Chemically oxidizing a wide range of targeted contaminants in soils, sludges, groundwater, process water, and wastewater and assisting in the eventual (over time) biological attenuation of the contaminants utilizing persulfates activated by trivalent metals, such as ferric iron. The use of trivalent metal activated persulfate results in a chemical oxidation process that yields degradation compounds which facilitate further attenuation via biological processes.

A water supply management system for managing a water supply having one or more water processing or control devices is disclosed. The system comprises: one or more sensors (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206), each sensor taking measurements of one or more parameters of a water supply passing through the water supply system; a communication module (103) connected to the sensors (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206) to receive the measurements in the form of data from the sensors (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206); and at least one computing device (106) remotely connected to the communication module (103) to receive the data from the communication module (103), thereby to allow a user to use the computing device (106) to remotely monitor in real-time a status of one or more of the processing or control devices based on the data. Also disclosed is a water processing or control device for use in such a system.

Provided is a biological treatment method and an apparatus that allow organic wastewater from a manufacturing process of electronic devices to be neutralized efficiently during its biological treatment with a less neutralizer in contrast to excessive use thereof in the conventional biological treatment and thereby make it possible to reduce an amount of an inorganic coagulant used in the downstream coagulation step and to reduce salt loads in RO membrane separation and ion exchange treatment. Wastewater from a process of manufacturing electronic devices is passed sequentially through two or more biological treatment tanks that include at least two aerobic biological treatment tanks including the final-stage aerobic biological treatment tank while adding a neutralizer to the biological treatment tank or tanks except the final-stage biological treatment tank so that an M-alkalinity of the liquid in the final-stage biological treatment tank is maintained at not more than 50 mg/L as CaCO.sub.3.

A water desalinator that employs the use of solar concentration, evaporation and humidification, mimicking the natural hydrological cycle in a closed, modular vessel to produce freshwater from salt, brackish, brines and seawater, and a concentrate stream for further processing. Feed water is received and stored in a basin. Surface humidity is generated by the evaporation of basin water. A lens is used to focus sunlight, tracked the suns path based on biomimicry of a sunflower, on a thermal conductor. The thermal conductor has a rounded side-profile and generates a variable temperature across its radius. Water is pumped from the basin to a sprinkler head to be dripped or sprayed on the thermal conductor to generate water vapour. This water vapour consequently mixes with the air in the reaction vessel to increase system humidity. Humid air is removed from the reaction vessel and condensed in a condenser. Accordingly, the salinity concentration of input water is reduced from the output of the reaction vessel. Multiple reaction vessels or concentrators may be used in tandem to achieve improved performance.

A method for increasing the quantity of dissolved oxygen in water includes addition of an oxidant to the water to increase the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) of the water to between about 400 and 850 mV, followed by electrolysis to generate oxygen gas. The voltage applied to the electrolytic cells during electrolysis is less than 300 mV. The dissolved oxygen content of the water exiting the electrolytic cell is about 90% of saturation to super saturation.

Provided is a non-linear model predictive control (NMPC) system for automatic and optimum start-up of an anaerobic digestion (AD) system. The NMPC provides an optimum set of values of manipulated variables for controlling some of the key AD process variables during start-up. The NMPC based automatic start-up system was evaluated against a virtual AD process plant scenario involving a high rate AD reactor treating a readily biodegradable carbohydrate based substrate.

Systems and methods can support an autonomous pool skimming system. The pool skimming system may have a body with two or more hulls. Two or more paddlewheels may be coupled to the body. An independent motor may drive each paddlewheel. The motors may be independently controllable to support steering. The pool skimming system may have one or more processing units, two or more distance sensors, one or more solar cells, and a power supply operable to power the processing units and the motors from energy supplied by the solar cells. One or more processing modules may configure the processing units to plan and execute a traversal path across the surface of a body of water, such as a swimming pool, to collect debris into a removable basket. A portion of the traversal path may be established according to signals from distance sensors.

A method for treating wastewater or sludge comprises the steps of adding the wastewater or sludge to a reactor and mixing the wastewater or sludge with a stream to thereby decrease a ratio of alkalinity to ammonium in the reactor, the reactor containing ammonium oxidising bacteria that oxidise ammonium to produce nitrite and decrease pH.

A water desalinator that employs the use of solar concentration, evaporation and humidification, mimicking the natural hydrological cycle in a closed, modular vessel to produce freshwater from salt, brackish, brines and seawater, and a concentrate stream for further processing. Feed water is received and stored in a basin. Surface humidity is generated by the evaporation of basin water. A lens is used to focus sunlight, tracked the suns path based on biomimicry of a sunflower, on a thermal conductor. The thermal conductor has a rounded side-profile and generates a variable temperature across its radius. Water is pumped from the basin to a sprinkler head to be dripped or sprayed on the thermal conductor to generate water vapour. This water vapour consequently mixes with the air in the reaction vessel to increase system humidity. Humid air is removed from the reaction vessel and condensed in a condenser. Accordingly, the salinity concentration of input water is reduced from the output of the reaction vessel. Multiple reaction vessels or concentrators may be used in tandem to achieve improved performance.

The present disclosure relates, in part, to enhanced weathering systems and/or apparatuses and methods of use thereof. In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a method of at least partially sequestering CO.sub.2 from an influent aqueous solution comprising aqueous and/or gaseous CO.sub.2. In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a method of at least partially sequestering CO.sub.2 from a gaseous CO.sub.2 source. In another aspect, the present disclosure provides systems and/or apparatuses suitable for use in the methods described herein. In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a method of optimizing the design and operation of a system for at least partial sequestration of CO.sub.2 from a water source.