Waste to Product On Site Generator

Abstract

Method and apparatus for adjusting the salinity and/or hardness of a process waste stream so that the stream may be electrolyzed to form an oxidant or disinfectant. Also an electrolytic cell having certain features such as widely spaced electrodes, flushing capabilities, and insulating dividers that can accommodate waste streams that have varying salinity, hardness, and dissolved solids content.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for producing an oxidant, the method comprising:
 adjusting the salinity and/or hardness of a waste stream thereby forming a brine solution; and   electrolyzing the brine solution to produce at least one oxidant.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the adjusting step comprises measuring the salinity and/or hardness of the waste stream. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the adjusting step comprises adding water or processed water to the waste stream to reduce the salinity of the waste stream. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising varying the relative flow rates of the waste stream and the water or processed water being input into an electrolytic cell. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the adjusting step comprises adding a saturated or near saturated salt solution to the waste stream to increase the salinity of the waste stream. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising varying the relative flow rates of the waste stream and the saturated or near saturated salt solution being input into an electrolytic cell. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the adjusting step comprises treating the waste stream by a method selected from the group consisting of softening, ion exchange, filtering, and reverse osmosis. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the brine solution has a salinity between approximately 10 g/L and 40 g/L. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the adjusting step reduces a cleaning frequency of the electrolytic cell. 
     
     
         10 . A method for cleaning an electrolytic cell, the method comprising:
 measuring a salinity and hardness of a waste stream to be electrolyzed;   calculating a frequency for cleaning the electrolytic cell based on the measured salinity and hardness of the waste stream and a spacing between electrodes of the electrolytic cell; and   cleaning the electrolytic cell in accordance with the calculated frequency.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the cleaning step comprises reversing a polarity of the electrolytic cell. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the cleaning step comprises flushing solid contaminants from the electrolytic cell. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the solid contaminants are flushed from the electrolytic cell once or twice a day or after the electrolytic cell was cleaned by reversing the polarity of the electrolytic cell. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10  further comprising adjusting the salinity and/or hardness of the waste stream, thereby reducing the cleaning frequency. 
     
     
         15 . An electrolytic cell for electrolyzing a waste stream, the electrolytic cell comprising:
 one or more devices for adjusting a flow rate of the waste stream entering an electrolytic cell;   one or more dispersion tubes for transporting the waste stream into said electrolytic cell;   a plurality of holes in said dispersion tubes, said holes angled to direct a flow of the waste stream toward bottom edges of said electrolytic cell; and   one or more insulators substantially parallel to electrodes in said electrolytic cell and extending from a bottom of said electrolytic cell to at least a level of bottoms of said electrodes.   
     
     
         16 . The electrolytic cell of  claim 15  wherein the additive stream comprises water, processed water, a saturated salt solution, or a near saturated salt solution. 
     
     
         17 . The electrolytic cell of  claim 15  wherein at least one of the devices can flush the cell with the waste stream or water at a flushing flow velocity higher than an operational flow velocity of the waste stream. 
     
     
         18 . The electrolytic cell of  claim 17  wherein the flushing flow velocity is at least twice the operational flow velocity. 
     
     
         19 . The electrolytic cell of  claim 15  wherein spacing between adjacent holes is between approximately 0.5″ and approximately 2″. 
     
     
         20 . The electrolytic cell of  claim 15  comprising electrodes which are spaced more widely than electrodes in an electrolytic cell designed to produce a similar quantity and strength of oxidants from a controlled brine stream. 
     
     
         21 . The electrolytic cell of  claim 20  comprising intermediate electrodes, wherein spacing between adjacent intermediate electrodes of between approximately 0.15″ and approximately 0.5″. 
     
     
         22 . The electrolytic cell of  claim 21  wherein said spacing is 0.25″+/−0.1″.