BIOLOGICAL PURIFICATION OF WATER TO ANY DEGREE UP TO AND DRINKING WATER

Abstract: An installation and a method for water purification which includes sequentially: A first section (2, 15) where the waters enter the installation and where the incoming waters come into contact with living microscopical and macroscopical organisms in order to achieve the removal from the waters, as sludge, water contents in suspension, whether such contents existed in the incoming waters or whether such contents were produced after the incoming waters entered the works and they came in contact with living organisms. A second section (3, 4, 5) comprising a series of structures like structure (3) which are connected so that each one drains its water into a following one, while each structure of the type of structure (3) contains a layer of inert material into which grow suitable plants which utilise for their growth contents within the incoming waters so that such contents are removed from the flowing waters. The total area of the series of structures like structure (3) is determined from the desired degree of purity of the outgoing waters, for a particular quality of incoming water.

Description: BIOLOGICAL PURIFICATION OF WATER TO ANY DEGREE UP TO AND DRINKING WATER DESCRIPTION Waters are presently purified for two main purposes: "A" river waters are purified to become potable waters, and "B" sewage waters are purified sufficiently to become acceptable for discharge into rivers. There are many other cases, e.g. river waters needed to be purified to a degree to be used by a particular industry. All such various cases, too numerous to mention, are considered rather sub cases of the above general "A" and "B" categories. Effluents of industries which are not liable to biological purification are not subject to the proposed installations. In cases "A", as above, the purification of waters is done by employing physical and chemical methods using costly concrete structures, while in the cases "B", as above, the purification of waters is also done using costly concrete structures but by employing biological methods in conjunction with physical-chemical methods. The proposed installations introduce a considerable deviation from the above "A" and "B" methods. It aims to transform the purification of waters to predominately agricultural methods with the result to abolish the great majority of the costly concrete structures. Plant roots supply the plants with plant nutrients which are of great variety but predominately phosphates and nitrates. Certainly the plants in addition to plant nutrients they absorb water and carbon dioxide. Therefore in the body of the herbivorous animals we shall find chemical combinations which were derived from plants plus oxygen and water. Now in the body of the flesh- eating animals, such as man, we shall find chemical combinations which had been derived from oxygen, water and from what was originally in the body of the herbivorous animals. Water impurities from inhabited areas are generated mainly from human bodies (water-closets, sinks, baths etc.) with the result that sewage contains nitrogenous and phosphoric chemical combinations which originated from plant nutrients. Such impurities are broken down and consumed as their food by micro-organisms. It is proposed to create an environment whereby the growth of plants is assisted. The plants would be harvested and taken away from the system as fast as the impurities enter such a system. Drawing one is a vertical section and drawing two a plan of a system where the hereby proposals are embodied. Such system is a combination of achieved knowledge with new structures unknown up to now. Number 1 indicates the water entry into the system and pipe 7 directs the outflowing potable water into a water reticulation system. Within structure 2 the impurities are broken down, mainly in the absence of atmospheric air, where the sludge settles onto the bottom. Pump station 8 does two jobs, recirculates the water from the last compartment into the first compartment of structure 2 and also takes the sludge from the bottom of structure 2 and pumps it through pipe 10 to the area of compost production. Structure 2 is not known up to now. Structures 3, 4, and 5 are not known up to now. They are earth structures which are covered with impervious membranes. Such membranes might be replaced with other means of impervious materials e.g. a layer of concrete. Structures 3 and 5 are filled with broken stones. Here vegetation is planted with the roots growing within the voids of the stones. Any type of plants such as seasonal vegetables or animal feeds, such as clover, may be grown. It is preferable to plant a new crop as soon as the vegetation in a structure is harvested. Fish is produced in structure 4. If the final destination of the water is to be discharged into the river then structures 5 and 6 are not needed with the exception of disinfection, say chlorination, if this is so desired. If higher degree of water purification is needed then structures 5 and 6 are needed. In structure 6 are employed known processes of water purification. There e.g. membranes, micro filtration or other processes are to be seen and after disinfection e.g. chlorination, the water would be directed to the drinking water reticulation system. Pipe 10 leads the sludge in the area of compost production. Their alternative layers of vegetation and sludge are piled one over the other to convenient heights of perhaps, an orthogonal shape on plan. There