WO2022018461A1

WO2022018461A1 - A system and method for treating water for animal consumption

Info

Publication number: WO2022018461A1
Application number: PCT/GB2021/051914
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yongjun Chen; Mingxing GAO; Xiaofeng Yang; Chunjin ZHANG
Original assignee: Strix Limited; Halosource Water Purification Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
Priority date: 2020-07-24
Filing date: 2021-07-23
Publication date: 2022-01-27
Also published as: GB202013594D0; GB2597542A; CN113968604A

Abstract

A system (200) for treating water for animal consumption, the system comprising a plurality of disinfection cartridges (450n) in a parallel arrangement. Controllable valves (445n) are arranged in the flow of water in series with an associated disinfection cartridge (450n). A flow monitoring device (225) is arranged to measure one or more parameters relating to the flow of water through the water inlet (220). A controller is configured to selectively operate the valves (445n) in response to the one or more parameters measured by the flow monitoring device, so as to control the flow of water to each associated disinfection cartridge and thereby adjust an amount of biocidal species that is released as water flows through the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges (450n).

Description

A system and method for treating water for animal consumption Background

Provision of clean drinking water for animals, particularly poultry, has a significant impact on animal health and performance, such as growth rate, feed conversion, health or egg production. Farms may source raw water from a variety of water sources such as the municipal water, underground water or even surface water and rain water, all of which may have varying degrees of microbial contamination.

Furthermore, biofilm may form in drinking lines which protects pathogenic microbes. Regardless of the source, it is important that the water be decontaminated before being supplied for animal consumption as microbes present in drinking water may make the animals sick. Additionally, some microorganisms can decrease the effectiveness of medications and vaccines that may be dispensed through the water supply. However, decontamination of pathogenic microorganisms from raw water, and biofilm build-up in water pipelines, present a challenge for provision of clean water. It is thus an object of the present invention to address some of these challenges.

A biofilm is a slime attached to a surface which encapsulates bacteria, fungi and algae in an extracellular polysaccharide and other organic compounds. Biofilms therefore serve a dual role of providing a breeding ground for microorganisms to multiply and protecting the microorganisms from biocidal agents. Biofilm formation is prevalent in slow-flowing water systems where adequate nutrients are present, such as nipple drinker systems in animal houses. Additionally, farms often add additives to animal drinking water that may be used as a food source for biofilm to promote growth. These additives include flavoured gelatin mixes, powdered drink mixes, vitamins, electrolytes, sugar water, stabilizers, antibiotics, etc. Once a biofilm is formed it is difficult to eradicate, making the cleaning and maintenance of a clean water supply challenging.

Water sanitation is well known to be crucial to effectively combat the presence of microbes and biofilm build-up in animal drinking systems. The aim of water disinfection is to eliminate pathogens that might be in the water, both those originated from contamination of the water source and those pathogens that might be added to the water, e.g. if infected animals have access to water in the drinkers. It is therefore known to provide residual levels of disinfectant, such as chlorine, in the drinking water lines to help eliminate such pathogens.

Several water sanitization options have been widely practised in farming industry. Ultrafiltration (UF) is a membrane filtration process that serves as a barrier to separate harmful bacteria, viruses, and other contaminants from contaminated water. This technology has been developed to effectively remove the pathogens from the supplied raw water, however, it is not available to deliver a disinfectant residual throughout the water distribution pipeline. Another common option in the field is to manually dose disinfection chemicals into water system, such as household bleach, sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide, stabilized hydrogen peroxide, or chlorine dioxide et al.

Chlorine products have been the prime water disinfectant products for many years in the poultry industry. In poultry operations, the commonly used chlorine sources for poultry drinking water sanitation are sodium hypochlorite, elemental chlorine gas and calcium hypochlorite. Because chlorination is more effective at lower pH (commonly below 6.5), drinking water is often needed to be acidified to support chlorine disinfectant efficacy for improved sanitizing residual (which supports better bird performance). However, careful selection among various acid products available is necessary to avoid water consumption impacts. When using chlorine and acidifiers together in water, they should be mixed and injected separately to avoid poisonous gas formation. Chlorine’s sanitization efficacy is greatly reduced by the inorganic and organic nitrogen-containing contaminants from the poultry water system. Additionally, there is concern that microbes may develop resistance to chlorine products if they have not been used properly.

A routine and simple operation of maintaining water line system cleaning known in the industry is to conduct routine flushing. Flushing helps wash away potential food sources for bacteria or other organisms. However, frequent water line flushing increases maintenance costs (e.g., labour costs, water costs and wastewater discharge costs, etc.). An effective water sanitization operation reduces the flushing frequency if biofilm growth in the water line system has been greatly prohibited. However, such systems require the drinking supply to be shut off from the drinking lines and thus the effectiveness of flushing or disinfecting for a prolonged period must be balanced with the requirement that animals not be without a water supply for an extended period of time. This often results in disinfection occurring at night when the demand for drinking water is lowest and may result in less effective disinfection.

An object of the present invention is thus to provide an improved system and method for treating water for animal consumption with a disinfection effect.

US 2003/0044378, US 2004/0086480 and US 2012/0035284, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, disclose biocidal halogenated polystyrene hydantoin particles. The cross-linked and porous halogenated polystyrene hydantoin beads, also referred to as HaloPure™, are a contact biocide bead that has been applied to human drinking water systems. However, continuous controlled and consistent dosage of biocidal bromine is difficult to achieve over long periods of time without regular replacement of the expensive HaloPure™ filters, which is economically unattainable for animal farm use. Thus, an additional object of the present invention is the provision of a cost-effective system and method that may incorporate the HaloPure™ technology to treat water for animal consumption.

Statement of Invention

When viewed from a first aspect the invention provides a system for treating water for animal consumption, the system comprising: a plurality of disinfection cartridges in a parallel arrangement, wherein each disinfection cartridge comprises a medium including a releasable biocidal species that is released into water coming into contact with the medium as water flows through the cartridge; a water inlet arranged to supply a flow of water to the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges; one or more controllable valves arranged in the flow of water from the water inlet, each controllable valve arranged in series with an associated disinfection cartridge of the plurality of disinfection cartridges; a flow monitoring device arranged to measure one or more parameters relating to the flow of water through the water inlet; and a controller configured to selectively operate the one or more controllable valves in response to the one or more parameters measured by the flow monitoring device so as to control the flow of water to each associated disinfection cartridge and thereby adjust the amount of the biocidal species that is released as water flows through the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges.

The controller in such a system can ensure that the controllable valve(s) are operated to adjust the number of disinfection cartridges through which the flow of water passes in the parallel arrangement. This can help to achieve a desired and/or consistent level of biocidal species (i.e. amount of biocidal species per unit volume of water being treated) regardless of changes in flow parameters. The system can therefore provide a safe, efficacious dosage of biocidal species in a water supply to inactivate microbes and control and prevent biofilm formation.

It will be understood that each of the one or more controllable valves being arranged in series with an associated disinfection cartridge means that each valve is arranged in the same branch of the parallel arrangement as its associated disinfection cartridge. In some embodiments it is possible that a single controllable valve is arranged in series with one disinfection cartridge of the plurality of disinfection cartridges, i.e. the controllable valve is arranged in a single branch of the parallel arrangement while other branches do not include a controllable valve.

The system advantageously takes into account those parameters relating to the flow of water that can have an effect on the amount of the biocidal species that is released as water flows through the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges. In one or more embodiments, the one or more parameters relating to the flow of water through the water inlet comprise one or more of: actual flow rate, average flow rate, total volume of water.

The inventors have recognised that one of the fluctuations relevant to a water treatment system used to treat water for animal consumption is the rate of release of the biocidal species from the medium in the water disinfection cartridges depending on the volume of water that has been treated since installation or replenishment of the water disinfection cartridges. For example, the concentration of the released biocidal species typically decreases gradually during prolonged exposure across the lifetime of each cartridge.

In at least some embodiments, the controller is configured to selectively operate at least one of the controllable valves in response to a total volume of water that has flowed through the water inlet since an initial time to. The initial time to may correspond to a time when one or more of the disinfection cartridges was first installed, replaced, made available for use, replenished or recharged, or may otherwise represent the start of a working lifetime for one or more of the disinfection cartridges. In at least some embodiments, the initial time to corresponds to a time when water starts to flow through one or more of the plurality of disinfection cartridges after installation, replacement or recharging.

In at least some embodiments, the controller is configured to selectively operate at least one of the controllable valves to close a parallel flow of water from the water inlet to the associated disinfection cartridge(s) in a first phase and to open the parallel flow of water from the water inlet to the associated disinfection cartridge(s) in a second phase, wherein the first phase corresponds to the total volume of water below a volume threshold and the second phase corresponds to the total volume of water above the volume threshold. This means that a valve is operated to bring one or more further disinfection cartridges online in the second phase. For example, the amount of the biocidal species that is released as water flows through the parallel arrangement in the first phase may gradually decrease as the total volume of water increases and the disinfection cartridge(s) become depleted, but this can be compensated for by opening a valve to allow water to flow through one or more additional disinfection cartridges which have not yet been depleted. Even operating a single valve in this way can prolong the lifetime of the system.

