Low concentration wastewater treatment system and process

摘要

A low concentration wastewater treatment system is provided that includes a high flux adsorbent material treatment system integrated with a low flux adsorbent material biological regeneration reactor. The high flux adsorbent material treatment system includes one or more unit operations for mixing low concentration wastewater with adsorbent material that is fresh, recycled, or a combination of both, and for decanting a liquid effluent having a reduced level of contaminants. The adsorbent material with adsorbed contaminants is regenerated in a low flux adsorbent material biological regeneration reactor in which a biological reaction occurs, such as biological oxidation, wherein organic contaminants in the wastewater are metabolized generally into carbon dioxide and water. Excess biomass is removed from the adsorbent material, and the thus-regenerated adsorbent material is recycled to the high flux adsorbent material treatment system.

主权项

1. A method for treating wastewater comprising:
mixing wastewater containing contaminants with adsorbent material in a mixing zone for a time sufficient for adsorption of the contaminants from the wastewater onto the adsorbent material to produce a mixture of treated wastewater and adsorbent material having contaminants adsorbed thereon; separating and removing a major portion of the treated wastewater from the mixture of treated wastewater and adsorbent material having contaminants adsorbed thereon; passing the adsorbent material having contaminants adsorbed thereon and a minor portion of the treated wastewater to a biological regeneration reactor containing microorganisms; retaining the adsorbent material having contaminants adsorbed thereon and the minor portion of the treated wastewater in suspension in the biological regeneration reactor for a period of time that is sufficient to allow the microorganisms in the biological regeneration reactor to biologically act on at least a portion of the contaminants on the adsorbent material to produce a regenerated adsorbent material and a biologically treated water effluent; discharging the biologically treated water effluent from the biological regeneration reactor; passing the biologically treated water effluent to a membrane operating system,
wherein the biological regeneration reactor water effluent is passed through a separation subsystem
in the biological regeneration reactor ordownstream of the biological regeneration reactor and between the biological regeneration reactor and the membrane operating system, to introduce the biological regeneration reactor water effluent, substantially free of adsorbent material, to the membrane operating system; discharging membrane-treated effluent from the membrane operating system; and recycling the regenerated adsorbent material to the mixing zone.