Patent ID: 7648634

Claim:
A method of treating wastewater, comprising (a) admitting wastewater into a wastewater treatment container having a top, a bottom, and a height dimension therebetween and filling the wastewater treatment container to a level with wastewater; (b) mixing and/or aerating the wastewater in the wastewater treatment container with a mixing/aeration system positioned below the level of wastewater in the wastewater treatment container and including an inlet for receiving retentate wastewater and an outlet for discharging retentate wastewater into the wastewater treatment container; (c) treating the wastewater in the wastewater treatment container; (d) providing the wastewater from the wastewater treatment container to a solids/liquids separation system at a pressure and flow rate sufficient to affect separation of solids and the liquid in the wastewater stream within the solids/liquids separation system, the solids/liquid separation system having a retentate outlet; (e) recycling the retentate from the solids/liquid separation system to the inlet of the mixing/aeration system; and (f) drawing off treated effluent from the solids/liquid separation system; wherein providing the wastewater from the wastewater treatment container to the solids/liquid separation system includes pumping the wastewater using a pump having an inlet in fluid communication with the wastewater treatment container and an outlet in fluid communication with the solids/liquids separation system; and wherein the pump inlet is in fluid communication with the bottom of the wastewater treatment container.