It has been recognised that a system comprising multiple controllable valves allows for different branches of the parallel flow arrangement to be selectively opened or closed at different times. In at least some further embodiments, the controller is configured to selectively operate another one of the controllable valves to open the parallel flow of water from the water inlet to another associated disinfection cartridge(s) in a third phase, wherein the third phase corresponds to the total volume of water above a further volume threshold. Thus one or more additional disinfection cartridges may be brought into the parallel arrangement as the total volume of water increases above the further volume threshold. It will be appreciated that any number of volume thresholds may be applied to identify subsequent phases in which the total volume of water has increased and additional disinfection cartridges are brought into the parallel flow arrangement to contribute to the amount of the biocidal species that is released as water flows through the parallel arrangement.

In at least some embodiments, the system comprises a plurality of n disinfection cartridges in a parallel arrangement and a number n of controllable valves each arranged in series with one of the n disinfection cartridges, wherein the controller is configured to selectively operate a number m of the controllable valves to open a parallel flow of water from the water inlet to m disinfection cartridges in the parallel arrangement, wherein m £ n, depending on the total volume of water that has flowed through the water inlet since an initial time to.

It has also been appreciated that multiple valves can make it possible to shut off a branch of the parallel arrangement when it is time for a disinfection cartridge to be recharged or replaced, the flow of water being diverted through one or more other branches of the parallel arrangement that are open, meaning that water treatment is not interrupted.

In at least some embodiments, the one or more controllable valves comprise a first valve arranged in series with a first disinfection cartridge and a second valve arranged in series with a second disinfection cartridge in the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges; wherein the controller is configured to selectively operate the first valve to open a first flow of water from the water inlet to the first disinfection cartridge in a first phase and to selectively operate the second valve to open a second parallel flow of water from the water inlet to the second disinfection cartridge in a second phase, wherein the first phase corresponds to the total volume of water below a volume threshold and the second phase corresponds to the total volume of water above the volume threshold; and wherein the controller is configured to selectively operate the first valve to close the first flow of water from the water inlet to the first disinfection cartridge in a third phase, wherein the third phase corresponds to the total volume of water above a final volume threshold. Thus the first cartridge can be recharged or replaced in the third phase once the second cartridge has been brought on-line. This approach can be reversed once the second cartridge has become depleted.

Furthermore, this approach can be extended to any number of controllable valves. In at least some embodiments, the system comprises a plurality of n disinfection cartridges in a parallel arrangement and a number n of controllable valves each arranged in series with one of the n disinfection cartridges, wherein the controller is configured to selectively operate a number m of the controllable valves to close a parallel flow of water from the water inlet to m disinfection cartridges in the parallel arrangement, wherein m £ n, depending on the total volume of water that has flowed through the water inlet since an initial time to. The m disinfection cartridges can be recharged or replaced while shut off from the water flow through the parallel arrangement. The initial time to may of course be reset when one or more of the disinfection cartridges are recharged or replaced.

The inventors have recognised that another fluctuation relevant to a water treatment system used to treat water for animal consumption is the flow rate of water through the system. There can be a wide variation in demand for drinking water in a farm, e.g. at different times of the day and night.

In at least some embodiments, the controller is configured to selectively operate at least one of the controllable valves in response to an actual or average flow rate of water through the water inlet.

In at least some embodiments, the controller is configured to selectively operate at least one of the controllable valves to close a parallel flow of water from the water inlet to the associated disinfection cartridge(s) in a first phase and to open the parallel flow of water from the water inlet to the associated disinfection cartridge(s) in a second phase, wherein the first phase corresponds to the actual or average flow rate below a flow rate threshold and the second phase corresponds to the actual or average flow rate above the flow rate threshold. This means that a valve is operated to bring one or more further disinfection cartridges online in the second phase. For example, the amount of the biocidal species that is released from each disinfection cartridge may decrease as the flow rate increases, due to a lower contact time with the medium, but this can be compensated for by the further disinfection cartridge(s) in the parallel arrangement in the second phase. Even operating a single valve in this way can extend the working range of the system despite fluctuations in flow rate.

It has been recognised that a system comprising multiple controllable valves allows for different branches of the parallel flow arrangement to be selectively opened or closed in response to fluctuations in the flow rate. More generally, the controller can take into account the actual or average flow rate when determining the number of parallel branches to include in the parallel flow arrangement. For example, the parallel flow arrangement may include at least two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, or more than 10 parallel branches. In such examples, each parallel branch may comprise at least one disinfection cartridge and an associated controllable valve arranged in series with the disinfection cartridge(s).

In at least some embodiments, the system comprises a plurality of n disinfection cartridges in a parallel arrangement and a number n of controllable valves each arranged in series with one of the n disinfection cartridges, wherein the controller is configured to selectively operate a number m of the controllable valves to open a parallel flow of water from the water inlet to m disinfection cartridges in the parallel arrangement, wherein m £ n, depending on the actual or average flow rate of water through the water inlet.

In some preferred embodiments the controller is configured to respond to multiple parameters relating to the flow of water through the water inlet, e.g. taking into account both the total volume and the actual or average flow rate.

In at least some embodiments, the controller is configured to receive measurements made by the flow monitoring device so as to determine:

(i) a volume parameter representing a total volume of water that has flowed through the water inlet since an initial time tO; and

(ii) a flow rate parameter representing an actual or average flow rate of water through the water inlet; and wherein the controller is configured to assign a volume phase based on the volume parameter and to assign a flow rate sub-phase based on the flow rate parameter. The controller may use a look-up table of volume phases and flow rate sub-phases.

In at least some further embodiments, the system comprises a plurality of n disinfection cartridges in a parallel arrangement and a number n of controllable valves each arranged in series with one of the n disinfection cartridges, wherein the controller is configured to selectively operate a number m (where m£n) of the controllable valves to open a parallel flow of water from the water inlet to m disinfection cartridges in the parallel arrangement depending on the assigned volume phase and flow rate sub-phase.

The system may comprise any suitable type of controllable valve. When the controller operates a valve it means that the valve is opened or closed or the flow rate through the valve is otherwise adjusted. In some examples the one or more controllable valves are fixed on/off valves. In some examples the one or more controllable valves are proportional valves. Of course the system may include a mixture of different valve types. In at least some embodiments, the controller is configured to send a control signal (wired or wireless signal) to the one or more controllable valves. The system is therefore automated rather than requiring any manual valve operation.

The system may comprise any suitable number of disinfection cartridges. For example, the parallel flow arrangement may include at least two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, or more than 10 disinfection cartridges. In at least some embodiments, the plurality of disinfection cartridges comprises an even number of disinfection cartridges in the parallel arrangement, with a first half of the disinfection cartridges arranged in a first parallel branch and a second half of the disinfection cartridges arranged in a second parallel branch.

As discussed above, the present invention relates to disinfection cartridges which comprise a medium including a releasable biocidal species that is released into water coming into contact with the medium as water flows through the cartridge, thus the overall contact time (represented by total volume) and/or instantaneous contact time (represented by flow rate) can affect the amount of biocidal species that is released. In at least some embodiments, the amount of the biocidal species that is released as water flows through the cartridge tends to reduce with an increasing total volume of water coming into contact with the medium. This results in a declining concentration per unit volume of the biocidal species.

In at least some embodiments, the biocidal species released by each disinfection cartridge comprises or consists of an oxidative halogen, for example oxidative bromine (e.g. in the form of Br⁺ or covalently bound oxidative bromine in Br2). In at least some embodiments, each disinfection cartridge comprises a medium including biocidal halogenated (e.g. brominated) polymer resin beads. In one or more examples, the biocidal species comprises between 5 wt% and 90 wt% oxidative halogen, preferably 5 wt% to 50 wt% oxidative halogen, preferably 20-45 wt% oxidative halogen, preferably 30-35 wt% oxidative halogen, preferably 30-40 wt% oxidative halogen, for example oxidative bromine (Br⁺ based or B¾ based).

Suitable disinfection cartridges are described in US 2003/0044378, US 2004/0086480 and US 2012/0035284, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

In some embodiments, the disinfection cartridges each comprise a flow-through column of the medium including a releasable biocidal species. In some embodiments, the disinfection cartridges each comprise a column bed filter comprising a polymer medium, e.g. polymer resin beads, e.g. biocidal halogenated polymer, e.g. biocidal brominated polymer resin beads, e.g. N-halamine biocidal polymer resin beads, e.g. halogenated (e.g. brominated) polystyrenehydantoin resin beads, e.g. monobrominated polystyrenehydantoin resin beads, e.g. methylated polystyrene hydantoin resin beads.

