Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
  • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
  • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
  • C02F1/50—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by addition or application of a germicide or by oligodynamic treatment
  • C02F1/505—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by addition or application of a germicide or by oligodynamic treatment by oligodynamic treatment
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
  • B01J20/00—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof
  • B01J20/30—Processes for preparing, regenerating, or reactivating
  • B01J20/32—Impregnating or coating ; Solid sorbent compositions obtained from processes involving impregnating or coating
  • B01J20/3202—Impregnating or coating ; Solid sorbent compositions obtained from processes involving impregnating or coating characterised by the carrier, support or substrate used for impregnation or coating
  • B01J20/3204—Inorganic carriers, supports or substrates
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
  • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
  • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
  • C02F1/52—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities
  • C02F1/5236—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities using inorganic agents
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
  • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
  • C02F2101/00—Nature of the contaminant
  • C02F2101/10—Inorganic compounds
  • C02F2101/105—Phosphorus compounds
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
  • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
  • C02F2305/00—Use of specific compounds during water treatment
  • C02F2305/14—Additives which dissolves or releases substances when predefined environmental conditions are reached, e.g. pH or temperature
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10S210/00—Liquid purification or separation
  • Y10S210/902—Materials removed
  • Y10S210/906—Phosphorus containing

Definitions

• the present embodiment relates generally to the production of pellets of alum, a smectite mineral-bearing industrial material such as bentonite (montmorillonite), attapulgite, saponite, hectorite, sepiolite and fullers earth and optionally sodium or calcium carbonate that can be delivered to concentrated or impounded phosphate located at the bottom of various bodies of water. More particularly, the pellets of alum, a smectite mineral material as described above and optionally sodium or calcium carbonate can be delivered to a wider range of locations in bodies of water including to sites known as the “sediment water interface” which is an area that can be generally defined as the top six inches of sediment combined with the deepest six inches of water.
• the “sediment water interface” is an area that can be generally defined as the top six inches of sediment combined with the deepest six inches of water.
• the pellets of alum, a smectite mineral material as described above and optionally sodium or calcium carbonate are dropped through the body of water so that the alum is released when the pellet reaches the desired location in the water, thereby treating the phosphates more efficiently and using or consuming less alum.
• Acidic metal salt and sulfate solutions such as aluminum sulfate ((Al 2 SO 4 ) 3 .14H 2 O) solutions, commonly known and referred to as “alum,” have long been used to remove color and suspended particles, as well as organic and microbiological contaminants from water.
• Alum is readily available and when diluted with surface water, it can function as a coagulant, flocculent, precipitant and emulsion breaker.
• alum removes the primary nutrient for blue-green algae in the water. This function is important because these algae remove oxygen from the water (known as biochemical oxygen demand or BOD) and thus pose a danger to fish.
• Alum also forms an insoluble precipitate or floccule, i.e., a floc, with the impurities in the water.
• the floc grows in size as it attracts suspended and colloidal particles and organic compounds present in the water.
• the floc settles out of the water over time and can be removed by well known techniques such as by decanting or filtration.
• a phosphate impoundment is treated with a composition that includes alum and a member of the smectite family of minerals as the two major components.
• alum shall be used to refer to aluminum sulfate ((Al 2 SO 4 ) 3 .14H 2 O).
• Bentonite is the ore enriched in the smectite called montmorillonite.
• smectite mineral material shall be used to refer to bentonite, attapulgite, saponite, hectorite, sepiolite and fullers earth.
• the alum and smectite mineral material preferably are covered or coated by techniques well known to those skilled in the art, with one or more natural organic by-products such as corn starch, sugar-based resins, and various natural product derivatives such as chemical families of resins and starches.
• suitable resins and coatings include guar gum, alginates, polyvinyl alcohol, partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamides and other similar polymers well known to those skilled in the art.
• compositions of these embodiments selectively remove phosphates from natural and man-made water systems.
• Phosphates are a primary nutrient for aquatic flora/fauna such as blue-green algae which produce unsightly green slimes and clouds, and undesirable odors in waters. By removing the phosphates, the algae are deprived of nourishment and therefore do not proliferate in the water column.
• Alum is a water treatment product that is used to remove phosphates and other compounds such as dissolved organics, suspended sediment, and metals from a body of water.
• the primary purpose of the alum is to sorb the phosphates from the water or sediments.
• Alum is generally commercially available from General Chemical Corporation.
• the smectite mineral material preferably, bentonite functions to 1) optimize the timing of the dissolution of the composition in the water column, 2) buffer the pH of the water that is being treated to a neutral pH level, and 3) optimize or control the density of the composition to more precisely estimate the residence time in the water column.
• Bentonite is generally commercially available from Bentonite Performance Minerals.
• compositions of uncoated alum and smectite mineral material generally retain approximately 90% of their integrity or shape for up to approximately 2 minutes.
• Compositions of alum and smectite mineral material that have been coated with accessory additives such as water soluble resins, natural polymers and macromolecular by-products from grain and agriculture industries dissolve in water at a much slower rate than uncoated compositions.
• the coated compositions generally retain approximately 90% of their integrity or shape for up to approximately 24 hours.
• the concentration of the accessory additives preferably is less than five percent by weight of the total composition.
• the compositions preferably include a pH buffering agent selected from sodium carbonate (Na 2 CO 3 ) or calcium carbonate (Ca 2 CO 3 ).
• a pH buffering agent selected from sodium carbonate (Na 2 CO 3 ) or calcium carbonate (Ca 2 CO 3 ).
• the pH buffering agent also enhances the density of the composition for use in higher energy—higher flow—water systems.
• the composition includes from 30-99% by weight of alum and from 1-70% of a smectite mineral material. According to another preferred embodiment, the composition further includes from 0-5% natural water soluble resins and byproducts as a coating. According to still another preferred embodiment, the composition further includes from 0-30% of a pH buffering agent selected from sodium carbonate and calcium carbonate.
• compositions of the present embodiment are manufactured and produced according to techniques well known to those skilled in the art.
• the compositions of the present embodiment are produced in the form of spheres to oblate spheroids, cylinders to cubes and three-dimensional rectangles ranging in size from 1 ⁇ 4′′ to 24′′ in diameter.
• the compositions of the present embodiment are produced in the form of tablets, pellets, extruded noodles, briquettes or ribbons by equipment well known to those skilled in the art such as extruders, tabletizers, briquetters or agglomerators.
• each component of the compositions are provided in powdered or granular form and the components are blended.
• the raw material components are blended in the proportions noted above and are physically mixed at the desired levels in tanks or similar units of 20 to 200 ton capacity, by augers and paddles for a prescribed amount of time, preferably from 5 minutes to up to 6 hours in batch mode, or by continuous metered feed onto a common belt or in a common continuously producing extruder, pelletizer, tabletizer, or agglomerator.
• a typical extruder is in the form of an elongated rectangular tub with at least one and optionally two augers oriented parallel to the ground that physically mixes the materials into a uniform mixture of the composition and then passes the composition through a restricted opening to form elongated noodles or cylindrical pellets.
• Conventional tabletizers and pelletizers take the mixed materials from a storage tank and compress the mixture via converging die plates into forms in the order of 1 ⁇ 4 to 1′′ diameter spheres and spheroids.
• Commercial agglomerators take the mixtures as a powder (having a particle size ranging from 44 ⁇ m to 100 ⁇ m) and non-compressively combines the mixture into spheroids.
• the composition has a moisture content of from 1 to 15 percent by weight.
• the compositions manufactured according to the above mentioned processes may be coated with accessory additives such as water soluble resins, natural polymers and macromolecular by-products from grain and agriculture industries according to techniques well known to those skilled in the art. Those skilled in the art will also recognize that other well known techniques may also be utilized to manufacture the compositions of the present embodiment.
• composition of the present embodiment has utility in the following water treatment markets: municipal water treatment polishing agent, commercial construction/engineering, agricultural feedstock (such as in piggeries, cattle, sheep and ostrich farms), aquaculture (fish farms and hatcheries, such as for shrimp, salmon and trout), natural lake and river systems and watersheds, recreational and leisure (golf course ponds, amusement parks and aquatic centers), industrial effluent management, and mining and exploration (tailings ponds and discharge systems).
• agricultural feedstock such as in piggeries, cattle, sheep and ostrich farms
• aquaculture fish farms and hatcheries, such as for shrimp, salmon and trout
• natural lake and river systems and watersheds such as for shrimp, salmon and trout
• recreational and leisure golf course ponds, amusement parks and aquatic centers
• mining and exploration tailings ponds and discharge systems.
• the composition of the present embodiment is a time release alum-based sorbent of phosphates in water.
• the vast majority of phosphate-laden water systems contain a minority of suspended or dissolved phosphates in the water column as compared to the sediment water interface.
• the term “sediment water interface” shall be used to refer to an area in a body of water that is generally defined as the top six inches of sediment combined with the deepest six inches of water. In the vast majority of water systems such as lakes, rivers, ponds or trenches, the majority of the total phosphates is located at the sediment water interface.
• Powdered alum tends to remain in suspension removing the suspended phosphates, organic matter, and other sediment but rarely reaches the targeted problem area in need of such treatment.
• the density of individual tablets of the composition of the present embodiment ranges from 1.0 to 2.0 gm/cm 3 . It is also preferred that the individual pellets of the composition of the present embodiment have a diameter that ranges from 1 ⁇ 4′′ to 24′′. Most preferably, the composition of the present embodiment has a density and size such that the compositions settle quickly through the water column arriving where they are needed most at the sediment water interface.
• the average depth of the water columns needing to be cleaned up will be about 6′, so according to Stokes Law, the uncoated product will reach the sediment water interface well in advance of the onset of significant dissolution.