organisms brake down substances developing high temperatures which kill pathogenic organisms. The final product is compost of high quality. In order to keep the external surface of the heaps in high temperature, such heaps are covered with a layer of already produced compost which has already been freed from pathogenic organisms. The production of compost from sludge is already known. Nevertheless, in the present purification works this is not included as a rule. The sludge which contains great numbers of pathogens, is simply at present dried up and is taken by farmers who sometimes, allow it to come in contact with vegetables which might have their crops even below the ground surface. The danger to public, dysentery, etc., is considerable. This can be avoided if the production of compost is part of the process of purification as proposed herewith. In drawings 3 and 4 structure 2 is omitted and structures 15 and 14 are put in its place. Here structure 15 provides a sloping surface, not known up to now, where the water descends towards structure 14. The sludge settles within structure 14. It is taken by pump station 11 and transported through pipe 13 to the area where, as in the case on drawings 1 and 2, compost is to be produced. The second job done by pump station 11 is to take the water from structure 14, from a level above the sludge, and pump it upstream of the sloping surface of structured. As the sloping surface has protrusions the passage of the water along the sloping surface is uneven with the result that the water comes in contact with more atmospheric air, than otherwise, and thus the purification of the water is enhanced. Drawings 1 and 2 on the one hand and drawings 3 and 4 on the other describe two identical groups of structures, which are identical except in one respect. They only differ where the water enters the systems. Structure 2 is different to structures 14 and 15. When the water is destined to be discharged into the river structure 4 needs to be of rather a moderate size. Its purpose is to prove that the water to be discharged into the river is not deleterious to fish life. If, however, the water is to become potable it has to come in contact to a much greater extent with the sun, the atmospheric air and in general with the fauna and flora of rivers. It is common knowledge that vegetation can improve the quality of waters after such waters come in contact with the vegetation, e.g. reeds in marches etc. Unfortunately such knowledge has not influenced very much the construction of water purification works. At the contrary, the proposed system is to harvest continually masses of vegetation which are removed from the system as fast as nitrogenous and phosphoric plant nutrients are entering the works. As there is the cycle of rain which falls on the ground, finds its way towards the sea, it is transformed into vapours, clouds and again rain, so there is the cycle of the plant nutrients. Vegetation absorbs nutrients, water and carbon dioxide. The herbivorous animals eat the vegetation which is converted to flesh. The flesh-eating animals, such as man, introduce into their bodies what was earlier plant nutrients, plus water and atmospheric oxygen. And so used water from human bodies is not surprising to contain combinations which also include what was originally plant nutrients. In order to complete the cycle we must apply methods to remove such plant nutrients with the best way, which is of course to put the plants to do the job. At the contrary, we apply physical - chemical methods at present to remove such plant nutrients, not surprising tc a high cost. The proposed method of water purification lets the plants do the job. If we want to produce eggs shall we endeavour to build expensive manufacturing laboratories to produce synthetic eggs or we shall rather let the chicken do the job? This method proposes to free communities form the burden of highly expensive methods of water purification. This proposed method is to earn income a matter not mentioned as yet. If an irrigation farmer is offered free irrigation and free fertilization for his crops is he going to become much richer than he was before? Similarly the owner of the proposed purification system is to prosper financially. There are four compartments in structure 2. The impurities are consumed there by the micro-organisms with the result the quantities of the impurities are reduced from compartment to compartment while at the same time the micro-organisms are multiplied. The number of compartments may be less than four or larger than four. This is to be left to the discretion of the designer. Structure 4 may be similar in extent as the other structures or, at the contrary, it may be a pond, or a lake, which could offer entertainment to local inhabitants. The latter is an advantage in the case when drinking water is to be produced. This is obvious if we note that sewage from a town can be purified by a river if the sewage runs many kilometres along the river without having new impurities added to the water. The proposed method of biological purification does the same work as the river but in a shorter distance because it concentrates great masses of organisms in such short distance. The types of plants to grow in the system is almost unlimited. Plants which produce greater masses per square metre are of advantage as they remove greater quantities of plant nutrients per unit area. The plants absorb through their roots plant nutrients which contain nitrogen and phosphorus to far