A submersible reverse osmosis desalination apparatus uses low temperature concentrate or brine from the desalination apparatus to provide a high volume cold liquid stream to an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) heat engine. The OTEC engine also employs a warm liquid stream and uses the cold and warm liquid streams to obtain electrical power from a closed-cycle or open-cycle heat exchange and generator system. Use of the concentrate or brine stream provides a much greater liquid volume and much greater cold thermal energy content than would be obtained by using cold desalinated product water from the desalination apparatus in the OTEC heat engine.

An activated sludge process for the treatment of municipal wastewater, particularly applicable to oxidation ditch activated sludge treatment systems which utilize a conventional race track or continuous loop reactor basin configuration. The process removes phosphorus and nitrogen from an activated sludge wastewater treatment system, with an anoxic cycle followed by an aerobic cycle, and followed by a surface wasting cycle until a low flow diurnal period is reached in a diurnal or twenty-four hour period. Automated microprocessor control system using “oxidation-reduction potential” (ORP) and “dissolved oxygen” (DO) as process variable inputs automate aerated and anoxic cycles to optimize phosphorus and nitrogen removal using the available carbon in the influent wastewater resulting in an energy efficient dynamic dissolved oxygen control during the aerated periods.

A method of operating an electrochemical cell including introducing an aqueous solution into the electrochemical cell, applying a current across an anode and a cathode to produce a product, monitoring the voltage, dissolved hydrogen, or a condition of the aqueous solution, and applying the current in a pulsed waveform responsive to one of the measured parameters is disclosed. An electrochemical system including an electrochemical cell including an anode and a cathode, a source of an aqueous solution having an outlet fluidly connectable to the electrochemical cell, a sensor for measuring a parameter, and a controller configured to cause the anode and the cathode to apply the current in a pulsed waveform responsive to the parameter measurement is disclosed. Methods of suppressing accumulation of hydrogen gas within the electrochemical cell are also disclosed. Methods of facilitating operation of an electrochemical cell are also disclosed.

A system for controlling the amount of a liquid carbon source released to a constructed wetland, includes: a carbon source pool, a carbon source pipe, a peristaltic pump, a programmable logic controller (PLC), a computer, a first flow meter, a first chemical oxygen demand (COD) sensor, a first total nitrogen (TN) sensor, a second TN sensor, a second COD sensor, an inlet pipe, and an outlet pipe. The first flow meter, the first COD sensor, and the TN sensor are disposed on the inlet pipe; the second COD sensor and the second TN sensor are disposed on the outlet pipe; the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are connected to the constructed wetland; the carbon source pipe is connected to the carbon source pool via the peristaltic pump; the computer, the peristaltic pump, the first flow meter, and all sensors are connected to the PLC controller.

A method of operating a sequencing batch reactor process includes introducing wastewater to be treated into the sequencing batch reactor and subjecting the wastewater to treatment in the sequencing batch reactor in an aerated anoxic mode in in which a quantity of oxygen is supplied at a level insufficient to meet a biological oxygen demand of the wastewater, but sufficient to cause simultaneous nitrification and denitrification reactions to occur in the wastewater.

A submersible water desalination apparatus includes an array of generally parallel water separation membrane cartridges each having a water separation membrane, an impermeable cartridge wall surrounding the membrane, and a product water collection tube that collects from inside the cartridges at least partially desalinated product water passing through the membrane, and through which the at least partially desalinated water exits the cartridges and enters a product water collection manifold. The cartridges are mounted in a perforated divider plate. In embodiments, a) the manifold is adhesively bonded to a plurality of the collection tubes, orb) the divider plate is adhesively bonded to a plurality of the cartridge walls or ends, or both a) and b). The adhesive reduces the likelihood of leakage at the manifold or divider plate.

The present disclosure relates to an integrated wastewater treatment apparatus and method, the apparatus comprises a first reactor module, a second reactor module, a sedimentation module and a gas-liquid separation module, the first reactor module comprises a first reactor and an anoxic reaction zone, an aerobic reaction zone, a first gas-gathering pressurized layer, a first water inlet pipe and an aeration device; the second reactor module comprises a second reactor, a second water inlet pipe, an anaerobic reaction zone and a second gas-gathering pressurized layer; the sedimentation module comprises a third reactor and a water outlet pipe; the gas-liquid separation module comprises a gas-liquid separator, an exhaust pipe, a first riser pipe, a second riser pipe and a return pipe. The apparatus can give full play to the advantages of the autotrophic biological denitrification process, meet the biochemical treatment requirements of wastewater with low C/N ratio.

A desalination brine dispersal apparatus and method employ airlift to remove, oxygenate and disperse brine from a desalination apparatus. The apparatus includes a brine removal conduit having a brine inlet that receives brine from the desalination apparatus, a plurality of brine outlets submerged in seawater and one or more air introduction points located at depths below the brine outlets. The supplied air oxygenates and moves brine through the brine removal conduit and outlets via airlift and disperses the brine into seawater away from the brine removal conduit. The apparatus avoids the formation of concentrated, high shear brine plumes and can disperse brine into seawater over a wide area well away from the brine removal conduit.

A desalination brine dispersal apparatus and method employ airlift to remove, oxygenate and disperse brine from a desalination apparatus. The apparatus includes a brine removal conduit having a brine inlet that receives brine from the desalination apparatus, a plurality of brine outlets submerged in seawater and one or more air introduction points located at depths below the brine outlets. The supplied air oxygenates and moves brine through the brine removal conduit and outlets via airlift and disperses the brine into seawater away from the brine removal conduit. The apparatus avoids the formation of concentrated, high shear brine plumes and can disperse brine into seawater over a wide area well away from the brine removal conduit.

In the field of wastewater or effluent treatment, a method for treating wastewater includes a first step of treating carbon contained in the wastewater by means of oxygen, a second step of treating the nitrogen contained in the treated water at the end of the first step, a third step of determining a ratio between a concentration of carbon and a concentration of nitrogen in the water at the end of the first step, a fourth step of controlling the supply of oxygen necessary for the first step as a function of a difference between the determination carried out in the third step and a strictly positive setpoint of concentration ratio. A device implementing the method is also provided.