A method for removing a fluorine-containing compound from discharge water, which includes bringing discharge water containing two or more fluorine-containing compounds represented by the following general formula (1) or (2) into contact with an adsorbent so as to adsorb the two or more fluorine-containing compounds:

(H—(CF.sub.2).sub.m—COO).sub.pM.sup.1  General Formula (1):

wherein m is 3 to 19, M.sup.1 is H, a metal atom, NR.sup.b.sub.4, where R.sup.b is the same or different and is H or an organic group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, imidazolium optionally having a substituent, pyridinium optionally having a substituent, or phosphonium optionally having a substituent; and p is 1 or 2;

(H—(CF.sub.2).sub.n—SO.sub.3).sub.qM.sup.2  General Formula (2):

wherein n is 4 to 20; M.sup.2 is H, a metal atom, NR.sup.b.sub.4, where R.sup.b is the same as above, imidazolium optionally having a substituent, pyridinium optionally having a substituent, or phosphonium optionally having a substituent; and q is 1 or 2.

Methods for treating wastewater in conjunction with subterranean operations with a wastewater treatment additive. In some embodiments, the methods include providing wastewater recovered from at least a portion of a subterranean formation, wherein the wastewater includes water and an organic foulant material, and introducing a wastewater treatment additive that includes an alcohol ethoxylate surfactant into the recovered wastewater.

A polyhydroxyalkanoates extraction system comprises a pretreatment subsystem, an extraction subsystem and a recycling subsystem. The pretreatment subsystem comprises a fermentation device and an activation device so as to carry out a microorganism acclimation process. The extraction subsystem comprises a freezing device, a pretreatment device and an extraction device. The extraction subsystem is used for receiving a third sludge so that the third sludge is subjected to a freezing process, a pretreatment process, an extraction process and a purification process in the freezing device to form a polyhydroxyalkanoates mixture, and the extraction device performs a precipitation process to generate polyhydroxyalkanoates precipitate. The recycling subsystem comprises an aerobic sludge digestion device and a sequencing batch reactor activated sludge treatment device so as to carry out an aerobic sludge digestion process and a sequencing batch reactor activated sludge process.

The present disclosure is related to systems and methods for the biological processing of hydrocarbon-containing substances. In particular embodiments, the systems and methods herein relate to pre-digestion of hydrocarbon containing substances and further processing of the same to produce hydrocarbon fuels, fertilizer, and other products.

Described herein are fouling control compositions including cationic alkyl polyglycosides to reduce microbial and/biofilm growth in a water system. The described compositions and methods of using the same are found to be more effective than those methods or compositions including commonly used single quaternary compounds for reducing microbial or biofilm growth in water systems.

A method for achieving rapid startup of a denitrification biofilter tank, which belongs to the technical field of biofilm sewage treatment. The specific steps are: 1. selecting heterotrophic denitrification or mixotrophic denitrification to treat influent sewage; 2. when the heterotrophic denitrification is used, pretreating the filter material with sodium carboxymethyl cellulose solution and then adding rhamnolipid after the introduction of sewage until the biofilter tank system starts successfully; 3. when the mixotrophic denitrification method is used, the filter tank is inoculated after the introduction of sewage, and the rhamnolipid is added thereto and is changed to sulfur source after operation for a while until startup is complete. The invention solves the problem that the denitrification biofilter tank in the sewage treatment is particularly slow in the mixotrophic state, and has a good application prospect.

A single-phase microemulsion additive may be introduced to a stream containing mixtures of or emulsions of oil and water in an effective amount to separate oil from the water in the stream and/or separating water from the oil in the stream. The single-phase microemulsion additive is formed by combining at least one demulsifier, at least one water clarifier, at least one surfactant, and optionally at least one solvent.

Disclosed herein are graphene quantum dot tagged water source treatment compounds or polymers, and methods of making and using. Also described herein are tagged compositions including an industrial water source treatment compound or polymer combined with a graphene quantum dot tagged water source treatment compound or polymer. The tagged materials are tailored to fluoresce at wavelengths with minimized correspondence to the natural or “background” fluorescence of irradiated materials in industrial water sources, enabling quantification of the concentration of the water source treatment compound or polymer in situ by irradiation and fluorescence measurement of the water source containing the tagged water source treatment compound or polymer. The fluorescence measurement methods are similarly useful to quantify mixtures of tagged and untagged water source treatment compounds or polymers present in an industrial water source.

One aspect of the present invention provides an estimation device for estimating the degree of pitch production in a water system, or the degree of hindrance due to pitch. This estimation device comprises a turbidity information acquisition unit, a relationship model information acquisition unit, and an estimation unit. The turbidity information acquisition unit acquires turbidity information including the turbidity of the water system. The relationship model information acquisition unit acquires relationship model information which was generated in advance, and which indicates the relationship between the degree of pitch production or the degree of hindrance due to pitch, and turbidity. The estimation unit estimates the degree of pitch production or the degree of hindrance due to pitch, on the basis of the turbidity information and the relationship model information.

The present invention relates in part to a lignin composition and a method of fabricating a lignin composition. The invention also relates in part to a method of using a lignin composition to adsorb onto a petrochemical oil comprising the steps of providing a solution of lignin in an alcohol, providing an oil on a liquid surface, contacting the oil with the solution of lignin in an alcohol, adsorbing the lignin to the oil, and removing the adsorbed oil from the surface of the liquid.