Abstract:
A method of removing contaminant compounds such as residual pharmaceutical or cosmetic compounds found in drinking water. The method entails directing the drinking water into a water treatment device and injecting ozone into the drinking water to form a drinking water-ozone mixture. Thereafter the water-ozone mixture is held within a holding tank where the ozone oxidizes various contaminant compounds and reduces their concentration in the drinking water. From the holding tank, the water-ozone mixture is directed to an ultraviolet light chamber where the water is treated with ultraviolet light.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/026,717 filed Feb. 6, 2008, and a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/015,868 filed Jan. 17, 2008. The disclosures of these patent applications are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    It may come as a surprise to many people that drinking water in the United States and other industrialized countries as well, contains minute concentrations of compounds that originate with pharmaceutical products and in some cases cosmetic products. This is especially true in many municipal water supplies. Though many U.S. water basins are contaminated with residues of pharmaceutical and over-the-counter drugs, there apparently is no national strategy to deal with them, nor are there are any effective mandates to test, treat, limit or even advise the general public. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The present invention relates to a method of treating drinking water. The method entails mixing ozone with drinking water to form a drinking water-ozone mixture and effectively contacting the contaminants of interest with the ozone for a selected period of time. Thereafter, the method entails treating the water with ultraviolet light. 
         [0004]    In one particular embodiment of the present invention, a method is disclosed for removing one or more residual pharmaceutical compounds from drinking water. This method entails directing drinking water having residual pharmaceutical compounds into a water treatment device that can be installed at or within a home, office or other residential or commercial facilities. The drinking water is directed into the water treatment device and the flow of the drinking water is sensed. Ozone is generated by the water treatment device or system. The method entails reducing the concentrations of residual pharmaceutical compounds in the drinking water by mixing ozone with the drinking water. More particularly, in response to there being a flow of drinking water through the water treatment device, ozone is injected into the drinking water to form a drinking water-ozone mixture. Thereafter, the drinking water-ozone mixture is directed into a pressure vessel where the drinking water-ozone mixture is subjected to pressure. In the pressure vessel, the drinking water-ozone mixture is directed up a riser extending within the pressure vessel. At the top of the riser the drinking water-ozone mixture is expelled into a head space defined between a portion of the housing of the pressure vessel and the upper end portion of the riser. Thereafter, the drinking water-ozone mixture moves downwardly through the pressure vessel to an outlet. From the pressure vessel, the drinking water-ozone mixture is directed to a holding tank where the drinking water-ozone mixture is held a selected period of time, enabling the ozone to oxidize the contaminants of interest and effectively reduce the concentration of the contaminants. Thereafter, the drinking water-ozone mixture is directed from the holding tank to a UV light chamber where the drinking water-ozone mixture is treated with ultraviolet light. 
         [0005]    In another exemplary process, ozone is mixed with drinking water to reduce the concentrations of such contaminants as Codeine, Acetaminophen, Sulfamethoxazole, Albuteral, Naproxen, and Warfarin. By mixing ozone with the drinking water and contacting these contaminants with ozone, the concentration of any of these contaminants in the drinking water is reduced by approximately 75% or more. Thereafter, the drinking water-ozone mixture is treated with ultraviolet light. 
         [0006]    Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and obvious from a study of the following description and the accompanying drawings which are merely illustrative of such invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration of a water treatment device or system that is used to treat drinking water and to reduce the concentration of contaminants in the drinking water. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a pressure vessel utilized in the present process to mix water and ozone. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the pressure vessel. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0010]    With further reference to  FIG. 1 , the drinking water treatment unit is shown therein and indicated generally by the numeral  10 . Before discussing the components of the water treatment unit  10  in detail, it should be pointed out that the unit can be housed in a cabinet and sized such that it can be conveniently located or positioned in a residential structure, or could be utilized in other buildings and office buildings to treat incoming drinking water from a municipal supply, for example. The water treatment unit  10  is suited for both residential and commercial use. 
         [0011]    Referring to  FIG. 1  specifically, the water treatment unit  10  includes an inlet  12  that is communicatively connected to a conduit  14 . Generally, in one embodiment, the inlet  12  is associated with a cabinet structure that houses the various components of the water treatment unit  10  and the conduit  14  extends at least through portions of the cabinet structure. Disposed in the conduit  14  is an on-off valve  16 . Downstream from the on-off valve  16  is a flow sensor  18 . The function of the flow sensor  18  is to sense the flow of drinking water through conduit  14  and to actuate or control one or more other components of the treatment unit  10  that is located downstream from the flow sensor  18 . 
