Patent US3849303A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3849303A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method and apparatus for upgrading wastewater treatment plants
Assignee: Siemens Water Technologies Holding Corp
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Filing: 1973-04-16
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Granted: 1974-11-19
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Expires: 1993-04-16
Abstract
Abstract Method and apparatus for increasing the oxidation capacity of carbonaceous and nitrogenous matter in wastewater and providing a denitrification function to existing biological treatment plants, especially activated sludge. A single stage biological treatment unit employing partially submerged rotating biological contactors is used to grow microorganisms that oxidize organic matter, as well as ammonia nitrogen, is provided. The effluent from the single stage unit containing sloughed-off solids and nitrate oxygen, is supplied to a denitrification system which can be an existing aeration and final settling tank which tanks are operated in a manner that denitrifying biological forms develop that utilize the sloughed-off solids from the single stage unit as an energy source and nitrate oxygen for their respiration.
Inventors
- 👤 W Torpey
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 20:57
CPC Classifications
C; C02; C02F; C02F3/00; C02F3/02; C02F3/08; C02F3/082; C02F3/30; C02F3/301; C02F3/302; Y; Y02; Y02W; Y02W10/00; Y02W10/10; Y10; Y10S; Y10S210/00; Y10S210/902; Y10S210/903
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
135 words
PROCESS FOR THE TREATMENT OF WASTEWATER INCLUDING CARBONACEOUS AND NITROGENOUS POLLUTANTS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF, A. REMOVING SETTLEABLE AND FLOATABLE SOLIDS TO OBTAIN PRESETTLED WASTEWATER, B. SUPPLYING SAID PRESETTLED WASTEWATER AT A PAREDETERMINED RATE TO A BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT UNIT, C. SAID BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT UNIT EMPLOYING PARTIALLY SUBMERGED ROTATABLE BIOLOGICAL CONTACTORS HAVING SURFACE AREA FOR THE GROWTH AND MAINTENANCE OF ORGANISMS, D. ROTATING SAID BIOLOGICAL CONTACTORS AT A PREDETERMINED PERIPHERAL VELOCITY TO ALTERNATELY EXPOSE SAID SURFACE AREA TO WASTEWATER AND AN OXYGEN CONTAINING ATMOSPHERE, E. SAID PREDETERMINED RATE AND PERIPHERAL VELOCITY BEING CHOSEN TO BIOCHEMICALLY OXIDIZE SAID CARBONACEOUS AND NITROENOUS POLLUTANTS IN SAID BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT UNIT, F. SUPPLYING WASTEWATER INCLUDING MATURE ORGANISMS FROM SAID BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT UNIT TO A DENITRIFYING UNIT, G. SAID DENITRIFYING UNIT EMPLOYING DENITRIFYING ORGANISMS SUPENDED IN THE WASTEWATER TO CONVERT THE NITROGEN
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
135 words
PROCESS FOR THE TREATMENT OF WASTEWATER INCLUDING CARBONACEOUS AND NITROGENOUS POLLUTANTS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF, A. REMOVING SETTLEABLE AND FLOATABLE SOLIDS TO OBTAIN PRESETTLED WASTEWATER, B. SUPPLYING SAID PRESETTLED WASTEWATER AT A PAREDETERMINED RATE TO A BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT UNIT, C. SAID BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT UNIT EMPLOYING PARTIALLY SUBMERGED ROTATABLE BIOLOGICAL CONTACTORS HAVING SURFACE AREA FOR THE GROWTH AND MAINTENANCE OF ORGANISMS, D. ROTATING SAID BIOLOGICAL CONTACTORS AT A PREDETERMINED PERIPHERAL VELOCITY TO ALTERNATELY EXPOSE SAID SURFACE AREA TO WASTEWATER AND AN OXYGEN CONTAINING ATMOSPHERE, E. SAID PREDETERMINED RATE AND PERIPHERAL VELOCITY BEING CHOSEN TO BIOCHEMICALLY OXIDIZE SAID CARBONACEOUS AND NITROENOUS POLLUTANTS IN SAID BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT UNIT, F. SUPPLYING WASTEWATER INCLUDING MATURE ORGANISMS FROM SAID BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT UNIT TO A DENITRIFYING UNIT, G. SAID DENITRIFYING UNIT EMPLOYING DENITRIFYING ORGANISMS SUPENDED IN THE WASTEWATER TO CONVERT THE NITROGEN
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method according to claim 1, wherein said currents are created by the introduction of air into said denitrification unit.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
Method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined rate is from 0.4 to 2.5 gallons/day/square foot of said surface area.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
156 words
A wastewater treatment plant comprising a. a primary treatment means for removing settleable and floatable solids from said wastewater; b. a biological treatment unit including a tank having a plurality of rotatable biological contactors mounted on A rotatable shaft disposed therein; c. first conduit means for supplying wastewater from said primary treatment means to said biological treatment unit; d. a denitrification unit; e. second conduit means for supplying wastewater from said biologcal treatment unit to said denitrification unit; f. said denitrification unit including circulating means for creating currents in said wastewater adequate to maintain cultures of growing organisms in suspension in said wastewater; g. final clarification means for receiving wastewater from said denitrification unit and removing biological forms and microorganisms in the form of sludge, and, h. third conduit means for recirculating a portion of said sludge from said final clarification means to said denitrification unit without said recirculated sludge passing through said biological treatment unit.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
156 words
A wastewater treatment plant comprising a. a primary treatment means for removing settleable and floatable solids from said wastewater; b. a biological treatment unit including a tank having a plurality of rotatable biological contactors mounted on A rotatable shaft disposed therein; c. first conduit means for supplying wastewater from said primary treatment means to said biological treatment unit; d. a denitrification unit; e. second conduit means for supplying wastewater from said biologcal treatment unit to said denitrification unit; f. said denitrification unit including circulating means for creating currents in said wastewater adequate to maintain cultures of growing organisms in suspension in said wastewater; g. final clarification means for receiving wastewater from said denitrification unit and removing biological forms and microorganisms in the form of sludge, and, h. third conduit means for recirculating a portion of said sludge from said final clarification means to said denitrification unit without said recirculated sludge passing through said biological treatment unit.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