In some embodiments, the medium is arranged to release a biocidal species comprising oxidative halogen, such as oxidative chlorine, preferably such as oxidative bromine. As water passes over the medium (e.g. halogenated resin beads) the biocidal species (e.g. oxidative bromine) is released into the water, preferably at a controlled rate. In some embodiments, the biocidal species released by the medium is a halogen, e.g. oxidative chlorine, e.g. oxidative bromine. In preferred embodiments the biocidal species is oxidative bromine (Br⁺ based or Br2 based). It will be appreciated that at a pH of 6.5-8.5 corresponding to regular drinking water, the oxidative bromine will form hypobromous acid (HOBr) which is a disinfectant species.

Hypobromous acid is readily formed in water by the disproportionation of elemental bromine (Br2) with the equilibrium lying to the right and favouring the formation of HOBr at a pH between 6.5 and 8.5:

Br₂ + 2H₂0 <® HOBr + H₃0+ + Br Hypobromous acid displays antimicrobial activity that is superior to the analogous species for chlorine (hypochlorous acid). Hypobromous acid readily reacts with ammonia and amines to produce bromoamines that are also effective biocide species. These biocidal species, which may be referred to as “residual bromine”, remain in the water after it has passed out from a disinfection cartridge and hence can provide an antimicrobial effect in a water delivery system downstream of the disinfection cartridges.

In embodiments where the medium is a halogenated (e.g. brominated) polystyrenehydantoin resin particle, halogen species (e.g. bromine, e.g. chlorine) may be chemically bound to the amide nitrogen (1) and/or the imide nitrogen (2).

When in contact with water, the halogen dissociates (as shown below) to produce a hypohalous acid (e.g. hypobromous acid, e.g. hypochlorous acid).

It will be appreciated that an amide-halogen bond is stronger than an imide-halogen (at least in part due to the increased electron density in the amide-halogen bond due to fewer adjacent electron withdrawing groups), and thus the dissociation constant for the release of (e.g. oxidative) bromine is greater (thus yielding a greater quantity of hypohalous acid) for the imide-halogen bound species.

In some embodiments, the medium (e.g. resin beads), when installed in the disinfection cartridges, comprises between 5 wt% and 90 wt% oxidative halogen (e.g. oxidative bromine, e.g. oxidative chlorine), e.g. 5 wt% and 50 wt%, e.g. 10 wt% and 80 wt%, e.g. 10 wt% and 60 wt%, e.g. 10 wt% and 45 wt%, e.g. 10 wt% and 40 wt%, e.g. 10 wt% and 20 wt%, e.g. 12 wt% and 18 wt% e.g. at least 15 wt%, e.g. 15 wt% and 45 wt%, e.g. 15 wt% and 40 wt%, e.g. 15 wt% and 36 wt%, e.g. at least 20 wt%, e.g. 20 wt% and 35 wt%, e.g. 22 wt% and 40 wt%, e.g. 22 wt% and 32 wt%. In preferred embodiments the biocidal species is selected to be oxidative bromine.

In a first set of examples, the biocidal species is Br⁺-based oxidative bromine. In such examples, the medium (e.g. resin beads), when installed in a disinfection cartridge, comprises between 5 wt% and 60 wt% of the biocidal species, e.g. 30 to 60 wt% of the biocidal species, e.g. 40 to 60 wt% of the biocidal species, e.g. 50 to 60 wt% of the biocidal species, e.g. 30 to 40 wt% of the biocidal species, e.g. 30 to 50 wt% of the biocidal species.

In a second set of examples, the biocidal species is Br2-based oxidative bromine. In such examples, the medium (e.g. resin beads), when installed in a disinfection cartridge, comprises between 40 wt% and 90 wt% of the biocidal species, e.g. 50 wt% to 80 wt% of the biocidal species, e.g. 60 wt% to 80 wt% of the biocidal species.

In one or more examples, the medium (e.g. resin beads) has a particle (e.g. bead) size of between 100 pm and 5000 pm, e.g. between 100 pm and 1500 pm, e.g. between 200 pm and 1500 pm, e.g. between 300 pm and 100 pm.

In preferred embodiments, the disinfection cartridges are selected to be cartridges comprising a medium including releasable oxidative bromine, such as HaloPure™ cartridges containing brominated polystyrene hydantoin beads. In some embodiments, the system further comprises an output water supply in fluid communication with the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges. For example, the output water supply may be arranged to pass water from the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges to a downstream drinking water distribution system, e.g. for animal consumption.

In some embodiments, the output water supply may be (e.g. at least partially) in fluid communication with the input water supply. For example, the output water supply may be arranged to pass water passing out from the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges to the input water supply, e.g. the water flow is recirculated through the system. However, it has been found that such recirculation may not be required or desirable as the selective operation of the controllable valves can adjust the amount of the biocidal species that is released as water flows through the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges to achieve a desired level.

In some embodiments, the water inlet, the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges and the output water supply are arranged sequentially to produce treated water for animal consumption. Put another way, the water inlet, the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges and the output water supply are in fluid communication in a single sequence such that the water flowing through the system only passes once through the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges. In preferred embodiments, the system is a single pass system (i.e. a single pass per unit volume of water to be treated).

In some embodiments, the water inlet is arranged to supply a flow of water which is substantially free of the releasable biocidal species (e.g. oxidative bromine) to the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges. For example, the water supplied to the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges comprises less than 0.5 ppm of the releasable biocidal species, e.g. less than 0.1 ppm of the releasable biocidal species, e.g. less than 0.05 ppm of the releasable biocidal species, e.g. less than 0.01 ppm of the releasable biocidal species.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of treating water for animal consumption, the method comprising: arranging a water supply to pass through a water treatment system, the system comprising: a plurality of disinfection cartridges in a parallel arrangement, wherein each disinfection cartridge comprises a medium including a releasable biocidal species that is released into water coming into contact with the medium as water flows through the cartridge; a water inlet arranged to supply a flow of water to the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges; and one or more controllable valves arranged in the flow of water from the water inlet, each controllable valve arranged in series with an associated disinfection cartridge of the plurality of disinfection cartridges; the method comprising: measuring one or more parameters relating to the flow of water through the water inlet; and controlling the one or more controllable valves to open or close in response to the one or more parameters so as to control the flow of water to each associated disinfection cartridge and thereby adjust the amount of the biocidal species that is released as water flows through the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges.

As is described above, controlling at least one valve in response to one or more parameters relating to the flow of water through the water inlet means that the number of active parallel branches in the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges can be adjusted. This may be a dynamic adjustment method providing a real time response to the variable flow parameters of the system.

In at least some embodiments, the method comprises: determining a number m of the one or more controllable valves to open at any given time so as to achieve a consistent amount of the biocidal species that is released per unit volume as water flows through the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges. The number m may be ³ 1. The step of determining the number m of the one or more controllable valves to open at any given time may comprise calculating the number m or looking up the number m, e.g. using a look-up table stored in a memory. The method may provide benefits even when a single valve is selectively opened or closed in response to the measured flow parameter(s). As is discussed above, the system may comprise a plurality of controllable valves and the method may therefore be applied to determine the number of valves to be opened or closed at any given time. In at least some embodiments, the system comprises a plurality of n disinfection cartridges in a parallel arrangement and a number n of controllable valves each arranged in series with one of the n disinfection cartridges, the method comprising: operating a number m of the controllable valves to open a parallel flow of water from the water inlet to m disinfection cartridges in the parallel arrangement, wherein m £ n, depending on the one or more parameters.

As already disclosed, the one or more parameters relating to the flow of water through the water inlet may comprise one or more of: an actual flow rate, an average flow rate, a total volume of water that has flowed through the water inlet since an initial time to.

In some embodiments, the method may comprise arranging an output water supply to pass from the water treatment system to a downstream drinking water distribution system, e.g. for animal consumption.

In some embodiments, the method comprises arranging the water supply to pass through the water treatment system at least once (e.g. twice or more), e.g. each unit volume of water is recirculated through the system such that each unit volume of water passes through the (e.g. at least one, e.g. parallel arrangement of) disinfection cartridge(s) at least once (e.g. twice or more).

In some embodiments, the method may comprise arranging the output water supply to be (e.g. at least partially) in fluid communication with the input water supply. For example, the output water supply may be arranged to pass water from the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges to the input water supply, e.g. the water flow is recirculated through the system. However, as mentioned above, it has been found that such recirculation may not be required or desirable as a single operation of the method can adjust the amount of the biocidal species that is released to achieve a desired level. In some embodiments, the method comprises arranging the water supply to pass through the water treatment system (only) once, e.g. each unit volume of water supplied to the disinfection cartridge(s) only passes once through the (e.g. at least one, e.g. parallel arrangement of) disinfection cartridge(s). In some embodiments, the method comprises arranging the water supply to pass through a water treatment system in which the water inlet, the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges and the output water supply are arranged sequentially to produce treated water for animal consumption, i.e. the method consists of a single pass of the water supply through the system, i.e. a single pass method. In preferred embodiments, the system is a single pass system (i.e. a single pass per unit volume of water to be treated).

