The invention relates to a method for reducing fouling in a microbial fuel cell. The method comprises feeding of an influent comprising organic substance(s) into the microbial fuel cell (MFC), which comprises an anode and a cathode connected through an external electrical circuit with each other. Organic substance(s) are converted into electrical energy in the microbial fuel cell by using microorganisms, such as exoelectrogenic bacteria, and a treated flow is removed from the microbial fuel cell. A cleaning agent composition is fed simultaneously with the influent to the microbial fuel cell. The invention relates also to the cleaning agent composition and its use.

The invention relates to processes and equipment for treatment of a feedstock by anaerobic organisms to produce a methane containing biogas that can be used as a source of energy. The invention is particularly concerned with producing methane from a waste plant material such as produced by fermentation processes used in the alcoholic beverages industry, such as from brewing/distilling processes which employ grain material for fermentation.

The present invention relates to a process for the separation of biomass in the anaerobic purification of wastewater and to a system for the separation of biomass in the anaerobic purification of wastewater.

Introduced here are systems for treating a wastewater stream to produce an effluent stream. A treatment system can include a sensor for measuring a characteristic of the wastewater stream and/or the effluent stream, a pump for supplying a chemical additive to the wastewater stream, and a controller for varying the flow rate of the chemical additive based on real-time analysis of measurements generated by the sensor. The characteristic could be, for example, turbidity, pH, total suspended solids (TSS), etc. Some embodiments of the treatment system further include a flow meter for measuring flow of the wastewater stream. In such embodiments, the controller may vary the flow rate of the chemical additive based on the measurements generated by the sensor and the flow meter.

A system for processing wastewater includes a wastewater source, a biomass burner, and a first heat exchanger. The biomass burner is configured to receive biomass from a biomass source, combust the biomass to produce heat and ash, receive a thermal transfer fluid, and heat the thermal transfer fluid using the heat produced from the combustion of the biomass. The first heat exchanger is configured to heat the wastewater to produce steam. The first heat exchanger includes a first inlet, a second inlet, a first outlet, a second outlet, and a third outlet. The first inlet is configured to receive the wastewater from the wastewater source. The second inlet is configured to receive the thermal transfer fluid from the biomass burner. The first outlet is configured to discharge the steam. The second outlet is configured to discharge the thermal transfer fluid.

Disclosed herein is a method of converting waste, such as wet biomass, to a clean product and energy, including heat, and/or power. The disclosed method combines hydrothermal processing, also known as anaerobic hydrothermal carbonization, followed by wet air oxidation, adding sufficient oxygen to ensure rapid and complete destruction of organics.

A multi-stage sweeping gas membrane distillation (MS-SGMD) system and a method of use are provided. The MS-SGMD includes a plurality of modules, wherein each module includes a feed chamber fluidically coupled to a feed line and a carrier gas line, wherein the feed line introduces a liquid feed into the feed chamber from a liquid feed tank, and wherein the carrier gas line introduces a carrier gas into the feed chamber. Each module includes a sweeping gas chamber fluidically coupled to a sweeping gas line and a sweeping gas return line, wherein a sweeping gas is passed through the sweeping gas chamber. Each module further includes a membrane separating the feed chamber from the sweeping gas chamber, wherein the membrane allows transportation of vapor from the feed chamber to the sweeping gas chamber while blocking liquid from moving from the feed chamber to the sweeping gas chamber.

A novel Salt Repellent Technique is presented to remove all inorganic salts from seawater to get potable water. The repellent additives recommended throws out all salts of sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium and the like ions from seawater and paves way to get salt free potable water. The conventional washing of ice crystals is completely avoided due to the presence of additives. This technique helps to remove last traces of salts from seawater and analogous waters, without undertaking the conventional washing process. The new salt repellent process assures of high water recovery, ease of operation, lesser pollution, smaller plants, simpler machinery and technology, lower energy cost, nil or lesser pre-treatment and recovery of valuable by-products. To reduce the TDS still lower, it is recommended to have a simplified reverse osmosis unit in addition, as a post-operative arrangement.

A method for differentially lysing a liquid sample or target material using an augmented oxidizing agent (AOA), which includes a quantity of electronically modified oxygen derivatives (EMODs). The method reduces or eliminates total dissolved solids (IDS), total suspended solids (TSS), Biologic Oxygen Demand (BOD), microbial concentration, biofilms and other content in the liquid target material known or suspected to contain animal fluids, blood and blood cells and suspected or known to contain eukaryotic cells, microbial cells, bacteria, viruses, spores, fungi, prions, organic matter, minerals, proteins or associated structures. The BOD, TDS and TSS can be lowered or eliminated as desired. This action is directly proportional to the quantity of EMODs in the AOS applied to the liquid target material.

A system and method for treating contaminated wastewater is provided. The system and method may be used to treat wastewater such as hydraulic fracturing flowback water, which is contaminated with guar gum, similar gelling agents, or other biological polymers. The contaminated wastewater is pressurized and heated and then allowed to spend a residence time in a vessel. The process may be a continuous or a batch process. The exposure to a combination of heat and pressure causes the high molecular weight guar molecules to break down into simple sugars and other smaller, relatively low molecular weight compounds, thereby decreasing the viscosity of the fluid. Once the viscosity is reduced, the flowback water can then be treated for other contaminants using conventional treatment technologies and reused in fracking operations.