WO2021176481A1

WO2021176481A1 - System and method for remediation of a contaminated water body

Info

Publication number: WO2021176481A1
Application number: PCT/IN2021/050216
Authority: WO
Inventors: Joseph LOBO
Original assignee: Lobo, Nerrisa Dominica Rosemary
Priority date: 2020-03-05
Filing date: 2021-03-05
Publication date: 2021-09-10

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a system for remediation of a contaminated water body and a method for the same. The method for remediation comprises pumping the water from a predetermined depth of the water body (104) using a pump (102) through a filter (108). The water is aerated using a blower (110) and a diffuser unit (112). Further, the aerated water is selectively dozed by using micro-organisms to obtain dozed water, using a dosing unit (118). The so obtained dozed aerated water is recycled back to the water body (104). The envisaged system is a simple, environment-friendly and cost-effective system which requires minimum space for installation and is easy to operate.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REMEDIATION OF A CONTAMINATED WATER BODY

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a system and method for remediation of a contaminated water body.

DEFINITIONS

As used in the present disclosure, the following terms are generally intended to have the meaning as set forth below, except to the extent that the context in which they are used indicates otherwise.

WATER BODY: A water body is any significant accumulation of water, generally on a planet's surface. The term most often refers to oceans, seas, and lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such as ponds, wetlands, or more rarely, puddles. A water body does not have to be still or contained; rivers, streams, canals, and other geographical features where water moves from one place to another are also considered bodies of water.

DISSOLVED OXYGEN (DO): Dissolved oxygen refers to the level of free, non compound oxygen present in water or other liquids. It is an important parameter in assessing water quality because of its influence on the organisms living within a water body.

The expression ‘FRADS’ for the purpose of the present disclosure refers to a “Forced Recycling, Aeration, and Dosing System”.

The expression ΈM’ for the purpose of the present disclosure refers to “effective micro-organisms”.

The expression ‘CFU’ for the purpose of the present disclosure refers to “colony forming units”.

The expression ‘STP’ for the purpose of the present disclosure refers to “sewage decontamination plants”. The expression ΈTR’ for the purpose of the present disclosure refers to “effluent decontamination plants”.

The expression “Eco-toxicity’ refers to the potential for biological, chemical, or physical stressors to affect ecosystems.

BACKGROUND

Worldwide, a huge quantity of sewage water is generated daily, which has to be treated before being discharged into water bodies. Sewage decontamination is carried out to remove the contaminants from sewage water and produce liquid and solid (sludge), suitable for discharging into the environment or for reuse. Sewage decontamination plants treat the sewage before being discharged into the environment. However, the quality of water is poor because it still contains body salts like urea etc. This affects the quality of the water in the water bodies.

Dissolved oxygen is an essential factor second only to water itself. A dissolved oxygen level that is too high or too low can harm aquatic life and affect water quality. Non-compound oxygen, or free oxygen ((¾), is oxygen that is not bonded to any other element. Dissolved oxygen is the presence of these free (¾ molecules within water. The bonded oxygen molecule in water (¾0) is in a compound and does not count toward dissolved oxygen levels. One can imagine that free oxygen molecules dissolve in water much the way salt or sugar does when it is stirred. The amount of dissolved oxygen decreases with increase in quantity of waste in the water body.

The methods known in the prior art for remediation of water bodies utilizes a passive intervention, where there is a single passive introduction of bacteria into the polluted water body. The drawback of this method is that they are overwhelmed by the influx of new contaminants. It takes longer to clean up the water body as it is a passive method and there is a doubt if the sludge which lies at the bottom is consumed.

Therefore, there is felt a need to provide a system and a method for remediation of a contaminated water body that overcomes the drawbacks mentioned herein above.

OBJECTS

Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:

It is an object of the present disclosure to ameliorate one or more problems of the prior art or to at least provide a useful alternative.

An object of the present disclosure is to treat water of contaminated water bodies as a valuable resource that can be used effectively and in totality, to ameliorate the huge scarcity of water and also recycle the huge amounts of nutrients available in the water bodies for reviving the greening of the world, which will then impact global warming favorably.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a method and a system for remediation of contaminated water bodies.

Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a method and a system for remediation of contaminated water bodies which is simple, environmentally friendly and cost effective.

Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to a system for remediation of contaminated water bodies and a method for the same.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a remediation is disclosed, the system comprises:

• a pump for pumping the contaminated water from a predetermined depth of the water body via conduit, wherein the pump is configured to pump water in the range of 10 m³/hr to 30 m³/hr and the predetermined depth is in the range of 5m to 20m of the water body;

• a filter placed on conduit configured to filter out the solid waste from the water pumped from the water body, wherein the filter includes a box having mesh or screen surfaces made of metal, non-metal materials or combinations thereof.

