Patents by Inventor Graham Lea

Graham Lea has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240043298
    Abstract: The Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process creates significant amounts of water. This FT produced water contains significant amounts of organic impurities. The invention provides methods of treating FT produced water. Surprisingly, it was discovered that the FT produced water could be successfully treated in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) according to relatively simple and more efficient steps; for example, by adjusting the pH of the water in the range of 4.2 to 5.8 or treating the FT produced water in a stripper where the distillate product stream and a reflux stream returning to the stripper have the same composition. In a related aspect, water compositions are described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2023
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Inventors: Graham Lea, Ivan Philip Greager, Laura J. Silva
  • Patent number: 11739014
    Abstract: The Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process creates significant amounts of water. The invention provides an aqueous composition comprising specified amounts of dissolved and suspended solids, low chemical oxygen demand and low chlorine demand, pH in the range of 6.5 to 8.0, where the aqueous composition comprises organic carbon derived from fossil sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Velocys Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventors: Graham Lea, Ivan Philip Greager, Laura J. Silva
  • Publication number: 20230202945
    Abstract: In a process for treating wastewater from a combined gasification and Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) process, feedstock derived from Municipal Solid Waste or the like is gasified in a reactor (R) and treated in a cleanup unit (C) which generates a first wastewater stream (1st WWT STREAM) containing salts and inorganic pollutants. The first wastewater stream is treated in a treatment unit (T1) to remove inorganic pollutants derived from the syngas The treatment comprises a) degassing, and subsequently b) neutralising the first wastewater stream before treatment in a Dissolved Air Flotation unit (72c) and filtering in a moving sand bed or similar (72d) to remove solids, and a stripping process to remove ammonia. A second wastewater stream (2nd WWT Stream) containing organic pollutants but being low in salts arises from the F-T process and is treated separately to allow recycling within the F-T process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Publication date: June 29, 2023
    Inventor: Graham LEA
  • Publication number: 20210292204
    Abstract: In a process for treating wastewater from a combined gasification and Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) process, feedstock derived from Municipal Solid Waste or the like is gasified in a reactor (R) and treated in a cleanup unit (C) which generates a first wastewater stream (1st WWT STREAM) containing salts and inorganic pollutants. The first wastewater stream is treated in a treatment unit (T1) to remove inorganic pollutants derived from the syngas. The treatment comprises a) degassing, and subsequently b) neutralising the first wastewater stream before treatment in a Dissolved Air Flotation unit (72c) and filtering in a moving sand bed or similar (72d) to remove solids, and a stripping process to remove ammonia. A second wastewater stream (2nd WWT Stream) containing organic pollutants but being low in salts arises from the F-T process and is treated separately to allow recycling within the F-T process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2021
    Publication date: September 23, 2021
    Inventor: Graham LEA
  • Publication number: 20200071212
    Abstract: The Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process creates significant amounts of water. This FT produced water contains significant amounts of organic impurities. The invention provides methods of treating FT produced water. Surprisingly, it was discovered that the FT produced water could be successfully treated in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) according to relatively simple and more efficient steps; for example, by adjusting the pH of the water in the range of 4.2 to 5.8 or treating the FT produced water in a stripper where the distillate product stream and a reflux stream returning to the stripper have the same composition. In a related aspect, water compositions are described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2019
    Publication date: March 5, 2020
    Inventors: Graham Lea, Ivan Philip Greager, Laura J. Silva
  • Patent number: 10435318
    Abstract: The Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process creates significant amounts of water. This FT produced water contains significant amounts of organic impurities. The invention provides methods of treating FT produced water. Surprisingly, it was discovered that the FT produced water could be successfully treated in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) according to relatively simple and more efficient steps; for example, by adjusting the pH of the water in the range of 4.2 to 5.8 or treating the FT produced water in a stripper where the distillate product stream and a reflux stream returning to the stripper have the same composition. In a related aspect, water compositions are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Velocys Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventors: Graham Lea, Ivan Philip Greager, Laura J. Silva
  • Publication number: 20160075579
    Abstract: The Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process creates significant amounts of water. This FT produced water contains significant amounts of organic impurities. The invention provides methods of treating FT produced water. Surprisingly, it was discovered that the FT produced water could be successfully treated in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) according to relatively simple and more efficient steps; for example, by adjusting the pH of the water in the range of 4.2 to 5.8 or treating the FT produced water in a stripper where the distillate product stream and a reflux stream returning to the stripper have the same composition. In a related aspect, water compositions are described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2015
    Publication date: March 17, 2016
    Inventors: Graham Lea, Ivan Philip Greager, Laura J. Silva