System and Process for Removing Nitrogen Compounds and Odors from Wastewater and Wastewater Treatment System

Abstract

A treatment system for water having contaminants includes a contaminant-removing tank processing the contaminated water, the tank comprising an interior and a floor defining therebelow at least one depression having a conical shape that upwardly expands from a nadir to the floor, a fluidized bed within the at least one depression and defining a lower bed portion, and a manifold fluidically connected to a contaminated water supply and directing the contaminated water towards the nadir of the depression into the lower bed portion of the fluidized bed to act as a bioreactive filter that removes contaminants out from the contaminated water when the contaminated water flows through the fluidized bed and into the interior of the tank.

1 . A treatment system for water having contaminants, the system comprising:
 a reservoir outputting contaminated water at a pump head; and   a water processing plant processing the contaminated water from the pump head and comprising:
 a first contaminant-removing stage comprising:
 a tank having:
 an interior; and 
 a floor defining therebelow at least one depression having a conical shape that upwardly expands from a nadir to the floor; 
 
 a fluidized bed within the at least one depression and defining a lower bed portion; and 
 a manifold fluidically connected to the pump head and directing the contaminated water towards the nadir of the depression into the lower bed portion of the fluidized bed to act as a bioreactive filter that removes contaminants out from the contaminated water when the contaminated water flows through the fluidized bed and into the interior of the tank; 
 
 a second coagulation stage:
 fluidically connected downstream from the first contaminant-removing stage; and 
 in which a flocculent is added to the contaminated water from the pump head to form floc particles that sink within the second coagulation stage; 
 
 a third sedimentation-removal stage:
 fluidically connected downstream from the second coagulation stage; 
 receiving the floc particles and the contaminated water therein; and 
 settling out the floc particles; 
 
 a fourth filtration stage fluidically connected downstream from the third sedimentation-removal stage to filter the contaminated water and comprising a tank containing particulate removing filter media and outputting filtered water; 
 a fifth disinfection stage fluidically connected downstream from the fourth filtration stage to disinfect the filtered water, the fifth disinfection stage receiving therein fluoride and a disinfectant to kill at least one of bacteria and microorganisms in the filtered water and produce filtered water at an output; and 
 a filtered water storage fluidically connected to the output of the fifth disinfection stage to store the filtered water for consumption. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the at least one depression is a plurality of depressions each having a conical shape that upwardly expands from a nadir to end at the floor;   the fluidized bed is within each of the depressions and defines a respective lower bed portion; and   the manifold is a multiple manifold directing the contaminated water through conduits towards the nadir of each of the depressions into the lower bed portion of each of the fluidized beds to have each depression act as a separate bioreactive filter that removes the contaminants out from the contaminated water when the contaminated water flows through the fluidized bed and into the interior of the tank.   
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one depression has an upper diameter of approximately 8 feet and has a vertical height of between approximately 8 feet and 12 feet. 
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of depressions are twelve in number and each have an upper diameter of approximately 8 feet and a vertical height of between approximately 8 feet and 12 feet. 
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the floor is supported by the ground and the at least one depression protrudes into the ground below the tank and is supported by the ground. 
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the tank has walls that are integral with the floor and the at least one depression as a single watertight unit. 
     
     
         7 . The system according to  claim 2 , which further comprises a contaminated water pump fluidically connected to the reservoir to pump the contaminated water out from the pump head, the manifold being at least one of at the top and above the tank and pressure from the contaminated water pump fluidizes the fluidized bed in the plurality of depressions. 
     
     
         8 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one depression has a cylindrical upper section and has a height taller than a greatest height of the fluidized bed to keep the fluidized bed in place within the at least one depression. 
     
     
         9 . The system according to  claim 2 , wherein the depressions each have a cylindrical upper section and a height taller than a greatest height of the fluidized bed to keep the fluidized bed in place within each of the depressions. 
     
     
         10 . The system according to  claim 1 , which further comprises a gravity feed fluidically connected to the reservoir to flow the contaminated water out from the pump head. 
     
     
         11 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the second coagulation stage has a water surface at a given height; and   the tank of the first contaminant-removing stage has a water surface higher than the given height and gravity feeds liquid in the first contaminant-removing stage into the second coagulation stage.   
     
     
         12 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 movement from the second coagulation stage to the third sedimentation-removal stage is by gravity feed;   movement from the third sedimentation-removal stage to the fourth filtration stage is by gravity feed; and   movement from the fourth filtration stage to the fifth disinfection stage is by gravity feed.   
     
     
         13 . The system according to  claim 1 , which further comprises a storage pump moving the filtered water out from the fifth disinfection stage to the filtered water storage. 
     
     
         14 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the filtered water storage is fluidically connected to a municipal water supply to provide pressurized filtered water. 
     
     
         15 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the filtered water processing plant processing at least seventy million gallons of contaminated water per day. 
     
     
         16 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the fluidized bed is colonized with bacteria indigenous to the reservoir. 
     
     
         17 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the tank holds at least seventy million gallons. 
     
     
         18 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the contaminants are odorants selected from at least one of geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol and reduction in the odorant is up to approximately 90%. 
     
     
         19 . A treatment system for drinking water having contaminants including odorant, the system comprising:
 a reservoir outputting contaminated water at a pump head; and   a drinking water processing plant processing the contaminated water from the pump head and comprising:
 a first odorant-removing stage comprising:
 a tank having:
 an interior; and 
 a floor defining therebelow at least one depression having a conical shape that upwardly expands from a nadir to the floor; 
 
 a fluidized bed within the at least one depression and defining a lower bed portion; and 
 a distribution manifold fluidically connected to the pump head and directing the contaminated water towards the nadir of the depression into the lower bed portion of the fluidized bed to act as a bioreactive filter that removes at least ninety percent of the odorant out from the contaminated water when the contaminated water flows through the fluidized bed and into the interior of the tank; 
 
 a second coagulation stage:
 fluidically connected downstream from the first odorant-removing stage; and 
 in which a flocculent is added to the contaminated water from the pump head to form floc particles that sink within the second coagulation stage; 
 
 a third sedimentation-removal stage:
 fluidically connected downstream from the second coagulation stage; 
 receiving the floc particles and the contaminated water therein; and 
 settling out the floc particles; 
 
 a fourth filtration stage fluidically connected downstream from the third sedimentation-removal stage to filter the contaminated water and comprising a tank containing particulate removing filter media and outputting filtered water; 
 a fifth disinfection stage fluidically connected downstream from the fourth filtration stage to disinfect the filtered water, the fifth disinfection stage receiving therein fluoride and a disinfectant to kill at least one of bacteria and microorganisms in the filtered water and produce drinking water at an output; and 
 a drinking water storage fluidically connected to the output of the fifth disinfection stage to store the drinking water for consumption; and 
   each of the second coagulation stage, the third sedimentation-removal stage, the fourth filtration stage, and the fifth disinfection stage being lower than the previous stage so that the contaminated water from the reservoir only has to be lifted once into the first odorant-removing stage and is gravity fed through the remaining stages.   
     
     
         20 . A treatment system for water having contaminants, the system comprising:
 a contaminant-removing tank processing the contaminated water, the tank comprising:
 an interior; and 
 a floor defining therebelow at least one depression having a conical shape that upwardly expands from a nadir to the floor; 
   a fluidized bed within the at least one depression and defining a lower bed portion; and   a manifold fluidically connected to a contaminated water supply and directing the contaminated water towards the nadir of the depression into the lower bed portion of the fluidized bed to act as a bioreactive filter that removes contaminants out from the contaminated water when the contaminated water flows through the fluidized bed and into the interior of the tank.