Abstract:
A system and method for remediating a body of water and collecting suspended and dissolved solids therefrom are provided. The system includes a water-impervious lining positionable in a depression in or adjacent a body of water. The lining and depression define a treatment vessel, which includes a treatment portion, an outlet portion for containing treated water, and an outflow weir between the treatment portion and the outlet portion. Water to be treated is transported from the water body to the treatment portion. An entrapment element is delivered and mixed into the transported water, the entrapment element for capturing suspended and dissolved solids in the transported water and effecting a separation between the captured solids and water cleansed therefrom. The captured solids can be removed from the treatment basin, and the cleansed water can move through a channel in the outflow weir into the outlet portion.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 13/315,996 filed on Dec. 9, 2011 which is a continuation of and claims priority to application Ser. No. 12/183,771 filed on Jul. 31, 2008, and issuing as U.S. Pat. No. 8,075,783, which itself claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/952,965, filed Jul. 31, 2007, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety, and all commonly owned. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to systems and methods for water remediation and biosolids collection, and, more particularly, to such systems and methods for remediating water and collecting water-borne solids using solids entrapment. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Dissolved air flotation (DAF) is a liquid process technology that uses micro-bubble air flotation to raise and remove suspended solids in an aqueous solution such as industrial process water, municipal waste water, and/or lake water. 
         [0004]    DAF systems known in the art are constructed from steel or concrete tanks. Large liquid above-ground vessels require structural steel plate and backing stiffeners to preclude deformation of the tank walls during hydrostatic loading when full to operating levels. The steel vessels also require footings to transfer loads to soil with appropriate bearing capacities. Inert materials like 314 and 316 Stainless Steel or exotic epoxy coating systems are typically used to retard corrosion. 
         [0005]    Wind mixing of shallow lakes causes loose non-photosynthetic sediment material to rise into the photic zone temporarily. This reactive nutrient-laden sediment often feeds the algae in the photic zone of an impaired (hypereutrophic) lake and causes a perpetual algal bloom, which can in some cases even be seen from space (the orbiting Space Shuttle can differentiate hypertrophic Lake Apopka in Florida from other lakes, for example). One means of water remediation is to remove, or harvest, suspended solids (SS) and the nutrients incorporated thereinto. 
         [0006]    Traditional approaches for SS removal use large expanses (5,000-45,000 acres) of flooded wetland filters where quiescent conditions cause the SS to sink out and form soil. As soil decays, much of the settled-out nutrients go back into solution, causing inefficiency. If toxic cyanobacteria algae settle out in the wetland, toxins can become available to wildlife for years, both in soil and water. Still, this has been a preferred method for remediation where a great expanse of land is available. 
         [0007]    A known difficulty in remediating water bodies is that systems must often operate where the soil is soft and wet, for example, adjacent or on lake shores. The expense associated with providing excavation, fill, and soil stabilization can be prohibitive, and the result unsightly in an area that is supposed to be being improved. Therefore, DAF systems have been considered unsuitable for on-site water body remediation. In addition, for at least some of the same reasons, using DAF technology in a water body has not been considered to be practicable. 
         [0008]    Prior known DAF systems require a precise balancing of criteria such as inflow rate, coagulant delivery parameters, and sludge and flotation removal in order to function effectively. As larger DAF systems are known to be prohibitively expensive, the trend has been towards smaller vessels having specific geometries for optimizing filtration. 
         [0009]    Other problems faced at the present time are the growing expense and decreasing supplies of fuel, and the disposal of biomass generated by bioremediation systems such as algal floways and other aquatic plant systems. 
         [0010]    Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system and method for remediating a body of water that is economical and effective, and that does not disturb an aesthetic appeal of the water body and the surrounding area. It would also be desirable to provide a system and method for disposing of collected biosolids and for generating fuel therefrom. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0011]    The present invention is directed in one aspect to a vessel construction that is innovative over and is significantly less costly than known water remediation and biosolids collection constructions. The present system includes structural differences from previously known systems, wherein flexural tension and compression capacity are provided by an extant support structure, such as soil or a body of water or a combination thereof. 
         [0012]    The present invention achieves SS and dissolved solids removal by an innovative scale up of a solids entrapment process, such as, but not intended to be limited to, DAF. While DAF systems do not settle out 100% of the SS, they sequester and process all that they do remove, precluding release back into the surface water. This results in a huge increase in the nutrient removal per unit area when compared to known wetland techniques. Further, elements such as toxic algae are safely removed from the ecosystem, avoiding wildlife exposure. 
