Patent Application
20230202897
The invention relates to biological decomposition of organic compounds. The invention particularly relates to accelerating biological decomposition of organic compounds.
Organic compounds, often in the form of sludge, have historically been and continue to be a problem in the treatment of waste liquids. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,156,646, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses that many processes and a large variety of apparatus have been developed for the digestion of basically raw sewage such as that discharged into municipal sewage systems. This reference goes on to detail issues relating to treating solids removed from such systems as compared to treating the raw wastewater derived from human waste.
The reduction of biological sludge occurs in other applications besides treating human waste. Organic sludges can occur with industrial wastewater systems, agricultural wastewater systems, and especially with animal husbandry-based wastewater systems.
What all of these systems have in common is the employment of bacteria and other microscopic flora to reduce the sludges ultimately to carbon dioxide and/or methane. For example, it is a common practice in some applications to simply dehydrate sludges and bury them. Sometimes the sludges are instead burned as fuel.
While effective, such applications tend to be expensive and to require extensive handling. Mishandling of such systems can result in spills and other forms of environmental contamination.
It is often difficult and expensive to introduce sufficient oxygen into sludges to allow microscopic flora to efficiently break down or decompose such materials.
It would be desirable in the art to be able to accelerate the activity of bacteria and other microscopic flora in breaking down organic compounds. It would be especially desirable if such acceleration could occur with the treatment of biological sludges.
In one aspect, the invention is a process for accelerating biological decomposition of organic compounds comprising: introducing a bio-accelerant into an aqueous admixture of the organic compounds wherein the bio-accelerant comprises: a first compound selected from the group consisting of, alkali metal formates, alkali metal acetates, alkali metal malonates, alkali metal nitrates, alkali metal adipates, alkali metal salts of propane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid, or alkali metal citrates; and a second compound selected from the group consisting of: alkali metal carbonates, alkali metal bicarbonates, alkali metal dimethyl carbonates, or alkali metal hypochlorites.
In another aspect, the invention is such a process wherein the first and second compounds are combined to form the bio-accelerant, and the bio-accelerant is introduced into the admixture at a concentration of from about 5 parts per million to about 25,000 parts per million.
In still another aspect, the invention is a process as described above wherein the bio-accelerant also includes a bacteria culture selected for an intended end-use.
The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:
In one embodiment, the invention is a process for accelerating biological decomposition of organic compounds in aqueous admixtures. It does not matter what the origin of the biological compounds is, the only limiting factor to the embodiments of the present application is that the organic compounds are those that can be treated biologically. For example, the biological compounds can result from the treatment of human waste, agricultural production, animal husbandry, and the like.
The processes of the present application are particularly useful when the organic compounds are in the form of an aqueous sludge. Desirably, the sludge can be reduced in volume in an amount sufficient to reduce or even eliminate the need to remove and dispose of it.
Biological decomposition is achieved in the process of the present application by introducing a bio-accelerant into the aqueous admixtures. In one embodiment, the bio-accelerant comprises: a first compound selected from the group consisting of alkali metal formates, alkali metal acetates, alkali metal malonates, alkali metal nitrates alkali metal adipates, alkali metal salts of propane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid, or alkali metal citrates; and a second compound selected from the group consisting of: alkali metal carbonates, alkali metal bicarbonates, alkali metal dimethyl carbonates, or alkali metal hypochlorites.
In the practice of the process of the application, the bio-accelerant may be prepared by admixing the first compound with the second compound. For the purposes the present application, the term “admixing” means combining the 2 materials into an apparent single phase. For example, one form of admixing the 2 components of the bio-accelerant would be agitating a solution of sodium bicarbonate and a solution of sodium citrate. Another embodiment, the bio-accelerant is prepared by agitating sodium bicarbonate, and adipic acid, with a solution of sodium hydroxide. The bio-accelerants of the present application may be prepared using any method known to be useful to those of ordinary skill in the art as long as it results in an aqueous solution or suspension of the subject salts in a carrier. Preferably, the carrier is water.
For the purposes the present application, the term “admixture” means a composition having one or more phases wherein the components of the admixture are in contact with each other. For example, the term “aqueous admixture of organic compounds” means organic compounds in solution or suspension or present as a flock and/or sludge in water.