• a blower configured to provide air for the aeration of the pumped water, wherein the blower is a forced air-blower and configured to supply air in the range of 200 m /hr to 300 m /hr of air of which 15% to 25% is pure oxygen;

• a diffuser configured to aerate the water received via conduit from pump with the air received via conduit from blower to obtain the aerated water;

• a dosing unit configured to doze effective micro-organisms into the aerated water received from diffuser via conduit to obtain the aerated dosed water and disperse it to the water body via conduit;

• a floating deck configured to float on the surface of water body and support the pump, the filter, the blower, the diffuser, and the dosing unit; and

• a power source configured to provide power to the pump, the filter, the blower, and the dosing unit.

In another aspect, a method for remediation of the water body is disclosed; the method comprises the following steps: a. floating the remediation system on the surface of said water body; b. pumping contaminated water from a predetermined depth of the contaminated water body with a pump, wherein the predetermined depth is in the range of 5m to 20m of the water body; c. filtering out solid waste from the contaminated water with a filter on conduit; d. aerating the contaminated water received via conduit from pump with the air received via conduit from blower by a diffuser to obtain the aerated water; e. dosing micro-organisms into the aerated water received from diffuser via conduit to obtain the aerated dosed water; and f. dispersing the aerated dosed water into the water body via conduit to bring about remeditaion of the contaminated water body.

The floating deck comprises a mobility unit configured to provide mobility to the system on the surface of the water body, wherein the mobility unit comprises a control unit, a motor with rotors configured to control the mobility of the system on the surface of the water body. In an embodiment, the blower has a Venturi configured at an outlet thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING

A method and system for sewage remediation and dispersal will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a schematic layout of a remediation system in accordance with the present disclosure.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS:

100 - Remediation system

102 - Pump

104 - Water body

106 - First conduit

108 - Filter on first conduit

110 - Blower

112 - Diffuser unit

114 - Second conduit

116 - Third conduit

118 - Dosing unit

120 - Fourth conduit 122 Fifth conduit

124 Floating deck

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments, of the present disclosure, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Embodiments are provided so as to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details are set forth, relating to specific components, and methods, to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, well-known processes, well-known apparatus structures, and well-known techniques are not described in detail.

The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of explaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the forms “a”, “an” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “including” and “having” are open ended transitional phrases and therefore specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, modules, units and/or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The particular order of steps disclosed in the method and process of the present disclosure is not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance as described or illustrated. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

There are three stages of death of a water body. The definition of death of a water body is when no marine life exists and is overwhelmed by plant and weed growth. The chief cause is overload of nutrients that has a big demand on the dissolved oxygen.

1st stage:

The clarity of the water of the water body changes. This is due to ingress of nutrient load from; a. Agricultural activity where excess nutrients are washed away during the monsoon. b. Sewage ingress in the water body. c. Wet waste dumped into the water body.

2nd stage:

The second stage involves formation of algae, where, because marine life cannot handle the load, and algae formation begins.

3rd Stage:

Plant growth feeds on the nutrients. Since plant gets their oxygen from the leaves that are above the water, oxygen is not a concern. Their growth is phenomenal and the finally, the weeds not only feed on the nutrients but also because of its huge biomass, it water needs are immense and dries up the water body. Death occurs to all.

The methods known in the prior art for remediation of water bodies utilizes a passive intervention, where there is a single passive introduction of bacteria into the polluted water body. The drawback of these methods is that they are overwhelmed by the influx of new contaminants. It takes longer to clean up the water body as it is a passive method and there is a doubt if the sludge which lies at the bottom is consumed.

Therefore, the present disclosure envisages a simple method and system for remediation of the contaminated water body:

The remediation system is FRADS (Forced Recycling, Aeration, and Dosing System), which is a forced remediation system and a direct intervention in any of the three stages of death of a water body.

It does three things:

1. Recycling: a powerful sludge pump draws water from a predetermined depth. It is well known that the deeper you go, the less is the dissolved oxygen levels (DO).

2. Aeration: A powerful hybrid venturi forced air-blower combination ensures that that includes oxygen is forced into the water jet. Specially designed diffusers are installed to ensure maximum diffusion of air in water.

3. Dosing: Dosing involves introducing effective microorganisms (EM) that not only have a reviving effect on the environment and the water but also consumes the sludge.

In accordance with an embodiment, a remediation system for the remediation of the water body is disclosed which is described herein below in detail with reference to figure 1.

Figure 1 illustrates a schematic layout of a remediation system (100) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The system comprises:

• a pump (102) for pumping the contaminated water from a predetermined depth of the water body (104) via a first conduit (106), wherein the pump (102) is configured to pump water in the range of 10 m /hr to 30 m /hr and the predetermined depth is in the range of 5m to 20m of the water body;

• a filter (108) placed on the first conduit (106) configured to filter out the solid waste from the water pumped from the water body (104), wherein the filter (108) includes a box having mesh or screen surfaces made of metal, non- metal materials or combinations thereof.