         [0013]    Many scientists, such as the team at the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), have studied solid removal systems such as DAF for application in polluted lakes such as Lake Apopka, Fla., as well as other surface waters, but found the scale of traditionally manufactured process components to be far too small and not economically feasible for the mammoth flow required for lake-scale applications. The present invention teaches a vessel construction and use that includes finely contoured excavations, geo-membrane technologies for soil, and inexpensive liner membranes to build a basin that does not require foundations or expensive steel or concrete vessels. Wind, gravity, tensile, flexural, and compressive loads from liquid pressure do not need to be resisted by the moisture barrier component of the vessel, thus greatly reducing the cost to construct a very large vessel. 
         [0014]    A system for remediating a body of water and collecting suspended and dissolved solids therefrom is provided. The system comprises a water-impervious lining that is positionable in a depression in or adjacent a body of water desired to be treated. The lining and depression define outer boundaries of a treatment vessel, which comprises a treatment portion having an inlet for receiving water to be treated, an outlet portion for containing treated water, and an outflow weir between the treatment portion and the outlet portion. The outflow weir extends to a top end higher than a water surface, and across the vessel to side edges sealed against the opposed sides of the vessel. 
         [0015]    Means are provided for transporting water to be treated from the water body to the treatment portion, for delivering an entrapment element to the transported water, and for mixing the entrapment element with the transported water. The entrapment element is for capturing suspended and dissolved solids in the transported water and effecting a separation between the captured solids and water cleansed therefrom. Means are also provided for removing the captured solids from the treatment basin. The cleansed water is movable through a channel in the outflow weir into the outlet portion. 
         [0016]    The entrapment element can comprise one or more of a number of elements, such as, but not intended to be limited to, dissolved gas bubbles, a coagulant, and a flocculant. 
         [0017]    In an embodiment, the vessel comprises an inflow baffle positioned adjacent an inlet end of the vessel. The inflow baffle extends from a bottom of the vessel at a bottom end to a top end beneath a water line in spaced relation from a top edge of the vessel, and extends across the vessel to side edges sealed against opposed sides of the vessel. The inflow baffle and an inlet portion of the vessel sides containing the inlet end thereby define an inflow basin. In some embodiments, the inflow baffle is not employed. 
         [0018]    The vessel further comprises an outflow channel adjacent an outlet end of the vessel, adjacent the vessel bottom, and in spaced relation from the vessel top edge. The channel provides a pathway for cleansed water, which typically will reside at and adjacent the vessel bottom, to exit the vessel, while retaining floating material in the vessel for removal therefrom. 
         [0019]    In a particular embodiment, the channel can be formed by an outflow weir that extends from a bottom end in spaced relation from the vessel bottom to a top end at least as high as the vessel top edge, and extends across the vessel to side edges sealed against the opposed sides of the vessel. The outflow weir and an outlet portion of the vessel sides containing the outlet end thereby define an outflow basin. The inflow baffle, if present, and the outflow weir define a treatment basin therebetween; if there is no inflow baffle, the inlet end and the outflow weir define the treatment basin. 
         [0020]    In another embodiment, the channel can be formed by an aperture through the vessel outlet end, the aperture positioned adjacent the vessel bottom and in spaced relation from the water surface. 
         [0021]    In a further embodiment, the channel can comprise piping having an inlet adjacent the outlet end, adjacent the vessel bottom and in spaced relation from the water surface. Pumping can then remove cleansed water through the piping. 
         [0022]    Means are further provided for removing the bubbles and captured suspended solids from the water surface in the treatment basin. Water cleansed of the suspended solids can move through the outflow channel to a desired destination, for example, back into the water body. 
         [0023]    In another embodiment for use with floating vessels, a DAF system may not be included, and solids entrapment means can be employed such as coagulants and/or flocculants, alone or in combination. An inlet of the floating vessel channels water to be treated to a treatment zone, wherein the solids entrapment means is added to the water and mixed. The entrapped solids will either float or sink, depending upon the type of entrapments means used. Water from which the solids have been removed is channeled out from the vessel, and the entrapped solids are collected and ultimately removed from the vessel. 
         [0024]    The features that characterize the invention, both as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description used in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. It is to be expressly understood that the drawing is for the purpose of illustration and description and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. These and other objects attained, and advantages offered, by the present invention will become more fully apparent as the description that now follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0025]      FIG. 1  is a top plan view of an exemplary dissolved-air-flotation device for the removal of suspended solids in wastewater. 
           [0026]      FIG. 2  is a side cross-sectional view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0027]      FIG. 3  is a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment for immersion in a body of water. 
           [0028]      FIG. 4  is a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment having no separate inflow basin, and including piping for channeling cleansed water out of the treatment basin. 
           [0029]      FIGS. 5 and 6  are top plan and side cross-sectional views of an embodiment wherein a channel is formed around an outlet portion of the vessel using suspended weirs, and floating material is removed from a gutter. 