In some embodiments, the method comprises arranging an input water supply which is substantially free of the releasable biocidal species (e.g. oxidative bromine) to pass through the water treatment system. For example, the water supplied to the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges comprises less than 0.5 ppm of the releasable biocidal species, e.g. less than 0.1 ppm of the releasable biocidal species, e.g. less than 0.05 ppm of the releasable biocidal species, e.g. less than 0.01 ppm of the releasable biocidal species.

In at least some embodiments, the method is a computer-implemented method.

The methods disclosed herein may be carried out by a processor.

The methods in accordance with the present invention may be implemented at least partially using software, e.g. computer programs. It will thus be seen that when viewed from further embodiments the present invention provides computer software specifically adapted to carry out the methods herein described when installed on a data processor, a computer program element comprising computer software code portions for performing the methods herein described when the program element is run on a data processor, and a computer program comprising code adapted to perform all the steps of a method or of the methods herein described when the program is run on a data processing system. Thus the invention extends to a computer readable storage medium storing computer software code which when executing on a data processing system performs the methods described herein. The present invention also extends to a computer software carrier comprising such software arranged to carry out the steps of the methods of the present invention. Such a computer software carrier could be a physical storage medium such as a ROM chip, CD ROM, RAM, flash memory, or disk, or could be a signal such as an electronic signal over wires, an optical signal or a radio signal such as to a satellite or the like.

It will further be appreciated that not all steps of the methods of the present invention need be carried out by computer software and thus from a further broad embodiment the present invention provides computer software and such software installed on a computer software carrier for carrying out at least one of the steps of the methods set out herein.

The present invention may accordingly suitably be embodied as a computer program product for use with a computer system. Such an implementation may comprise a series of computer readable instructions either fixed on a tangible, non- transitory medium, such as a computer readable storage medium, for example, diskette, CD ROM, ROM, RAM, flash memory, or hard disk. It could also comprise a series of computer readable instructions transmittable to a computer system, via a modem or other interface device, over either a tangible medium, including but not limited to optical or analogue communications lines, or intangibly using wireless techniques, including but not limited to microwave, infrared or other transmission techniques. The series of computer readable instructions embodies all or part of the functionality previously described herein.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that such computer readable instructions can be written in a number of programming languages for use with many computer architectures or operating systems. Further, such instructions may be stored using any memory technology, present or future, including but not limited to, semiconductor, magnetic, or optical, or transmitted using any communications technology, present or future, including but not limited to optical, infrared, or microwave. It is contemplated that such a computer program product may be distributed as a removable medium with accompanying printed or electronic documentation, for example, shrink wrapped software, pre-loaded with a computer system, for example, on a system ROM or fixed disk, or distributed from a server or electronic bulletin board over a network, for example, the Internet or World Wide Web.

It will be appreciated from the discussion above that aspects and embodiments of the present invention may find particular use in treating and disinfecting water for animal consumption. In particular, it has been found that releasing biocidal species comprising oxidative bromine (Br⁺ based or Br₂ based) has the dual effect of contact disinfection and an ongoing disinfection effect due to an amount of residual oxidative bromine in the water following treatment, which can prevent biofilm build up in a downstream drinking water distribution system for animal consumption.

Thus, when viewed from another aspect, the present invention provides a method of treating water for animal consumption, the method comprising: arranging an input water supply to pass through a water treatment system comprising at least one disinfection unit comprising a medium including a releasable biocidal species that is released into water coming into contact with the medium as water flows through the disinfection unit, wherein the biocidal species comprises oxidative bromine; arranging an output water supply to pass from the water treatment system to a drinking water distribution system for animal consumption.

Such methods may therefore be used to supply treated water to an animal drinking water distribution system. In at least some embodiments, the method may further comprise: arranging the output water supply to pass from the water treatment system to a drinking water distribution system in a farm. The farm may be a livestock or poultry farm.

When viewed from another aspect, the present invention provides an animal drinking water treatment and distribution system, the system comprising: a water treatment system, an input water supply arranged to pass through the water treatment system, and an output water supply arranged to pass from the water treatment system to a drinking water distribution system for animal consumption; wherein the water treatment system comprises at least one disinfection unit comprising a medium including a releasable biocidal species that is released into water coming into contact with the medium as water flows through the disinfection unit, wherein the biocidal species comprises oxidative bromine.

In at least some embodiments, the system may further comprise: a drinking water distribution system in a farm.

In embodiments of these further aspects relating to animal drinking water treatment and distribution, the method and system may further comprise any of the features disclosed hereinabove.

In at least some embodiments, the at least one disinfection unit comprises a medium including biocidal brominated polymer resin beads. In one or more examples, the biocidal species comprises between 5 wt% and 90 wt% oxidative bromine (Br⁺ based or Br2 based), preferably 5 wt% to 50 wt% oxidative bromine (Br⁺ based or B¾ based), preferably 20-45 wt% oxidative bromine (Br⁺ based or B¾ based), preferably 30-40 wt% oxidative bromine (Br⁺ based or B¾ based), preferably 30-35 wt% oxidative bromine (Br⁺ based or B¾ based) or preferably 22- 32 wt% oxidative bromine (Br⁺ based or B¾ based). Suitable disinfection units are described in US 2003/0044378, US 2004/0086480 and US 2012/0035284, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

In some embodiments, the at least one disinfection unit comprises a flow-through column of the medium including the releasable biocidal species. In some embodiments, the at least one disinfection unit comprises a column bed filter comprising a polymer medium, e.g. polymer resin beads, e.g. brominated polymer resin beads, e.g. N-halamine biocidal polymer resin beads, e.g. brominated polystyrenehydantoin resin beads, e.g. monobrominated polystyrenehydantoin resin beads, e.g. methylated polystyrene hydantoin resin beads.

In some embodiments, the medium (e.g. resin beads), when installed in the at least one disinfection unit, comprises between 5 wt% and 90 wt% oxidative bromine, e.g. between 5 wt% and 50 wt%, between 10 wt% and 80 wt%, e.g. between 10 wt% and 60 wt%, e.g. 10 wt% and 45 wt%, e.g. 10 wt% and 40 wt%, e.g. 10 wt% and 20 wt%, e.g. 12 wt% and 18 wt% e.g. at least 15 wt%, e.g. 15 wt% and 45 wt%, e.g. 15 wt% and 40 wt%, e.g. 15 wt% and 36 wt%, e.g. at least 20 wt%, e.g. 20 wt% and 45 wt%, e.g. 20 wt% and 35 wt%, e.g. 22 wt% and 40 wt%, e.g. 22 wt% and 32 wt%.

In some examples the at least one disinfection unit comprises between 10 wt% and 20 wt%, e.g. between 12 wt% and 18 wt%, e.g. about 15 wt% oxidative bromine in the medium. In some other examples the at least one disinfection unit comprises between 15 wt% and 40 wt%, e.g. between 15 wt% and 36 wt% oxidative bromine in the medium. In some examples the at least one disinfection unit comprises at least 20 wt% oxidative bromine in the medium. In some examples the at least one disinfection unit comprises between 30 wt% and 35 wt% oxidative bromine in the medium. In some other examples the at least one disinfection unit comprises between 22 wt% and 32 wt% oxidative bromine in the medium.

In preferred embodiments, the at least one disinfection unit comprises one or more cartridges comprising a medium including releasable oxidative bromine, such as HaloPure™ cartridges containing brominated polystyrene hydantoin beads.

Detailed Description

Some embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a water treatment system according to an embodiment of the present invention, in a parallel configuration;

Figure 2 shows a water treatment system according to another embodiment of the present invention, in a linear configuration;

Figure 3 shows an embodiment of the Disinfection System seen in Figures 1 and 2 in more detail;

Figure 4 shows an example configuration of the Disinfection unit which forms part of the Disinfection System shown in Figure 2;

Figure 5 shows an example configuration of the Dosing System seen in Figures 1 and 2 in more detail;

Figure 6 shows an example configuration of the Pre-Treatment unit seen in Figures 1 and 2 in more detail; Figure 7 provides a more detailed overview of the water treatment system according to an embodiment of the parallel type shown in Figure 1;

Figure 8 shows a block diagram of an apparatus for controlling the water treatment system in accordance with embodiments of the present invention;

Figure 9 shows a schematic representation of the amount of biocidal species within the disinfection cartridge medium as a function of total water volume that has passed through the system; and

Figure 10 shows a typical Bromine release profile of a HaloPure™ disinfection cartridge.

As can be seen from Figure 1 and Figure 2, the overall water treatment system 100, 102 is formed from a plurality of modular units (Pre-Treatment unit 110, Disinfection System unit 200 and Dosing System unit 300) which may be arranged in any suitable or desirable configuration. Figure 1 shows an embodiment wherein the Disinfection System 200 and Dosing System 300 are arranged in parallel. Figure 2 shows an embodiment wherein the Disinfection System 200 and Dosing System 300 are arranged in series.

