Patent ID: 9290399
Filing Date: 2016-03-22
CPC Classification: B01D,C02F,C05F,Y02P,Y02W

Claim Text:
1. A method for treating wastewater that contains solids, biological oxygen demand compounds and biologically refractory and/or bio-inhibitory compounds, the process comprising: separating a majority of the solids and biological oxygen demand compounds from the wastewater feed using a primary separation process to provide a solids phase and a water phase including wastewater, the solids phase containing an initial level of pathogens; irradiating the solids phase to reduce the level of pathogens; mixing the wastewater comprising biologically refractory and/or bio-inhibitory compounds with adsorbent material in a mixing zone for a time sufficient for adsorption of biologically refractory and/or bio-inhibitory compounds from the wastewater onto the adsorbent material to produce a mixture of adsorbent-treated wastewater and adsorbent material having biologically refractory and/or bio-inhibitory compounds adsorbed thereon, wherein the adsorbent material is characterized by adsorptive capacity for adsorption of biologically refractory compounds and/or biologically inhibitory compounds, and capacity for microorganisms adhered to the adsorbent material, wherein the combined adsorbent material characteristics contribute to biological regeneration of the adsorbent material; separating and removing a major portion of the adsorbent-treated wastewater from the mixture of adsorbent-treated wastewater and adsorbent material having biologically refractory and/or bio-inhibitory compounds adsorbed thereon; passing the adsorbent material having biologically refractory and/or bio-inhibitory compounds adsorbed thereon and a minor portion of the adsorbent-treated wastewater to a biological regeneration reactor containing microorganisms; retaining the adsorbent material having contaminants adsorbed thereon and the minor portion of the treated wastewater in suspension in the biological regeneration reactor for a period of time that is sufficient to allow the microorganisms in the biological regeneration reactor to biologically act on at least a portion of the biologically refractory and/or bio-inhibitory compounds on the adsorbent material to produce biologically regenerated adsorbent material and a biologically treated water effluent; discharging the biologically treated water effluent from the biological regeneration reactor; and recycling biologically regenerated adsorbent material to the mixing zone.