           [0030]      FIG. 7  is a top plan view of an embodiment for use with flowing water. 
           [0031]      FIG. 8  is a side cross-sectional view of an inclined earth wall. 
           [0032]      FIG. 9  is a side cross-sectional view of a sloped earth wall. 
           [0033]      FIG. 10  is a side cross-sectional view of a device for dewatering collected floating material. 
           [0034]      FIGS. 11 and 12  are top plan and side cross-sectional views of a floating platform or barge for remediating water and collecting entrapped solids. 
           [0035]      FIGS. 13 and 14  are top plan and side cross-sectional views of a floating, modular water-remediation and entrapped solids collection system 
           [0036]      FIG. 15  is a side cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the system of  FIGS. 13 and 14  for collecting settled entrapped solids. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0037]    A description of preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be presented with reference to  FIGS. 1-15 . 
         [0038]    A DAF vessel  10  of the present invention has the following components: inflow zone, flotation cell zone, flotation collection zone, and outflow zone. Settlable solids drop to the bottom, and a collection system or underdrain piping periodically removes them. In a preferred embodiment  10 , solids float to the surface and are removed onto a ramp, also called a beach  16 , via chain and flyght scrapers or other methods. Typically 0.5 to 7 gpm flow per square foot of flotation zone can be used for sizing of filters depending on many variables. A preferred minimum depth is 12 in., and the depth can exceed 12 ft. 
         [0039]    An important element of this flotation process is carefully crafted air micro-bubbles in solution. The generation of micro-bubbles can be accomplished with an air saturation tank, liquid high-pressure pump, and an air compressor in a system, which allows a clean side stream  17  of micro-bubble water to be held under pressure, for a period of time, so that when the pressure is released, tiny micro-bubbles form in the water feed tube  18  that ultimately release in the DAF basin and float SS up to the surface for collection. There are many micro-bubble generators  20  with various characteristics, depending on the specific application. 
         [0040]    The rise within the DAF system  10  of the micro-bubbles is related to the size of the bubbles. The smaller the bubbles, the smaller the particulate matter that floats and the slower the rate of rise. An exemplary desired rate of rise is 1 ft/min, which can be achieved with bubbles 10 to 20 micrometers in diameter. 
         [0041]    Minute concentrations of ozone or other coagulation means or chemicals bring together small particles by altering their surface charges so that they form larger particles or “flocs,” which can be floated by larger bubbles, with a faster rate of rise. Flocculation occurs during gentle mixing of water, coagulant, and SS. These variables contribute to an efficient DAF filtration system with balanced volume-to-flow ratios. 
         [0042]    DAF systems are known for their ability to produce a waste stream of very high solids concentration, in the range of 1 to 5%. In large lake or surface water systems, this is a significant advantage, owing to the advance of material to dewater and dispose. 
         [0043]    Algae are particularly difficult to dewater because surface charges cause the cells to repel each other. Evolutionary selection has suited planktonic algae with a hydration advantage. Because of their surface charge density, interstitial spaces remain between them that can retain water for surviving dry conditions, where crowding would isolate and kill closely buried cells. 
         [0044]    Coagulation chemistry alters the ionic charge at the surface of algal cells and other SS, such that they come together to form a flake. This aggregated flake is of sufficient size that it can be floated with micro-bubbles introduced to the DAF inflow. A desired micro-bubble size range is 5-50 micrometers, with an optimal size in the 10-20 micrometer range. 
         [0045]    Ozone pretreatment is known to greatly enhance coagulation chemical effectiveness, by as much as 90%. Ozone prepares the ionic charge and charge density so that small particles cling together by static charge. Ozone takes SS from a difficult-to-dewater state and helps consolidate SS, allowing greater water removal and de-watering. 
         [0046]    The zeta potential can be defined as the potential of distance to charge density relationships on a microscopic particle. The zeta potential increases rapidly close to the surface of the particle, and decreases as the distance increases, at an accelerated rate. Coagulation chemistry is finally applied to satisfy and change the more neutral charge farther from the cell, so that it is drawn to adjacent cells. With this method, agglomeration and dewatering can be achieved more quickly than with evaporation alone. One or more coagulation chemicals or methods can be used for optimal results in different water systems or in the same water system depending on seasonal fluctuation and concurrent phytoplankton/SS speciation changes. 
         [0047]    Some common coagulation chemicals can include: calcium hydroxide, calcium oxide, calcium carbonate, poly aluminum chloride (PAC, which can also serve as a flocculant, and is believed at the time of filing to represent the preferred embodiment), aluminum chlorhydrate, cationic polymers, anionic polymers, ferric chloride, and aluminum sulfate. Along with polymer chemicals, many other substances can be used to aid ozone coagulation, such as alginates and other natural products. Some common natural substances include: sodium alginate, clays, sodium in complex with other materials, macerated algal cells, powdered carbon, chitin, and starches. 