As shown in Figure 1, raw (e.g. untreated) water to be disinfected enters the system 100 through a main line 105 which is fluidly connected to an optional Pre-Treatment unit 110. The pre-treated water leaves the Pre-Treatment unit 110 through a water inlet line 115 which splits, at junction 120, into a water inlet line 130 and a dosing inlet line 140. The water inlet line 130 brings a water supply to the Disinfection System 200. In this embodiment, an optional pressure gauge 125 is arranged in the water inlet line 130, downstream of the junction 120, to measure a water pressure of the water supply to the Disinfection System 200. The Disinfection System 200 outputs clean (e.g. disinfected) drinking water to a drinking water line 135 to be consumed by poultry 150 (or other animals). The dosing inlet line 140 is connected to the same water inlet line 115 as the disinfection system 200 to provide a parallel water input to the Dosing System 300. The Dosing System 300 outputs water comprising an additive to a feeding line 145 to be consumed by the poultry 150 (or other animals).

The system 102 shown in Figure 2 is similar to system 100 shown in Figure 1 in that raw water enters the (optional) Pre-Treatment unit 110 through a main line 105 and is output from the Pre-Treatment unit 110 through a water inlet line 115. In this embodiment, the water inlet line 115 does not split before it brings a water supply to the Disinfection System 200. The water inlet line 115 has an optional pressure gauge 125 arranged to measure the pressure of the water supply to the Disinfection System 200. The Disinfection System 200 outputs clean (e.g. disinfected) drinking water to a clean water line 160 which then splits downstream, at junction 122, into a clean water line 132 and a dosing inlet line 142. The clean water line 132 provides clean (e.g. disinfected) drinking water to a drinking line 135 to be consumed by the poultry 150. The dosing inlet line 142 provides a fluid input to the Dosing System 300. The Dosing System 300 outputs clean water comprising an additive to the feeding line 145 to be consumed by poultry 150. As will be described further below, with reference to Figure 5, the Dosing System 300 may include an appropriate filter to substantially remove the biocidal species present in the disinfected water before adding the additive(s), e.g. where the presence of biocidal species may reduce the efficacy of additives such as medication, vitamins, minerals, nutritional supplements, etc.

Figures 3 to 6 show the modular components of the units shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 3 shows an example arrangement of the Disinfection System 200 used for treating water for animal consumption. As described above, a water supply is input to the Disinfection System 200 through a water inlet line 130 (or 115) which splits, at bypass line input junction 210, into a disinfection inlet 220 arranged to supply a flow of water to a Disinfection Unit 400 and a bypass line 215 arranged to provide a backup water supply line which may be used, for example, when the Disinfection Unit 400 is undergoing maintenance. The disinfection inlet 220 brings a flow of water into the Disinfection Unit 400 comprising a plurality n (n³1) of water disinfection cartridges 450n in a parallel arrangement. A biocidal species is released into the water flowing through the Disinfection Unit 400 before it reaches the disinfection outlet 230. The bypass line 215 provides a bypass flow path which outputs at a bypass output junction 240 downstream of the disinfection outlet 230.

A flow meter (or other flow monitoring device) 225 is arranged in the water inlet line 220, downstream of the junction 210, to measure one or more parameters relating to the flow of water into the Disinfection Unit 400. A bypass valve 250 is located in the bypass line 215 and arranged to control whether the bypass line 215 is active (valve 250 open) or deactivated (valve 250 closed). The bypass valve 250 is preferably selected to be a fixed valve, e.g. a valve that can be configured to be either open or closed. Figure 8 shows the bypass valve 250 being automatically controlled by a controller 700. However, the bypass valve 250 may alternatively be an independent valve that is not controlled by the controller 700, for example a manually operated bypass valve 250. Normally the bypass valve 250 is only opened (automatically or manually) when the Disinfection Unit 400 is not working or needs to be taken off-line for maintenance.

The Disinfection unit 400 outputs clean (e.g. disinfected) drinking water comprising residual biocidal species via the disinfection outlet 230, which is then directed through bypass output junction 240. The disinfection outlet line 230 optionally has a pressure gauge 260 positioned downstream of the bypass output junction 240 and arranged to measure the water pressure of the clean (e.g. disinfected) drinking water output from the disinfection system. The disinfected water is provided as drinking water to the drinking line 135 to be consumed by the poultry 150 (or other animals). The line break shown in the path between the bypass output junction 240 and the drinking line 135 illustrates that the clean water may pass through other modules or systems before its point of consumption at the drinking line 135.

Operation of the Disinfection System 200, will be described later below. Figure 4 shows an example Disinfection unit 400 arrangement comprising two disinfection cartridges 450 arranged in parallel. Although this example depicts two disinfection cartridges, alternative embodiments may include any number of disinfection cartridges e.g. six cartridges. The disinfection inlet 220 is arranged to supply a flow of water to the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges 450 by splitting, at branch junction 430, to provide separate flow paths to the plurality of disinfection cartridges 450 arranged in parallel, via the parallel branch lines 440.

Each branch line 440 has positioned along its length a cartridge control valve 445 e.g. disposed between each disinfection cartridge 450 and the branch junction 430. The outputs from the disinfection cartridges 450 converge at another junction 460 to provide the disinfection outlet 230.

Operation of the Disinfection Unit 400 will be described later below.

Figure 5 shows an example arrangement of the Dosing System 300. As described above, fluid is input to the Dosing System 300 via a dosing inlet line 140 that runs parallel to the Disinfection System 200 (Figure 1), or a dosing inlet line 142 split off downstream of the Disinfection System 200. In both cases, within the Dosing System 300 the dosing inlet line 140, 142 splits, at a bypass junction 310, into a bypass line 315 and a dosing line 320. The bypass line 315 provides an alternative flow path which connects to another bypass junction 350. A bypass valve 340 is located in the bypass line 315. The bypass valve 340 may be manually operated to allow water to bypass the water treatment filter 330, e.g. in the event of a blockage or filter replacement event.

In this embodiment, the dosing line 320 passes through a water treatment filter 330, such as a granular activated carbon (GAC) filter. The input to the water treatment filter 330 is controlled by an automatic valve 325. The water treatment filter 330 outputs filtered water via a line 360 to the bypass junction 350. At any point downstream of the junction 350, a dosing inlet 370 is provided to selectively add a dose of one or more additives, such as vitamins, medicines, vaccines etc., into the fluid stream before being directed to the feeding line 145 to be consumed by poultry 150. The line break shown in the path between the dosing inlet 370 and the feeding line 145 illustrates that the clean/dosed water may pass through other modules or systems before the point of consumption at the feeding line 145.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 5, the water treatment filter 330 is useful for removing any unwanted contaminants in the water provided by the dosing water inlet line 140, 142. When the dosing inlet line 142 is connected downstream of the diluted water outlet 160 of the Disinfection System 200, as seen in Figure 2, the water treatment filter 330 may remove at least some of the biocidal species prior to dosing. However, it will be appreciated that such arrangements involve unnecessary waste and therefore a parallel arrangement, as seen in Figure 1, may be preferred. In these embodiments the water treatment filter 330 does not need to remove the biocidal species so a less effective filter may be employed, or the water treatment filter 330 and its bypass line 315 may even be omitted entirely.

Figure 6 shows an example arrangement of the Pre-Treatment unit 110. As described above, raw (i.e. potentially contaminated) water is input to the Pre treatment unit 110 via a main line 105 which splits, at a bypass junction 510, into a bypass line 515 and a pre-treatment filter line 520. The bypass line 515 provides an alternative flow path which is connected to another bypass junction 550. A bypass valve 540 is located in the bypass line 515. The bypass valve 540 may be manually operated to allow water to bypass the pre-treatment filter 530, e.g. in the event of a blockage or filter replacement event.

The pre-treatment filter line 520 provides the fluid input for a pre-treatment filter 530 such as a sand filter. The input to the pre-treatment filter 530 is controlled by an automatic valve 525. The filter 530 outputs pre-treated water via an output line 560 such that the fluid is directed through the bypass junction 550 into the water inlet line 115 connected to the downstream Disinfection System 200.

Figure 7 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention with a more detailed view of the Disinfection System 200, wherein the disinfection unit 400 includes six disinfection cartridges 450a to 450f arranged in parallel between a disinfection inlet 220 and a disinfection outlet 230. In this embodiment there are six controllable valves 445a to 445f arranged in the flow of water from the disinfection inlet 220, each controllable valve 445n arranged in series with an associated disinfection cartridge 450n in the disinfection unit 400. Input flow junctions 430a to 430f, and output flow junctions 460a to 460d, create a parallel arrangement with each disinfection cartridge 450n and its associated valve 445n arranged in a respective parallel flow branch.

