Abstract: A process is provided for treating aqueous waste or groundwater contaminated with nitro-containing organic chemicals to degrade the compound sufficiently to permit disposal of the waste or groundwater.

Abstract: New systems for the purification of liquids containing suspended solids and/or dissolved solid materials basically include a conical flocculator unit and a conjoined conical clarifier unit. The flocculator has a cylindrical lower portion, frustum middle portion and large diameter cylindrical top portion while the clarifier is essentially a large diameter cylindrical top portion over a lower frustum portion. Water or other liquid to be purified enters the flocculator lower portion via opposed, unequally sized nozzles to assume a helical flow upward past a series of deflector plates positioned at the top of the lower flocculator portion while a sludge blanket forms therein. A double flume plus slot arrangement located at the junction of the flocculator with the clarifier separates solids from liquid as fluid flow from the flocculator passes into the clarifier where it is subjected to further separation of sludge from clarified liquid with part of the sludge being recycled to the flocculator.

Abstract: The present invention describes a novel method and apparatus for treating and/or disinfecting water and/or wastewater wherein the contact vessel may be sealed and may be under greater than atmospheric pressure having a detention time of no more than 5 minutes.

Abstract: Disclosed is method and apparatus for separating a light liquid component from a heavier liquid component. A holding tank holding a mixture of the light and heavy liquid has an outlet discharging into a separation tank. An underflow weir is provided in a separation tank adjacent the point of discharge to direct outflow beneath the surface underflow weir and the light liquid rises to the surface on the downstream side of the underflow weir to concentrate in a small vertical column in a portion of the separation tank to form an upper layer. A sensor in the separation tank senses sufficient light liquid in the vertical column and operates a removal pump to remove the light liquid from the vertical column. With removal of the light liquid, heavy liquid rises and the sensor senses the heavy liquid and stops the light liquid removal before the heavy liquid is also removed. Heavy liquid from the separation tank is recirculated, being directed across the surface of the holding tank in a downstream direction.

Abstract: Heavy metal ions react with ferrous dithionite in acidic aqueous solution. They are reduced to metallic particles that are suitable for recycling and reuse when recovered from the acidic water. When chelating agents are present, they are deactivated by bonding to the ferrous ions. Ferrous dithionite, (FeS.sub.2 O.sub.4) is either generated in-situ or ferrous ions and dithionite ions can be provided by other methods.

Abstract: A method for treating wastewater having a pH of between about 0.1 and 14 and containing dissolved heavy metals, in which a substantial portion of the heavy metals is precipitated as crystallized solids embedded within an insoluble monoclinic calcium sulfate crystal to produce a purified effluent having a pH of between 8 and 9.

Abstract: Biological decontamination and the avoidance of accumulation of dissolved solids are both achieved in captured and recirculated water systems by a continuously operating system involving the use of a chemical filtration unit, removal of dissolved solids as they are concentrated at the filtration unit, a disinfectant treatment, and the protection of the chemical filtration unit from degradation by the disinfectant where necessary.

Abstract: The improved method employs hydrocarbon wax, preferably paraffin wax, as the cleaning agent for petroleum oil spill slicks. The method includes spraying the molten wax on the petroleum oil-covered surface of, for example, an ocean or a coastline, allowing the wax to solidify on such surface, thereby entraining large volumes of hydrocarbon oil, then removing the solidified wax with entrained petroleum oil from the surface. The method is repeated as often as is needed in order to fully strip the surface of the petroleum oil. The wax is recovered by heating the mixture of the solidified wax with the entrained petroleum oil therein until the wax melts, after which it is decanted from the petroleum oil and is ready for reuse in the method. Preferably, the molten wax is paraffin heated to about 75.degree.-100.degree. C. in order to fully fluidize it so that it can be sprayed easily onto the oil-fouled surface.

Abstract: A method for reducing industrial or urban effluent COD is described, comprising treating said effluents with an aqueous solution of alkaline and/or ammonium salts or humic acids perpared by the dry oxidation of coal with oxygen or oxygen/nitrogen mixtures at a temperture of between 120 and 350.degree. C. at an oxygen partial pressure of between 0.1 and 10 ata for a contact time of between 15 and 600 minutes, followed by extraction of the crude oxidation product with an alkaline and/or ammoniacal solution, characterised in that said aqueous solution is fed into effluent, the pH of which has been previously adjusted to between 1 and 3.5, to the extent that the humic acid salts which exhibit flocculating action are in a concentration of less than or equal to 2000 mg/1 of effluent.

Abstract: A two-stage process for treating acidic gypsum pond water for reuse or for discharge is disclosed. The first stage blends raw acidic pond water with recycled lime-treated slurry from the second stage of the process. The resulting elevation in pH causes CaF.sub.2 and SiO.sub.2 to precipitate and the precipitated material is discarded onto the gypsum storage area. The supernatant water can be used in the wet grinding mill and/or further treated in a second stage with lime to produce treated water which meets government environment standards for discharge. The slurry of calcium phosphate formed in the second (liming) stage is recycled to the first stage.

