A system for treating metal-contaminated wastewater includes a primary treatment sub-system, a secondary treatment sub-system, and a tertiary treatment sub-system. The tertiary treatment sub-system includes a reactor tank, a source of ballast material, a source of coagulant, a solids-liquid separator, and a controller configured to recycle ballasted solids from the solids-liquid separator to the reactor tank an amount sufficient to generate metal hydroxide floc in the reactor tank to reduce a concentration of dissolved metal in the reactor tank.

The present invention discloses a composite biogenic flocculant for enhancing flocculation and dewaterability of chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) sludge. The present invention also discloses method of conditioning CEPT sludge using the composite biogenic flocculant.

Methods and systems for treating oil sands tailings streams at an elevated pH using lime are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the method comprises providing a tailings stream including 10-55% solids by total weight, increasing the pH of the tailings stream by combining the tailings stream with lime to produce a lime-tailings mixture having a pH of at least 11.0, and dewatering the lime-tailings mixture to produce a first stream having 10% or less solids by total weight and a second stream having 50% or more solids by total weight. The first stream can correspond to a release water stream, and the second stream can correspond to a cake. The lime slurry can include about 10% lime by total weight, and can comprise lime hydrate, quicklime, or a combination thereof. Dewatering the lime-tailings mixture can include routing the lime-tailings mixture to a centrifuge unit and/or a pressure or vacuum filtration unit.

A red mud utilization method based on co-processing of industrial exhaust gas, sewage treatment and an environment-friendly and high-performance civil functional material, belongs to the technical field of environmental science and cementitious material preparation, and relates to a preparation process of a solid waste-based cementitious material, specifically including the steps: preparing an environment-friendly and high-performance red mud-based civil functional material by using slag obtained after sewage treatment with red mud and other solid wastes in physical and chemical activation and high-temperature calcination methods. The compressive strength of a solid waste-based cementitious material prepared by using the method can reach 29 MPa, the leaching quantity (lower than 3.0 ppm) of toxic elements such as heavy metals is far lower than the national standard requirement, and a solid waste-based cementitious material with great performance can be prepared.

The present invention relates to a process, methods and materials for generating fertilizers from seawater resources, especially in conjunction with seawater desalination plants. Here, we demonstrate that varying compositions of fertilizers such as nitrogen/potassium, nitrogen/phosphorus/potassium, nitrogen/potassium/sulfur, and nitrogen/phosphorus/potassium/sulfur, potassium/sulfur, potassium along with micro and secondary nutrients can directly be generated as part of the extraction process to meet the requirements of both starter and sustained phases of plant growth.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a method of producing a viscoelastic surfactant (VES) fluid, the VES fluid comprising desulfated seawater. The method of producing the VES fluid comprises adding an alkaline earth metal halide to seawater to produce a sulfate precipitate. The method further comprises removing the sulfate precipitate to produce the desulfated water. The method further comprises adding a VES and one or more of a nanoparticle viscosity modifier or a polymeric modifier to the desulfated seawater. Other embodiments are directed to VES fluids that maintain a viscosity greater than 10 cP at temperatures above 250° F.

Compositions and methods for treating waste water produced by copper mining operations are described herein. Slag from steel making operations and other industrial waste materials that include alkali metal and/or alkaline earth elements have been found to both raise pH of the waste water and also reduce arsenic content. Following such treatment the spent slag or industrial waste can be utilized as a source of valuable metals or incorporated into stabilized building materials.

An emergency treatment device for algal blooms in reservoir tributaries and bays includes a hull, an automatic detection unit provided on the hull, an algae collection-separation unit, an ultrasonic algae removal unit, a micro-current electrolytic algae suppression unit, an algaecide adding unit, a power unit and a control unit. The automatic detection unit, the algae collection-separation unit, the ultrasonic algae removal unit, the micro-current electrolytic algae suppression unit, the algaecide adding unit and the power unit are connected with the control unit. The algae collection-separation unit is used for suction and ex-situ treatment of high-density algae on a surface of the water body. The ultrasonic algae removal unit, the micro-current electrolytic algae suppression unit and the algaecide adding unit are used for in-situ treatment of algae in the water body.

The present invention provides for a system for removing arsenic from an arsenic contaminated aqueous solution, and its use thereof. The system comprises an anode comprising iron and a cathode comprising iron or an electricity conducting metal that is electropositive relative to iron in contact with the arsenic contaminated aqueous solution. The system is used by running an electric current through the water via the anode and cathode to cause the formation of iron (hydr)oxide from the iron of the anode which then forms an insoluble arsenic-iron (hydr)oxide complex which can be separated from the aqueous solution.

The present invention relates to a method of removing chromate ions from an ion-exchange effluent, the method comprising: (i) providing an ion-exchange effluent comprising chromate ions obtained from the regeneration of an ion-exchange material, (ii) admixing the ion-exchange effluent with a source of alkali metal dithionite to form a first precipitate, and (iii) removing the first precipitate