Treatment and regeneration system and method for extracting organic solutes from-water

Abstract

Provided is a system and method for extracting organic solutes from water with a filter media. The system and method allow for regenerating the filter media following treatment of a water supply containing one or more organic solutes to allow the media to be reused for subsequent water treatment operations. The system and method also allows for regeneration of the displacement fluid for reuse in the regeneration of the media with recovery of at least one or more organic solutes from the displacement fluid. Additionally, the system and method allows for substantially continuous treatment of a water supply and regeneration of a filter media.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of regenerating a filter media comprising:
 providing a filter media comprising one or more organic solutes adsorbed thereto;   treating the filter media with a displacement fluid, wherein the displacement fluid extracts at least one or more organic solutes from the filter media to provide a waste displacement fluid.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the displacement fluid is a liquid. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the displacement fluid is a gas. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising treating the waste displacement fluid to separate the at least one or more organic solutes from the waste displacement fluid. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the displacement fluid is a liquid and treating the waste displacement fluid comprises subjecting the waste displacement fluid to (i) a temperature, (ii) a pressure, or (iii) both (i) and (ii) to obtain a recycled displacement fluid by causing the displacement fluid to vaporize and at least one or more organic solutes to remain in a liquid state or to drop out as a solid. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the displacement fluid is a gas, and treating the waste displacement fluid comprises subjecting the waste displacement fluid to (i) a temperature, (ii) a pressure, or (iii) both (i) and (ii) to obtain a recycled displacement fluid by causing at least one or more organic solutes to drop out of the waste displacement fluid as a liquid or a solid. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5  comprising using the recycled displacement fluid in the step of treating the filter media. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein at least one or more organic solutes separated from the displacement fluid are collected for disposal, reuse, or recovery. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the filter media is chosen from organosilica particles, porous polymeric beads, silica particles, functionalized sand, activated alumina, activated carbon or charcoal, a zeolite, a molecular sieve, a silica gel, a metal oxide or mixed metal oxide, an organophilic polymeric sorbent, an ion exchange resin, a silica alumina, or a combination of two or more thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the displacement fluid is chosen from a saturated fluorocarbon, an unsaturated fluorocarbon, a chlorofluorocarbon, a hydrochlorofluorocarbon, a fluoroether, a hydrocarbon, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, argon, dimethyl ether, ammonia, iodotrifluoromethane, or a combination of two or more thereof 
     
     
         11 . The method of any of  claim 1 , wherein treating the filter media with a displacement fluid comprises (i) treating the filter media with a first displacement fluid to remove a first set of one or more organic solutes from the filter media; and (ii) treating the filter media with a second displacement fluid to remove a second set of one or more organic solutes from the filter media. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein treating with the first displacement fluid (i) and treating with the second displacement fluid are performed in separate, successive steps. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11  comprising purging the filter media following the treatment with the first displacement fluid and prior to the treatment with the second displacement fluid. 
     
     
         14 . A method for the extraction of an organic solute from an aqueous solution comprising:
 (i) supplying a water supply containing one or more organic solutes to a first filter media for extracting organic solutes from the water supply containing one or more organic solutes until the first filter media becomes saturated or partially saturated;   (ii) upon the first filter media becoming saturated or partially saturated:
 (a) stopping the flow of the water supply containing one or more organic solutes to the first filter media and switching the flow of the water supply containing one or more organic solutes to a second filter media for extracting organic solutes from the water supply; and 
 (b) regenerating the first filter media by supplying a gaseous or liquid displacement fluid to the first filter media to extract organic solutes from the filter media; 
   (iii) treating the water supply containing one or more organic solutes with the second filter media until the second filter media becomes saturated or partially saturated;   (iv) upon the second filter media becoming saturated or partially saturated:
 (a) stopping the flow of the water supply containing one or more organic solutes to the second filter media and switching the flow of the water supply containing one or more organic solutes back to the first filter media to extract organic solutes from the water supply; and 
 (b) regenerating the second media filter by supplying a gaseous or liquid displacement fluid to the first filter media to extract organic solutes from the filter media; and 
 (c) switching the flow of the water supply containing one or more organic solutes to the first filter media after regeneration of the first filter media is completed and treating the water supply containing one or more organic solutes with the first filter media until the first filter media becomes saturated. 
   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  comprising repeating steps (ii)-(iv). 
     
     
         16 . A system for treating a water supply containing one or more organic solutes comprising:
 a first filter media housing having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet of the first filter media housing being in communication with a water supply containing one or more organic solutes;   a second filter media housing having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet of the second filter media housing being in communication with a water supply containing one or more organic solutes;   a displacement fluid vessel for a displacement fluid to extract one or more organic solutes from and regenerate the first filter media and the second filter media, the displacement fluid vessel in fluid communication with the inlet of the first filter media housing and the inlet of the second filter media housing;   a first valve to control the flow of the water supply containing one or more organic solutes to the first filter media housing;   a second valve to control the flow of the water supply containing one or more organic solutes to the second filter media housing;   a third valve to control the flow of the displacement fluid to the first filter media housing;   a fourth valve to control the flow of the displacement fluid to the second filter media housing.