Abstract: A method for separation of PVA from an aqueous solution thereof such as the waste water containing PVA from the pretreatment of a textile product, in which a peroxosulfate such as ammonium peroxosulfate is added to an aqueous PVA solution, particularly in an acidic condition with addition of sulfuric acid, at a temperature above 70.degree. C. for the separation of PVA, and as a result the thus separated PVA contains only a small amount of water in the range of about 60-70% and can easily be treated.

Abstract: A process for obtaining a material possessing glucose tolerance factor activity and capable of binding with insulin including the steps of (i) contacting a eukaryotic cell mass with a mixture of water and alcohol to form a water phase and an alcohol phase; (ii) separating the alcohol phase from the water phase and isolating a water phase extract; and (iii) subjecting the water phase extract to gel exclusion chromatography, eluting all material having a molecular weight of approximately 720 to 1120 to obtain a material possessing glucose tolerance factor activity and capable of binding with insulin.

Abstract: A chelation process and apparatus for treating an acid solution, namely nitric acid photoengraving etchant, having a high concentration of magnesium and having a heavy metal contaminant produced by zinc leached during etching. The process requires adjusting pH of a batch quantity of the etch solution to a value permitting chelating to occur and mixing carbamic sodium salt hydrate chelating agent with the solution in quantity sufficient to cause precipitation from the solution of a carbamic salt compound precipitate of the contaminant, and separating the precipitate from the remaining solution by filter press for removal from the solution for safe environmental disposal. The remaining liquor is safely sewered. The apparatus is mobile for use on photoengraving premises.

Abstract: The present invention describes a filter medium and a method of filtering metals from liquids, such as waste water, in which the metals are filtered from the liquids and are chemically fixed in the resulting filter cake in a nonhazardous and nontoxic form so that they may be disposed of in nonhazardous landfills. When all or a portion of the metals are dissolved, they are first precipitated and then filtered and chemically fixed.

Abstract: Substantially the last traces of radon are removed from typical well water at subterranean temperatures prior to significant pressurization of the water by displacement of the radon by a stream of compressed air, such radon mixing with the air vented from the system. Other objectionable gases in well water are removed concurrently with radon.

Abstract: A method is provided for selectively treating flocculated heavy metal contaminated iron-based sludges from an industrial waste water treatment process. The method removes the heavy metal contaminants with a minimum loss of the iron therein. The method comprises dissolving the sludge in hydrochloric acid to produce a ferric chloride solution. The solution is filtered to remove precipitated heavy metal salts, such as lead chloride. The filtrate containing the remaining heavy metal chlorides and ferric chloride is then cooled or otherwise treated to remove additional heavy metal chlorides. The remaining ferric chloride based solution is then reduced (exposed to iron powder) to a ferrous chloride solution and heavy metals. After filtration of any additional precipitated heavy metals, the ferrous chloride solution is ready for recycling.

Abstract: A method of processing hydrocarbon substances including coal, heavy crude oil, and bitumen by hydrogenating the hydrocarbon substance with a gas containing from 20%-100% hydrogen at a pressure in the range of from 50 bar to 700 bar and at a temperature in the range of from 250.degree. C. to 600.degree. C. to produce a hydrogenation residue which is treated in a secondary stripping operation using hydrogen gas at a pressure between about 1.2 bar and 150 bar to recover light hydrocarbon gases from the hydrogenation residue.

Abstract: A method for introducing pure hot-spring water directly transported from a spa into baths of a spa house and for maintaining the purity and the freshness of the introduced water. Pure hot-spring water directly transported from a spa by a transportation means is supplied into an underground reservoir. The supplied water is pumped by means of a primary pump, then warmed to a certain temperature by means of a first heat exchanger utilizing warm circulating water warmed by a boiler. The warmed hot-spring water is stored in a storage tank. When the water level in a hot-spring water bath has lowered, hot-spring water is pumped from the storage tank into the bath by means of a secondary pump. When the hot-spring water in the bath is contaminated, the hot-spring water is circulated in such a manner that the water is first passed through a filter for hot-spring water to have the contamination contained therein removed, then returned to the bath.

Abstract: A method of precipitating metals from a spent geothermal brine containing the same comprises admixing the geothermal brine with a condensate of steam, derived from the brine, in a volume ratio of brine to condensate of 1:2 to 1:10. The invention is particularly applicable to geothermal brine processes for the production of electric power, such as are practiced at the Salton Sea.

Abstract: A method for controlling zebra mussels in aqueous systems comprising treating aqueous systems which contain zebra mussels or which are prone to zebra mussel infestation with an effective amount of a composition comprising a) a water-soluble dialkyl diallyl quaternary ammonium polymer (polyquat); and b) didecyl dimethyl ammonium halide. A preferred polymer is a poly(quaternary ammonium) compound having the recurring structure [DMDAAX.sup.- ] resulting from the polymerization of monomeric dimethyl diallyl ammonium X.sup.-, wherein X.sup.- is any suitable anion.