         [0048]    The DAF provides synergistic benefits when configured in an ozone/DAF/periphyton sequence. Ozone/oxygen gas commences oxidation with rapid ozone-mediated reactions. Oxygen mediates follow-on reactions, which take considerably longer. An oxidation-reduction reaction requires up to 80 minutes to occur in the ozonation/oxidation of lake water. The main body of the DAF can be sized for sufficient volume to allow reactions to complete prior to entering the periphyton filter. 
         [0049]    Electro-coagulation may be used with ozone and/or natural or chemical products for optimal coagulation. Electro-coagulation utilizes anodes and electric current to alter particle surface charges. A combination of one or more coagulation methods can yield a very cost-effective coagulation system. 
         [0050]    The DAF system  10  also removes microinvertibrates in the inflow, keeping them from damaging aquatic plant like periphyton crops, which have been cultured to remove nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. 
         [0051]    As previously discussed, DAF technology is known for its ability to remove high solids content. This is much higher than other technologies, such as sand filters, which are typically below 1% in solids rejected. Handling of high-solids waste streams requires special pumping systems and handling considerations. Physically locating the DAF adjacent to the drying beds or thickening process, near the solids raking system, adjacent the DAF, allows for further thickening without high solids pumping or physical distribution with mechanized equipment. 
         [0052]    One embodiment of a DAF system  10  ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ) induces micro-bubbles into a specially modified dirty water micro-bubble generator pump  20  receiving air from an air source  119 . The micro-bubble generator pump  20  forces compressed air into the pressure part of the pump  20 , and forces fluid through piping  17  receiving from the water body  65 . The formed micro-bubbles mix with the water and proceed to a saturation tube  120 , which comprises a wider section of the piping  17 . The saturation tube  120  provides the bubbles with residence time to distribute into the water. The saturation tube  120  is followed by a cracking valve  100 , which restricts flow and causes pressure to build in the saturation tube  120  to assist in bubble mixing. The micro-bubble solution then joins with the main flow  18 . 
         [0053]    The main flow  18  proceeds through a serpentine pipe, along which are two injection ports in this particular embodiment  10 . Through a first injection port  103  is inserted a coagulant from tank  104 . Through a second injection port  106  downstream of the first injection port  103  is inserted a flocculant from tank  105 . In an alternate embodiment, the flocculant can be inserted directly into the inflow basin  29 . It is believed that coagulant causes biomass such as algae to form flocs, since the surface charge is altered. These flocs form among the micro-bubbles. The flocculant then attaches the flocs together around the bubbles. 
         [0054]    This embodiment of a DAF filter system  10  has an inflow compartment or basin  29  into which the micro-bubble/influent mixture is pumped  39  through piping having a generally “U”-shaped end portion  40  into a manifold  15  having a plurality of apertures  41 , preferably pointing upwards. The water in the inflow basin  29  is allowed to sit undisturbed, substantially at zero velocity, to dissipate energy, which is preferred for light SS to separate and rise with the micro-bubbles. The water passes over an inflow baffle  28  having sealed sides  42 . The inflow baffle  28  extends from a bottom end  281  at the vessel bottom  43  to a top end  282  beneath the top edge  44  of the vessel  10 . This places the SS and bubbles  23  at the surface  36 , promoting a consolidation of floating solids/biomass to form. The inflow baffle  28  also contains any solids that are heavy and not influenced by the bubble interaction. A flotation chamber  19  downstream of the inflow basin  29  receives a blanket of floated SS  23  that is transferred to a collection point and removed by a conveyor  24  or other means. In some cases the inflow baffle  28  can be eliminated in lieu of a serpentine discharge manifold placed 1-2 ft below the water surface. 
         [0055]    A solids raking system with chain, paddles (flyghts), and sprockets can be used to collect the floated SS  23  to a beach  16 , which lifts the SS off the water surface  36  and into a drying bed, geotube ( FIG. 10 ), or other dewatering equipment, where it is further dewatered. In cases where the DAF treatment basin  19  is so wide that the raking system has to span a great distance, semi-buoyant paddles can be used to reduce span requirements. Alternatively, a traveling rake can be used to push the floated SS  23  to the conveyor  24 . 
         [0056]    One or more static or pneumatic blowers  21  can also be used to generate air currents to move the floating scum  23  to the conveyor  24  and beach  16  and into a collection receptacle  22 . In the embodiment illustrated, the conveyor  24  comprises a reversible device having a moving belt for conveying the raked scum  23  toward the beach  16 , or, in the other direction, another beach  16 ′ or collection vessel. Here the conveyor  24  extends across the treatment basin  19  from a first side  25  to an opposed second side  26 . 
