Water treatment compositions are provided that are effective for mitigating corrosion or fouling of surfaces in contact with aqueous systems. The water treatment compositions can include one or more azole compounds, one or more transition metals, and one or more dispersants, in addition to various other additives. The water treatment compositions can exclude phosphorus and still be effective. Methods for mitigating corrosion or fouling of a surface in an aqueous system are also provided.

A method of separating water from oil includes combining the oil with a magnetite powder to form a mixture and directing the mixture to a closed chamber having a plurality of magnetic field generating elements. The magnetic field generating elements generate a magnetic field sufficient to separate the magnetite powder and oil from water in the mixture, such that the water sinks to the bottom of the chamber. A valve at a lower end of the chamber can be opened to release the water collected at the bottom of the chamber. The method can be used to enhance the quality of crude oil by lowering the Bs &W content in the crude oil.

A waste stream is treated by anaerobic digestion. A process is described involves a step of separating solids from digestate, and returning separated solids to a digester. Optionally, there may be a step of solids separation in which larger solids are removed from the digester. A process and apparatus are described for treating waste sludge from a wastewater treatment plant in an anaerobic digester. Feed sludge is thickened or solids are separated from digestate and returned to the digester. Additional co-digestion waste may be added to the digester. The process and apparatus may be used in a retrofit of an existing wastewater treatment plant.

The present invention provides for a method for separating starch from processing solutions containing starch containing plants or roots such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, wheat, corn, tapioca, yams, cassaya, sago, rice, pea, broad bean, horse bean, sorghum, konjac, rye, buckwheat and barley to provide commercially acceptable starch while reducing disposal of solid or liquid waste matter into landfills or water treatment facilities.

The present invention generally relates to a novel process in which thin stillage is processed to produce algae oil and protein rich biomass as well as other energy rich byproducts. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, thin stillage is removed from an evaporator during the evaporation process to produce mid-stillage. This mid-stillage is preferably routed to a new process where it is directed to a pre-treatment centrifuge to remove suspended solids, sludge and corn oil. Thereafter, the mid-stillage is preferably cooled and then directed to a fermentation tank where the mid-stillage is subject to a batch fermentation process with algae “seed” fed from an algae inoculation system. Once the batch is harvested, the oil-rich algae/mid-stillage is then preferably heated to rupture the cells and liberate the oil. Thereafter, the oil-rich algae/mid-stillage is preferably processed by a centrifuge which produces solids, a light phase oil and a “clean” mid-stillage stream that can be evaporated to a very high level of solids.

A drinking water vending dispenser for dispensing purified water comprising a coarse mechanical filter, an RO purification unit, an ozone purification unit, a UV purification unit, an active carbon filter, a chemical base purification unit and a fine mechanical filter.

An aerobic treatment system includes a plurality of highly porous, high surface area, inert, synthetic, inorganic, or natural material particles, having a specific gravity of less than 1.0 that float on an enclosed aqueous environment whereby plants and/or microbes can be grown thereon and/or animals such as fish can be raised therein. The inert particles trap air bubbles and nutrients for the growth of diverse types of plants, animals, or microbial systems, which enable phyto treatment of an aqueous waterbody with the ability to limit the growth of unwanted plant and algae such as blue-green algae. The above aerobic bio treatment system contains desirably bioremediation media having one or more microorganisms that are able to withstand system shocks while minimizing energy usage associated with aeration. The system can generally be utilized in any aqueous environment such as waste water and/or polluted water in an enclosed area such as a container, tank, pond, lake, or the like.

Disclosed is a method for thickening or dehydrating sludge, which includes at least: a) a step of adding flocculants to the sludge to be treated; b) a step of flocculation by agitation of the sludge with the flocculants thus added in order to form a mixture of flocks and an aqueous solution; c) a step of mechanical separation of the flocks and the aqueous solution formed during the preceding step; d) a step of recovering the aqueous solution and the flocks that make up a treated sludge; wherein: the added flocculants are made up of at least one cationic starch (S) and at least one cationic polyacrylamide (P); the cationic starch or starches (S) including a fixed weight percentage of nitrogen of at least 2%; and the weight ratio (R) w.sub.s/(w.sub.s+w.sub.p), expressed as solids, is included between 0.6 and 0.99.

An F.O.G. separation apparatus includes a tank for receiving a liquid effluent flow containing water, F.O.G., and gross solids. The tank has a chamber, an inlet in an inlet module, a downstream section and an outlet in an outlet module. The inlet module has a weir for the effluent downstream of a strainer to strain gross solids from the effluent. A pump upstream of the strainer pumps water and solids that do not pass through the strainer. The pump's rotatable vertical shaft has a motor at an upper and an impeller at the bottom. A pipe connected to the inlet module near the impeller conveys solids and water when the pump is activated and directs the solids and water to the outlet. F.O.G. and water entering the tank pass to the downstream section where the F.O.G. is removed from the water by a skimmer, and the residual water exist the tank through the outlet module.

In an embodiment, a circuit includes: a transformer defining an inductive footprint within a first layer; a grounded shield bounded by the inductive footprint within a second layer separate from the first layer; and a circuit component bounded by the inductive footprint within a third layer separate from the second layer, wherein: the circuit component is coupled with the transformer through the second layer, and the third layer is separated from the first layer by the second layer.