• a blower (110) configured to provide air for the aeration of the pumped water, wherein the blower (110) is a forced air-blower and configured to supply air in the range of 200 m /hr to 300 m /hr of air of which 15% to 25% is pure oxygen;

• a diffuser unit (112) configured to aerate the water received via a second conduit (114) from pump (102) with the air received via a third conduit (116) from blower (110) to obtain the aerated water;

• a dosing unit (118) configured to doze effective micro-organisms into the aerated water received from diffuser via a fourth conduit (120) to obtain the aerated dosed water and disperse it to the water body (104) via a fifth conduit (122);

• a floating deck (124) configured to float on the surface of water body (104) and support the pump (102), the filter (108), the blower (110), the diffuser unit (112), and the dosing unit (118); and

• a power source configured to provide power to the pump (102), the filter (108), the blower (110), and the dosing unit (118).

In another aspect, a method for remediation of the water body is disclosed; the method comprises the following steps: a. floating the remediation system (100) on the surface of said water body (104); b. pumping contaminated water from a predetermined depth of the contaminated water body (104) with a pump (102), wherein the predetermined depth is in the range of 5m to 20m of the water body; c. filtering out solid waste from the contaminated water with a filter (108) on the first conduit (106); d. aerating the contaminated water received via the second conduit (114) from pump (102) with the air received via the third conduit (116) from blower (110) by a diffuser unit (112) to obtain the aerated water; e. dosing micro-organisms into the aerated water received from diffuser via the fourth conduit (120) to obtain the aerated dosed water; and f. dispersing the aerated dosed water into the water body (104) via the fifth conduit (122) for remeditaion of the contaminated water body.

The floating deck comprises a mobility unit configured to provide mobility to the system (100) on the surface of the water body (104), wherein the mobility unit comprises a control unit, a motor with rotors configured to control the mobility of the floating deck (124) on the surface of the water body (104). In an embodiment, the power source can be a battery of solar cells chargeable using solar energy.

The effective micro-organisms, by their sheer numbers, neutralize the effects of harmful pathogens present in the contaminated water. The effective- microorganisms (EM) have microbial strength ranging from 1x10 to 1x10 CFU (Colony Forming Units) / ml after 1000 times dilution with water, which when added to the sewage/waste-water, consumes the organic material present in the water. The effective micro-organisms also capture gases like carbon dioxide, methane from water and convert it into compost which prevents global warming. After addition of the effective microorganisms, the effective microorganisms are allowed to grow in the water body. The treated water so obtained is blackish in color, without smell and is rich in nutrients, ideally suited for plants.

Further, the forced aeration is carried out through the Venturi at a predetermined speed in the range of 200 m 3 /hr to 300 m 3 /hr of air of which 15% to 25% is pure oxygen, preferably 20 % of pure oxygen. The aeration increases the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water body.

Still further, in an exemplary embodiment the microbial strength of the effective micro-organism is in the range of 1x10 CFU/ml to 1x10 CFU/ml.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the effective micro-organism is at least one selected from the group consisting of Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus casei, Streptococcus lactis, Rhodopseudomonas palustrus, Rhodobacter sphaeroides, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida utilis, Streptomyces albus, and Streptomyces griseus.

The system of the present disclosure can decontaminate the water body and the water body can be used as a resource and after dozing with EM (effective micro- organisms); can be automatically distributed to the roots of trees and plants within the vicinity and many kilometers away, if required, through specially designed distribution systems, to water new saplings along highways. When this treated water is used for plants, additional fertilizers are not required, as the treated water comprises nutrients, which can be used and beneficial for the plants. Since, the treated water is directly dispersed to the plants; labor for watering plants can be avoided. The distribution of filtered water is below the surface, which does not allow dampness on the surface, thereby reducing environment conducive for mosquitoes. Each tree can consume about 1000 to 2500 liters of water and each plant about 100 liters of water per day, sufficient to utilize the water of the decontaminated water body.

The remediation system of the present disclosure can be operated at all water bodies. In the conventional system, the treated water is chlorinated and devoid of any beneficial bacteria. Further, since it is a system depending on human methods and control, and mechanical devises, prone to failure due to wear and tear, corrosion, aging and human lethargy as various surveys and the UN report have proved. Whereas the treated water produced by FRADS is environmentally friendly, rich in nutrients and beneficial bacteria and can disposed into plants and crops. Further, because of the above, the yields of crop products are higher. The system of the present disclosure, helps in the increase vegetation, and because of it, helps in increasing the levels of the water table.

The system as disclosed in the present disclosure provides 100% recycling of all waste water of a contaminated water body, thereby increasing the availability of irrigation water to that extent and reducing the need for potable water to that extent for irrigation. The system also eliminates bad odors and noise that emanate from the conventional system. Further, the system does not require any civil work and special spaces. FRADS of the present disclosure result in significant saving of electricity and hence is energy efficient.

