Patent ID: 6929942

Claim:
A process for the treatment of effluents to produce potable water which process comprises the steps of: (i) diluting effluents from pulp mills, paper mills or the alcohol manufacturing industry having an initial chemical oxygen demand in the range of about 15,000 to about 120,000 ppm with a water diluent such that an effluents to water diluent ratio is maintained within the range of from about 1:1 to about 1:5; (ii) contacting the diluted effluents with a marine red algae selected from the group consisting of Porphyra and Liagora in an amount within the range of from about 0.15% to about 2.00% by weight of the diluted effluents for a period of from about 30 minutes to about 5 hours; (iii) treating the diluted effluents from step (ii) with calcareous material for a period of at least 30 minutes thereby forming a coagulated material and a supernatant; (iv) separating the coagulated material from the supernatant of step (iii); treating the supernatant of step (iv) with an ion-exchange resin to obtain a clear filtrate; and (vi) passing the clear filtrate of step (v) over a column of activated carbon to produce potable water having a final chemical oxygen demand that is from about 94.0% to about 99.99% lower than the initial Chemical Oxygen Demand of the effluents.