A system and method of treating wastewater. In one embodiment, the system comprises a biological reactor fluidly connected to a source of wastewater and having a treated wastewater outlet, a fixed film biological reactor connected to the source of wastewater and having a fixed film effluent outlet, and a ballasted system fluidly connected to the fixed film effluent outlet. The ballasted system may comprise a ballast reactor tank configured to provide a ballasted effluent, and a source of ballast material fluidly connected to an inlet of the ballast reactor tank. The system may further comprise a bypass line having an inlet fluidly connected to the source of wastewater, a first outlet fluidly connected to the ballasted system, and a second outlet fluidly connected to the fixed film biological reactor, the bypass line configured to bypass the fixed film biological reactor.

A lime stabilization system and method is provided in which thickened liquid sludge and lime are separately delivered, under controlled conditions, to a reaction tank and mixed therein to a predetermined pH, controlled via a programmable logic computer. The weight of liquid sludge in the reaction tank is controlled from the computer via load cells that measure the weight of such liquid sludge in the reaction tank. The computer monitors the amount of liquid sludge and lime delivered to the reaction tank, for mixing therein to a desired pH, for a predetermined amount of time, and the resultant mix is discharged from the reaction tank, to a holding tank, for return to the land.

There is set out highly efficient processes for the production of alkaline spring waters. The processes are designed to minimize the use of the additive alkaline formulations used to create the alkalinity in the spring waters and the use of a maximum amount of non-purified spring water in the formulation of the final alkaline spring water product. This is accomplished by dividing the input spring water into at least two portions. One portion undergoes a purification process and the other is not purified. Each portion is tested in increments for the amount of alkaline formulation needed to attain a pH of at least about 10 and designated potassium ion and sodium ion contents. From the testing the amount of the purified spring water and the amount of non-purified spring water needed to be combined to yield a pH of at least about 10 and the designated potassium ion and the sodium ion contents is calculated. It is desired to use a minimum of alkaline formulation to achieve the set Ph and potassium and sodium ion concentration. In this way the more costly components of the alkaline formulation and the purified spring water can be minimized, but yet the taste and stability maintained over a period of time. The processes apply to waters from a single spring and from a plurality of springs.

A wastewater concentrator a liquid evaporator assembly, a gas-liquid separator, an exhaust assembly, and a flowback water concentrating system. The flowback water concentrating system includes a settling tank fluidly connected to the gas-liquid separator and a supernatant liquid concentration sensor for measuring a concentration of dissolved solids in the supernatant liquid in the settling tank.

A water treatment device is provided with a separation membrane device having a separation membrane for concentrating dissolved components and dispersed components from water to be treated and obtaining permeated water; a first deposit detecting unit provided in a non-permeated water branch line branched from a non-permeated water line for discharging non-permeated water in which dissolved components and dispersed components have been concentrated, using part of the non-permeated water that has branched off as a detection liquid, and having a first separation membrane for detection in which the detection liquid is separated into permeated water for detection and non-permeated water for detection; and first flow rate measuring devices for separated liquid for detection that measure the flow rates of one or both of the permeated water for detection and the non-permeated water for detection separated by the first separation membrane for detection.

A method and system for high rate acidification and organic solids solubilization of feedstocks such as municipal source separated organics, municipal sewage sludge, and various industrial organic wastes are disclosed. The method and system feature a completely mixed bioreactor containing hydrogen-producing microorganisms, a crossflow membrane unit or membrane module located downstream of the bioreactor, a storage tank for receiving concentrated microorganisms from the membrane unit or module, and a connection that recirculates desired quantities of biomass from the storage tank to the bioreactor. This configuration decouples the solids residence time (SRT) from the hydraulic retention time (HRT) and results in a high solubilization rate.

There are provided an apparatus for water treatment using capacitive deionization and a method for controlling the same. The apparatus for water treatment using capacitive deionization includes a first filter unit and a second filter unit allowing dissolved solids included in an introduced fluid to be adsorbed on electrodes to generate purified water when a water purification voltage is applied to the electrodes, and allowing the dissolved solids adsorbed on the electrodes to be desorbed to generate regenerated water when a regeneration voltage is applied to the electrodes, respectively, and a controller iteratively alternatively applying the water purification voltage and the regeneration voltage to the first filter unit and the second filter unit to generate purified water having a pre-set target total dissolved solids (TDS) value.

Methods, apparatus, and systems are provided for detecting and removing microplastics from wastewater effluent. Both, automatic/remote and manual monitoring and sampling components are included to detect the presence of microplastics. The automatic monitoring and sampling component includes a TSS sensor and associated apparatus calibrated to account for non-plastic solids present in the wastewater and, thereby, more accurately determine the presence of microplastics. Efficient separation and removal of microplastics from wastewater effluent is performed by a specialized capture net apparatus having multiple sized mesh components and optional diffuser devices which perform size exclusion filtration of microplastics from the water. In an exemplary embodiment, the methods generally include diverting treated wastewater effluent from a wastewater treatment facility's main line into a wastewater sampling mechanism via an intake pipe, and then into a solids monitoring and separation mechanism which includes the specialized capture net apparatus.

A method for treating effluents containing nitrogen in the form of ammonium, implementing chemical reactions for oxidizing and reducing the nitrogen in a sequencing batch reactor, the method including: introducing a volume of effluents to be treated into the reactor, injecting oxygen or air into the reactor for partial oxidation of the ammonium into nitrites and/or nitrates, interrupting the injection of oxygen or air, thus producing gaseous nitrogen, depositing the sludge at the bottom of the reactor and clarifying the content of the reactor close to the surface of same, discharging a clarified fraction of the content of the reactor. The draining and feeding steps occur simultaneously. During the feeding step, the volume of effluents is introduced close to the bottom of the reactor. During the draining step, the clarified fraction of the content of the reactor is discharged close to the surface of the content of the reactor.

A biofilm process is disclosed for treating wastewater containing readily biodegradable dissolved organic matter GP (measured as chemical oxygen demand or COD) and producing surplus biomass from the biofilm process that includes an enhanced polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) content. The process comprises directing a wastewater influent containing the readily biodegradable COD (RBCOD) into a biofilm unit process. The PHA content of surplus biomass is enhanced by controlling for a decreased biofilm process specific organic loading rate in combination with controlling phosphorus loading rates relative to the process RBCOD loading rates: (1) controlling the wastewater influent phosphorus loading rate to the biofilm unit process includes maintaining an average RBCOD/P ratio of the influent that is between 200 and 800 g/g; (2) decreasing the process specific organic loading rate includes producing a biofilm unit process effluent having readily separable mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (RS-MLVSS); and (3) separating a portion of the RS-MLVSS from the biofilm unit process effluent and recycling at least a portion of the separated RS-MLVSS back to the biofilm unit process. The combination of the RBCOD/P control and specific loading rate control maintains, on average, the surplus biomass with a PHA content that is greater than 30% gPHA/g VSS.