         [0057]    A drainage system under the DAF liner  27  can be used to allow sub-surface water and gases to vent and preclude displacement of the liner  27  from its desired location at the soil surface. A media-covered under-drain  11  can be positioned within the DAF chamber  19  for extracting all or part of the DAF during maintenance. 
         [0058]    Many methods can be used to process the floated solids for disposal or use. One embodiment moves solids from the collection receptacle with a pump, which conveys the scum filtrate to a dewatering facility, which can be positioned nearby. A centrifuge can be used in some embodiments to dewater the floated scum to a wet cake, typically in the 20-30% solids range. 
         [0059]    Alternatively, dewatering can be accomplished with the use of a geotube  200  ( FIG. 10 ), which receives the scum  23  via piping  201 . The geotube  200  is positioned on a surface  202  and is covered with a water-impermeable, for example, clear plastic, sheet  203 . Between the geotube  200  and the sheet  203  a fan  205  blows air, which creates a space  204 . The sun heats the space  204 , which assists in the dewatering process. Water exiting the geotube  200  exits through an underdrain  206 . 
         [0060]    With a liner  27  as the sole containment means, an economical design method exists to build a very large DAF filter process unit  10  at low cost, when compared with conventional steel and concrete vertical structures with footings and foundations. This embodiment  10  provides an enhanced ability to use DAF technology well beyond the scale of traditional metal and concrete vessel designs, which have limitations due to construction cost. Geotextiles can be used in construction of the DAF liner  27 . 
         [0061]    Effluent from the DAF system  10  flows under an outflow weir  38  that is sealed at the sides  42 , and extends from a bottom end  381  in spaced relation from the vessel bottom  43  to a top end  382  no lower than the vessel&#39;s top edge  44 . The outflow weir  38  seals off surface flow, entrapping the floating solids  23  in the flotation chamber  19 . The clarified effluent is then transferred from the outflow basin  30  by piping  31 . An effluent pump  32  having a float switch  34  can be used to pump the effluent to a lake or to follow-on process units such as ozone and/or periphyton filters and/or other process systems. In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the basin  19  slopes toward the upstream end  33  of the basin  19 , which permits solids to collect in and adjacent a pit  35  in the bottom surface. 
         [0062]    Yet another DAF embodiment  140  ( FIGS. 5 and 6 ) comprises alternate forms of the floated material collection system and outflow weirs. Here the DAF basin  141  has a flexible sheet  142  suspended by a flotation element  143  affixed to a top edge  144  thereof. Along an inlet portion  145  of the basin  141 , the sheet  142  is weighted or affixed in some other manner at a bottom edge  146  to a bottom  147  of the basin  141 . Along an outlet portion  148 , the bottom edge  146  is in spaced relation from the basin bottom  147 . Thus, water entering the manifold  15  is discharged within an interior treatment portion  149  of the basin  141 , wherein floating material  150  rises to the water surface  151 . Cleansed water then exits under the bottom edge  146  of the sheet  142  to a peripheral portion  152  of the basin  141 , from which it can be pumped out. In a subembodiment, the basin bottom  147  is sloped so that the sheet&#39;s bottom edge  146  reaches the basin bottom  147  along the inlet portion  142  but is suspended thereabove along the outlet portion  148 . 
         [0063]    The floating material  150  in this embodiment  140  is collected with the use of a movable rake  153  that skims across the water surface  151  and pushes the floating material  150  into a gutter  154 . The collected floating material  150  can then be pumped  155  from the gutter  154 . 
         [0064]    Baffles can be made from the same membrane as the basin. Membrane material such as HDPE landfill liner, polyethylene, and a wide variety of synthetic rubber liners can be used, although this is not intended as a limitation. A geotextile drainage system  11  is also employed to allow removal of water from under the DAF liner  27 . This allows for predictable performance for the lined earthen basin  19  against ground water and gas discharge, which could displace the liner  27 . 
         [0065]    An alternative embodiment of a DAF system  130  ( FIG. 4 ) contains no inflow basin, and, rather than having an outflow weir with a space therebeneath as in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the outflow channel comprises a pipe  131  extending through a constructed outflow weir  132 . This outflow weir  132  can comprise, for example, a concrete or other structure that extends from the bottom  133  of the DAF basin  134  to a top  135  at least as high as the water surface  136 . The pipe&#39;s inlet end  137  receives cleansed water from adjacent the basin bottom  133  and discharges water from an outlet  138  within an outflow basin  139 . As above, the cleansed water in the outflow basin  139  can then be transported therefrom to a desired location, such as back to the water body  65 . 
