Abstract: The subject of the invention is an insurance claim and/or financial transaction processing system for parametric risk related claims and/or performance warranty related transactions that can be processed using transparency and in a rapid manner wherein the performance or insurance is transacted using sensors and/or analytics. The invention also includes a marketplace where parties can enter or leave, buy or sell, a transaction or transactions associated with an insurance or financial transaction. The system enables aggregation and/or distribution of risk, performance obligations or investments, and aggregation/distribution and/or syndication of insurers or bankers, crowdsourcing/crowdfunding and/or participation of individuals and small groups within the transaction system. The integration of investment, insurance risk conditionalities and performance guarantees within a single exchangeable system is also envisioned. Transaction re-risking and de-risking and associated payments or payouts is also envisioned.

Abstract: A system and method for using financial instruments to provide investment incentive to fund disaster mitigation projects and/or ecosystem restoration projects triggered by real world events detected at set points by sensors and analyzed by computing devices. The detection of events results in the computational analysis and determination of a characteristics of a resilience bond or ecosystem-service bond to be issued or returned to investors. Examples involve sensors used to detect events, including flood damage mitigation, earthquake damage mitigation, or air quality improvement. In one preferred embodiment of the disclosure an investor may make an initial payment into a financial instrument being a resilience bond used to fund a mitigation project, said financial instrument pays phases to the mitigation project developer at the completion of phases of the project that occur prior to the occurrence of a disaster.

Abstract: The subject of this invention is to use beneficial reactive support media in the form of reactive support bases or stratums that provide structural or biochemical benefits to the growth or function (including agglutination) of biofilms. The functional aspect includes the provision of a polymeric, cellulosic or silicic framework. The framework could also contain charge moieties such as cations, anions, amines or carboxyl groups whose pKa's allow them to be charged at the physiological pH for an organism. For example, a cation may provide a positive charge to help the adherence of a negative charge exocellular polymeric substance. The reactive support media may include biodegradable or refractory plastics, alginates or uronic acids or extracted bacterial EPS. These materials are reacted, retained or removed based on their physical characteristics.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system, apparatus, and business method for using financial instruments to provide investment incentive to fund disaster mitigation projects and/or ecosystem restoration projects triggered by real world events detected at set points by sensors and analyzed by computing devices. The detection of events results in the computational analysis and determination of a characteristics of a resilience bond or ecosystem-service bond to be issued or returned to investors. Examples involve sensors used to detect events, including flood damage mitigation, earthquake damage mitigation, or air quality improvement. In one preferred embodiment of the disclosure an investor may make an initial payment into a financial instrument being a resilience bond used to fund a mitigation project, said financial instrument pays phases to the mitigation project developer at the completion of phases of the project that occur prior to the occurrence of a disaster.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to physical selection, deselection or outselection for smaller, less dense, sheared or compressed particles in sludge, wherein the first deselection step occurs at the reactor or at a clarification step, by separately deselecting for such particles and then a second deselection step occurs in an external selector. This double deselection promotes the more efficient removal of slow settling particles, while simultaneously allowing for maintenance of multiple solids residence times for fast and slow growing organisms. The deselection in a clarifier occurs typically at the periphery of the tank or at the surface of a blanket using a positive or negative pressure device. Structures such as slotted or perforated plates, pipes or manifolds can be used to assist in such deselection. Baffles can also be used for such deselection.

Abstract: A methodology, system and apparatus are provided that include anoxic biofilms to perform partial denitrification and anammox (PdNA) reactions. The PdNA reactions can facilitate process intensification and carbon efficient biological nitrogen removal. The anoxic biofilms can be placed in a pre-anoxic zone or a downstream anoxic zone, where the biofilm and reactions are managed, including using storage compounds, to overcome mass transfer limitations in the biofilm. The methodology, system and apparatus can, when compared to state-of-the art technologies, improve the concentration gradient or reduce mass transfer limitations to facilitate PdNA reactions.

Abstract: The subject of the invention is an insurance claim and/or financial transaction processing system for parametric risk related claims and/or performance warranty related transactions that can be processed using transparency and in a rapid manner wherein the performance or insurance is transacted using sensors and/or analytics. The invention also includes a marketplace where parties can enter or leave, buy or sell, a transaction or transactions associated with an insurance or financial transaction. The system enables aggregation and/or distribution of risk, performance obligations or investments, and aggregation/distribution and/or syndication of insurers or bankers, crowdsourcing/crowdfunding and/or participation of individuals and small groups within the transaction system. The integration of investment, insurance risk conditionalities and performance guarantees within a single exchangeable system is also envisioned. Transaction re-risking and de-risking and associated payments or payouts is also envisioned.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system, apparatus, and business method for using financial instruments to provide investment incentive to fund disaster mitigation projects and/or ecosystem restoration projects triggered by real world events detected at set points by sensors and analyzed by computing devices. The detection of events results in the computational analysis and determination of a characteristics of a resilience bond or ecosystem-service bond to be issued or returned to investors. Examples involve sensors used to detect events, including flood damage mitigation, earthquake damage mitigation, or air quality improvement. In one preferred embodiment of the disclosure an investor may make an initial payment into a financial instrument being a resilience bond used to fund a mitigation project, said financial instrument pays phases to the mitigation project developer at the completion of phases of the project that occur prior to the occurrence of a disaster.