Figure 8 shows a block diagram of an exemplary apparatus used to control the disinfection system 200 as shown in Figures 1 to 7. The system 100 may be operated in accordance with a series of pre-programmed instructions stored in the memory of a controller 700. The controller 700 executes the operations by communicating with one or more modules in the system 100, where the communication may be either wired or wireless (e.g. via a network). In the embodiment shown in Figure 8, the controller 700 is in communication with all modular units described above i.e. , Pre-Treatment unit 110, Disinfection System unit 200 and Dosing System unit 300). However, it will be appreciated that each modular unit may alternatively be controlled by independent controllers such that controller 700 is only in communication with the components (e.g. valves 445a- 445f) of the Disinfection System unit 200.

In some embodiments the operations may be carried out at a predetermined frequency or in response to sensor data received by the controller 700, such as data communicated to the controller 700 from the flow meter 225. Alternatively, the system 100 may perform operations that are controlled in response to a user input, for example input through a user interface 710..

Once the controller 700 determines the operation(s) to be performed by the system 100, the controller 700 executes the operation(s) by sending a control signal (e.g. an electrical signal) to one or more of the plurality of valves within the system 100 that are in communication with the controller 700 and are used to control the flow of water through the system. For fixed valves such as valves 250, 445a-445f, 340 and 540, the controller 700 sends a signal that results in the valve being configured to be either open or closed. The electrical input received by the automatic valves 325 and 525 from the controller 700 configures the valves to be operate in one of three possible modes: filter mode, backwash mode, and filter wash mode.

The controller 700 may also output data relating to the operational conditions of the system 100 to the user interface 710. For example, the actual (or average) flow rate of water through the system or the total amount of water that has passed through the system may be displayed and used by a user to determine whether the system is functioning abnormally, e.g. a drop in flow rate may indicate a blockage. In some embodiments the user interface 710 may graphically represent the status, such as percentage depletion of biocidal species, of the water disinfection cartridges 450a- 450f such that a user is able to identify when the water disinfection cartridges 450a- 450f are close to requiring replacement or replenishment.

Each constituent unit 110, 200, 300, 400 of the system 100 described above in relation to Figures 3 to 6 may be either activated or deactivated, depending on the required operation, by the opening or closing of the valves controlled by the controller 700. The method of operating the system 100 will now be described in relation to Figures 7 and 8.

Raw water enters the system 100 through the main line 105 which provides the input to Pre-Treatment Unit 110. If the Pre-Treatment unit 110 is operationally active, it is configured such that bypass valve 540 is closed and the automatic valve 525 is set to normal open filter operation. As valve 540 is closed, the water entering the Pre-Treatment unit 100 via the main line 105 is directed into the sand filter 530 via the pre-treatment filter line 520. On output from the filter 530, the pre-treated water passes along the line 560, through junction 550 to water inlet line 115.

If the Pre-Treatment unit 110 is operationally deactivated, for example, if the filter 530 is being serviced, or there is a blockage in one of the lines 520 or 560, the automatic valve 525 is closed and bypass valve 540 is open such that the raw water instead flows through the bypass line 515 via junction 510 and is output back into the water inlet line 115 through the output junction 550.

The water pressure is measured by a first pressure gauge 125 positioned in the water inlet line 130 before water reaches the bypass junction 210 which provides input to the bypass line 215 and the disinfection inlet line 220.

If bypass valve 250 is closed, water passes into the Disinfection Unit 400 via the disinfection inlet 220. One or more parameters such as the flow rate of the water supply is measured by the flow meter 225 before the water supply reaches the Disinfection Unit 400.

Water passes through the disinfection inlet line 220 towards the plurality of disinfection cartridges 450a to 450f in the Disinfection Unit 400 via junctions 430a to 430f that define the parallel arrangement. In preferred embodiments, the disinfection cartridges are selected to be cartridges comprising a medium including releasable oxidative bromine, such as HaloPure™ cartridges containing brominated polystyrene hydantoin beads. The disinfection unit 400 may be configured such that any suitable or desirable number of disinfection cartridges 450n may be available for water to pass through by opening or closing valves 445a to 445f. When the disinfection cartridges 450n are first installed into the system, the amount of biocidal species (e.g. bromine) released from a disinfection cartridge into the water passing through the system (e.g. by the controlled release of oxidative bromine from the brominated polystyrene hydantoin beads) will be at its highest levels due to the initial fast release of biocidal species (e.g. oxidative bromine) that is not stably bound to the medium (e.g. the polystyrene hydantoin beads).

If all of the controllable valves 445a-445f are set to be open such that all disinfection cartridges are available for water to pass through, the volume flow rate of the water in each branch will be effectively a sixth of the flow rate measured at the flow meter 225. As the release of the biocidal species is determined by the dissociation constant which is in turn an equilibrium constant, high flow rates result in the equilibrium being shifted to the right and the dissociation of the biocidal species increasing as the water carries the biocidal species away more quickly. In contrast, when the flow of water through the cartridges is slower, the equilibrium is positioned further to the left resulting in a reduced release of the biocidal species (e.g. oxidative bromine) from the medium (e.g. polystyrene hydantoin beads) due to a prolonged period of contact (and thus establishment of the equilibrium) when compared to a greater flow rate. The concentration of residual disinfectant in the water output from the disinfection unit 400 is increased when all disinfection cartridges are available compared to an equivalent system where only one disinfection cartridge is active (for example).

It is desirable that the concentration of biocidal species in water output from the disinfection unit 400 is high enough that pathogenic microorganisms and/or biofilm build up in water pipelines downstream of the disinfection unit may be effectively inactivated or prevented. A very low concentration of released disinfectant from the disinfection system 200 is thus undesirable, as there may not be a sufficient dose of residual disinfectant to inactivate the pathogens and biofilms present between the output of the disinfection system and the drinking line. In embodiments of the present invention where the disinfectant released into the water by the disinfection unit 400 is selected to be residual bromine (e.g. from halogenated polystyrene hydantoin beads in a HaloPure™ cartridge), it is envisaged that a concentration lower than 0.5 ppm would be too low for effective disinfection. In embodiments of the present invention where the disinfectant released into the water by the filter system is selected to be residual bromine (e.g. from halogenated polystyrene hydantoin beads in a HaloPure™ cartridge), a desirable concentration of residual bromine is about 1 ppm for animal consumption.

By way of an example, Figure 9 shows a schematic representation of the concentration of releasable biocidal species bound within the disinfection cartridge medium as a function of the total volume of water that has passed through the disinfection cartridge (e.g. the total volume of water that has come into contact with the disinfection cartridge medium). As has previously been discussed, when water comes into contact with the disinfection cartridge medium, a biocidal species (“biocide”) is released into the water. Thus, when the total volume of water that has passed through the disinfection cartridge is low, the amount of biocidal species comprised within the medium is high as only a small amount of biocidal species has been released into the water (e.g. left cartridge of Figure 9). As the volume of water increases (e.g. moving from left to right in Figure 9), the amount of the biocidal species decreases (e.g. non-linearly) as there is increased contact with the medium. Once there is only a low amount (e.g. 25%) of biocidal species left then the medium may be replaced or recharged with the biocidal species.

For example, when the disinfection cartridge medium is a N-halamine polymer resin bead and the releasable biocidal species is oxidative bromine this means that the fully charged (e.g. biocidal active medium) has bromine chemically bound to the amide nitrogen and/or the imide nitrogen of the N-halamine polymer resin bead. Thus, when water comes into contact with the charged medium, bromine is dissociated from the imide and/or amide nitrogens and released into the water. As the imide-halogen bond is weaker (with a higher dissociation constant) than the amide-halogen bond, initially (e.g. when the total water volume that has come into contact with the medium is low) the bromine will be released from the less stable (e.g. imide) position and the concentration of bromine reversibly bound to the medium (e.g. the concentration of charged polymer beads) remains high (e.g. left cartridge in Figure 9). As the total volume of water increases, the dissociation in the imide position continues and the dissociation of bromine in the amide position increases such that the amount of bromine bound to the medium (e.g. the amount of charged polymer beads) is depleted (e.g. moving left to right in figure 9).

As such, it will be appreciated that the concentration of biocidal species released into the water as water flows through the cartridge depends on the total volume of water that has come into contact with the medium (e.g. since the medium was installed or last replenished with the biocidal species).

Example 1

Figure 10 shows the typical Bromine release profile expected for a single HaloPure™ cartridge comprising 30 kg of halogenated polystyrene hydantoin beads as a function of the total volume of water (in metric tonnes) that has passed through the cartridge. The different traces represent different flow rates of water (in metric tonnes per hour) through the cartridge. As can be seen, initially, when the beads are fully dosed and the total water volume that has passed through the system is low, there is a high release of bromine into the water passing through the cartridge. This is because there will be a relatively large amount of bromine that is unstably bound to the hydantoin beads and thus preferentially released. This initially results in a high concentration of residual bromine > 1 ppm in the water but this “High Bromine” phase is short-lived, e.g. only lasting for the first 400 T of water passing through the disinfection cartridge. However, it will be appreciated that the total volume of water corresponding to the “High Bromine” phase will vary depending on the size of the cartridge and the quantity of halogenated polystyrene hydantoin beads.

