Patent ID: 8343359

Claim:
A method of treating an aqueous influent containing organic matter, the method comprising: a. injecting an oxidizing gas into a bottom portion of a vertical oriented column reactor; b. suspending a bed of catalyst material in the column reactor to form a fluidized bed of catalyst material in the reactor wherein at least a portion of the fluidized bed is disposed in the lower portion of the column reactor; c. wherein the oxidizing gas injected into the column reactor functions to suspend the bed of catalyst material in the reactor; d. injecting the influent to be treated into the bottom portion of the column reactor where the influent is contacted with the oxidizing gas in the presence of the fluidized bed of catalyst material that promotes the oxidation reaction of organic material in the influent or promotes the adsorption of organic material by the bed of catalyst material thereby yielding treated water; e. wherein the column reactor includes an immersed membrane filtration unit disposed in the upper portion of the column reactor and where in at least a portion of the fluidized bed of catalyst material is maintained below the membrane filtration unit in the column reactor; f. after directing the influent through the fluidized bed of catalyst material and oxidizing gas in the lower portion of the column reactor, filtering at least a first portion of the treated water in the immersed membrane filtration unit disposed in the upper portion of the column reactor forming a filtered influent; g. directing the filtered influent from the reactor; h. bypassing the immersed membrane filtration unit with at least a second portion of the treated water such that the second portion of the treated water is non-permeated treated water; i. recirculating at least a portion of the non-permeated treated water from the upper portion of the column reactor, through a recirculation line that lies outside of the column reactor and back into the lower portion of the column reactor; and j. recirculating at least a portion of the oxidizing gas from the upper portion of the column reactor, through a gas recirculation loop disposed outside of the column reactor and back into the lower portion of the column reactor.