Installation system comprising a wastewater line

Abstract

A germ barrier is provided in the concentrate/wastewater drain from a water installation system towards the wastewater sewer in order to prevent backward contamination with germs, using a UV lamp or a chemical germ barrier that contains an alkaline material, in particular a material selected from the group consisting of carbonates, oxides, and peroxides, and combinations thereof.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A water installation system, comprising: a drain, the water installation system having a direction of flow (D) towards the drain; a wastewater sewer downstream of the drain; and a germ barrier upstream of the wastewater sewer.

12. The water installation system of claim 11, wherein the germ barrier is a chemical germ barrier.

13. The water installation system of claim 12, wherein the chemical germ barrier comprises an alkalinizing or oxidative material.

14. The water installation system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the germ barrier comprises an alkalinizing or oxidative material selected from the group consisting of carbonates, oxides, and peroxides.

15. The water installation system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the germ barrier comprises one or more of calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, magnesium peroxide, calcium peroxide, sodium peroxide, potassium peroxide, and zinc peroxide.

16. The water installation system of claim 11, wherein the germ barrier comprises a UV lamp.

17. The water installation system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the germ barrier is a replaceable cartridge.

18. The water installation system as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a reverse osmosis system, a nanofilter, a backwash filter, or a membrane filter.

19. The water installation system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the drain is a drain from a water treatment device.

20. The water installation system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the drain is a concentrate drain from a reverse osmosis system or a nanofilter system, a drain of a backwash filter, or a retentate drain of a cross-flow filter.

21. A method for treating water, comprising: passing a concentrate or waste water through a chemical germ barrier.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein a chemical germ barrier is used, which causes an OH concentration to rise within the chemical germ barrier to such an extent that a pH value between 10 and 13 is established.

23. A method for treating water, comprising: passing concentrate/waste water through a germ barrier that comprises a UV lamp.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] The invention is illustrated in more detail in the attached drawings by way of exemplary embodiments. The same and similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals, while the features of the various exemplary embodiments can be combined with one another.

[0053] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a cartridge comprising an alkalinizing and/or oxidative material that is effective as a germ barrier.

[0054] FIG. 2 is schematic view of a cartridge comprising a UV lamp that is effective as a germ barrier.

[0055] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a water installation system involving reverse osmosis.

[0056] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a water installation system comprising a backwash filter.

[0057] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a water installation system comprising a membrane filter operated in tangential flow filtration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] FIG. 1 illustrates a chemical germ barrier 200 comprising an alkalinizing and/or oxidative material 2100. The chemical germ barrier 200 has a direction of flow D, and the material 2100 is placed upstream of the wastewater sewer as seen in the direction of flow D.

[0059] In order to be able to handle the chemical germ barrier 200 separately and independently of an optionally provided water treatment unit, the chemical germ barrier 200 has a retention grid or a fleece 2210 on the input side as well as on its output side 2410 in these variants of the invention.

[0060] The chemical germ barrier contains at least one material selected from the group consisting of carbonates, oxides, and peroxides.

[0061] Particularly suitable for being used within the scope of the invention are calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, magnesium peroxide, calcium peroxide, sodium peroxide, potassium peroxide, and zinc peroxide, and mixtures of at least two of the materials mentioned.

[0062] In the illustrated embodiments, the chemical germ barrier 200 has fastening means 2600 on its input side 2140 and also fastening means 2600 on its output side 2410. These may be in the form of a flange or thread, for example.

[0063] FIG. 2 shows a germ barrier 200 comprising a UV lamp 2300. The UV lamp 2300 protrudes into the interior of the cartridge 2040 which defines a housing of the germ barrier 200. The UV lamp 2300 has an electrical power connection 2310. A seal 2311 is arranged between the housing wall 2040 and the UV lamp 2300. Inside the cartridge, the concentrate/waste water will be exposed to UV radiation so that germs are killed.

[0064] The germ barriers shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can be used for the exemplary embodiments of water installation systems described below.

[0065] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment in the form of a water installation system 1 comprising a water treatment device 100 in the form of a reverse osmosis system.

[0066] The water treatment device 100 is supplied with input water from a water source via a pipe 401. During operation, treated water from the water treatment device 100 can be extracted at an extraction point 38 via extraction line 403.

