A method is presented for biological removal of contaminants like sulfide from ground waters and industrial waters. A portion of the bioreactor effluent water is recycled to the bioreactor and the sulfide oxidizing bacteria by biological oxidation oxidizes sulfides in the water to produce soluble sulfates. The present invention uses a packed bed bioreactor configuration that uses packing material to maximize the concentration of sulfide oxidizing bacteria.

An aerobic treatment system includes a plurality of highly porous, high surface area, inert, synthetic, inorganic, or natural material particles, having a specific gravity of less than 1.0 that float on an enclosed aqueous environment whereby plants and/or microbes can be grown thereon and/or animals such as fish can be raised therein. The inert particles trap air bubbles and nutrients for the growth of diverse types of plants, animals, or microbial systems, which enable phyto treatment of an aqueous waterbody with the ability to limit the growth of unwanted plant and algae such as blue-green algae. The above aerobic bio treatment system contains desirably bioremediation media having one or more microorganisms that are able to withstand system shocks while minimizing energy usage associated with aeration. The system can generally be utilized in any aqueous environment such as waste water and/or polluted water in an enclosed area such as a container, tank, pond, lake, or the like.

A device for the housing and stimulation of underwater microbial activity has a lower inlet end and an upper discharge end, the lower inlet end defining an inlet opening therein, said housing defining multiple channels therein extending to the upper discharge end of said housing, said inlet opening communicating with interconnected channels, following an indirect non linear path between said inlet end opening to a discharge opening defined in said discharge end, so as to disrupt the path of fluid as it travels from inlet opening to said discharge opening. The device has at least one leg extending from the lower inlet end to keep the device off the bottom of a waterbody floor to limit its susceptibility to clogging from the sediment bottom or growing organics. The leg has sufficient weight to sink to bottom.

A device for the housing and stimulation of underwater microbial activity has a lower inlet end and an upper discharge end, the lower inlet end defining an inlet opening therein, said housing defining multiple channels therein extending to the upper discharge end of said housing, said inlet opening communicating with interconnected channels, following an indirect non linear path between said inlet end opening to a discharge opening defined in said discharge end, so as to disrupt the path of fluid as it travels from inlet opening to said discharge opening. The device has at least one leg extending from the lower inlet end to keep the device off the bottom of a waterbody floor to limit its susceptibility to clogging from the sediment bottom or growing organics. The leg has sufficient weight to sink to bottom.

A surface water mitigation structure suitable for use in the storage and treatment of contaminated surface water runoff. The runoff is processed through a multi-layered filtration and treatment system wherein the first layer is a permeable composite capstone that can support substantial loads yet is pervious enough to allow runoff to pass through it and into a porous storage medium second layer that includes one or more remediating agents, and wherein the effluent from the surface water mitigation structure can be discharged to the ground, the surface, and/or a drainage system reduced or free of contaminants.

Wastewater treatment plants and processes for treating wastewater are described. The wastewater treatment plant utilizes channel plug flow dynamics with attached growth media and pure oxygen or mixtures of pure oxygen and compressed air.

A process for converting ammonium (NH.sub.4.sup.+) of a mainstream of a wastewater plant to dinitrogen gas (N.sub.2), including the consecutive steps of i.) removing biodegradable carbon compounds in the mainstream, ii.) converting ammonium (NH.sub.4.sup.+) in the mainstream to nitrite (NO.sub.2.sup.−) in an aerated biological process containing ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in a nitration vessel (133a-133d); and iii.) denitrifying the resulting stream from step ii.) to dinitrogen gas in an anammox vessel (200). Growth of nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in step ii.) is prevented by periodically subjecting the bacteria in said nitration vessel (133a-133d) to water suppressing growth of nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB).

A treatment system of the present invention generally includes a plurality of high surface area sheets anchored to a fixed base. The sheets are generally vertically oriented although able to flex and sway independently. Substantially all regions of substantially all sheets are aerated. The sheets are constructed of an open weave substrate that allows the diffusion of gas, nutrients and food, while protecting and serving as an attachment site for a variety of microbial colonies in both anoxic and aerobic zones. In use a system of the present invention is inserted into a wastewater reservoir, and aerated, for treatment of the wastewater.

A treatment system of the present invention generally includes a floating support structure having an upper flotation assembly, a base assembly that secures the bottom edges of a plurality of low density sheets, and vertical frame members that connect the upper flotation assembly to the base assembly. The sheets are generally vertically oriented although able to flex and sway independently. Substantially all regions of substantially all sheets are aerated. The sheets are constructed of an open weave substrate that allows the diffusion of gas, nutrients and food, while protecting and serving as an attachment site for a variety of microbial colonies in both anoxic and aerobic zones. In use a system of the present invention is inserted into a wastewater reservoir, and aerated, for treatment of the wastewater.

The present invention relates to a treatment system having a barium carbonate (BaCO.sub.3) dispersed alkaline substrate (BDAS) for use in the remediation or at least partial remediation of mine drainage (MD) and/or environmental media contaminated with a source of MD. The invention utilizes chemical, biological and combined treatment systems remove high concentrations of sulfates, hardness, heavy metals and N-compounds, that may exist in the MD as well as high concentrations of alkalinity produced during the remediation process. The invention further extends to a process for treating MD and/or environmental media contaminated with MD and to an apparatus for use in this process.