Apparatus for treating waste waters

Claim 1

A WATER TREATMENT BED OF PARTICLES FOR REMOVING WASTE METALS IN IONIC FORM FROM INDUSTRIAL EFFLUENTS, SAID WASTE METALS BEING TAKEN FROM THE CLASS OF METALS INCLUDING COPPER, CADMIUM, PALLADIUM, LEAD, AND TIN, SAID BED COMPRISING FROM TOP TO BOTTOM A MIXTURE OF SAND AND METALLIC PARTICLES RESTING UPON A PERFORATED BED PLATE MOUNTED ABOVE A CONTINUOUSLY PRESSURIZED GAS COMPARTMENT, SAID METALLIC PARTICLES BEING TAKEN FROM THE CLASS OF METALS INCLUDING IRON, ALUMINUM, AND ZINC, SAID PARTICLES HAVING A HIGHER ELECTROMOTIVE VOLTAGE THAN SAID WASTE METALS WHEREBY SAID WASTE METALS TEND TO ATTACH THEMSELVES TO THE PARTICLES OF HIGHER ELECTROMOTIVE VOLTAGES, MEANS FOR APPLYING CURRENT FROM AN ELECTRIC DC SOURCE TO FROM SAID BED INTO A CATHODE, WHEREBY ELECTRIC CURRENT FLOWING THROUGH THE BED CAUSES AN ELECTRO-CHEMICAL ACTION FOR PREVENTING THE SURFACE OF SAID PARTICLES FROM OXIDIZING, MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY BLOWING SAID GAS FROM SAID GAS COMPARTMENT AND INTO SAID BED VIA SAID PERFORATIONS, WHEREBY SAID BED IS ADAPTED TO ENABLE A CONTINUOUS PASSAGE OF A GAS FROM SAID COMPARTMENT, THROUGH THE PERFORATIONS IN SAID BED PLATE, UP INTO AND THROUGH SAID MIXTURES, MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE FLOW OF SAID GAS TO CONTINUOUSLY BUBBLE SAID GAS THROUGH SAID BED PLATE AND UP INTO SAID MIXTURE OF SAND AND PARTICLES SUFFIFORCE WHICH CONTINUOUSLY AGITATES THE SAND AND PARTICLES SUFFICIENTLY TO PRODUCT AN ABRASIVE ACTION BETWEEN THE SAND AND METAL PARTICLES WHICH ABRASION DETACHES THE WASTE METALS FROM SAID PARTICLES, AND EFFLUENT CONVEYING MEANS COMPRISING AN ENTRANCE AND EXIT FOR CONTINUOUSLY DIRECTING AN EFFLUENT CONTAINING SAID WASTE METAL THROUGH SAID BED ALONG A PATH THROUGH THE GAS WHICH BUBBLES UP THROUGH SAID MIXTURE, WHEREBY SAID EFFLUENT IS TREATED WHILE IT IS IN AND PASSES THROUGH SAID BED.