Treatment plant according to claim 4 further including flow control means for providing a constant rate of flow to said biological treatment unit.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
36 words
Treatment plant according to claim 5, wherein said flow control means includes a holding tank upstream from said biological treatment unit to absorb diurnal variations in the rate of wastewater flow to said primary treatment unit.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein said predetermined peripheral velocity is from 0.25 to 1.0 ft/sec.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein from 85 to 95 percent of BOD5 is removed from said wastewater and a substantial portion of said nitrogenous pollutants are oxidized in said biological treatment unit.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method according to claim 3 wherein said predetermined rate is from 0.4 to 1.5 gallons/day/square foot of said surface area.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein the volume ratio of recirculated sludge to wasted sludge is increased until the concentration of oxidized nitrogenous pollutants in the wastewater effluent from said final clarification means is less than about 5 parts per million.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein the volume ratio of recirculated sludge to wasted sludge is from 3:1 to 15:1.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
24 words
Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said circulating means includes at least one air diffuser disposed in the lower portion of said denitrification unit.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
291 words
A method for substantially upgrading the pollutant removal capability of wastewater treatment plants that include a primary treatment means for the removal of settleable and floatable solids from said wastewater, an activated sludge processing tank and a final clarifier, said method including the steps of providing a biological treatment unit including a plurality of partially submerged rotatable biological contactors having surface area for the growth and maintenance of organisms between said primary treatment means and said processing tank, supplying wastewater including carbonaceous and nitrogenous pollutants from said primary treatment means to said biological treatment unit at a predetermined rate, rotating said contactors at a predetermined peripheral velocity to alternately expose said surface area to wastewater an an oxygen containing atmosphere, said predetermined rate and peripheral velocity being chose to biochemically oxidize carbonaceous and nitrogenous pollutants in said biological treatment unit, supplying the effluent from said biological treatment unit, including mature organisms sloughed off from the surface area of said contactors and oxidized nitrogenous pollutants to said processing tank, operating said processing tank to grow denitrifying organisms suspended in said wastewater, said denitrifying organisms utilizing oxygen from said oxidized nitrogenous pollutants for respiration and sloughed off mature organisms as an energy source to convert the nitrogen content of a substantial portion of said oxidized nitrogenous pollutants to nitrogen gas, supplying the effluent from said processing tank to said final clarifIer, removing solids in the form of sludge from said wastewater in said final clarifier, wasting a first portion of said sludge and recirculating a second portion of said sludge to said processing tank without said recirculated sludge passing through said biological treatment unit, whereby said denitrifying organisms are grown in said processing tank without the addition of an external carbonaceous energy source.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
291 words
A method for substantially upgrading the pollutant removal capability of wastewater treatment plants that include a primary treatment means for the removal of settleable and floatable solids from said wastewater, an activated sludge processing tank and a final clarifier, said method including the steps of providing a biological treatment unit including a plurality of partially submerged rotatable biological contactors having surface area for the growth and maintenance of organisms between said primary treatment means and said processing tank, supplying wastewater including carbonaceous and nitrogenous pollutants from said primary treatment means to said biological treatment unit at a predetermined rate, rotating said contactors at a predetermined peripheral velocity to alternately expose said surface area to wastewater an an oxygen containing atmosphere, said predetermined rate and peripheral velocity being chose to biochemically oxidize carbonaceous and nitrogenous pollutants in said biological treatment unit, supplying the effluent from said biological treatment unit, including mature organisms sloughed off from the surface area of said contactors and oxidized nitrogenous pollutants to said processing tank, operating said processing tank to grow denitrifying organisms suspended in said wastewater, said denitrifying organisms utilizing oxygen from said oxidized nitrogenous pollutants for respiration and sloughed off mature organisms as an energy source to convert the nitrogen content of a substantial portion of said oxidized nitrogenous pollutants to nitrogen gas, supplying the effluent from said processing tank to said final clarifIer, removing solids in the form of sludge from said wastewater in said final clarifier, wasting a first portion of said sludge and recirculating a second portion of said sludge to said processing tank without said recirculated sludge passing through said biological treatment unit, whereby said denitrifying organisms are grown in said processing tank without the addition of an external carbonaceous energy source.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 13 further including the step of creating currents in said wastewater in said processing tank.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 13 wherein the volume ratio of recirculated sludge to wasted sludge is increased until the concentration of oxidized nitrogenous pollutants in the wastewater effluent from said final clarification means is less than about 5 parts per million.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 13 wherein the volume ratio of recirculated sludge to wasted sludge is from 3:1 to 15:1.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 13 wherein said predetermined rate is from 0.4 to 2.5 gallons/day/per square foot of said surface area and said peripheral velocity is from 0.25 to 1.0 ft/sec.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-11-18 | 1978-05-20 | 1978-11-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-11-18 | 1982-05-20 | 1982-11-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-11-18 | 1986-05-20 | 1986-11-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |