Patent JPS4834820A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
CA1143684A
Expired / Lapsed
CA
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Downflow bioreactor
Assignee: ECOLOTROL Inc
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Filing: 1980-08-22
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Granted: 1983-03-29
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Expires: 2000-08-22
Abstract
Abstract DOWNFLOW BIOREACTOR Inventor: Robert F. Hickey, a citizen of the United States of America and resident of Florence, Mass. ABSTRACT A biological treatment technique in which waste water or other liquid to be processed is conducted downwardly through a bed of carrier particles to which biological material is attached. In a system for carrying out this technique, the bed is suspended within a vertical reactor by the liquid, the carrier particles having a specific gravity that is less than that of the liquid. The liquid is introduced into the upper end of the bed to pass through the particles and exits through the bottom of the reactor. Excess biological material formed on the particles is removed therefrom.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert F. Hickey
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
CA
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 02:04
CPC Classifications
C; C02; C02F; C02F3/00; C02F3/02; C02F3/08; C02F3/085; C02F3/087; B; B01; B01J; B01J8/00; B01J8/18; B01J8/20; C02F3/06; C02F3/10; C02F3/28; C02F3/2806; C12; C12M; C12M25/00; C12M25/16; C12M25/20; C12M29/00; C12M29/18; Y; Y02; Y02W; Y02W10/00; Y02W10/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
163 words
A system having relatively low energy requirements for carrying out biologically-catalyzed reactions on an incoming liquid to be treated, said system comprising: A. a vertically disposed reactor; B. a bed of carrier particles to which biota is attached by seeding the particles with a biological catalyst, said bed being suspended in said reactor and being unconfined therein, said seeded particles having a specific gravity which is less than that of said liquid; C. means to supply the incoming liquid to be treated to the upper end of the reactor to cause it to flow downwardly through the particles in the bed, as a result of which a biological growth accumulates on the carrier particles which is adherent thereto and if unchecked renders the system ineffective; D. means coupled to said bed for removing excess biological growth material formed on the carrier particles during the operation of the system without detaching said biota therefrom; and E. means to withdraw treated liquid from the reactor.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
163 words
A system having relatively low energy requirements for carrying out biologically-catalyzed reactions on an incoming liquid to be treated, said system comprising: A. a vertically disposed reactor; B. a bed of carrier particles to which biota is attached by seeding the particles with a biological catalyst, said bed being suspended in said reactor and being unconfined therein, said seeded particles having a specific gravity which is less than that of said liquid; C. means to supply the incoming liquid to be treated to the upper end of the reactor to cause it to flow downwardly through the particles in the bed, as a result of which a biological growth accumulates on the carrier particles which is adherent thereto and if unchecked renders the system ineffective; D. means coupled to said bed for removing excess biological growth material formed on the carrier particles during the operation of the system without detaching said biota therefrom; and E. means to withdraw treated liquid from the reactor.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
A system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the flow velocity of liquid through the reactor, the diameter of the particles and the specific gravity thereof are such as to render said bed fluidized.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
37 words
A system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the flow velocity of liquid through the reactor, the diameter of the particles and the specific gravity thereof are such as to render said bed expanded or packed.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
A system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the treated liquid forms a pool below the suspended bed.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
18 words
A system as set forth in claim 1, having a gas space above the bed in the reactor.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
A system as set forth in claim 5, wherein the upper end of said reactor is enclosing to define said gas space.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
A system as set forth in claim 5, having means to inject into said gas space an oxygen containing atmosphere to interact with the incoming liquid fed therein.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
A system as set forth in claim 1, in which a gaseous reactant is introduced within the reactor, such that the gas bubles rise countercurrent to the flow of said liquid being treated therein.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
77 words
A system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for removing excess material from the bed particles include a pump and an abrader, said pump being arranged to suck particles containing excess material from the bed and to pass these particles through said abrader which shears the excess material therefrom, the output of the abrader being fed back into the reactor, the sheared material being carried out of the reactor along with the treated liquid.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
80 words
A system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for removing excess material from the bed particles include a pump, an abrader and a separator, said pump being arranged to suck particles containing excess material from the bed and to pass these particles through said abrader which shears the excess material therefrom, the output of the abrader being fed to said separator which returns the sheared particles to the reactor, the sheared material being discharged from the separator
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
24 words
A system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said pump is coupled to said bed at the upper and lower end zones thereof.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
115 words
A system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said bed has a clarification chamber formed therebelow and is operated in the fluidized state whereby particles having excess material tend to accumulate in the lower end zone of the bed, and said means to remove excess material from the particles includes a pump and an abrader, said pump being arranged to suck said particles from the lower end zone and to pass them through said abrader whose output is fed into said clarification chamber in which the sheared particles rise to rejoin the bed and the sheared material settles to form a pile at the bottom of the chamber, from which the material is discharged.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
116 words
A system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said bed has a clarification chamber formed therebelow and is operated in the expanded or packed state whereby particles having excess material tend to accumulate in the upper end zone of the bed, and said means to remove excess material from the particles includes a pump and an abrader, said pump being arranged to suck said particles from the upper end zone and to pass them through said abrader whose output is fed into said clarification chamber in which sheared particles rise to rejoin the bed and the sheared material settles to form a pile at the bottom of the chamer from which the material is discharged.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
74 words
A system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said reactor is provided with expanded lower section, one portion of the bed occupying the expanded lower section and operating in the expanded or packed bed mode, another portion of the bed occupying the section above the lower section and operating in the fluidized bed mode, particles with excess material being withdrawn from both sections of the reactor at the interface of the two sections.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
44 words
A system as set forth in claim 14, wherein said means for removing excess material formed on the particles conveys the particles having the excess material removed therefrom to the pool below the suspended bed, whereby the particles float up to rejoin the bed.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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