Patent ID: 7749384

Claim:
A method, comprising: receiving an aqueous stream comprising nitrates; introducing the aqueous stream into a containment system, the containment system comprising: a particulate bed of an organic carbon-containing de-nitrification media as an organic carbon source for the conversion of nitrates to nitrogen gas and form a de-nitrified aqueous stream; a fluid distribution layer located beneath the bed of carbon-containing de-nitrification media to distribute, substantially uniformly, the aqueous stream over a face of the bed of carbon-containing de-nitrification media, the carbon containing denitrification media being spaced, by the fluid distribution layer, from a bottom of the containment system; and a fluid collection layer, located above the bed of carbon-containing de-nitrification media, to collect the de-nitrified aqueous stream; upflowing the aqueous stream through the bed of carbon-containing de-nitrification media to convert at least most of the nitrates into nitrogen gas and form the de-nitrified aqueous stream; and removing the de-nitrified aqueous stream from the containment system.