greater extend than other elements. These other elements are always present in the sewage of a town. The plants chosen to grow may be food for animals or man. It is advisable to prefer plants which give fruits above ground level so that the fruits do not come in contact with the water and thus endanger man or animals. If it is felt that there is no safety for men and / or animals graftings may be placed on the top of the broken stones to isolate the water. In many of the present biological systems there is no official control as to how the dried up sludge is used by the fanners who removed it from the biological works. So such sludges, which may contain great numbers of pathogenic organisms, may come in contact with, say, carrots, or beetroots which are to be consumed by man. Chemical and biological analysis in the future of samples of vegetables produced within the proposed works, compared with samples of the same type of vegetables from the produce markets, are expected to prove that the vegetables from the proposed works are not more dangerous to man than the ordinary vegetables from the present produce markets. It is expected they will rather be less dangerous. The contact of the roots with faecal coli-forms is to be hostile to the latter. It is suggested to prove this through relative analysis. Though manure form a variety of animals such as sheep, horses or cattle differ, nevertheless, all of them are valuable natural fertilizers. Why should be assumed, without investigation, that human excrement cannot be a valuable fertilizer. Authorities, such as official laboratories etc should of course investigate, from chemical and medical point of view, the proposed works and compare them with the existing ones. It would not be surprising to find the proposed works less dangerous and this for two reasons. First the roots of the vegetation would be hostile to pathogens and secondly the produced compost would prove safer as compared to present sludge handling.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Installation of biological purification of waters with any given degree of impurities to be purified to any required degree of purification, which purification includes sequentially: A first section (2.15) where the waters enter the installation and where the incoming waters come into contact with living microscopical and macroscopical organisms in order to achieve the removal from the waters, as sludge, water contents in suspension, whether such contents existed in the incoming waters or whether such contents were produced after the incoming waters entered the works and they came in contact with living organisms. A second section (3,4,5) comprising a series of structures like structure (3) which are connected so that each one drains its water into a following one, while each structure of the type of structure (3) contains a layer of inert material into which grow suitable plants which utilise for their growth contents within the incoming waters so that such contents are removed from the flowing waters. While the total area of the series of structures like structure (3) is determined from the desired degree of purity of the outgoing waters, for a particular quality of incoming water. 2. Installation as per claim (1 ), characterized that the sludge which is taken away from the first section (2.15) is submitted to disinfection by the development of high temperatures generated from the reactions of the living organisms for the production of compost. 3. Installation as per claim 1 or 2, characterized that when the out going waters are destined to be discharged into natural waters, such as natural lakes, rivers etc, then between the point of the outflow from the series of structures (3) and such natural waters is inserted structure (4) within which fish is growing as a proof that the out flowing waters are suitable to be discharged into natural waters. 4. Installation as per any one of the claims 1 up to 3. characterized that the first section (2.15) is consisted of one septic structure of multiple compartments (2) for the development of anaerobic organisms and the occurrence of anaerobic reactions. 5. Installation as per any one of the claims 1 up to 3. characterised that the first section (2.15) is consisted of one inclined surface (15) for the development of aerobic organisms and the occurrence of aerobic reactions. 6. Installation as per any one of the claims 1 up to 5, characterized, that at the outflow (8.11 ) of the first section (2.15) part of the outgoing waters, preferably a multiple of the incoming waters, is re-circulated. 7. Installation as per claim 6, characterized that the said part of the outflowing waters which is re-circulated enters (1 ) within the main inflow at sufficient distance upstream of the first section (2.15) so that it wipes out possible offensive odours. 8. Installation as per any of the claims 1 to 7, characterized that plants that grow within the second section (3,4,5) are plants that bring financial profits. 9. Installation as per any of the claims 1 to 8 for the production up to and potable water. 10. Method of biological purification of waters of any given degree of impurities, purified up to any degree of desired purification, characterized that the purification is achieved in any installation in accordance with any of the claims 1 to 9.

Inventors: KOULOUMBIS PANAGIOTIS, KOULOUMBIS, PANAGIOTIS
Applicants: KOULOUMBIS PANAGIOTIS, KOULOUMBIS, PANAGIOTIS
Application year: 1999
Main classification: C02F3
IPC codes: C02F3