Water Solutions, Inc.

Stephen D Allen

Michael Richard Rusnack

Michael B LoCascio

Edward Lewis

Mike LoCascio

Dallas K Isom

A rotating drum screen method for separating solids from thin stillage obtained from ethanol fermentation, the thin stillage comprising one or more of solids and suspended solids. Thin stillage is chemically treated with an anionic polymer to form stable particles of one or more of solids and suspended solids. Introducing the treated thin stillage into a rotating drum screen system. The drum screen includes a filter screen that retains at least a portion of the solids within a hollow portion of the drum screen and which produces a liquid effluent that is discharged from an outer surface of the drum screen. The retained solids are removable from the drum screen via a solid discharge end. A head box is disposed within the hollow portion of the drum screen and has a plurality of fluid flow channel dividers dividing and directing an influent stream outwardly against the drum screen.

Rotary drum screen method for thin stillage filtration

Methods and systems for forming stable particles from suspended solids produced by ethanol fermentation are disclosed. The methods include providing a fraction from ethanol fermentation containing solids and suspended solids. The pH of the fraction is adjusted, if necessary. A reducing agent is added. A high molecular weight anionic polymer is added to form stable particles of solids and suspended solids. Lastly, the stable particles are free drained to separate them from a treated liquid portion. The treated liquid portion is added as backset to the fermentation process while the recovered solids are further processed into useful products.

Methods and systems for forming stable particles from suspended solids produced by ethanol fermentation

A rotating drum screen system for separating solids from an influent material stream includes a housing having an influent inlet, a solid discharge end and an area between the influent inlet and the solid discharge end. A hollow portion of a drum screen positioned lengthwise in the area between the influent inlet end and the solid discharge end receives influent. The drum screen includes a filter screen that retains at least a portion of the solids within the hollow portion of the drum screen and which produces a liquid effluent that is discharged from an outer surface of the drum screen. The retained solids are removable from the drum screen via the solid discharge end. A head box is disposed within the hollow portion of the drum screen and has a plurality of fluid flow channel dividers dividing and directing an influent stream outwardly against the drum screen.

Rotary drum screen for thin stillage filtration

Systems and methods for treating vinasse are disclosed. The methods treat vinasse to generate useable water. The methods include providing vinasse, reacting the vinasse with persulfate to generate an oxidized mixture, reacting the oxidized mixture with peroxide to generate a peroxide-treated mixture, adjusting the pH of the peroxide-treated mixture to above about pH 6 to generate a pH-adjusted mixture, reacting the pH-adjusted mixture with an inorganic coagulant and a low molecular weight cationic polymer to generate solid particles, and removing the solid particles to generate a liquid fraction.

Methods and systems for treating vinasse

Systems and methods for reducing biofouling of microfiltration membranes that are biofouled with biological substances are disclosed. The methods include providing impound water containing biomolecule-based exopolymeric substances, reacting with calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide, encapsulating the exopolymeric substance into filterable non-tacky particles by reacting with an inorganic coagulant and a low molecular weight polymer, and microfiltering to remove the filterable non-tacky particles encapsulating the exopolymeric substances. The filterable non-tacky particles encapsulate the exopolymeric substances and prevent the exopolymeric substances from biofouling the microfiltration membranes.

Methods and systems for reducing biofouling of microfiltration membranes

Systems and methods for treating contaminated water from gas wells by adding an inorganic coagulant and a low molecular weight polymer to the contaminated water to increase the size of solid particulates in the water and to thereby allow the solid particulates to be filtered or to otherwise be removed from the water are disclosed herein. While the inorganic coagulant can be any suitable coagulant, in some cases the coagulant is selected from aluminum chlorohydrate, polyaluminum chloride, aluminum sulfate, and ferric sulfate. Similarly, the polymer can comprise any suitable polymer, such as epi/dma, a condensation product of epichlorohydrin and dimethyl amine. The described systems and methods can clean the contaminated water so that the water can then be treated in a variety of other manners, which may include reverse osmosis, deionization, treatment with mixed bed deionizers, electro-separation, fraction distillation, distillation, and other suitable water cleansing processes.

