Bl Technologies, Inc.

Carsten Owerdieck

Minggang Liu

Nelson Fonseca

Jake Goldstein

Jeffrey Ronald Cumin

Joel Alexander Citulski

Glenn Vicevic

This specification describes a process and apparatus for treating water comprising selenium. A process is described having the steps of treating the wastewater influent using a biological reduction process to produce an intermediary stream and reducing the concentration of unconsumed constituents in the intermediary stream by means of filtration optionally with upstream coagulation or flocculation. When compared to the wastewater influent, the intermediary stream preferably has reduced concentration of the selenium species when compared to the wastewater influent. When compared to the intermediary stream, the effluent preferably has reduced concentration of one or more of the inorganic non-metallic constituents (such as nitrogen, phosphorous and sulphur), metallic constituents or organic constituents. An apparatus is described herein having a fixed film reactor configured to receive a wastewater influent, and a membrane filter configured to receive effluent from the fixed film reactor.

Multi-step system for treating selenium-containing wastewater

A media bed in a biological reactor is backwashed in a plurality of short pulses. An outlet of the reactor is preferably located above, but close to, the top of the bed. During a pulse, the outlet is closed and the bed may be fluidized or otherwise expanded to above the level of the outlet. Between pulses, the bed settles to below the level of the outlet.

Backwash method for biological reactors

A system for treating wastewater containing selenium has a sequencing batch reactor upstream of a fixed film reactor. The sequencing batch reactor may be operated under anoxic conditions while influent is mixed with residual sludge. The SBR reduces total nitrogen, suspended solids, or both. Selenium is removed in the fixed film reactor by biological reduction to elemental selenium.

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Oakville, Canada

Carsten Owerdieck