Landscapes

• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
• Hydrology & Water Resources (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Inorganic Chemistry (AREA)
• Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Silicates, Zeolites, And Molecular Sieves (AREA)
• Separation Of Suspended Particles By Flocculating Agents (AREA)
• Solid-Sorbent Or Filter-Aiding Compositions (AREA)
• Treatment Of Sludge (AREA)
• Removal Of Specific Substances (AREA)

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Citations (22)

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• 2002
  • 2002-05-16 US US10/146,966 patent/US20030213752A1/en not_active Abandoned
• 2003
  • 2003-05-15 AR ARP030101693A patent/AR040015A1/es active IP Right Grant
  • 2003-05-15 BR BR0310072-3A patent/BR0310072A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-05-15 CA CA002483176A patent/CA2483176C/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2003-05-15 EP EP03725411A patent/EP1503960B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-05-15 DE DE60301502T patent/DE60301502T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-05-15 AU AU2003227946A patent/AU2003227946A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-05-15 WO PCT/GB2003/002129 patent/WO2003097538A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
• 2004
  • 2004-06-24 US US10/875,420 patent/US20040256327A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2004-06-24 US US10/875,261 patent/US6960303B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2004-12-14 NO NO20045439A patent/NO328373B1/no not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2004-12-29 US US11/025,325 patent/US7001534B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related

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