Apparatus for the conversion of pollutants contained in effluents and effluent sludges

Claim 1

An arrangement for the conversion of pollutants contained in effluents and effluent sludges, in particular of harmful substances, into harmless substances, comprising: a plurality of hollow bodies accommodated in an effluent pool adapted to be raised completely from the water or sludge on one side of the pool and to be totally immersed on the other side, that portion which on the emerging side is uppermost, being lowermost on the immersion side and vice versa, said hollow bodies being laterally closed and being open on top and below by upper and lower apertures comprising inlet and outlet, and a closed partition which is substantially parallel to the upper and lower apertures, said hollow bodies comprising a rotor element rotatable about an axis and including a plurality of receptacles spaced about said axis radially outwardly thereof, said element being positioned so that each receptacle utlimately dips into and emerges out of the effluent in the pool, said receptacles each having two open sides which are respectively leading and trailing as considered with reference to the direction of rotation; said partition comprising an imperforate partition wall located in and subdividing the interior of each receptacle generally parallel to the plane of the respective open sides thereof, said axis extending substantially parallel to an upper surface of the effluent in the pool, an imaginary plane passing through said open sides of the respective receptable extending approximately vertical and normal to said axis of rotation when the respective receptacle is in its most lateral position during rotation of the rotor, said receptacles each having a radially outer wall and a radially inner wall of which the latter has a radially outer free edge portion, said edge portion extending to beneath said radially inner wall of the immediately preceding receptacle, an axis which passes through the upper and lower apertures being horizontal and the respective rotor element being the lower-most position, when an end of the wall facing towards the axis of rotation and being uppermost on the emerging side extends to a level below the same wall of the immediately preceding rotor element viewed in the direction of rotation, air transported by one rotor element under the surface of the water being released below the surface of the water around the front edge of the rotor element facing the axis of rotation and ascending as fine bubbles through the water, so that a portion of said air passes into the space under the rotor element where it forms a bubble said bubble forcing the rotating rotor element upwards for reducing the amount of energy required to drive said rotor element, when part of the air bubbling from the upper space of one hollow body flows into the lower space of the preceding hollow body.