A method of treating or remediating contaminated material, such as water or soil, comprises contacting such material with asphaltenes. The asphaltenes are preferably produced as a by-product of petroleum refining and, in particular, a by-product of vacuum residua. An adsorbent material comprising such asphaltenes is also provided.

Systems for removing debris from a water reservoir include a moveable floating skimmer device positioned within the water reservoir and configured to receive floating debris, the skimmer device comprising an adjustable weir for capturing the debris and a receptacle for containing the debris; a discharge pipe connected to the skimmer device, the discharge pipe configured to receive the debris and a first portion of water from the receptacle in the skimmer device; a debris separator fluidly connected to the discharge pipe and configured to receive the debris and the first portion of water from the discharge pipe, the debris separator further configured to separate the debris from the first portion of water; a pump positioned between the discharge pipe and the debris separator and configured to transport the debris and the first portion of water in the discharge pipe to the debris separator via a pump outlet; and a recycle line connected to the debris separator and configured to return a second portion of water that exits the debris separator back to the water reservoir.

The present invention relates to a method and a device for controlling pollutants in basin water resources cycling utilization in agricultural activity areas. The method includes: providing an acidification tank, an aeration tank and a multi-media constructed wetland connected in sequence, which are 4˜10 m far from basin revetment, feeding basin water into the constructed wetland, adsorbing or degrading heavy metals and organic pollutants by the constructed wetland, and then transporting the treated basin water to the agricultural activity areas. The present invention effectively controls the content of heavy metals that will enter the agricultural activity areas, fundamentally reduces the content of heavy metals in the crops, promotes the growth of the crops, maintains sustainable and healthy development of agriculture, and therefore guarantees human health and safety.

Wastewater containing scale components, organic substances, inorganic ions, and the like, such as human effluent, generated in a closed system space, such as a nuclear shelter, a hazardous shelter, a space station or a moon-Mars mission manned spacecraft, or a lunar base is efficiently treated by a simple structural apparatus, so that water is recovered. After a hardness component is removed from water to be treated, such as human effluent, by a softening device, and heat exchange is performed between softening treated water and electrolysis treated water by a heat exchanger, by a high-temperature and high-pressure electrolysis device, organic substances, urea, ammonia, and the like are removed by electrolysis performed under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions. After the electrolysis treated water is processed by a deaeration treatment using a deaeration membrane device, a desalting treatment is performed by acid/alkali manufacturing electrodialysis devices and provided in series at two stages.

A sewage treatment apparatus comprises an external box body internally being provided with an anaerobic zone, an aerobic zone, a settling zone, a sewage reduction zone and an apparatus zone separated from each other, wherein the anaerobic zone, the aerobic zone, the settling zone and the sewage reduction zone communicate in sequence, the anaerobic zone communicates with a septic tank, the aerobic zone communicates with the anaerobic zone to reflux a part of mixed liquid to the anaerobic zone, the settling zone communicates with the anaerobic zone to reflux a part of active sludge to the anaerobic zone, and the sludge reduction zone communicates with the anaerobic zone or the septic tank; and the apparatus zone is internally provided with a detection unit for detecting various parameters during a sewage treatment process and a controller for controlling working states according to a detection result of the detection unit.

A desalination system (100) having an intake unit (110) providing seawater to a pre-treatment unit (120) connected to a reverse osmosis (RO) desalination unit (130) and a post treatment unit (150). The desalination system (100) is configured to operate without any external addition of chemicals to simplify logistics and regulation concerns. The units of the system are configured to prevent biofouling, scaling and corrosion by mechanical and biological means including high flow speeds, biological flocculation of colloids, and making the water entering the RO units inhospitable to bacteria and other organisms that cause biofouling, hence preventing their settlement and removing them with the brine. Recovery rate is lowered and energy is recovered to increase the energetic efficiency and minerals that are added to the product water are taken from the brine.

The invention proposes a process of in-line mineralisation of water according to which demineralised water is circulated in a pipe inside which enzymes are immobilised to catalyse the reaction of carbon dioxide and water to form bicarbonate, carbon dioxide is introduced into the pipe, and a pre-determined quantity of solid minerals, preferably magnesium and/or calcium carbonate, is introduced into the circulating water. The process enables to accelerate the dissolution of carbon dioxide in the water, which optimises the dissolution of minerals for in-line mineralisation of water, i.e. without stopping the circulation of water. The invention also proposes a system for implementing the process.

A three-dimensional electrode-ozone oxidation-electrocatalytic membrane coupled wastewater treatment device, including a circulating fluidized bed reactor. The circulating fluidized bed reactor includes a funnel-shaped internal, a truncated cone, a fiber ball filter, a gas-liquid distribution plate, an inner cylinder, an intermediate cylinder and an outer cylinder. The inner cylinder, the intermediate cylinder and the outer cylinder are coaxial. The inner cylinder is an electrocatalytic membrane assembly; the intermediate cylinder is a gas diffusion electrode; and the outer cylinder is a stainless-steel mesh. A particle electrode is filled between the intermediate cylinder and the outer cylinder, and between the intermediate cylinder and the inner cylinder. The intermediate cylinder is connected to a negative electrode. The inner cylinder and the outer cylinder are connected to a positive electrode. A wastewater treatment method using the device is also provided herein.

A process for cleaning a wastewater stream which comprises soot and is obtained in the preparation of acetylene, the soot being present in finely divided form in the wastewater, wherein the soot is removed by subjecting the wastewater to a solid concentration by sedimentation and then the soot sludge obtained in the sedimentation is dewatered further by a pressure filtration.

The sunlight active composite photocatalyst for water purification includes ZnO (zinc oxide) and Co.sub.3O.sub.4 (cobalt II, III oxide). The composite photocatalyst may, in the presence of natural sunlight, achieve complete mineralization of chemical and biological contaminants in water without leaving any hazardous by-products. The composite photocatalyst may be synthesized by a sol gel route or process.