         [0012]    Water treatment unit  10  includes an ozone generator  22  for generating ozone that is injected and mixed into the drinking water passing in conduit  14 . In some embodiments a pump  24  can be utilized to pump or move ozone from the ozone generator  22  to a point where the ozone is mixed with the drinking water passing conduit  14 . In the case of one embodiment, a venturi  28  is disposed in the conduit  14  and an ozone delivery line is operatively interconnected between the ozone generator and the venturi  28  for directing ozone into the conduit  14 . 
         [0013]    The water treatment unit  10  in one embodiment is designed to periodically or intermittently inject ozone into the drinking water passing in conduit  14 . In the embodiment illustrated, ozone is injected into the drinking water passing conduit  14  in response to the flow sensor  18  sensing flow of drinking water in the conduit. That is, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the flow sensor  18  senses the flow of drinking water passing in conduit  14  and then actuates a relay  20  that in turn actuates the ozone generator  22  causing ozone to be generated and injected into the drinking water. It is appreciated by those skilled in the art, that various control devices can be utilized to actuate and control the ozone generator  22  in response to the flow sensor  18  sensing flow. In one embodiment, the ozone generator  22  is adjusted or calibrated to output a flow of ozone in response to the flow sensor  18  sensing flow. In other embodiments, the control system can be more sophisticated where the ozone generated and injected into the conduit  14  is a function of the volumetric flow rate of drinking water passing through the flow sensor  18 . It is postulated that a precise correlation between the output of ozone from the generator  22  and the flow rate of drinking water passing through the flow sensor is not essential or required. In one embodiment, the purpose of the flow sensor and its actuation of the ozone generator  22  is to generally assure that ozone is not being wasted or injected into the system when there is no significant flow of drinking water passing through the water treatment unit  10 . In order for the process to be effective in removing targeted contaminants, it is postulated that there need not be a precise injection of ozone into the drinking water based on drinking water flow. It is appreciated, that for the process to be effective, that ozone is mixed with the drinking water in adequate amounts to reduce the concentration of targeted contaminants. 
         [0014]    As the ozone is injected via the venturi  28  into the drinking water, the venturi  28  functions to at least partially mix the ozone with the drinking water. This forms a drinking water-ozone mixture in the conduit  14 . 
         [0015]    Located downstream of the venturi  28  is a pressure vessel  50  which also functions to mix the ozone and drinking water. Pressure vessel  50  maintains the drinking water-ozone mixture under pressure as the mixture passes through the pressure vessel. Pressure vessel  50  is shown in more detail in  FIGS. 2 and 3  and will be discussed subsequently herein. 
         [0016]    Located downstream from the pressure vessel  50  is a holding tank  28  that holds the drinking water-ozone mixture for a selected period of time. This enables the ozone to contact the contaminants and to generally oxidize the contaminants and reduce their concentrations. The residency time in the holding tank  28  can vary. In one embodiment, the residency time is approximately 10 minutes to approximately 15 minutes. The size and volume of the holding tank can vary, but when the water treatment unit  10  is used in a residential application, it is contemplated that a holding tank of approximately 15 gallons is adequate to provide an effective residency time for the drinking water-ozone mixture under ordinary conditions. 
         [0017]    Disposed downstream of the holding tank  28  is a UV light chamber  30 . Mounted in the UV light chamber  30  are one or more UV lights  32 . As the water or the drinking water-ozone mixture passes through the UV light chamber  30 , the UV lights  32  treat the drinking water and effectively nullify any substantial concentration of ozone in the drinking water. The use of UV light performs a polishing function. In most cases there is no substantial amount of ozone in the water once the water reaches the UV chamber  30 . This is because the half life of ozone is approximately 10 minutes and the drinking water-ozone mixture is usually held 10 minutes or more. 
         [0018]    After leaving the UV light chamber  30 , the drinking water continues to pass through conduit  34  and through an on/off valve  36 . Conduit  34  extends beyond on/off valve  36  and an outlet  42  is provided for directing the treated drinking water from the water treatment unit  10 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , a bypass conduit  38  is provided downstream of the inlet  12  and upstream of the outlet  42 . An on/off valve  40  is placed in the bypass conduit  38 . 
         [0019]    Now turning to a discussion of the pressure vessel  50  shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the pressure vessel includes a housing  62  supported on a base  64 . Housing  62  includes an upper cap  62 A that is secured about the upper terminal end of the housing. Pressure vessel  50  includes an inlet tube  66 . As seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , inlet tube  66  extends alongside the housing  62  and includes an upper terminal end  66 A that is substantially elevated with respect to the base  64  of the pressure vessel  50 . Internally within the housing  62  is a riser  68 . Riser  68  is communicatively connected to the inlet tube  66  and includes an upper terminal end  68 A. Disposed below outlet  68 A is a separation plate  70  that extends around the riser  68  and engages the interior wall of the housing  62 . A head space  74  is defined between the cap  62 A and the plate  70 . Plate  70  includes a series of circumferentially spaced openings (not shown) formed therein that permit the drinking water-ozone mixture to move from the head space  74  downwardly pass the plate  70  into the lower portions of the pressure vessel  50 . Connected to each opening in the plate  70  about the underside thereof is a disburser  72 . The dispersers  72  are generally L-shaped dispersing elements that turn the drinking water-ozone mixture in a direction generally horizontally and toward the wall of the housing  62  such that the drinking water-ozone mixture is disbursed generally tangentially to the inner wall of the housing  62 . The number of openings in plate  70  and the number of dispersers  72  can vary. Generally however they are uniformly spaced around the axis of the riser  68 . 