[0067] The reverse osmosis tank 402 has a first chamber 421 and a second chamber 422. A semi-permeable membrane 411 is arranged between the chambers 421, 422. During operation, the input water is passed through the semi-permeable membrane 411. Substances dissolved in the input water are held back in the first chamber 421 so that a concentrate is produced.

[0068] The concentrate can be discharged via a drain, namely the concentrate line 406, and can be discarded via a wastewater line 407 which leads to the wastewater sewer (not shown). Even if a so-called free outlet is provided, as shown here, there is a risk of reverse or backward contamination with germs from the wastewater line 407. To counteract such backward germ contamination, a germ barrier 200 is arranged in the concentrate line 406.

[0069] During operation, water with a reduced concentration of dissolved substances will enter the second chamber 422. This permeate, being the treated water, is fed to the extraction point 38, here embodied as a faucet, via a line 403.

[0070] In addition to the line 406 from the concentrate side to the wastewater sewer 407, there is a second line 404 to the wastewater sewer in this example, namely from the permeate side. When reverse osmosis starts, for example after a stagnation phase, the first permeate is often discarded, since for instance heavy metals and other pollutants which are retained during operation, might still diffuse to the permeate side during the stagnation phase. The wastewater of the so-called first permeate, which is discarded via line 404, can also be passed through a germ barrier as well.

[0071] According to a further embodiment, not shown, lines 404 and 406 can be merged and routed through a shared germ barrier 200 before reaching the wastewater sewer 407.

[0072] Similarly to the application for a reverse osmosis system as illustrated in FIG. 3, the germ barrier can also be used for a nanofiltration process which functions similarly to reverse osmosis and, in terms of its basic principle, merely involves a membrane with a larger pore diameter.

[0073] FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a water treatment device 100 comprising a backwash filter 300.

[0074] Input water is supplied to the water treatment device 100 from a water source. Water that has been treated during operation can be extracted from the water treatment device 100 via extraction line 403.

[0075] During operation of the backwash filter 300, deposits may accumulate on the filter surface. In order to clean the backwash filter 300 from these deposits, the backwash filter 300 is backwashed against its normal direction of flow. The wastewater produced during the backwashing is discarded via a wastewater line 407. Here, again, there is a risk of backward germ contamination from the wastewater line 407.

[0076] In order to prevent such backward contamination with germs, a germ barrier is arranged in the line 406.

[0077] FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a water treatment device 100 comprising a membrane filter 301 that is operated in tangential flow filtration.

[0078] Input water is supplied to the water treatment device 100 from a water source. Water that has been treated during operation can be extracted from the water treatment device 100 via extraction line 403.

[0079] In tangential flow filtration, the liquid to be filtered flows parallel to a membrane 302 or another filter medium, and the permeate is drawn off transversely to the direction of flow. The comparatively high speed largely prevents the accumulation of a filter cake (covering layer or fouling) of the solid particles to be separated off on the membrane 302. Hollow fibers (referred to as capillary membranes) are particularly suitable for this purpose.

[0080] The filtrate is free of solids. The fraction of the liquid flow that does not pass through the membrane, i.e., the retentate, is discharged into the wastewater sewer 407. Here exists a risk of backward contamination with germs of the wastewater line 406. In order to counteract such backward germ contamination, a germ barrier 200 is arranged in the line 406.

[0081] It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the examples described above but can rather be varied in various ways.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0082] 1 Water system [0083] 200 Chemical germ barrier [0084] 2040 Cartridge [0085] 2140 Inlet side of cartridge [0086] 2410 Outlet side of cartridge [0087] 2100 Alkalinizing and/or oxidative material [0088] 2200 Retention grid, fleece [0089] 2210 Retention grid, fleece [0090] 2600 Fastening means, flange, thread [0091] 2610 Fastening means, flange, thread [0092] 2300 UV lamp [0093] 2310 Electrical power connection [0094] 2311 Seal [0095] 401 Pipe for input water, raw water, water to be treated, feed [0096] 402 Reverse osmosis tank [0097] 421 First chamber of reverse osmosis tank [0098] 422 Second chamber of reverse osmosis tank [0099] 403 Permeate line, line for treated water [0100] 404 Waste water line for first permeate [0101] 406 Pipe/concentrate line [0102] 407 Wastewater sewer [0103] 411 Semi-permeable membrane [0104] 38 Extraction point [0105] 100 Water treatment device [0106] 300 Backwash filter [0107] 301 Membrane filter [0108] 302 Membrane [0109] D Direction of flow