         [0066]    In some applications a DAF system  50  can be floated ( FIG. 3 ) at the surface  66  of a body of water  65 , similar to a partially submerged boat hull. In this case, the construction can utilize light-gauge steel, aluminum, or fiberglass material for the walls  51  instead of a membrane, resulting in lighter structure and lower cost, and eliminating the requirement to resist land-based wind loads. A cover  52  can be used to isolate the DAF surface  53  against wind and jumping waves, which could corrupt the flotation process. A flotation collar  59  helps keep the system  50  afloat. A service barge can supply a motor-driven micro-bubble pump  54 , chemical storage, and filtrate storage basin. Water can flow out over check valve  105  back to the water body  65 ; however, if a wave flows toward the basin  50 , the check valve  105  will prevent inflow. This design uses no land and allows relocation of the DAF  50  with relative ease when compared with a land-based vessel. This boat-style DAF  50  is very well suited to dredging projects. 
         [0067]    In the embodiment shown, the main inflow  55  joins the micro-bubble side stream  56 , through a coagulant injection point, to the inflow manifold  57 , again upstream of an inflow baffle  58 . Again, solids  60  collect on the surface  53 , and are collected with a scum rake  62  and scraped to a tender barge adjacent the floating DAF  50 , or are pumped directly to a land-based collection system. Cleaned water flows beneath an outflow weir  63  into an outflow basin  64 , from whence it exits the system  50  into the main basin  65 . 
         [0068]    Additional floating embodiments may be contemplated ( FIGS. 11-15 ), wherein the vessel can be movable through the body of water, or passively floating. These embodiments can be used with or without a DAF system, and rely in large part on natural water movement, such as choppiness, currents, or wave action, or the movement of water relative to a moving vessel, to channel water to a treatment unit. The collected solids can contain such components as plankton varieties, microinvertebrates, and small fish, which can ultimately be processed into fuel such as biodiesel. 
         [0069]    A system  180  including a floating platform or barge serving as a vessel  181  for remediating water and collecting entrapped solids is illustrated in  FIGS. 11 and 12 . If the vessel  181  comprises a floating platform, anchors and tethers  182  (shown with dotted lines) are used to retain the vessel  181  in a substantially fixed location, and a pump may be used to draw water in. If the vessel  181  comprises a barge, during operation, the barge will be moving to create relative motion with the water body. 
         [0070]    The vessel  181  has a water inlet, or aperture,  183  at an inlet end  184 , which in the case of a barge would be the forward end. The water inlet  183  has an opening  185 , and, in some embodiments, a plurality of openings  185 , in fluid communication with the water body  186 . A check valve  187 , such as a flapper check valve, although this is not intended as a limitation, is positioned along the inlet channel  183 . The check valve  187  serves to allow water to enter but not to escape, and also prevents the treatment basin  188  downstream of the check valve  187  from overflowing. 
         [0071]    Downstream of the check valve  187  is positioned at least one port  189  for the introduction of an entrapment element  190 , such as a coagulant or a flocculant or a combination thereof. Following the at least one port  189  is a mixing pathway  191 , which can comprise in one embodiment a serpentine flow path created by a plurality of interdigitating curtains  192  that can be suspended from a cover  198  in an orientation such that their inner ends overlap. The mixing pathway  191  causes a turbulent flow to achieve blending of the entrapment element  190  into the incoming water. 
         [0072]    The entrapment element  190  causes suspended and dissolved solids to coalesce and form either a floating mass or a settled mass, depending upon the system conditions. In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , floating solids  193  are moved toward the outlet end  194  of the vessel  181  using a moving rake  199 , where they are collected in a gutter  195  or on a ramp  195 ′, or by other means, and then extracted to another location, on or off the vessel  181 . Cleansed water beneath the floating solids  193  flows out an outlet  196  at the outlet end  194 . 
         [0073]    Another system  210 , 210 ′ including a floating platform or barge serving as a vessel  211  for remediating water and collecting entrapped solids is illustrated in  FIGS. 13-15 . If the vessel  211  comprises a floating platform, anchors and tethers  212  (shown with dotted lines) are used to retain the vessel  211  in a substantially fixed location, and a pump may be used to draw water in. If the vessel  211  comprises a barge, during operation, the barge will be moving to create relative motion with the water body. 
         [0074]    The vessel  211  is divided into a plurality of substantially parallel channels  231 , each of which has a water inlet  213  at an inlet end  214  in fluid communication with the water body  218 . The channels  231  can be formed, for example, by curtains  215  suspended from a cover  216  or from a flotation element. 
         [0075]    The system  210 , 210 ′ comprises at least one port  219  for the introduction of an entrapment element  220 , such as a coagulant or a flocculant or a combination thereof. Following the at least one port  219  is a mixing pathway  221 , which can comprise in one embodiment a serpentine flow path created by a plurality of interdigitating curtains  222  that can be suspended from the cover  216 . The mixing pathway  221  causes a turbulent flow to achieve blending of the entrapment element  220  into the incoming water. 