As Figure 10 shows, the concentration of residual bromine released by the HaloPure™ cartridge is initially high (“High Bromine” phase) but then falls rapidly below 1 ppm as the total volume of water increases. After the concentration of residual bromine falls below 1 ppm, the release profile flattens, showing a controlled stable release of residual bromine with respect to increasing volume of water across a “Stable Bromine” phase between about 400 and 3000 T in this example. The residual bromine concentration starts to drop below 0.5 ppm at approximately 3000 T of water and then a “Low Bromine” phase can be defined for the final 3000- 5000 T of water passing through the cartridge, where the beads become depleted. It will be appreciated that the volume of water corresponding to the “High Bromine”, “Stable Bromine” and “Low Bromine” phases depends on the size of the cartridge (e.g. the mass of the biocidal medium contained in the cartridge). For example, if the cartridge is larger, i.e. containing a greater mass of biocidal releasing medium, than the cartridge represented by the data shown in Figure 10, the volume range corresponding to each phase will be larger.

However, it will be appreciated that the release profile, regardless of the size of the cartridge, will observe the same behavioural profile (e.g. the same release trend as a function of volume) as the release profile is determined by the physical dissociation constant of the biocidal species in water. Thus, the data shown in Figure 10 may be scaled up or down (e.g. linearly, e.g. non-linearly) to represent he expected release profile and phase ranges for any suitable or desirable cartridge size (e.g. mass of biocidal medium).

Typically a HaloPure™ cartridge would be installed and used in the High Bromine and Stable Bromine phases. Once the volume of water disinfected by a given cartridge exceeds the start point of the “Low Bromine” phase, meaning that the residual bromine concentration falls below 0.5 ppm, the cartridge would be recharged or replaced. However, this requires an interruption in use of the disinfection system.

It will thus be appreciated from the example of Figure 10 that a single HaloPure™ cartridge containing 30 kg of beads may only provide water with desirable concentrations of bromine for use in disinfection up to approximately 3000 T of total water volume passed through the cartridge, resulting in the water output at volumes greater than 3000 T having an undesirably low concentration of residual bromine. This leads to the problem of water not being adequately disinfected in the Low Bromine phase..

The Low Bromine, Stable Bromine and High Bromine phases mentioned above are seen to apply generally regardless of the flow rate of water through the cartridge. However, it can also be seen from Figure 10 that the flow rate affects how quickly the cartridge moves between the phases, for example the highest flow rate of 60 T/hr results in the High Bromine phase (>1 ppm) only lasting for the first 300 T of water and the Stable Bromine phase having a shorter duration, e.g. between about 300 T and 2000 T, before the concentration of residual bromine drops to 0.5 ppm and the cartridge needs to be recharged or replaced. Thus flow rate is another parameter to take into account.

The problems discussed above apply to any type of disinfection cartridge comprising a medium including a releasable biocidal species that is released into water coming into contact with the medium as water flows through the cartridge, as the amount of the biocidal species that is released may depend on the total volume of water that has come into contact with the medium and/or the flow rate of water passing through the cartridge.

It is therefore beneficial to adjust the amount of biocidal species released by selectively controlling the number of disinfection cartridges in a parallel arrangement through which water passes, such that the concentration of the residual disinfectant is at an efficacious level to inactivate pathogens and biofilm formation downstream of the disinfection system (e.g. above 0.5 ppm for residual bromine) whilst maximising the efficacy of the disinfection cartridges across their lifetime. It is also beneficial to ensure that the water supply at point of consumption has a desirable concentration regardless of fluctuations in flow rate.

To help achieve this aim, the disinfection unit 400 is configured such that the number of cartridges 450n in the parallel arrangement available at any one time to the input water supply may be controlled by a controller 700. Furthermore, the controller 700 may ensure that each cartridge 450n is generally depleted of its biocidal species in an even and coordinated manner.

Example 2

There will now be described an example control scheme for the disinfection system 200 seen in Figure 7.

As described above, at an early stage in a cartridge’s lifetime the resultant release of biocidal species from the medium will be high such that it is preferable to have a high flow rate through the cartridge and with only one cartridge active in the disinfection unit 400. As such, the controller 700 will configure the system such that it operates in a one-cartridge cycle. In a one-cartridge cycle, only one disinfection cartridge is available for water to pass through and therefore the controller 700 configures the system such that valve 445a is open and all other valves 445b to 445f are closed. The controller 700 then monitors the flow rate of water input into the disinfection unit 400 via the flow meter 225 such that the total volume of water that has passed through the cartridge 450a may be monitored. When the volume of water that has passed through the cartridge 450a is determined to exceed the pre determined threshold level for a one-cartridge cycle, the controller 700 closes valve 445a and opens valve 445b such that the water input to the disinfection unit 400 is now directed through a second cartridge 450b and the process is repeated.

Once all cartridges 450n have had an equal amount of water pass through the system, the controller 700 can determine whether to repeat the one-cartridge cycle or change the operation to another n-cartridge cycle, e.g. a three-cartridge cycle. In an n-cartridge cycle the controller 700 will configure the system such that n valves 445n are open at any one time. For example, in a three-cartridge cycle, the controller 700 may first open valves 445a, 445b and 445c. When the volume of water passing through the system exceeds the pre-determined threshold level for a three-cartridge cycle, the controller 700 closes valves 445a, 445b and 445c and opens valves 445d, 445e and 445f and the process is repeated.

The controller 700 may determine the n-cartridge cycle by any suitable or desirable method, for example the cartridge cycle sequence may be pre-programmed using simulated or theoretical cartridge depletion studies such that the cartridge cycles are changed as a function of the total volume of water that has passed through the system.

To further illustrate this procedure described above, the table below provides a theoretical exemplary schedule of operation of the Disinfection System 200 as controlled by the controller 700 in embodiments where the phase of the system (corresponding to the amount of releasable biocidal species available) is defined by the Total Volume in Metric Tonnes (T) and flow rate in Metric Tonnes per hour (T/hr) as measured by the flow meter 225. The values included in this table are exemplary only to illustrate the principles behind the invention disclosed herein. The numbers and ranges thus included are not intended to be limiting in any respect.

In some embodiments, the schedule (e.g. as defined by the table) may be pre- programmed into the controller 700 such that the controller 700 receives the data from the flow meter 225 indicating the Total Volume of water from which at least the main phase is determined. For example, if the controller 700 determined from the data received from the flow meter 225 that the Total Volume was 500 T, the controller 700 would determine that the Disinfection System 200 should be configured to meet the requirements of Phase 2.

In some embodiments, the main phase may be determined by comparing the Total Volume to a reference profile, e.g. a profile that plots the concentration of residual disinfectant as a function of the total volume.

In some embodiments, the sub-phase may be determined by the (actual or average) flow rate of the water measured by flow meter 225. In some embodiments the flow rate may be determined by the drinking demand, e.g. the flow rate is faster during the day and slower at night. For each of the main phases relating to total volume, there may be defined a number of sub-phases relating to different ranges for the flow rate. Once the controller 700 has determined the phase and sub-phase, the controller 700 may then configure the system to achieve the desired concentration by setting the required number of disinfection cartridges to be used at any given time (e.g. the n-cartridge cycle).

For example, if the controller 700 determines from the data received from the flow meter 225 that the Total Volume that has presently passed through the system is 150 T, the controller 700 determines that the system should currently be in phase 1 , e.g. the High Bromine phase. For most flow rates, a single cartridge in the High Bromine phase will provide a high enough amount of biocidal species to achieve the desired disinfectant concentration level, e.g. at least 1 ppm. Thus the controller 700 operates only one of the valves 445a-445f to select a one-cartridge cycle (n=1). However, if the flow rate is particularly high (e.g. 25-50 T/hr) then contact time is reduced and a single cartridge may not be sufficient, so the controller 700 operates two of the valves 445a-445f to select a two-cartridge cycle (n=2) in Phase 1 , sub phase 4.

In some embodiments the sub-phase is determined by the flow rate and the controller 700 may determine the sub-phase from the measurements received from the flow meter 225. For example, at 15:00 the drinking water demand by poultry will be high and the flow rate, to accommodate this demand, may be 40 T/hr such that the system is configured to be in phase 1.4 (phase 1, sub-phase 4). In contrast, at night the demand for drinking water decreases such that the flow rate of water through the system is reduced to 3 T/hr and the system is configured to be in phase 1.1 (phase 1, sub-phase 1). Thus the controller 700 is arranged to selectively open or close one or more of the valves 445a-445f at different times to select the number n of cartridges that are active in the parallel arrangement.

