Patent ID: 7591952

Claim:
A method for treating waste water, comprising the steps of: a. establishing a vertically oriented first reaction zone having a cross section that increases from a small cross section at the bottom to a maximum at the top; b. establishing a vertically oriented secondary reaction zone surrounding the first reaction zone that communicates with the first reaction zone at top and bottom; c. establishing a vertically oriented collection zone surrounding the secondary reaction zone that communicates with the secondary reaction zone at the bottom; d. treating diatomite to impart a long term sustainable negative electric charge of a magnitude sufficient to produce movement in human hair when brought close to it, said treatment comprising heating the diatomite to from about 160 degrees Fahrenheit to about 220 degrees Fahrenheit in an iron container or vessel while stirring with a raw iron paddle; e. maintaining a source of waste water to be treated; f. mixing the treated diatomite and a metal chloride selected from the group consisting of aluminum chloride, ferric chloride and magnesium chloride with waste water to be treated; g. drawing waste water from the source and injecting the waste water with treated diatomite and a metal chloride mixed therein into the bottom of the first reaction zone under sufficient pressure so that it will flow upwardly and overflows the top of the first reaction zone with at least the lower portion of the first reaction zone being in a turbulent state, the overflow flowing downwardly through the secondary reaction zone; h. recirculating a first portion of the down flow through the secondary reaction zone to the bottom of the first reaction zone to be mixed with the waste water being injected into the bottom of the first reaction zone; i. circulating a second portion of the down flow through the secondary reaction zone to the collection zone surrounding the secondary reaction zone whereupon the solids settle and separate from the water to form a first solids layer at the bottom of the collection zone and water forms a second clarified layer at the top of the collection zone; and j. removing clarified water from the top of the collection zone and solids from the bottom of the collection zone.