Treatment of wool scouring wastes

Claim 2

A continuous process for treating wool scouring waste liquors having at least 20,000 ppm COD comprising, in combination: acidulating in a tank and maiNtaining in a pH range of 3.0-3.5 a continuously flowing, constantly agitated, scouring waste liquor heated to a temperature in the range of 160* to 200*F at a flow rate through the tank yielding an approximate retention time of 15 minutes in the tank; adding lime at a weight to volume concentration in the range of 0.5-1.25% and flocculating the continuously flowing, constantly agitated, heated acidulated waste liquor in a second tank forming a conditioned sludge at a flow rate through the tank yielding an approximate retention time of 15 minutes in a second tank; separating the conditioned sludge in a heated settling tank maintained at approximately 200*F to form a disposable supernatant liquor and a settled non drainable sludge; and centrifugally separating the settled non drainable sludge to form disposable liquid and solid constituents, where the temperature during the acidulating step and the weight to volume concentration of lime are selected from the ranges described to obtain a non drainable sludge.

Claim 3

A continuous process for treating wool scouring waste liquors as set forth in claim 1, wherein the waste liquor is maintained at a temperature of approximately 200*F during the flocculating step.

Claim 4

A continuous process for treating wool scouring waste liquors as set forth in claim 1, including the additional step of adding bentonite in a weight to volume concentration of approximately 0.3% during the acidulation step.

Claim 5

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR TREATING WOOL SCOURING WASTE LIQUORS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: ADDING ACID MAINTAINING A PH RANGE OF 3.0-3.5 AND BENTONITE AT A RATE TO YIELD A WEIGHT TO VOLUME CONCERATION OF 0.3% TO CONTINUOUSLY FLOWING, CONSTANTLY AGITATED, WASTE LIQUOR IN A TANK AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 190*-200*F AND AT A FLOW RATE THROUGH THE TANK YIELDING AN APPROXIMATE RETENTION TIME OF 15 MINUTES IN THE TANK ADDING LIME AT A RATE TO YIELD A WEIGHT TO VOLUME CONCENTRATION IN THE RANGE OF 1.0-2.0% AND FIOCCULATING THE CONTINUOUSLY FLOWING, CONSTANTLY AGITATED, ACIDULATED LIQUOR IN A SECOND TANK AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 200*F AT A FLOW RATE THROUGH THE SECOND TANK YIELDING AN APPROXIMATE RETENTION TIME OF 15 MINUTES IN THE TANK FORMING A CONDITIONED SLUDGE, SEPARATING THE CONDITIONED SLUDGE IN A SETTLING TANK MAINTAINED AT APPROXIMATELY 200*F TO FORM A DISPOSABLE SUPERNATENT LIQUOR AND A SETTLED NON DRAINABLE SLUDGE, AND CENTRIFUGALLY SEPARATING THE SETTLED NON DRAINABLE SLUDGE TO FORM DISPOSABLE LIQUID AND SOLID CONSTITUENTS WHERE THE TEMPERATURE DURING THE ACIDULATING STEP AND THE WEIGHT TO VOLUME CONCENTRATION OF LIME ARE SELECTED FROM THE RANGES DESCRIBED TO OBTAIN A NON DRAINABLE SLUDGE.

Claim 6

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR TREATING WOOL SCOURING WASTE LIQUORS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: ADDING ACID MAINTAINING A PH RANGE OF 3.0-3.5 AND BENTONITE AT A RATE TO YIELD A WEIGHT TO VOLUME CONCERATION OF 0.3% TO CONTINUOUSLY FLOWING, CONSTANTLY AGITATED, WASTE LIQUOR IN A TANK AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 190*-200*F AND AT A FLOW RATE THROUGH THE TANK YIELDING AN APPROXIMATE RETENTION TIME OF 15 MINUTES IN THE TANK ADDING LIME AT A RATE TO YIELD A WEIGHT TO VOLUME CONCENTRATION IN THE RANGE OF 1.0-2.0% AND FIOCCULATING THE CONTINUOUSLY FLOWING, CONSTANTLY AGITATED, ACIDULATED LIQUOR IN A SECOND TANK AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 200*F AT A FLOW RATE THROUGH THE SECOND TANK YIELDING AN APPROXIMATE RETENTION TIME OF 15 MINUTES IN THE TANK FORMING A CONDITIONED SLUDGE, SEPARATING THE CONDITIONED SLUDGE IN A SETTLING TANK MAINTAINED AT APPROXIMATELY 200*F TO FORM A DISPOSABLE SUPERNATENT LIQUOR AND A SETTLED NON DRAINABLE SLUDGE, AND CENTRIFUGALLY SEPARATING THE SETTLED NON DRAINABLE SLUDGE TO FORM DISPOSABLE LIQUID AND SOLID CONSTITUENTS WHERE THE TEMPERATURE DURING THE ACIDULATING STEP AND THE WEIGHT TO VOLUME CONCENTRATION OF LIME ARE SELECTED FROM THE RANGES DESCRIBED TO OBTAIN A NON DRAINABLE SLUDGE.