Patent ID: 8580122

Claim:
A hybrid chemical/mechanical water treatment method for inactivating and removing pharmaceuticals, personal care products, perchlorates, heavy metals, solids, phosphates, and chemicals in waters, water inflow streams, and process liquid streams, comprising: a. determining the pharmaceuticals, personal care products, perchlorates, heavy metals, solids, and chemicals composition of the waters, water inflow streams and process liquid streams and employing either: I. a reduction oxidation chemical treatment comprising: a injecting SO 2 into a portion of the waters, water inflows streams and/or process liquid streams at a pH that generates sufficient sulfurous acid with free SO 2 to condition any solids and waters for disinfection, solids separation, deodorizing waters, water inflow streams and/or process liquid streams, suppressing CO 2 emissions from bacteria and destroy those chemicals, which are inactivated by sulfurous acid reduction; wherein the portion is greater than 0% and up to 100%; b. holding the waters, water inflow streams, and/or process liquid streams treated by injection of SO 2 at a pH between approximately 1.5 and 4.5, depending upon dwell time, until at least one of the following occur: i. a conditioned water is produced where any suspended solids agglomerate and dewater by shedding water upon separation and drying, ii. dissolved solids and ammonia are sulfurous acid treated resulting in odor reduction, iii. CO 2 microbial production ceases, iv. disinfection occurs, v. perchlorate, chlorate, and chromium VI present are inactivated or reduced by sulfurous acid reduction; c. mechanically separating and disposing of any solids including sulfate/sulfite precipitates forming a chemically treated liquid fraction, .d raising the pH of the chemically treated liquid fraction to inactivate chemicals that are pH inactivated or form precipitates at a pH in excess of 7, e separating any precipitates from the chemically treated liquid fraction forming a filtrate, and adjusting the pH of the filtrate for reuse and f. testing for remaining chemicals in the filtrate, which are inactivated by oxidation and injecting an oxidizing agent into the filtrate to oxidize said remaining chemicals, or II. an oxidation/reduction cycle adding oxidizing agents before step b to the water, water inflow streams and process liquid streams to neutralize or precipitate chemicals inactivated by oxidation and omitting step f.