Patent ID: 6916431

Claim:
A multi-component precipitating chemical for admixing with a contaminated liquid, including oily water, sewage and waste water, to produce a liquid mixture thereof, said precipitating chemical causing at least one of dissolved and suspended contaminants, including at least one of organic and inorganic contaminants, to separate from the contaminated liquid when the precipitating chemical is activated, wherein said multi-component precipitating chemical comprises: water; a montmorillonite bentonite; a polyacrylamide polymer exhibiting negative electric charges; and at least one of sodium polyphosphate and lignite, wherein chemical precipitation is activated in a single-step operation by adjusting the pH-value of the liquid mixture to one of ≦4.0 and ≧8.0 by adding an acid or a base, respectively; and wherein the polyacrylamide polymer, water and bentonite bond into aggregates, and wherein at least one of the sodium polyphosphate and lignite is effective in reducing the degree to which the aggregates adhere together.