Water treatment methods

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF TREATING RAW WATER CONTAINING SMALL AMOUNTS OF DISSOLVED METAL SALTS IN AN ELECTROLYTIC CELL COMPRISING A PERMEABLE DIAPHRAGM DEFINING A CATHODE CHAMBER AND AN ANODE CHAMBER ON OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF AND INCLUDING A MIXED ION EXCHANGE BED IN SAID ANODE CHAMBER, SAID METHOD COMPRISING (1) CONDUCING CONTINUOUSLY DURING A TIME INTERVAL T A SMALL QUANTITY Q1 OF SAID RAW WATER AT A RELATIVELY LOW RATE OF FLOW R1 THROUGH SAID CATHODE CHAMBER INTO WETTING RELATION WITH SAID DIAPHRAGM; (2) CONDUCTING INTERMITTENTLY DURING SAID TIME INTERVAL T A LARGE A QUANTITY Q2 OF SAID RAW WATER AT A RELATIVELY HIGH RATE OF FLOW R2 THROUGH SAID ANODE CHAMBER INTO WETTING RELATIONWITH SAID DIAPHRAGM AND INTO ION EXCHANGE RELATION WITHSAID BED; AND (3) CONDUCTING CONTINUOUSLY DURING SAID TIME INTERVAL T A DIRECT ELECTRIC CURRENT FROM THE WATER IN SAID ANODE CHAMBER INTO THE WATER IN SAID CATHODE CHAMBER AND THROUGH SAID BED AND SAID DIAPHRAGM, WHEREBY TWO AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS S1 AND S2 RESPECTIVELY RESULT FROM SAID TWO QUANTITIES Q1 AND Q2 OF SAID RAW WATER, AND WHEREBY THE PROPORTIONS OF THE CATIONS AND ANIONS OF SAID METAL SALTS IN SAID TWO SOLUTIONS S1 AND S2 ARE SUBSTANTIALLY MODIFIED RESPECTIVELY IN REVERSE DIRECTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THAT IN SAID RAW WATER.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF TREATING RAW WATER CONTAINING SMALL AMOUNTS OF DISSOLVED METAL SALTS IN AN ELECTROLYTIC CELL COMPRISING A PERMEABLE DIAPHRAGM DEFINING A CATHODE CHAMBER AND AN ANODE CHAMBER ON OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF AND INCLUDING A MIXED ION EXCHANGE BED IN SAID ANODE CHAMBER, SAID METHOD COMPRISING (1) CONDUCING CONTINUOUSLY DURING A TIME INTERVAL T A SMALL QUANTITY Q1 OF SAID RAW WATER AT A RELATIVELY LOW RATE OF FLOW R1 THROUGH SAID CATHODE CHAMBER INTO WETTING RELATION WITH SAID DIAPHRAGM; (2) CONDUCTING INTERMITTENTLY DURING SAID TIME INTERVAL T A LARGE A QUANTITY Q2 OF SAID RAW WATER AT A RELATIVELY HIGH RATE OF FLOW R2 THROUGH SAID ANODE CHAMBER INTO WETTING RELATIONWITH SAID DIAPHRAGM AND INTO ION EXCHANGE RELATION WITHSAID BED; AND (3) CONDUCTING CONTINUOUSLY DURING SAID TIME INTERVAL T A DIRECT ELECTRIC CURRENT FROM THE WATER IN SAID ANODE CHAMBER INTO THE WATER IN SAID CATHODE CHAMBER AND THROUGH SAID BED AND SAID DIAPHRAGM, WHEREBY TWO AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS S1 AND S2 RESPECTIVELY RESULT FROM SAID TWO QUANTITIES Q1 AND Q2 OF SAID RAW WATER, AND WHEREBY THE PROPORTIONS OF THE CATIONS AND ANIONS OF SAID METAL SALTS IN SAID TWO SOLUTIONS S1 AND S2 ARE SUBSTANTIALLY MODIFIED RESPECTIVELY IN REVERSE DIRECTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THAT IN SAID RAW WATER.