Search Patents
  • Patent number: 8506817
    Abstract: Disclosed is an economical process for the purification of water containing soluble and sparingly soluble inorganic compounds using single-stage or two-stage membrane processes that integrate membrane water purification with chemical precipitation softening and residual hardness and silica removal from the membrane concentrates using ion exchange resins and silica sequestering media, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Inventor: Riad Al-Samadi
  • Patent number: 8241503
    Abstract: Disclosed is an economical process for the purification of water containing soluble and sparingly soluble inorganic compounds using single-stage or two-stage membrane processes that integrate membrane water purification with chemical precipitation softening and residual hardness and silica removal from the membrane concentrates using ion exchange resins and silica sequestering media, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Inventor: Riad Al-Samadi
  • Patent number: 8679347
    Abstract: Disclosed is a versatile multi-use high water recovery process that integrates the use of water purification membranes including reverse osmosis and nanofiltration with ion exchange water softening resins in a number of configurations that optimize operation and achieve maximum membrane permeate recoveries while eliminating the use of fresh water, sodium chloride and other chemicals needed to regenerate the IX resin. The invention provides process mobility and flexibility that enable selection of optimum process configurations and features to address variability in the Influent Water quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Inventor: Riad A. Al-Samadi
  • Patent number: 7981295
    Abstract: Disclosed is an economical process for the purification of water containing soluble and sparingly soluble inorganic compounds using single-stage or two-stage membrane processes that integrate membrane water purification with chemical precipitation softening and residual hardness and silica removal from the membrane concentrates using ion exchange resins and silica sequestering media, respectively. The purified water recovery is not adversely affected by design and/or operational deficiencies in the chemical precipitation softening system that may result in higher residual hardness and silica in the supernatant from the clarifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Inventor: Riad A. Al-Samadi
  • Patent number: 6416668
    Abstract: This invention discloses a cost-effective process for separating contaminants and a wide-range of fouling material from surface water, ground water and from industrial effluents. Having undergone effective pre-treatment, the water can be purified further by using high-surface area spirally wound micro-filtration (MF), ultra-filtration (UF), nano-filtration (NF) or reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. High-quality potable water free from pathogen and other contaminants is thus produced at low-cost from the pre-treated surface water and ground-water. Conversely, pre-treated industrial effluents are further purified at a relatively low-cost using NF or RO membranes, thus producing water suitable for recycle or surface discharge. The process of this invention uses cationic inorganic and/or polymeric flocculants to coagulate and flocculate the water-borne colloidal matter (e.g. clays, iron hydroxides, naturally occurring matter (NOM's), etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Inventor: Riad A. Al-Samadi
  • Patent number: 6461514
    Abstract: Disclosed is an economical single stage membrane process intended to provide very high overall water recoveries from natural sources or wastewater containing high concentrations of hardness and other inorganic scale-forming compounds while preventing scale formation on the membrane and prolonging the useful life of the membrane. The water is first pre-treated in order to separate all suspended matter using a suitable oil separation device, dissolved air flotation, coagulation, flocculation, clarification, single or multi-media filtration, ultra-filtration, micro-filtration or a suitable combination of these pre-treatment steps. The pre-treated water is then purified using a simple, economical single stage membrane system operating at a suitable pressure depending on the water TDS and desired permeate recovery. In order to prevent scale formation on the membranes, the membrane concentrate is softened using a “low-cost” ion exchange softening resin with high selectivity for hardness precursors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2002
    Inventor: Riad A. Al-Samadi