Patent ID: 8821728

Claim:
A system for treating waste waters comprising: a precipitation and conditioning subsystem including: at least one precipitation and conditioning stage, and a supply of caustic, where caustic is added in an amount to adjust a pH of the waste water to a pH sufficient to precipitate precipitatable contaminants in the waste water and where the precipitation and conditioning subsystem forms a first safe comprising precipitation and conditioning subsystem purified water; an ammonia stripper and neutralization subsystem including: at least on ammonia stripper unit, at least one ammonia neutralization unit, and a supply of an ammonia neutralizing agent, where the ammonia stripper and neutralization subsystem forms a second safe path comprising ammonia stripper and neutralization subsystem purified water, where the first safe path provides the precipitation and conditioning subsystem purified water for use in the ammonia stripper and neutralization subsystem, where the ammonia stripper withdraws water from the first safe path and returns ammonia stripped water thereto, and where stripped ammonia is converted in the ammonia neutralization unit into a crude ammonium salt liquor; and a denitrification subsystem including: at least one bio-denitrification/absorber unit, where a particulate absorbent is circulated through the unit in a bacteria supporting medium, the absorbent is adapted to adsorb and/or absorb nitrogen-containing compounds in an effluent from the ammonia stripper and neutralization subsystem, while the bacteria in the supporting medium converts the nitrogen-containing compounds in interstitial water and the absorbed and/or adsorbed nitrogen-containing compounds into nitrogen gas or into amino acids via bio-synthesis by the bacteria, and where the second safe path provides the ammonia stripper and neutralization subsystem purified water for use in the denitrification subsystem and where the subsystems are arranged in a series configuration, the system is capable of reducing a nitrogen level in a waste water levels below 10 ppm or to levels below applicable water discharge nitrogen levels and to reduce other contaminants through precipitation using the caustic and to reduce or eliminate ammonia through formation of an ammonium salt.