Patent ID: 8460549

Claim:
A method for treating an aqueous medium containing microorganisms with a desired level of gas saturation, comprising the steps of: i) saturating the aqueous medium containing living microorganisms with gas to the desired level of gas saturation for the living microorganisms to absorb the gas; ii) feeding the aqueous medium containing the living microorganisms to a pressure differential inducer, the pressure differential inducer having a casing and at least one pump with an impeller located in the casing; iii) killing a portion of the living microorganisms by actuating the pressure inducer above a given speed to expose the aqueous medium containing the living microorganisms with the desired level of gas saturation to accelerations by the force resulting from the action of the impeller of the pump so as to cause cell wall rupture of the living microorganisms, thereby killing a portion of the microorganisms, a portion of the aqueous medium being exposed to velocities at or above a speed of sound of the aqueous medium; and iv) outletting the treated aqueous medium containing ruptured cell wall of the microorganisms from the pressure differential inducer, whereby the treated aqueous medium containing ruptured cell wall of the microorganisms is at least one of disposed of and recycled.