         [0076]    The entrapment element  220  causes suspended and dissolved solids to coalesce and form either a floating mass or a settled mass, depending upon the system conditions. In the embodiment  210  shown in  FIG. 14 , floating solids  223  move toward the outlet end  224  of the vessel  211 , where they are collected in a ramp  226 , or by other means, and then extracted to another location, on or off the vessel  211 . Cleansed water beneath the floating solids  223  flows out an outlet  227  at the outlet end  224 . 
         [0077]    In the embodiment  210 ′ shown in  FIG. 15 , settled solids  223 ′ move toward a settling zone  228  at the bottom  229  of the vessel  211 , from where they are extracted. This embodiment  210 ′ can includes a floating curtain  230  as a cover. It will be understood by one of skill in the art that a combination of these embodiments  210 , 210 ′ could also be envisioned. 
         [0078]    It will also be understood by one of skill in the art that an additional unit such as a DAF could be added to these systems  180 , 210  following the mixing pathways  191 , 221  to assist in solids entrapment. 
         [0079]    A further embodiment of a DAF system  160  ( FIG. 7 ) can be used to cleanse flowing water from a river  161 , for example. In this system  160  the “basin”  162  comprises a side stream channeled from the river  161 , under control of a gate valve  163  at an inlet  164 . Coagulants  165  and flocculants  166  are injected  167 , 168  downstream of the gate valve  163  as above. Floating material  169  can be collected on a conveyor/rake  170  and beach collection area  171  as above, or by other means, and cleansed water flows under an outflow weir  172 , also as above, and thence to join the river  161  at an outlet  173  of the system  160 . 
         [0080]    There are many possible uses for the solids removed from the DAF process. One such application is a soil amendment applied to soils poor in nutrients, where the tilth and macro- and micronutrients are amended. Another use is as a fluid soil culture system such as in sod culture over a membrane. Another use is as a fiber or filler in paper and paper product manufacturing process. Yet another use is as a feedstock for methane and ethanol, or other alcohol (e.g., butanol) production. Algal oil can also be extracted and processed into biodiesel. A further use is as a feed for animals. 
         [0081]    The DAF vessel  10  can be constructed for use in floating applications where water in the basin supports the vessel walls, and greatly reduces the thickness of vessel walls, supporting structure, and foundations and allows mobile floating DAF for dredging or SS removal applications from surface waters. 
         [0082]    The DAF solids can be connected to the outflow system directly adjacent to the DAF such that high-solids floatables can be dried without conveyance. Solids can be collected with a conveying pneumatic blower. Semi-buoyant paddles can be used on the rake system. Membrane baffles can be used with stiffening spars or elements to help them keep their desired planar geometry and position within the vessel. 
         [0083]    In the creation of the liner for the systems  10 , 50 , geotextile or nursery ground cloth can be used, and excavations can have slopes steeper than the angle of repose of the soil  12 . If the walls are over-excavated and built in 6-12-in. lifts wherein fabric liner  27  is formed on a three-sided tube, this restrains the soil  12  and increases the horizontal shear over just soil alone. Higher, more vertical, soil-retaining wall structures can be built using this method. 
         [0084]    A soil membrane DAF  70  ( FIG. 9 ) can be constructed in ground  71  below grade and perimeter bermed  72 , with a geotextile liner  73  as above supporting the water basin  74 . this embodiment  70  also illustrates a principle that can operate in any DAF embodiment, namely, subdivision into individual sectors  75  using “curtains”  76  that can have floaters  77  at a top end and an anchor  78  at a bottom end. 
         [0085]    A similar system  80  can also be positioned above the existing grade, and/or manmade structures used to bolster the basin wall, or change the angle thereof, since it is currently believed that a steeper angle is preferable. In the system  80  shown in  FIG. 8 , for example, a plurality of “fill cells”  81  can be created by laying geotextile liner  82  on the ground  83  and placing soil  84  or other material atop a portion of the liner  82  up to where the liner  82  is intended to define the basin  85 , leaving a length of liner  82  uncovered. This uncovered portion  86  can then be folded back over the compacted soil  84 , and this process repeated with additional cells  81  until a desired height is reached. If desired, a stiffening element  87  can be inserted between adjacent cells  81  to improve stability. When complete, another liner  88  is placed to line the basin  85  as above, and water  89  channeled thereinto. Well point dewatering techniques can allow in-ground construction where the water table is near the surface. 
         [0086]    In another embodiment, excavations can simply rely on the natural angle of repose of the soil and incorporate cable- or float-supported membrane curtains to form the vertical walls of the liner-based, ditch-style DAF. 