Abstract: A method and a system for selecting and retaining solids with superior settling characteristics, the method comprising feeding wastewater to an input of a processor that carries out a treatment process on the wastewater, outputting processed wastewater at an output of the processor, feeding the processed wastewater to an input of a gravimetric selector that selects solids with superior settling characteristics, and outputting a recycle stream at a first output of the gravimetric selector back to the processor.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for biological wastewater treatment that includes a biological selector and a physical selector. The apparatus comprises an internal biological reactor where wastewater and recycled biomass are combined to provide a high substrate and high electron acceptor gradient for generating morphological biomass features that favor granule formation over floc and filament formation, and an external gravimetric or external screen selector operating on the biomass waste stream for collecting and retaining densified biomass aggregates including dense granule selection and for wasting lighter filaments and flocs. In the method and apparatus, particles may be added to provide cores to promote the formation of aggregates encapsulating the seeded particles. The particles may be added as various materials, for example, in the bioreactor, to initiate or seed the formation of a granule, that could then be separated by or integrated with either the external gravimetric or external screen selector.

Abstract: A method and a system for selecting and retaining solids with superior settling characteristics, the method comprising feeding wastewater to an input of a processor that carries out a treatment process on the wastewater, outputting processed wastewater at an output of the processor, feeding the processed wastewater to an input of a gravimetric selector that selects solids with superior settling characteristics, and outputting a recycle stream at a first output of the gravimetric selector back to the processor.

Abstract: A method and a system for selecting and retaining solids with superior settling characteristics, the method comprising feeding wastewater to an input of a processor that carries out a treatment process on the wastewater, outputting processed wastewater at an output of the processor, feeding the processed wastewater to an input of a gravimetric selector that selects solids with superior settling characteristics, and outputting a recycle stream at a first output of the gravimetric selector back to the processor.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for biological wastewater treatment that includes a biological selector and a physical selector. The apparatus comprises an internal biological reactor where wastewater and recycled biomass are combined to provide a high substrate and high electron acceptor gradient for generating morphological biomass features that favor granule formation over floc and filament formation, and an external gravimetric or external screen selector operating on the biomass waste stream for collecting and retaining densified biomass aggregates including dense granule selection and for wasting lighter filaments and flocs. In the method and apparatus, particles may be added to provide cores to promote the formation of aggregates encapsulating the seeded particles. The particles may be added as various materials, for example, in the bioreactor, to initiate or seed the formation of a granule, that could then be separated by or integrated with either the external gravimetric or external screen selector.

Abstract: A method and a system for selecting and retaining solids with superior settling characteristics, the method comprising feeding wastewater to an input of a processor that carries out a treatment process on the wastewater, outputting processed wastewater at an output of the processor, feeding the processed wastewater to an input of a gravimetric selector that selects solids with superior settling characteristics, and outputting a recycle stream at a first output of the gravimetric selector back to the processor.

Abstract: An efficient system and process for removing nitrogen from wastewater while enriching seed sludge in the mainstream treatment process. Bioaugmentation of seed autotrophic organisms facilitate the nitrification reactions by enhancing the rates of reaction advantageously within a smaller volume or within a shorter activated sludge solids retention time. Likewise, bioaugmentation of seed denitrification organisms will also enhance rate of reaction within a smaller volume or shorter activated sludge solids retention time. Separate treatment of high ammonia digester reject water is an efficient method to treat nitrogen in recycle streams as well as to enrich the seed nitrifying and denitrifying cultures.

Abstract: An improved process for sludge treatment includes anaerobic digestion followed by post-mesophilic aerobic and/or anoxic digestion. The first anaerobic step may be performed under either mesophilic or thermophilic conditions. The subsequent aerobic/anoxic digestion may be performed using either simultaneous, sequential or pulsed aerobic and anoxic conditions. An apparatus for performing the improved sludge treatment may be one digester for performing the anaerobic followed by aerobic/anoxic digestion. Alternatively, the system for performing the improved sludge treatment techniques may be at least two digest reactors.

Abstract: An efficient system and process for removing nitrogen from wastewater while enriching seed sludge in the mainstream treatment process. Bioaugmentation of seed autotrophic organisms facilitate the nitrification reactions by enhancing the rates of reaction advantageously within a smaller volume or within a shorter activated sludge solids retention time. Likewise, bioaugmentation of seed denitrification organisms will also enhance rate of reaction within a smaller volume or shorter activated sludge solids retention time. Separate treatment of high ammonia digester reject water is an efficient method to treat nitrogen in recycle streams as well as to enrich the seed nitrifying and denitrifying cultures.

Abstract: A traffic monitoring system and method allow for remote monitoring of traffic sites by a plurality of users. A plurality of traffic monitoring devices record data related to traffic events. The data is encoded and communicated to a central server using wireless paging technology. The central server decodes and distributes the communicated data and makes the data available to a plurality of remote users.