservoir. Already these are sized according to the number of users of the building. In general 30 liters per person-day is enough to feed your toilets (7), but detailed study may be necessary depending on the use of the building. With regard to reservoir sizing, the upper (5) should be sized to the volume equivalent to daily consumption, as well as the lower reservoir (3), thus having a stock of 2 days of water for reuse.

As for the stored gray water, it will be pumped to the treatment reservoir (5), before passing through a sand filter (6) similar to those used in swimming pools. In the treatment tank (5), 20 grams of chlorine per cubic meter should be applied.

Good sizing of the sand filter (6), which is responsible for removing turbidity and maintaining the acceptable quality for its use in sanitary basins (7), is important. A design area of 80 cm2 of sand surface will be adopted for each user of the building. The sand filter used must have a filtering area equivalent or smaller than the calculated value. In case there are no filters with filtering area in the calculated values, a filter battery should be mounted in parallel, as shown in figure 2, so that they total the dimensioned area (Atotai = A1 + A2).

Good sizing of water reservoirs must be

reuse so that its use is optimized. A reservoir that is too small may imply excessive use of treated water for the basins (7), while reservoirs that are too large are an unnecessary cost to implement the system. A necessary detail for the implantation of the system is the connection of the conventional treated water tank (13) with the reused water tank intermediated by a check valve (8). This connection allows water to be supplied to the toilets (7) during maintenance of the reuse water treatment system. The check valve (8) is important for flow to occur only from the treated water tank to the reuse water tank. Although treated, reused water does not meet quality standards for potability, and its contact with public water could contaminate it. The water level of this reservoir must be higher than the treated water tank. In this way the process of feeding the reuse reservoir by the conventional reservoir will be optimized, that is, only in case of real need will the treated water be fed to the sanitary basins (7).

In the upper and lower reused water reservoirs, there should be an automatic float switch (9), which will start or stop your pre-filter booster pump (14) whenever the reservoir reaches a certain level (10), thus allowing its automated feeding. In the upper reservoir it will be activated when it needs to be filled and shut down when fully filled. In the storage tank (3) it will automatically shut down the pump upon reaching a critical level (11), thus preventing it from running dry. It is important to note that the storage tank key must not operate the pump, this function will be performed only by the upper reservoir key. There will be no problem of overflow of the tank because when it reaches a certain high level, excess water will go to the sewer through the thief (12).

The system startup procedure requires that both the upper and lower reservoirs be full. This can be done by opening showers and / or toilets until the lower reservoir is initially full and then pumping into the upper reservoir, flooding the sand filter and expelling air from the discharge pipe (14).

The sand filter must have a record on its outlet so that it can be serviced without losing all or part of the upper reservoir water. The pre-filter booster pump must also have records for its closure before its entry and after its exit for the same reasons.

Finally, it is important to remember that the sand filter will also have a connection with the sewage system (1), where it must follow the washing water. The filter should be washed whenever the excess pressure in its piezometer is observed. At the same frequency should be cleaned the pump pre-filters, which are responsible for removing coarse impurities that could damage the pump, such as hair that could get tangled in the motor.

Claims (6)

1. "GRAY WATER TREATMENT FOR NON-POTABLE PURPOSE REUSE" is understood to be the use of floating chlorinators (4) in series with pool filters (6). Secondary sewage (2) is stored in insulated cistern (3) with float switch (9). From there, the sewage will be repressed to the upper reservoir of reused water (5) before passing through the sand filter (6). The pre-filter booster pump (14) is driven by the upper reservoir float switch (5) and protected from dry running by the storage tank switch (9). The filter (6) shall have an extension that connects it to the sewage system (1), for its washing, and an extension that leads it to the reuse water drainage pipe (14). The upper reservoir (5), which will provide for disinfection of the wastewater by floating chlorinator (4), shall have a hydraulic connection with the treated water reservoir (13) by the public distributor. This connection must be supplemented with a check valve (8) so that only treated water reservoir (13) flows to the reused water reservoir (5), and never the other way around. This connection must be below the drive level (15) of the treated water reservoir pump (13). The upper reservoir (5) will feed all toilets (16) and other non-potable purposes for which it has been sized.