         [0087]    Ozone, DAF, and periphyton systems can be used in a modular system to remove microinvertabrates and particulate nutrients bound in algae and bacteria, as well as dissolved nutrients. 
         [0088]    The collected material can be used as a soil amendment, hydro-seed carrier, and soil stabilizer. The collected material and other aquatic biomass can also be used in paper or a paper product, with or without coagulation chemicals and other substances to increase freeness, increase adhesion to fibers, and aid drainage. The SS and other aquatic biomass can be used in a fluid soil culture system with and without coagulation chemicals and other substances. The collected biomass can also be used to create hydrogen/biodiesel/alcohol fuels. 
         [0089]    Another benefit of the systems of the present invention is that a certain degree of desalinization has been found to occur, approximately 50-60%, which could be extremely beneficial for the creation of fresh water from seawater. 
         [0090]    Electro-coagulation can be employed for enhancing the performance of the soil and membrane DAF with and without other coagulation means. Natural and man-made chemical coagulants can be used with the liner DAF for enhancing the flotation characteristics of the DAF, with or without electro-coagulation and ozone. Geotextiles can be used for solids dewatering of algal solids from the soil and membrane DAF. 
         [0091]    Solar drying and composting can be performed with algal solids from the soil membrane DAF and periphyton culture systems. Manipulation and use of DAF volume and concurrent residence time can allow for ozone and oxygen and oxidation-reduction reactions to complete prior to periphyton filtration. 
         [0092]    A sump and manual vacuum system can be used for periodic sinkable particle removal. 
         [0093]    Another aspect of the invention is directed to a means for harvesting aquatic plants and planktonic or other algae via a coagulation and acidification process that creates an algal nutrient in recycle water as it stabilizes CO2 in for uptake by aquatic plant culture systems, which can be used in bio-fuels generation and other uses. 
         [0094]    In a preferred embodiment, algae harvested from process culture water is coagulated, or caused to collect in a floc, with the use of limewater. Calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, and calcium carbonate (raw and processed forms of limestone) combined singly or together in water, cause a pH rise and disrupt repelling surface charges of small particles, causing them to collect and form a flake. These flakes are agglomerated with polymers into large flakes, which are easily floated to the surface and raked or blown off and collected. 
         [0095]    pH correction can typically be required and can be effected by various means such as liquid acids, such as via carbon dioxide. If CO2 is used to adjust pH, a synergy occurs as the CO2 converts residual calcium oxide to bicarbonate, the form of carbon preferred by plants. When water is returned to the culture system, it is already amended with carbon. Additionally, this carbon is stable and will not off gas like dissolved CO2. 
         [0096]    This culture water can be amended with other sources of nutrients from animal husbandry operations and wastewater plants, and this balanced nutrient media cultures more algae, which can be further bio-refined to produce energy. 
         [0097]    Carbon dioxide is an atmospheric gas having a concentration of about 0.033% or 330 ppm. At room temperature, the solubility of carbon dioxide is about 90 cm3 of CO2 per 100 mL of water. In aqueous solution, carbon dioxide exists in aqueous form and come to equilibrium with H2CO3, carbonic acid. Carbonic acid is a weak acid, which dissociates to H++HCO3-(bicarbonate). 
         [0098]    At this stage algal culture can take up the bicarbonate as a source if carbon, which is biofixed. Steps can be taken to sequester the carbon, or the algae can be digested, fermented, or gasified to produce energy. 
         [0099]    The carbonate ions cause precipitation of Ca2+. For CaCO3, the reaction constant is Ksp is 5×10-9. Calcium carbonate then takes on H from the water to create carbonic acid. Carbonate precipitates out of the liquid and can be removed and used for many purposes. At this point the carbon is sequestered in stable form. 
         [0100]    A second embodiment is focused solely on adding bicarbonate as a nutrient for algal culture. First, CO2 is added to the source water and acidifies it driving the pH down. Then calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, and or calcium carbonate is added to balance pH near neutral. As carbon dioxide dissolves in water, an equilibrium is established involving the carbonate ion. Acidic water dissolves calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, and or calcium carbonate to yield Ca2+(aq)+2HCO3-(aq) 
         [0101]    In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clarity, and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such words are used for description purposes herein and are intended to be broadly construed. Moreover, the embodiments of the systems and methods illustrated and described herein are by way of example, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction and use. Further, it will be understood by one of skill in the art that the elements of the embodiments discussed and illustrated herein can be interchanged among the embodiments, and that each embodiment is not intended as to be limited to the individual elements presented. 
         [0102]    Having now described the invention, the construction, the operation and use of preferred embodiments thereof, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby, the new and useful constructions, and reasonable equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims.