A coalescer is installable on a flow path for a target liquid to be treated containing oil droplets. The coalescer includes sheets of metal mesh with, for example, a plain weave, twill weave, or thick weave stacked on one another to form mesh layers and interlayer portions between the layers. The metal mesh has a surface extending along a flow of the target liquid. Oil droplets come into contact with either or both of warp wires and weft wires to form an oil film that moves downstream with the target liquid flow. The oil film grows into larger droplet particles at downstream ends of the mesh layers. The larger droplet particles leave the coalescer with the flow of the target liquid.

A coalescer is installable on a flow path for a target liquid to be treated containing oil droplets. The coalescer includes sheets of metal mesh with, for example, a plain weave, twill weave, or thick weave stacked on one another to form mesh layers and interlayer portions between the layers. The metal mesh has a surface extending along a flow of the target liquid. Oil droplets come into contact with either or both of warp wires and weft wires to form an oil film that moves downstream with the target liquid flow. The oil film grows into larger droplet particles at downstream ends of the mesh layers. The larger droplet particles leave the coalescer with the flow of the target liquid.

A separation apparatus for separating hydrocarbons and water, comprising a vessel (1) and an insert (5, 6) within said vessel (1). The has a bottom (7), a conical wall (8) and a quiecer (10) at the top of the wall (8), which enclose a separation chamber (11). The insert (5, 6) has an inlet pipe (12) for a mixture of water and hydrocarbons and a spreader arrangement (13, 14) arranged inside the separation chamber (11), which directs an inflow of fluids in a tangential direction, setting the fluids into a tangential laminar swirl. The vessel (1) has at least one manhole (3, 4), and said insert bottom (7), wall (8) and quiecer (10) are assembled by a plurality of generally wedge shaped segments (7a-l, 8a-l, 10a-l) having a size that allows the segments (7a-l, 8a-l, 10a-l) to be brought through the manhole (3, 4).

A separation apparatus for separating hydrocarbons and water, comprising a vessel (1) and an insert (5, 6) within said vessel (1). The has a bottom (7), a conical wall (8) and a quiecer (10) at the top of the wall (8), which enclose a separation chamber (11). The insert (5, 6) has an inlet pipe (12) for a mixture of water and hydrocarbons and a spreader arrangement (13, 14) arranged inside the separation chamber (11), which directs an inflow of fluids in a tangential direction, setting the fluids into a tangential laminar swirl. The vessel (1) has at least one manhole (3, 4), and said insert bottom (7), wall (8) and quiecer (10) are assembled by a plurality of generally wedge shaped segments (7a-l, 8a-l, 10a-l) having a size that allows the segments (7a-l, 8a-l, 10a-l) to be brought through the manhole (3, 4).

A process of dewatering oil sands/coal tailings includes generating nanobubble water, mixing a chemical dispersant into the nanobubble water to form a nanobubble-dispersant mixture, adding tailings to the nanobubble-dispersant mixture to form a nanobubble-dispersant-tailings mixture, and agitating the nanobubble-dispersant-tailings mixture to form an agitated nanobubble-dispersant-tailings mixture having a solid portion and a liquid portion. The solid portion is thereafter separated from the liquid portion. The agitation may be a centrifugal motion or shaking motion to agitate the nanobubble-dispersant-tailings mixture The chemical dispersant may be sodium hydroxide dispersant for asphaltenes and the volume of the tailings added may be substantially equal to the volume of the nanobubble water generated. An oil layer may further be skimmed off the liquid portion a polymer clarifier may also be added to the liquid portion. The process may be applied to achieve accelerated tailings processing for rapid and economic environmental remediation.

A marine debris collection device includes a first debris collector to remove non-minute debris contained in debris floating on water by allowing the debris to flow thereinto together with the water, and a second debris collector to remove minute debris by adsorbing the minute debris onto a microbubble generated when the water flows into the second debris collector from the first debris collector via a connection pipe.

A method of synthesizing a medium for fast, selective oil-water separation and/or oil absorption comprises providing a toluene solution containing a polymer or a polymer mixture; immersing porous wool-like structure (PW) in the toluene solution for a period of time; and removing the immersed PW from the toluene solution, and heat-treating the immersed PW to obtain the medium comprising polymer-modified PW, wherein the polymer or the polymer mixture is adapted such that the medium is a superwetting material that is superhydrophobic and superoleophilic under water or salty water.

A method of synthesizing a medium for fast, selective oil-water separation and/or oil absorption comprises providing a toluene solution containing a polymer or a polymer mixture; immersing porous wool-like structure (PW) in the toluene solution for a period of time; and removing the immersed PW from the toluene solution, and heat-treating the immersed PW to obtain the medium comprising polymer-modified PW, wherein the polymer or the polymer mixture is adapted such that the medium is a superwetting material that is superhydrophobic and superoleophilic under water or salty water.

A solid waste interceptor for a drain includes a tank for collecting waste water therein, the tank having a waste water inlet and a waste water outlet, a tray housing a strainer basket being slidably mounted within the tank, in the manner of a drawer, to be moved between a closed position in which the strainer basket receives waste water from the waste water inlet, and an open position in which the tray extends from the tank to provide access to the strainer basket to facilitate emptying of collected solid waste therefrom. The tray is provided with a drain outlet for delivering waste water passing through the strainer basket into a sump of the tank, and the drain outlet spigot is adapted to abut a front wall of the tank when the tray is in its open position to delimit the open position of the tray.

A solid waste interceptor for a drain includes a tank for collecting waste water therein, the tank having a waste water inlet and a waste water outlet, a tray housing a strainer basket being slidably mounted within the tank, in the manner of a drawer, to be moved between a closed position in which the strainer basket receives waste water from the waste water inlet, and an open position in which the tray extends from the tank to provide access to the strainer basket to facilitate emptying of collected solid waste therefrom. The tray is provided with a drain outlet for delivering waste water passing through the strainer basket into a sump of the tank, and the drain outlet spigot is adapted to abut a front wall of the tank when the tray is in its open position to delimit the open position of the tray.