A recirculating cooling system includes a coolant sampling line, a deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) microfluidic separation device, a monitoring device, and an alert generation device. The coolant sampling line is in fluid communication with a recirculating coolant line, and the DLD microfluidic separation device receives a coolant sample diverted into the coolant sampling loop from the recirculating coolant line via the coolant sampling line. The DLD microfluidic separation device includes a separation array for separating bacteria into an output channel according to a size threshold. The monitoring device monitors a characteristic property of the coolant sampling loop for comparison to a threshold for bacterial growth in the recirculating cooling system. The alert generation device generates an alert to remediate the bacterial growth in the recirculating cooling system responsive to the characteristic property of the coolant sampling loop satisfying the threshold.

In some embodiments, a method may include reducing the microbial load in contaminated water of water recycle loops. These water recycling loops may include pulp and paper mills, cooling towers and water loops, evaporation ponds, feedstock processing systems and/or non-potable water systems. The methods may include providing a peracetate oxidant solution. The peracetate solution may include peracetate anions and a peracid. In some embodiments, the peracetate solution may include a pH from about pH 10 to about pH 12. In some embodiments, the peracetate solution has a molar ratio of peracetate anions to peracid ranging from about 60:1 to about 6000:1. In some embodiments, the peracetate solution has a molar ratio of peracetate to hydrogen peroxide of greater than about 16:1. The peracetate solution may provide bleaching, sanitizing and/or disinfection of contaminated water and surfaces. The peracetate oxidant solution may provide enhanced separation of microbes from contaminated water.

The efficiency of water disinfection can be significantly increased by supplying the ozone in combination with oxygen to an inlet of a cavitation pump. The ozone and the oxygen are turned into ultra-fine bubbles via cavitation action within the pump, facilitating the dissolution of the oxygen and ozone within the water. The water mixed with the oxygen and the ozone is subsequently supplied to a line atomizer, where the dissolution of the ozone within the mixture is completed. The combined use of the cavitation pump and the line atomizer can lead to a substantially complete dissolution of the supplied ozone within water that needs to be disinfected, allowing to easily achieve the concentration of ozone necessary for water disinfection. Due to this efficiency, the system and method described are highly scalable and suitable for water purification at water purification plants of various sizes.

A device, method, and processor-readable medium for water quality detection and diversion are disclosed. Water entering a building's plumbing system is tested for impurities before it routes for consumption. Impurities in the water could include bacteria, viruses, chemicals, toxins, fertilizers, minerals, biological weapons, radioactive materials, and radioactive waste. Sensors are located throughout the device to check for impurities in the water as it travels through the building's plumbing. Certain sensors decide how to route the water through various treatments within the device. Treatments to the impure water could include multi-level filtration and heating/cooling cycles for a prescribed time period to reduce impurities below an EPA-approved threshold. If the water still retains impurities after treatment in the device, the device can decide to divert the water out of the building to prevent consumption and illness to building occupants.

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 filtration system can comprise a pressure pump configured to apply a pressure on fluid flowing between a first chamber and a second chamber. The filtration system can also comprise a flow sensor configured to determine at least one parameter associated with fluid flowing across a membrane deposited between the first chamber and a second chamber. The filtration system can comprise a pressure sensor configured to determine pressure readings of the fluid flowing from the first chamber to the second chamber. The filtration system can comprise a filtration management system configured to cause the pressure pump to apply a constant pressure on fluid flowing across the membrane for a first predetermined time based on the pressure reading. The filtration management system can be configured to cause the pressure pump to reverse the fluid flow across the membrane.

The present invention provides a method for measuring one or more parameters in a water flow in a device intended for recycling of water, said method including directing part of the water flow to a liquid-stagnant space where the measuring is performed. The present invention is also directed to a device intended for recycling of water, said device including a flow path for recycled water, a fresh water inlet, a recirculation water inlet and a recirculation water outlet, a user outlet, a heater and a filter, and wherein the device also includes an off-line bypass loop arrangement which includes a liquid-stagnant space and which off-line bypass loop arrangement also includes one or more sensors enabling measuring in the off-line bypass loop arrangement.

The invention is directed to a control method for a process to convert bisulphide to elemental sulphur in an aqueous solution comprising sulphide-oxidising bacteria wherein the process is controlled by applying a potential between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode or between the anode electrode and the reference electrode of an electrochemical cell resulting in a current between the cathode electrode and the anode electrode, measuring a current as measured by an electrochemical cell and adapting the process in response to the measured current. The process to convert bisulphide may comprise the following steps: (a) contacting bisulphide with oxidised sulphide-oxidising bacteria in the aqueous solution and elemental sulphur, (b) oxidizing the reduced sulphide-oxidising bacteria, (c) using the oxidised sulphide-oxidising bacteria obtained in step (b) in step (a) and (d) isolating elemental sulphur from the aqueous solution obtained in step (a) and/or step (b).

In some embodiments, a method may include reducing the microbial load in contaminated water of water recycle loops. These water recycling loops may include pulp and paper mills, cooling towers and water loops, evaporation ponds, feedstock processing systems and/or non-potable water systems. The methods may include providing a peracetate oxidant solution. The peracetate solution may include peracetate anions and a peracid. In some embodiments, the peracetate solution may include a pH from about pH 10 to about pH 12. In some embodiments, the peracetate solution has a molar ratio of peracetate anions to peracid ranging from about 60:1 to about 6000:1. In some embodiments, the peracetate solution has a molar ratio of peracetate to hydrogen peroxide of greater than about 16:1. The peracetate solution may provide bleaching, sanitizing and/or disinfection of contaminated water and surfaces. The peracetate oxidant solution may provide enhanced separation of microbes from contaminated water.

Methods of removing dioxane and optionally one or more CAHs such as 1,1-DCE, cis-1,2-DCE, trans-1,2-DCE, 1,2-DCA, 1,1-DCA, VC, and TCE from a liquid medium contaminated therewith include applying a feedstream of propane to the liquid medium in the presence of at least one propanotrophic bacteria strain selected from Azoarcus sp. DD4 (DD4) and Mycobacterium sp. DT1 (DT1). Propane, 1-propanol and/or 1-butanol may be employed as substrates in the bioaugmentation of the propanotrophic bacteria strain.