Once the phase and sub-phase have been identified, the controller 700 may send control signals to the valves 450a-450f to arrange the required number of valves to be open or closed in accordance with the n-cartridge cycle for that phase. When the controller 700 determines that the phase has changed (e.g. that the Total Volume exceeds the threshold for the determined phase, or the flow rate has been reduced or increased beyond a threshold) the sub-phase may be updated immediately (regardless of the position in the cartridge cycle) such that a new configuration of cartridges is configured to be open to correspond to the requirements of the next sub-phase.

For example, when the volume of water exceeds the threshold for phase 1 (e.g. 400 T), the system is immediately updated to phase 2. If the system, at immediately before the Total Volume exceeds 400 T is in phase 1.2 (e.g. the sub-phase is determined by the flow rate which in turn is determined by demand), immediately after exceeding 400 T the system will update to phase 2.2 (assuming the same supply demand and thus desired flow rate) such that the system is configured to perform a two-cartridge cycle, e.g. a second cartridge valve 445n is opened in addition to the one cartridge valve already arranged to be open in phase 1.2 (a one- cycle phase). Alternatively, the controller 700 may be configured such that it queries the position in the cartridge cycle before updating to the next phase or sub-phase and only communicates the update to the system when a full cartridge-cycle has been completed, to ensure that all cartridges have an equal volume of water flow through and thus depleted to an equal extent.

It will be appreciated that although a three phase and four sub-phase system is described above, the schedule may comprise any suitable and desirable combination of phases and sub-phases and each phase may have the same or different numbers of sub-phases. It will also be appreciated that the Total Volume that can be passed through the system in each phase is dependent on the number of cartridges present in the system, e.g. a greater number of cartridges means a larger quantity of water may pass through the system in any given phase or sub phase.

It will be appreciated that the system and method described herein provides an intelligent system and method for the provision of a controlled concentration of biocidal species to disinfect microbial pathogens present in raw water and provide a clean water supply for animal consumption.

Claims

1. A system for treating water for animal consumption, the system comprising: a plurality of disinfection cartridges in a parallel arrangement, wherein each disinfection cartridge comprises a medium including a releasable biocidal species that is released into water coming into contact with the medium as water flows through the cartridge; a water inlet arranged to supply a flow of water to the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges; one or more controllable valves arranged in the flow of water from the water inlet, each controllable valve arranged in series with an associated disinfection cartridge of the plurality of disinfection cartridges; a flow monitoring device arranged to measure one or more parameters relating to the flow of water through the water inlet; and a controller configured to selectively operate the one or more controllable valves in response to the one or more parameters measured by the flow monitoring device so as to control the flow of water to each associated disinfection cartridge and thereby adjust the amount of the biocidal species that is released as water flows through the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is a single pass system.

3. The system of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the one or more parameters relating to the flow of water through the water inlet comprise one or more of: actual flow rate, average flow rate, total volume of water.

4. The system of any one of claim 1 , claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to selectively operate at least one of the controllable valves in response to a total volume of water that has flowed through the water inlet since an initial time to.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to selectively operate at least one of the controllable valves to close a parallel flow of water from the water inlet to the associated disinfection cartridge(s) in a first phase and to open the parallel flow of water from the water inlet to the associated disinfection cartridge(s) in a second phase, wherein the first phase corresponds to the total volume of water below a volume threshold and the second phase corresponds to the total volume of water above the volume threshold.

6. The system of any preceding claim, comprising a plurality of n disinfection cartridges in a parallel arrangement and a number n of controllable valves each arranged in series with one of the n disinfection cartridges, wherein the controller is configured to selectively operate a number m of the controllable valves to open or close a parallel flow of water from the water inlet to m disinfection cartridges in the parallel arrangement, wherein m £ n, depending on the total volume of water that has flowed through the water inlet since an initial time to.

7. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the controller is configured to selectively operate at least one of the controllable valves in response to an actual or average flow rate of water through the water inlet.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to selectively operate at least one of the controllable valves to close a parallel flow of water from the water inlet to the associated disinfection cartridge(s) in a first phase and to open the parallel flow of water from the water inlet to the associated disinfection cartridge(s) in a second phase, wherein the first phase corresponds to the actual or average flow rate below a flow rate threshold and the second phase corresponds to the actual or average flow rate above the flow rate threshold.

9. The system of any preceding claim, comprising a plurality of n disinfection cartridges in a parallel arrangement and a number n of controllable valves each arranged in series with one of the n disinfection cartridges, wherein the controller is configured to selectively operate a number m of the controllable valves to open a parallel flow of water from the water inlet to m disinfection cartridges in the parallel arrangement, wherein m £ n, depending on an actual or average flow rate of water through the water inlet.

10. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the controller is configured to receive measurements made by the flow monitoring device so as to determine: (iii) a volume parameter representing a total volume of water that has flowed through the water inlet since an initial time tO; and

(iv) a flow rate parameter representing an actual or average flow rate of water through the water inlet; and wherein the controller is configured to assign a volume phase based on the volume parameter and to assign a flow rate sub-phase based on the flow rate parameter.

11. The system of claim 10, comprising a plurality of n disinfection cartridges in a parallel arrangement and a number n of controllable valves each arranged in series with one of the n disinfection cartridges, wherein the controller is configured to selectively operate a number m (where m £ n) of the controllable valves to open a parallel flow of water from the water inlet to m disinfection cartridges in the parallel arrangement depending on the assigned volume phase and flow rate sub phase.

12. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the plurality of disinfection cartridges comprises an even number of disinfection cartridges in the parallel arrangement, with a first half of the disinfection cartridges arranged in a first parallel branch and a second half of the disinfection cartridges arranged in a second parallel branch.

13. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the amount of the biocidal species that is released as water flows through each disinfection cartridge tends to reduce with an increasing total volume of water coming into contact with the medium.

14. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the biocidal species released by each disinfection cartridge comprises oxidative halogen, for example oxidative bromine.

15. The system of any preceding claim, wherein each disinfection cartridge (450n) comprises a medium including biocidal halogenated (e.g. brominated) polymer resin beads.

16. The system of claim 14 or 15, wherein the biocidal species comprises between 5 wt% and 90 wt% oxidative halogen, preferably 30-35% oxidative halogen.

17. A method of treating water for animal consumption, the method comprising: arranging a water supply to pass through a water treatment system, the system comprising: a plurality of disinfection cartridges in a parallel arrangement, wherein each disinfection cartridge comprises a medium including a releasable biocidal species that is released into water coming into contact with the medium as water flows through the cartridge; a water inlet arranged to supply a flow of water to the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges; and one or more controllable valves arranged in the flow of water from the water inlet, each controllable valve arranged in series with an associated disinfection cartridge of the plurality of disinfection cartridges; the method comprising: measuring one or more parameters relating to the flow of water through the water inlet; and controlling the one or more controllable valves to open or close in response to the one or more parameters so as to control the flow of water to each associated disinfection cartridge and thereby adjust the amount of the biocidal species that is released as water flows through the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising: determining a number m of the one or more controllable valves to open at any given time so as to achieve a consistent amount of the biocidal species that is released per unit volume as water flows through the parallel arrangement of disinfection cartridges.

19. The method of claim 17 or claim 18, wherein the system comprises a plurality of n disinfection cartridges in a parallel arrangement and a number n of controllable valves each arranged in series with one of the n disinfection cartridges, the method comprising: operating a number m of the controllable valves to open a parallel flow of water from the water inlet to m disinfection cartridges in the parallel arrangement, wherein m £ n, depending on the one or more parameters.

20. The method of any one of claim 17, 18 or 19, wherein the one or more parameters relating to the flow of water through the water inlet comprise one or more of: an actual flow rate, an average flow rate, a total volume of water that has flowed through the water inlet since an initial time to.

21. The method of any one of claims 17-20, wherein the system is a single pass system.

22. A method of treating water for animal consumption, the method comprising: arranging an input water supply to pass through a water treatment system comprising at least one disinfection unit comprising a medium including a releasable biocidal species that is released into water coming into contact with the medium as water flows through the disinfection unit, wherein the biocidal species comprises oxidative bromine; arranging an output water supply to pass from the water treatment system to a drinking water distribution system for animal consumption.

23. The method of claim 22, comprising: arranging the output water supply to pass from the water treatment system to a drinking water distribution system in a farm.

24. An animal drinking water treatment and distribution system, the system comprising: a water treatment system, an input water supply arranged to pass through the water treatment system, and an output water supply arranged to pass from the water treatment system to a drinking water distribution system for animal consumption; wherein the water treatment system comprises at least one disinfection unit comprising a medium including a releasable biocidal species that is released into water coming into contact with the medium as water flows through the disinfection unit, wherein the biocidal species comprises oxidative bromine.

25. The system of claim 24, comprising a drinking water distribution system in a farm.

26. The system of claim 24 or 25, wherein the at least one disinfection unit comprises a column bed filter comprising brominated polymer resin beads.

27. The system of any of claims 24 to 26, wherein the at least one disinfection unit comprises between 15 wt% and 40 wt% oxidative bromine in the medium.