Embodiments of the invention comprise methods and systems for optimizing coagulant dosing of raw water in a water treatment process. First, the embodiments determine the optimum dosage of pH adjusting chemicals to be added to the raw water based on a measurement of dissolved organic content, alkalinity, and pH of the raw water. Then, the embodiments perform a flocculation test of a mixture of the optimally-pH-dosed raw water and a hydrolyzing metal salt (HMS) wherein the dosage of the HMS salt in the mixture can be calculated based on a measurement of the charge demand of the optimally-pH-dosed raw water. The results of this flocculation test are compared to the results of at least one previous test of a combination of optimally-pH-dosed raw water and HMS to determine if the hydrolyzing metal salt dose is optimized. Once the HMS is optimized, the optimally-HMS-dosed optimally-pH-dosed water is tested with at least two different dosages of a polymer coagulant to determine the optimal polymer coagulant dosage to be used with the optimally-HMS-dosed optimally-pH-dosed water.

The disclosure provides automated methods and systems for optimized dosing of chemicals, such as coagulants, acids, and/or bases, in water treatment processes. The methods and systems of the disclosure can provide a coagulant dosing regimen that mitigates turbidity and organic contaminant content while maintaining effective floc precipitation, agglomeration, and settling without significant human intervention.

A sequential batch reactor wastewater treatment system and method, a material combination for practicing the method, and a fertilizer co-product deriving therefrom. A pH lowering agent comprising an acid lowers the pH of wastewater. A first compound including chitin or chitosan comprises a filtering medium, a coagulant, and a flocculant, and a second compound comprises an adsorbent and a pH raising agent. Wastewater is mixed and aerated subsequent to introduction of each of the first and second compounds, and flocculation yields treated water and a sludge byproduct that may be dewatered and further processed to yield a useful fertilizer co-product. Within the first compound, diatomaceous earth operates as a filtering medium and bentonite clay acts as a coagulant and filtering medium. Within the second compound, activated carbon, calcium oxide (CaO), and caustic soda (NaOH) are operative to adsorb, disinfect, and raise the pH of the wastewater.

A method for preparing inorganic macromolecular flocculant by polymerizing silicate and zirconium tetrachloride is disclosed and relates to the field of feed water treatment. The invention aims at the problem of poor efficiency of inorganic low-molecular zirconium salt flocculant in treating low-temperature raw water and blockage of flocculation, by copolymerization of polymeric zirconium chloride and polysilicic acid, the Si—O—Zr bond was formed to increase the molecular chain of the flocculant to strengthen the function of adsorption bridge and net capture sweep. Under low temperature, the flocculant can remove organic pollutants effectively, and the size of flocs formed is large and easy to precipitate. The invention is particularly suitable for the treatment of raw water at low temperature, low turbidity and high organics by enhanced coagulation.

Processes for producing olefins may include electrolyzing an aqueous solution comprising metal chloride, where electrolyzing the aqueous solution causes at least a portion of the metal chloride to undergo chemical reaction to produce a treatment composition comprising hypochlorite. The processes may further include contacting at least a portion of the treatment composition with the sour water at a pH from 8 to 12, where the sour water comprises sulfides and the contacting causes reaction of the sulfides in the sour water with the hypochlorite to produce a treated aqueous mixture comprising at least metal sulfates and metal chlorides, where the metal sulfates are present in the treated aqueous mixture as precipitated solids. The processes may further include separating the precipitated solids from the treated aqueous mixture to produce a treated effluent comprising at least the metal chloride.

The present disclosure relates to methods of treating water to remove contaminants, including harmful metal ions, and water treatment plants for practicing such methods. In an embodiment, the process includes adding a sulfur-containing, metal-decreasing agent; an iron (III)-containing, metalloid-decreasing agent; forming a solid precipitate from the contaminated water, wherein the solid precipitate includes a solid metal sulfide, a solid iron metalloid, a solid calcium metalloid, or a combination thereof; and separating the contaminated water from the solid precipitate to form purified water.

Nanoflocculants are provided that are comprised of nanoparticles of titanomagnetite having anionic surface moieties associated with electrostatically bound polymerized chains of cationic polyacrylamide, further comprising lauryl sulfate moieties adsorbed to the surface of nanoparticles of the titanomagnetite nanoparticles and/or adsorbed to the bound cationic polyacrylamide polymers. These nanoflocculants combine the dual functionalities of the polyacrylamide/lauryl sulfate moieties, as well as the surface activity of titanomagnetite nanomaterials. Process are provided for making and using the disclosed nanoflocculants, including uses for flocculating intimate aqueous dispersions of solids and bitumen.

The present invention relates to a process for forming or obtaining vivianite in or from a phosphorus-containing waterbody, sediment and/or sludge, to an apparatus for obtaining vivianite from a phosphorus-containing waterbody, sediment and/or sludge, and to the use of a composition comprising at least one alkaline earth metal peroxide and a magnetic separating apparatus for obtaining vivianite from a phosphorus-containing waterbody, sediment and/or sludge.

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.

The present disclosure relates to processes for treating wastewater such as acid rock drainage. The processes may, for example, comprise subjecting the wastewater to a microbial fuel cell process, neutralizing the acid with a base comprising calcium to produce an aqueous composition comprising calcium ions and subjecting the aqueous composition comprising calcium ions to a biological precipitation process to precipitate the calcium ions as calcium carbonate.