Treatment of contaminated water from gas wells

Systems and methods for treating contaminated impound water are disclosed which include a pretreatment stage wherein contaminated water is oxidized, pH adjusted, treated with a coagulant, and treated with a polymer to form a flocculent comprising bulk solids and fine particles. The oxidizing step may include two or more stages, one of which is a treatment with ferrous iron generated from iron filings or steel wool. Bulk solids are removed, and the liquid portion containing fine particles is applied to a low pressure microfiltration unit to remove the fine particles resulting in a microfilter effluent. The microfilter effluent may be directly fed to a reverse osmosis (R/O) unit. The R/O reject may be recycled to another R/O unit (second pass). The R/O permeate may be blended as needed with the microfiltration effluent to provide the final discharge effluent with reduced contaminant levels and maximized throughput. The R/O second pass reject water is further oxidized and recycled back to the front of the system to be retreated.

Treatment of contaminated impound water

A process for improving the yield and efficiency of an ethanol fermentation plant that receives organic fermentable feedstock material, prepares the feedstock for fermentation, ferments the feedstock with yeast to produce ethanol, and produces stillage as a byproduct of ethanol fermentation. The process steps which can be operated independently or in combination, may include, but are not limited to, degrading fatty acids in the fermentable feedstock material prior to fermentation; degrading cellulose and hemicellulose present in the feedstock prior to fermentation; adding a surfactant to the fermentable feedstock; separating a liquid fraction from the stillage; recycling the liquid fraction to be combined with the fermentable feedstock; recovering a solid fraction from the stillage; and introducing at least a portion of the solid fraction to an anaerobic digester to produce methane.

Process for improving the yield and efficiency of an ethanol fermentation plant

An apparatus for the anaerobic digestion of solid waste is disclosed. The apparatus includes a pre-digestion treatment chamber and an anaerobic digester chamber coupled to the pre-digestion treatment chamber. A liquid suspension of solid waste is pretreated under aerobic conditions by heating to a desired pre-digestion temperature. One or more chemical or biological additives are added to the suspension of solid waste to improve the anaerobic digestibility of the solid waste. This may include enzymes to destruct poorly digestible solids and/or materials to provide a desired C:N ratio in the solid waste. The apparatus may include mixers, heaters, chemical or biological additives as needed, various sensors and probes, and a control system to monitor and control the anaerobic digestion process and maintain microbial health of the digester.

Anaerobic digester design and operation

An apparatus and method for cleaning and shutting down a part-time wastewater treatment system is disclosed. The wastewater treatment system has a water input to receive an influent flow of wastewater to be treated, a water output to discharge treated clean water effluent, and a water treatment capacity volume. An effluent external tank receives the clean water effluent and has a size greater than or equal to the capacity volume. Influent flow of wastewater is terminated. Clean water effluent is pumped through a fluid pathway from the effluent external tank to the water input. A sufficient volume of clean water effluent is passed through the wastewater treatment system to complete treatment of the wastewater within the wastewater treatment system, purge wastewater from the wastewater treatment system, and fill the wastewater treatment system with clean water effluent. The wastewater treatment system is thus prepared to be shut down.

Automated apparatus and process for the controlled shutdown and start-up for a wastewater treatment system

A process of extracting carotenoids from a source of fruit or vegetable processing waste including the steps of: admixing the source, a first organic solvent and a surfactant to form a slurry, whereby surface tension in tissue cell structure of the source is decreased, enhancing penetration of the surfactant into the tissue cell structure so that the carotenoids and the surfactant may form a combination; treating the slurry with a second organic solvent which solubilizes the combination; separating the treated slurry into a liquid fraction and a solid fraction; and separating a first portion from the liquid fraction, the first portion including a solution of the second organic solvent and the combination.

Composition resulting from process for extracting carotenoids from fruit and vegetable processing waste

Process for extracting carotenoids from fruit and vegetable processing waste

A process and system for removing animal processing contaminants and fats, oils, and greases from large volume quantities of waste water. In the process, a waste water stream containing the contaminants is treated with a chemical oxidant, polymer compound and coagulant to create a particle having a diameter greater than 50 microns. Treated waste water is passed through a microfiltration membrane which physically separates the contaminant particle from the waste water. Commercially available microfiltration membranes having a pore size in the range of 0.5 micron to 10 microns may be used. The treated waste water flow rate through the microfiltration membranes can range from at least 200 gallons per square foot of membrane per day (&ldquo;GFD&rdquo;) to in excess of 750 GFD. Solids are removed from the membrane surface by periodically backflushing the microfiltration membranes and draining the filtration vessel within which the membranes are located. The dislodged solid material within the filtration vessel is flushed into a holding tank for further processing of the solids. The solid waste product may be incorporated into products for consumption by a different species.

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Eagle, ID, United States of America

Stephen D Allen