Treating liquid waste effluent

Claim 2

A process for treating liquid effluent recovered from plant waste or from a settling tank of a sewage treating system, said process comprising subjecting said liquid waste effluent to a vigorous shearing action effective to comminute minute solid particles of bacteria-containing organic material present in the effluent and thus render said bacteria vulnerable to bactericide attack, pumping the resulting effluent through a venturi assembly connected to a source of mixed ozone and air whereby said gases are drawn into the effluent, and passing the gas-containing effluent through tubing of sufficient length to provide the effluent with substantial residence time therein whereby the B.O.D. of the effluent is reduced to substantially the maximum extent permitted by the gases introduced at the venturi.

Claim 3

The process as recited in claim 3 wherein the particle comminution is effected by contacting the effluenT with a rotating wire brush wheel turning at high speed in a cylindrical cavity which is substantially filled by the brush to cause substantially all effluent in the cavity to be subjected to said shearing action.

Claim 4

Apparatus for rupturing minute solid particles of organic material in a liquid waste effluent to thus render such organic material vulnerable to bactericide attack, comprising a housing having a cylindrical cavity and a rupturing device rotatable therein about the axis of said cavity, said device consisting essentially of a plurality of bristles extending radially with respect to said axis to a position closely adjacent the periphery of the cavity, and being closely packed in and substantially filling said cavity to cause substantially all effluent in the cavity to be subject to a shearing action, said bristles also being substantially non-flexible as they are rotated in said cavity, means for rotating said device at a high shearing speed, means for continuously feeding effluent-containing particles into said cavity and continuously discharging the resulting effluent therefrom, and means for subjecting said discharged effluent to said bactericide.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said rupturing device is a wire brush wheel.

Claim 6

A process for treating liquid waste effluent after it has been recovered from plant waste or from a settling tank of a sewage treating system which comprises providing a cylindrical cavity having mounted therein a brush rotatable about the axis of the cavity and having substantially non-flexible bristles extending outwardly to a position closely adjacent the periphery of said cavity, said bristles being closely packed together and substantially filling the cavity, continuously feeding said effluent into said cavity and rotating said brush at a high speed to subject substantially all effluent in the cavity to a shearing action by said closely packed bristles to thereby comminute minute solid particles of bacteria-containing organic material in the effluent and thus render said bacteria vulnerable to bactericide attack, continuously discharging the resultant effluent from said cavity, and subjecting said discharged effluent containing said comminuted particles to bactericide attack.