The present disclosure is directed to methods for treating an organic material, including the steps of transporting the organic material into a first vessel; heating the organic material in the first vessel and applying a negative pressure to the organic material in the first vessel to a boiling point of the organic material, wherein the heat and negative pressure separates a portion of an ammonia from the organic material; removing the portion of the ammonia from the first vessel; transporting the removed portion of the ammonia from the first vessel to an acid solution in a second vessel; and separating a portion of the ammonia from the acid solution.

The invention relates to a bioreactor for treating water fluid(s), and/or for producing a desired end product by biomass and/or for producing biomass. The invention relates also to methods for manufacturing and using such a bioreactor. The bioreactor (BR) includes at least a first processing unit (Z.sub.F), a second processing unit (Z.sub.2), a last processing unit (Z.sub.L), and, optionally, additional processing unit(s) (Z.sub.3, Z.sub.4) between the second processing unit (Z.sub.2) and the last processing unit (Z.sub.L) in a plug flow configuration; at least one forward circulation system (FCS, FCS1, FCS2) for circulating biomass (BM) from the first processing unit (Z.sub.F), to the last processing unit (Z.sub.L) and/or to additional processing unit(s) (Z.sub.3, Z.sub.4); and at least one reverse circulation system (RCS, RCS1, RCS2) for circulating biomass (BM) from the last processing unit (Z.sub.L) and/or from the additional processing unit(s) (Z.sub.3, Z.sub.4) to the first processing unit (Z.sub.F).

This invention is to the removal of organics and nutrients from wastewater. More specifically, the invention addresses the removal of nutrients such as nitrogen and/or phosphorus from wastewater and has specific adaptations that can be of added benefit in small systems including septic tanks, cluster wastewater systems, and other small treatment plants. The invention can also be used for larger treatment works and for sidestream treatment systems. The invention also has adaptations that can be used to treat wastewater in low gravity and other difficult environments. The invention also has adaptations to permit rapid startup, to induce dormancy, and to preserve organisms for extended periods of time.

A septic tank system for a single household or small business. That system comprises: a compartment septic tank, at least one of a leach field and an infiltration pit, and a supplemental tank between the compartment septic tank and the leach field and/or the infiltration pit. The supplemental tank including means for converting ammonia to nitrogen gas, reducing biochemical oxygen demand and reducing total suspended solids. Preferably, it includes a first chamber having an air pump and aeration channels; and a second chamber for holding one or more solid phase organic media.

Provided is a septic tank for generating methane gas, including: a water-saving type toilet installed in a restroom of a building and discharging excreta of users, wherein high-density excreta is discharged from the water-saving type toilet by using a reduced amount of water to discharge the excreta; an excreta storage tank buried underground and connected to the water-saving type toilet to store the excreta discharged from the water-saving type toilet; a heating unit for heating the excreta storage tank so as to increase a fermentation speed of the excreta in the excreta storage tank; a methane gas supply unit for collecting and discharging methane gas generated as the excreta in the excreta storage tank is fermented; and a gas storage tank connected to the methane gas supply unit to store the methane gas discharged from the methane gas supply unit.

A system and process for removing from an aqueous stream impurities such as grit, particulates, floating debris, suspended solids, turbidity, bacteria, fecal coliform, oil, grease, color, and the like, and for treating an unacceptable biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, and/or dissolved oxygen by utilizing a treatment system positioned partially in a channel adapted to a flow of the aqueous stream. The treatment system comprises a containment zone for containing the aqueous stream for treatment by at least one of traveling or stationary screen filtration, aeration, anaerobic and/or aerobic digestion, clarification, media filtration, chemical addition, disinfection, pH adjustment, particulate removal, and/or the like. A partition wall is provided to bypass untreated water such as storm water. After passing untreated waste water through the treatment zone, the treated aqueous stream may be recycled for further use or discharged to its desired destination, such as a lake, river, or ocean.

A vertical motion mixer has a drive mechanism with two axes of guidance for vertical motion. A reciprocating yoke is fixedly secured to the driving shaft for the mixer, without any guide bearing for the mixer driving shaft. The mixer drive unit is of compact and simplified design with minimal moving parts, and including drive gearing with planetary gears to minimize wear during reciprocating movement.

In a method of anaerobic treatment of an organic waste stream (1), a stream originating from an anaerobic reactor (5) is fed to a first separating unit (33) to be separated into a sludge fraction (7) containing between 50% and 80% of the solids by weight and a second fraction (7). The second fraction (7) is fed from the first separating unit (33) into a Dissolved Gas Floatation (DGF) unit (16). The sludge fractions (7) and (9) from the separator units (33) and (16) are fed back to an inlet 41 of the reactor 5.

An anaerobic biological reactor comprising an anaerobic digester having a chamber configured to receive a microbial suspension, a chamber inlet configured to direct an organic waste stream into the digester, and ion-exchange fibers within the chamber in position to contact and chemically react with microbial suspension received into the chamber. A method for treating organic waste with a methane-producing anaerobic biological reactor comprise providing a methane-producing anaerobic biological reactor comprising an anaerobic digester containing a microbial suspension comprising acetogenic bacteria, methanogenic bacteria and a plurality of ion exchange fibers, introducing organic waste into the anaerobic digester, maintaining the microbial suspension in contact with the organic waste and at least a portion of the plurality of ion-exchange fibers for a period of time and under conditions sufficient to treat the organic waste and produce methane, and removing the treated organic waste and methane from the anaerobic digester.

An anaerobic digester apparatus including a container and an integrated cover and mixer system. The container includes vertical or sloped walls and is configured to contain wastewater and waste material. An integrated cover and mixer system is configured to extend over and cover the surface of the wastewater in the container. The cover is maintained on the surface of the wastewater in the container by a plurality of floats coupled to the cover. A mixer float is coupled to the cover with the mixer float including a mixer motor having a shaft extending through the mixer float and in fluid communication with the wastewater. The shaft includes an impeller configured to provide a downdraft mixing motion of the water and waste. The cover and mixer system are effectively integrated and coupled to the container to facilitate an anaerobic digestion of the waste in the container.