This disclosure relates to new filtration systems, granular substrates, granular media and processes that are highly effective for removing suspended oil, particulates and oily particulates from an oil-water mixture. The new filtration media comprises a microporous granular substrate having a combination of specified micro-porosity, hardness and additional characteristics, the substrate being modified by an infused or coated absorption composition. This resulting filtration media displays excellent filtration performance, including outstanding durability and robustness to sustain its excellent performance over a large number of backwash cycles.

A waste water treatment system for removing contaminant chemicals, bacteria and organic matter to reduce the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and the biological oxygen demand (BOD). The system uses thermal energy to remove chemicals that can be oxidized to reduce the COD, and to destroy bacteria and organic matter to reduce the BOD of the treated water. The system can include an expansion chamber and a nozzle to create steam which can be used as thermal energy to heat the waste water and provide the proper treatment to reduce the COD and BOD of the processed waste water.

A treatment process for municipal, commercial, industrial, and institutional fluids containing one or more substances at a first concentration includes a contactor, an aerator, and a separator. The fluid is mixed with a powdered natural lignocellulosic material (“PNLM”), a microbial growth inoculum, and at least a portion of the fluid in the contactor to provide a mixture that includes an established, acclimated microbial growth in the fluid. The mixture is introduced to an aerator where physical binding and chemical bonding of at least some of the one or more substances to the PNLM additionally physiological uptake by microbial growth in a biosludge reduces the concentration of at least some of the one or more substances in the fluid discharged from the aerator to a second concentration. The biosludge is separated to recover at least a portion of the PNLM that is recycled to the contactor.

Methods to remediate a contaminated material are provided. In one embodiment, a biocatalyst that digests hydrocarbon contaminants is activated with a nutrient and the activated biocatalyst is combined with the contaminated material and water to form a mixture. The mixture is incubated for a period of time, and the level of contaminant in the mixture is determined to ascertain whether to incubate further, add additional biocatalyst mix, or provide the remediated material for further processing. In one embodiment, the remediated material is provided for reuse or recycling with a second material, such as a construction aggregate. The method is particularly suited for remediation of drill cuttings, mine tailings, hydrocarbon-contaminated soil, and the like.

A laser ablation and filtration process and apparatus wherein liquid containing hydrocarbons or other contaminants is purified. The liquid is exposed to laser energy at one or more selected wavelengths wherein the laser energy travels through the liquid and reaches the hydrocarbons or other contaminants and vaporizes, denatures, breaks down, neutralizes, renders inert and/or separates the hydrocarbons or contaminants from the liquid. A laser source is positioned in or on a vessel based on pre-set parameters to maximize exposure of the liquid to the laser energy, including sizing parameters, angle and inclination of the laser, retention time for the laser process to be applied and geometry of the containment for proper inclination. One or more collection chambers, which may include perforated membranes may be included to collect gases, separated hydrocarbons or contaminants and other by-products of the process. The vessel utilized may be submergible in water to pull or flow contaminated water therethough. The vessel may also be utilized outside a body of water wherein contaminated water from a source is introduced within the vessel.

Certain aspects of the invention relate to a method of synthesizing a composite usably for oil-water separation comprising surface nanostructuring a pristine powder or porous material to form a nanostructured powder or porous material having surfaces with nanoscale features; and coating single or multilayers of one or more low surface energy oligomers, polymers, or their composites with other materials on the surfaces of the nanostructured powder or porous material.

A method of fabricating a magnetically-controlled graphene-based micro-/nano-motor includes: (a) mixing FeCl.sub.3 crystal powder with deionized water to obtain a FeCl.sub.3 solution; (b) completely immersing a carbon-based microsphere in the FeCl.sub.3 solution; transferring the carbon-based microsphere from the FeCl.sub.3 solution followed by heating to allow crystallization of FeCl.sub.3 on the surface of the carbon-based microsphere to obtain a FeCl.sub.3-carbon-based microsphere; (c) heating the FeCl.sub.3-carbon-based microsphere in a vacuum chamber until there is no moisture in the vacuum chamber; continuously removing gas in the vacuum chamber and introducing oxygen; and treating the FeCl.sub.3-carbon-based microsphere with a laser in an oxygen-enriched environment to obtain the magnetically controlled graphene-based micro-/nano-motor. A magnetically-controlled graphene-based micro-/nano-motor is further provided.

Methods are provided for treating intimately dispersed mixtures of water, bitumen, and fine clay particles, such as oil sands mature fine tailings (MFT). Select methods use dissolved silicate ions and a base (alkali), optionally in combination with a biopolymer, to flocculate a slurry. A mixing regime is disclosed involving the addition to MFT of silicate ions in solution and alkali, to initiate aggregation/destabilization of clay particles. Methods are exemplified that provide distinct sediment layers in conjunction with the release of residual bitumen (for example 40-50% of the initial bitumen content). In these exemplified embodiments, a densely packed bottom layer containing ˜75 wt. % solids showed high yield stress values (3.5-5.5 kPa) and entrapped little residual bitumen (0.2-0.3 wt. %). The methods accordingly segregate a material suitable for reclamation.

The present invention relates to a method for removing hydrocarbons from produced water, comprising: (i) separating produced water from a hydrocarbon and water mixture extracted from a subterranean formation: (ii) contacting said produced water with multivalent metal cations to produce a mixture of produced water and multivalent metal cations; and (iii) removing hydrocarbons from said mixture in a hydrocyclone and/or a compact flotation unit to give treated produced water, wherein the concentration of hydrocarbons in said produced water is less than 10% wt.

Polystyrene waste, such as Styrofoam® waste, and carbon nanofibers may be used to produce highly hydrophobic compositions or composites that can separate oil and water. Methods for purifying an aqueous solution may include: passing the aqueous solution, including a hydrophobic organic substance, over or through a surface including a polystyrene-CNF composition, thereby producing an aqueous product including less of the hydrophobic organic substance; and optionally, passing the aqueous product over or through the surface at least one more time.