         [0020]    The pressure vessel  50  also includes an outlet tube  76 . Outlet tube  76  is communicatively connected to the interior of the pressure vessel  50  about a lower portion. See  FIG. 3 . Outlet tube  76  includes an outlet  76 A. 
         [0021]    In the present process, the drinking water-ozone mixture enters the pressure vessel  50  via inlet tube  66 . Once in the inlet tube  66 , the drinking water-ozone mixture travels downwardly and into the lower portion of the riser  68 . Then the drinking water-ozone mixture is pumped or moved upwardly through riser  68  to where the mixture is disbursed from the upper outlet  68 A. The mixture is disbursed under pressure and impinges or impacts against the inner surface of cap  62 . Thereafter the mixture falls downwardly into the head space  74  and is disbursed from the head space through openings in the plate  70  and through disperses  72 . Because of the orientation of disperses  72 , the drinking water-ozone mixture generally follows a swirling pattern as it moves downwardly around the riser  68 . The drinking water-ozone mixture accumulates about the bottom of the pressure vessel  50  and is effectively discharged therefrom through the outlet tube  76 . 
         [0022]    It should be appreciated that there are various designs that can be incorporated into the upper portion of the pressure vessel  50  to cause the drinking water-ozone mixture to swirl downwardly through the pressure vessel. For example in one embodiment, the pressure vessel may include baffles that impart a swirling motion to the mixture as it moves from the upper portion of the pressure vessel to a lower portion. 
         [0023]    The pressure maintained in the head space  74  can vary. In one embodiment, the pressure in the head space  74  ranges from approximately 35 psi to approximately 65 psi. 
         [0024]    The system and process for removing residual pharmaceutical compounds and other residual compounds such as residual cosmetic product compounds is effective in removing certain of these residual compounds. For example, in one test the results indicate a sufficient reduction in a series of residual compounds including Codeine, Acetaminophen, Sulfamethoxazole, Albuteral, Naproxen, and Warfarin. In these tests the drinking water flow was approximately 2.4 gallons/min. The inlet pressure was approximately 55 psi and the outlet pressure was approximately 15 to 20 psi. In order to provide a substantial dose of ozone at any flow rate, the pump  24  was utilized to deliver ozone at a pressure of approximately 70 psi which is greater than the system operating pressure. The high pressure ozone pump  24  is capable of delivering a substantial amount of ozone produced by the generator  22  at any system flow rate. The drinking water-ozone mixture was directed into the holding tank  28  and the mixture was held therein for approximately 15 minutes. This enabled the ozone to have sufficient contact time with the contaminants to oxidize and effectively reduce the concentration of certain contaminants. After contact in the holding tank  28 , the drinking water or the drinking water-ozone mixture was directed to the UV light chamber  30  for treatment by the UV lights  32 . In the case of the six contaminants listed above, there was a substantial reduction in their concentrations. For example, the untreated amount of Codeine in the drinking water was 0.65 ppb. There was no detectable Codeine found in the treated drinking water which resulted in a 100% reduction in the concentration of Codeine. For Acetaminophen, the untreated concentration was 0.77 ppb and the treated concentration was 0.06 ppb, yielding a 93% reduction in the concentration. In the case of Sulfamethoxazole, the untreated concentration was 0.49 ppb and there was no detectable amount in the treated drinking water. This yielded a 100% reduction in concentration. For Albuteral, the untreated concentration was 0.14 ppb and there was no detectable amount of Albuteral in the treated drinking water. This resulted in a 100% reduction in concentration. The same holds true for Naproxen. Here the initial concentration was 0.88 ppb with no detectable amounts in the treated drinking water, yielding a 100% reduction in concentration. Finally in the case of Warfarin, the initial or untreated concentration was 0.86 ppb and the concentration in the treated drinking water was 0.02, yielding a 98% reduction in concentration. 
         [0025]    From the foregoing, it is appreciated that the present system and process is useful in treating municipal water supplies and other water supplies that include residual compound from pharmaceutical products, cosmetic products, and other such products. The entire system can be housed within a cabinet and installed within a dwelling or other residential or commercial structure. 
         [0026]    The present invention may, of course, be carried out in other ways than those specifically set forth herein without departing from essential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.