Devices and methods associated with these devices for significantly reducing or eliminating liquid (e.g., water) in a water or wastewater treatment unit above the underdrain from moving downwardly into the underdrain during an air only wash cycle of the treatment unit. The treatment unit can take many forms including but not limited to an upflow filter and a downflow filter. The treatment unit may include a filter bed having one or more layers of filter media supported by gravel above the underdrain. The treatment unit may also include an underdrain having a porous plate, slotted plate or slotted upper structure that obviates the need for gravel. Positive pressure is provided to the underdrain to overcome the downward force of the driving head in the treatment unit to significantly reduce or prevent liquid present in the treatment unit above the underdrain from moving downwardly into the underdrain.

A water filtration system is also disclosed. The water filtration system includes a regenerative media filter vessel, a filtrate line, a feed line, a recirculation line, a gas line, and at least one pump. A method of filtering water in a system comprising a regenerative media filter is disclosed. The method includes operating the system in a filtration mode, operating the system in a cleaning mode responsive to a differential pressure measurement across the regenerative media filter, operating the system in an aeration mode, operating the system in a pre-filtration mode after operating the system in the cleaning mode, operating the system in a drain mode, and operating the system in the filtration mode following the drain mode. A controller and non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable signals stored thereon that define instructions that, as a result of being executed by the controller, instruct the controller to perform a method of operating a water filtration system are disclosed.

A method for producing mineral wool composites, including: (a) producing a first mineral wool composite by extracting a portion of circulating water to prepare a first binder composition and spraying it onto mineral fibers, while providing clean water to the circulating water; (b) performing (b1) and (b2) in any order or at the same time (b1) pausing extraction of the circulating water for preparation of the first binder composition and (b2) extracting a portion of the circulating water and storing the extracted circulating water in a first tank; (c) producing a second, different mineral wool composite by extracting a portion of the circulating water to prepare a second binder composition, and spraying it onto mineral fibers, while providing clean water to the circulating water, wherein the circulating water is used to clean a production apparatus for producing mineral wool composites and is filtered and reused in the production apparatus.

Methods are provided for improved recovery of organic salts, such as ionic liquids or organic salts comprising quaternary organic cations, in an industrial alumina production process, such as the Bayer process. These methods include (i) using an organic salt for the removal of impurities in an industrial process for the production of alumina; (ii) subjecting the spent organic salt to a recycling operation that generates at least one exit stream having a measureable amount of the organic salt {e.g., by entrainment or by solubility of the organic salt in the exit stream); (iii) collecting and treating the exit stream (s) with an inorganic salt, in an amount effective to induce phase separation; and (iv) recovering the organic phase containing the recovered organic salt. These methods and compositions allow alumina refinery plants to use organic salts for removal of industrial process streams in an economical manner, due to the efficient recovery of the organic salt.

A wastewater management system includes a series of water treatment modules to treat wastewater and produce reusable and/or potable water and other beneficial byproducts of the wastewater treatment process. A pretreatment module, a filtration module, an evaporator module, an odor control module, a UV-light module, an autoclave module, a sonolysis module, an ozone module and a chlorination module are combined in multiple combinations along with holding tanks, condensers, flash tanks and other components to address water purification and reclamation needs based upon specific wastewater conditions. The system captures condensate from AC systems and rainwater from rainwater gutter systems processes the water to produce reusable and/or potable water with or without re-mineralization. Any CO.sub.2 produced by the water treatment system is captured and processed using naturally-occurring flora. The wastewater treatment system includes multiple closed-loop subsystems to minimize energy usage and maximize water purification and reclamation for reuse.

A water delivery control system operates to selectively deliver water from a water source to water use devices. The system includes at least one controller that wirelessly communicates messages with a portable user device. The system includes a water control valve and a motor that is operative to selectively move at least one valve element of the valve. A water meter is operative to measure water flow that corresponds to flow through the valve. The controller is operable to cause the valve to enable or prevent flow through the valve responsive at least in part to water flow data. The controller is operative to determine a water use condition responsive to a water usage pattern, and to cause at least one message to be sent to the portable user device responsive to the determined water use condition.

Systems and methods for treating produced water and/or flowback water from fracking operations include: an oil water separator; a first filter downstream of the oil water separator; and an electrocoagulation unit downstream of the first filter. Systems and methods can be used for producing a concentrated brine for use in industrial applications and a separate stream of fresh water

A ballast water treatment system. Implementations may include an intake screen, a ballast water intake pump coupled to the intake screen, a screen filter coupled to an outlet of the ballast water intake pump, and a multi-cartridge filter system coupled to the screen filter and with one or more ballast tanks A ballast water dump pump may be coupled with the one or more ballast tanks. The multi-cartridge filter system may include two or more cartridge filters including a quaternary organosilane coating produced from a quaternary ammonium organosilane reagent.

In a wastewater treatment plant a rag seeding tank is included in a process drain to collect hair and fibers which have passed through headworks of the plant. The hair and fibers tend to join together into large masses downstream of the headworks and can be damaging to process zones, particularly membrane zones. The rag seeding tank includes cartridges filled with surfaces that fibers and hair will attach to, so that hair/fiber rags grow in the seeding tank and are removed therefrom rather than causing problems downstream.

Disclosed herein are decanting backwash receiver assemblies, and related methods of fabrication and use. The present disclosure provides improved decanting backwash receiver assemblies for decanting of input feeds, and improved systems/methods for utilizing and fabricating the decanting backwash receiver assemblies. The present disclosure provides decanting backwash receiver assemblies utilizing porous media insert members and/or porous media surfaces for the decanting of input feeds. Exemplary decanting backwash receiver assemblies are configured and dimensioned to receive a filter backwash surge flow of slurry (e.g., solids and liquid mixture), and provide for settling of the solids from flow 11, and provide for decanting of a liquid layer above the settled solids, and optionally provide for de wetting the settled solids, and provide for discharge of the settled solids (e.g., liquid wetted) from the bottom of the assemblies.