Another advantage of the FRADS system of the present disclosure is that the treated water can be used for highway forestation and for providing relief to farmers who are in need of this water for horticultural methods. The method of the present disclosure uses commonly available and inexpensive microorganisms.

The disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying experiments, which do not limit the scope and ambit of the disclosure. The description provided is purely by way of example and illustration. The laboratory scale experiments provided herein can be scaled up to industrial or commercial scale.

In an exemplary embodiment, 20 m /hr. of water is pulled up from the depth of a contaminated water body. 250 m /hr of air of which 50 m /hr of oxygen is added to this water that is recirculated. 1 liter/hr of EM is added to this water. The aerated water dosed with EM is recycled back to the water body. This happens day in day out that ensures it overcomes all the effects of inflow of sewage into the water. With tidal flow the effects of the aerator increases exponentially.

The so obtained decontaminated water of the water body can be dispersed to the rootlets of the plants in a garden. Based on the total size of the water body, the inventor suggests planting the garden accordingly.

TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS

The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of a system and a method for remediation of a contaminated water body, that:

• is a simple, environment-friendly and cost-effective system and a method respectively;

• requires minimum space for installation;

• requires minimum consumption of electricity; is low maintenance of the system; is simple to operate; is fully automatic;

• is operable with solar energy; and

• is easy to station.

Throughout this specification the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.

Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form a part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.

The numerical values mentioned for the various physical parameters, dimensions or quantities are only approximations and it is envisaged that the values higher/lower than the numerical values assigned to the parameters, dimensions or quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure, unless there is a statement in the specification specific to the contrary.

While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A remediation system (100) for remediation of a contaminated water body (106), said system comprising: a pump (102) for pumping water from a predetermined depth of the water body (104) from a predetermined depth; a filter (108) configured to filter out the solid waste from the pumped water; a blower (110) configured to provide air for aeration of the pumped water; a diffuser unit (112) configured to receive air blown by the blower (110) and aerate the pumped water with the air to obtain aerated water; a dosing unit (118) configured to doze micro-organisms into the aerated water received from the diffuser unit (112) to obtain aerated dosed water and disperse the aerated dosed water to the water body (104) for remediation of the water body (104); a floating deck (124) configured to float on the surface of the water body (104) and support the pump (102), the filter (108), the blower (110), the diffuser unit (112) and the dosing unit (118); a power source configured to drive the pump (102), the filter (108), the blower (110), and the dosing unit (118); and a plurality of conduits including a first conduit (106) delivering water from said water body (104) to said pump (102) through said filter (108), a second conduit (114) coupling said pump (102) with said diffuser unit (112), a third conduit (116) coupling said blower (110) with said diffuser unit (112), a fourth conduit (120) coupling said diffuser unit (112) to said dosing unit (118) and a fifth conduit (122) coupling said dosing unit (118) with said water body (104). 2. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said floating deck further comprises a mobility unit configured to provide mobility to the system (100) on the surface of the water body (106).

3. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said blower has a Venturi configured at an outlet thereof.

4. The system (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein said mobility unit comprises a control unit, a motor with rotors configured to control the mobility of the system (100) on the surface of the water body (104).

5. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said filter (108) includes a box having mesh or screen surfaces made of metal, non-metal materials or combinations thereof.

6. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said predetermined depth is in the range of 5m to 20m of the water body.

7. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pump (102) is configured to pump water in the range of 10 m 3 /hr to 30 m 3 /hr.

8. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said blower (110) is a forced air-blower and configured to supply air in the range of 200 m /hr to

300 m /hr of air of which 15% to 25% is pure oxygen.

9. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the microbial strength of said micro-organism is in the range of 1x109 CFU/ml to 1x1012 CFU/ml.

10. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said micro-organism is at least one selected from the group consisting of Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus casei, Streptococcus lactis, Rhodopseudomonas palustrus, Rhodobacter sphaeroides, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida utilis, Streptomyces albus, and Streptomyces griseus.

11. A method for remediation of a water body (106), said method comprising the following steps: a. floating the remediation system (100) on the surface of said water body

(106); b. pumping contaminated water from a predetermined depth of said contaminated water body (104) with a pump (102); c. filtering out solid waste from the contaminated water with a filter (108) via a first conduit (106); d. aerating the contaminated water received via a second conduit (114) from pump (102) with the air received via a third conduit (116) from blower (110) by a diffuser unit (112) to obtain the aerated water; e. dosing micro-organisms into the aerated water received from the diffuser via a fourth conduit (120) to obtain aerated dosed water; and f. dispersing the aerated dosed water into the water body (104) via a fifth conduit (122) for remediation of the water body (104).

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