An apparatus, system, and method to purify produced water from a wellbore using heat energy recovery. The apparatus comprises a wellbore with a wellhead attached to the wellbore; at least one energy recapture device connected to the wellhead of the wellbore with produced water, wherein the at least one energy recapture device captures heat energy of the production fluids including produced water, and at least one distillation device connected to a heat recovery device wherein the at least one distillation device uses at least a portion of the energy from the heat energy recovery device to heat a volume of the produced water in the distillation device to remove contaminants from the produced water to create purified water. The method comprises steps to use the apparatus and the system comprises a control panel that operates at least one energy recapture device.

The disclosure provides an integrated separation unit for microplastics in the coastal sediments and a collection method of microplastics, belonging to the technical field of water treatment. The unit includes: a holder, a separation cylinder, a collection bottle, a central baffle plate, a baffle plate control knob, a stirring propeller, a motor, a cylinder switch, a filtration screen, a welding nozzle, a filter membrane and a vacuum pump. Using this unit for microplastic collection has the advantages of easy operation, economical and environment-friendly, high separation efficiency, and high durability.

A method for fractionating soluble fractions of peas, includes, in sequence, a step of microfiltering or centrifuging, followed by a step of ultrafiltering, and optionally a reverse-osmosis step. A reduction of the leakage of proteins toward the soluble fractions, an improvement of the yield of the single concentration step by evaporating the soluble fractions, and the selective isolation of proteins of interest are thus achieved. The method is easy to implement, the devices used at each single step are conventional and well known to the person skilled in the art. Also, the method does not use any organic solvent other than water.

A method for fractionating soluble fractions of peas, includes, in sequence, a step of microfiltering or centrifuging, followed by a step of ultrafiltering, and optionally a reverse-osmosis step. A reduction of the leakage of proteins toward the soluble fractions, an improvement of the yield of the single concentration step by evaporating the soluble fractions, and the selective isolation of proteins of interest are thus achieved. The method is easy to implement, the devices used at each single step are conventional and well known to the person skilled in the art. Also, the method does not use any organic solvent other than water.

A process for producing pure lactic acid from a whey by-product rich in lactose and minerals, for example delactosed why permeate or concentrated whey permeate, is described. The method comprises upstream steps of neutralising the whey by-product with a basic metal hydroxide to form a precipitate comprising calcium and phosphate, and separating the precipitate from the whey by-product to provide a clarified whey by-product. The clarified whey by-product is fermentated by a bacterium capable of bioconversion of lactose to lactic acid to provide a fermentation broth containing a lactic acid salt. In the downstream steps, the fermentation broth is acidified to release lactic acid from the lactic acid salt, precipitate from the broth produced by acidification is removed, and the acidified fermentation broth is treated to recover pure lactic acid by removal of residual salts, and water, and optionally protein. The process of the invention produces lactic acid having a purity of 80-98% and an isomeric purity of >98% L-lactic acid using a process that employs upstream removal of divalent salts by chemical precipitation, bacterial fermentation of the demineralised substrate, and minimum downstream processing of the fermentation broth. The methods of the invention may also be employed with milk permeates.

A process for producing pure lactic acid from a whey by-product rich in lactose and minerals, for example delactosed why permeate or concentrated whey permeate, is described. The method comprises upstream steps of neutralising the whey by-product with a basic metal hydroxide to form a precipitate comprising calcium and phosphate, and separating the precipitate from the whey by-product to provide a clarified whey by-product. The clarified whey by-product is fermentated by a bacterium capable of bioconversion of lactose to lactic acid to provide a fermentation broth containing a lactic acid salt. In the downstream steps, the fermentation broth is acidified to release lactic acid from the lactic acid salt, precipitate from the broth produced by acidification is removed, and the acidified fermentation broth is treated to recover pure lactic acid by removal of residual salts, and water, and optionally protein. The process of the invention produces lactic acid having a purity of 80-98% and an isomeric purity of >98% L-lactic acid using a process that employs upstream removal of divalent salts by chemical precipitation, bacterial fermentation of the demineralised substrate, and minimum downstream processing of the fermentation broth. The methods of the invention may also be employed with milk permeates.

The present invention provides a method to isolate native tuber protein using a pretreatment of tuber processing water and diafiltration against a salt solution. This sequence of steps has the advantage that protein is stabilized during diafiltration, increasing process efficiency and protein quality and yield.

An automated waste water treatment system includes a collection tank constructed to hold waste water, a first flow line connected to the collection tank to output the waste water from the collection tank, an electrocoagulation unit that receives the waste water and outputs the waste water as coagulated waste water to a flow line, a polymer dosage tank to provide a polymer dosage into the flow line where the polymer dosage mixes with the coagulated waste water to produce and output flocculated waste water. A clarifier connected to the flow line receives the flocculated waste water and produces sludge-free waste water and concentrated sludge, a series of filters to output filter-treated water, and an ultrafiltration system that receives filter-treated water and outputs ultrafiltration-treated water to a reverse osmosis system.

An automated waste water treatment system includes a collection tank constructed to hold waste water, a first flow line connected to the collection tank to output the waste water from the collection tank, an electrocoagulation unit that receives the waste water and outputs the waste water as coagulated waste water to a flow line, a polymer dosage tank to provide a polymer dosage into the flow line where the polymer dosage mixes with the coagulated waste water to produce and output flocculated waste water. A clarifier connected to the flow line receives the flocculated waste water and produces sludge-free waste water and concentrated sludge, a series of filters to output filter-treated water, and an ultrafiltration system that receives filter-treated water and outputs ultrafiltration-treated water to a reverse osmosis system.

According to one or more embodiments, sulfate ions may be removed from seawater to form an injection fluid by a method including passing the seawater and formation water to a mixing tank. The seawater may comprise sulfate ions. The formation water may comprise barium ions. The seawater and formation water may be passed to the mixing tank in a ratio determined by a computerized geochemical model. The method may further include mixing the seawater and formation water to form a mixed fluid and passing the mixed fluid to a clarifier, where a barium sulfate precipitate may be formed and at least a portion of the barium sulfate precipitate may be separated from the mixed fluid. The method may further include passing the mixed fluid to a microfiltration system, where at least a portion of the barium sulfate precipitate may be removed from the mixed fluid to form an injection fluid.