Patent ID: 6322701
Filing Date: 2001-11-27
Classification: C02F,Y10S

Abstract:
A process for the treatment of waste water containing suspended solid matter in particulate and/or colloidal form and also containing dissolved contaminants including reducible macromolecular organic compounds of complex structure, which comprises the steps of (a) contacting the waste water with iron in a form selected from the group consisting of solid metal, ferrous irons and Fe(II)-containing natural minerals, which contact is in the presence of a promoter metal which promotes the rate of electron transfer from iron to the dissolved contaminants to chemically reduce said contaminants and to produce ferric ions and coagulated suspended solid matter and (b) subsequently separating from the aqueous phase at a pH between 7 and 8.5 suspended solid matter including the coagulated solids formed during step (a) and solids originally present in the waste water, and in which process the waste water is subjected to biological treatment selected from the group consisting of aerobic and anaerobic biological treatments either simultaneously with treatment step (a) or subsequent to step (b).