According to the process of the present application, the bio-accelerant is preferably prepared using only one material selected from each of the groups described above. Naturally, there may be some amount of naturally occurring “contaminants” that may be one of those listed above. For example, sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate exist in equilibrium. Nevertheless, desirably, the compounds used to form the bio-accelerant have only an immaterial amount of other compounds from the subject groups. For the purposes the present application, an immaterial amount would be 10% or less.
The bio-accelerants of the present application are preferably employed as salts. Some of the components are salts at virtually all pHs, such as sodium nitrate. Others though, such as sodium citrate, sodium adipate, are effective at pHs sufficiently high that they are present in the aqueous admixtures as salts rather than acids.
In one embodiment, the bio-accelerants of the application are introduced into the aqueous admixture of organic compounds at a concentration of from about 5 parts per million to about 25,000 parts per million. In another embodiment, the bio-accelerants are introduced into the aqueous admixture of organic compounds at a concentration of from about 50 parts per million to about 2,500 parts per million. In still another embodiment, the bio-accelerants are introduced into the aqueous admixture of organic compounds at a concentration of from about 100 parts per million to about 500 parts per million.
While it may be desirable to employ the bio-accelerants as liquids, it may be even more desirable to prepare the bio-accelerants as solids to reduce shipping costs. While most of the compounds useful with the present application are very safe, care should be used when dealing with oxidizing compositions. For example, extra care should be employed when using sodium hypochlorites or any of the other hypochlorites salts.
In one embodiment, the bio-accelerants useful with the process of the present application may be employed as a pill, pellet, capsule or brick. When employed as a capsule, the bio-accelerant is enclosed within a water-soluble container. In the other applications, the bio-accelerant is mixed with a binder and compressed. Some of the compounds useful for preparing the bio-accelerants of the application may be more compatible with solid applications than others. For example, citric acid is readily formed into a solid form as compared to other possible components.
Any binder known to be useful to those of ordinary skill in the art to bind together the components of the application may be employed with the process of the present application.
When preparing the bio-accelerants useful with the process of the present application, it may be economically desirable to use the least expensive cations. For example, in most cases it would be desirable to use sodium to form the salts but use of other alkali metals is within the scope of the claims of the present application. So, preferably, the cation will be sodium. In other embodiments, the cation can be potassium or lithium. Use of other alkali metals is probably prohibitively expensive in practice but still within the scope of the claims of the present application.
The bio-accelerants of the present application are prepared by admixing a first compound selected from the group consisting of alkali metal formates, alkali metal acetates, alkali metal malonates, alkali metal nitrates, alkali metal adipates, alkali metal salts of propane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid, or alkali metal citrates; and a second compound selected from the group consisting of: alkali metal carbonates, alkali metal bicarbonates, alkali metal dimethyl carbonates, or alkali metal hypochlorites. The ratio of the first compound to the second compound may be from about 1:9 to about 9:1. In some embodiments, the ratio is from about 1:4 to about 4:1. In still other embodiments, the ratio may be about 1:1.
In most instances, the bio-accelerants useful with the process of the application may be employed by introducing them directly into the material to be treated. For example, in a septic tank application, the bio-accelerant may be introduced directly without further modification. However, in some situations, it may be desirable to further augment the bio-accelerant with additional components to add additional functionality.
For example, when treating a system that is substantially sterile, it may be desirable to add a bacteria culture. Sometimes, depending upon the end-use, the bacterial culture can be selected to be specifically useful for that end-use. Such bacteria are commercially available.
While the components used to prepare the bio-accelerants of the application are desirably salts, in some applications, the acid form of the components may be used. For the purposes of the present application and for claiming purposes, the acid form of the salts claimed are within the scope of the claim even though not expressly listed.
The bio-accelerants useful with the process of the present application may be employed with aqueous admixtures of organic compounds that are either oxygen-rich or oxygen depleted. End-use applications where the embodiments of the invention may be applied include, but are not limited to:
A test media was prepared by admixing chlorine free water, raw sugar, and a dry bacteria culture. The media was used to prepare a test sample and a control. The test sample was treated with a mixture of sodium nitrate and sodium bicarbonate. A drop of material was taken from the control after one hour and viewed under a microscope.
It is clear by viewing the photomicrographs that the bio-accelerant dramatically increased the size and number of bacteria colonies as compared to the control.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2021/034896 | 5/28/2021 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63031396 | May 2020 | US |
