Patent Application
20160304367
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a self-dispersing additive system, composition, and method for treating bodies of waters, such as ponds, lakes, cooling towers, lagoons, wastewaters, decorative fountains, hot tubs, chilled water systems, and swimming pools, with one or more additives, such fish food, probiotics, algaecides, corrosion inhibitors, and calcified seaweed, that provide a treatment or benefit for the body of water or plants and animals living in or drinking from the body of water.
2. Description of Related Art
The use of chemicals to treat bodies of water, such as ponds or lakes, cooling towers, or water systems, such as tanks in a wastewater treatment system, is well known. Water treatment systems generally involve manual or automatic systems for the addition of liquid and solid compounds. The manual process involves physically dumping the additives into the water and automated systems typically use pumps the transfer the additives from a storage container to the body of body. Although these application methods are relatively easy, a major drawback of these methods is insufficient dispersal of the treatment product throughout the body of water. Natural water movements are generally insufficient to achieve adequate dispersal. Additionally, natural water movements, such as a current created by wind, may result in the product being primarily directed to a single area within the body of water rather than dispersed throughout the body of water. To achieve sufficient dispersal, the addition of pumping or mixing equipment may be necessary, which adds to the costs and maintenance of the body of water. Additionally, there is no easy way of dispensing a powder, liquid, solid or slurry treatment product in the middle of a large body of water without using additional equipment such as a boat or piping system. These methods may also result in the loss of some treatment product because the product may be blown away (such as by wind) during application to the body of water or during on-site preparation of a slurry to be pumped or manually dumped into the body of water. There is a need for a simple method of delivering treatments to bodies of waters and water systems that will aid in dispersal, allow dispensing at multiple locations, reduce the need for manual labor, and reduce treatment product losses without requiring the use of expensive pumping or mixing equipment.
This invention provides a system, composition, and method to treat bodies of water, such as ponds, pools, fountains, hot tubs and lakes, or water systems, such as tanks within wastewater treatment plants or cooling towers, with additives that provide a treatment or benefit for the body of water or plants and animals living in or drinking from the body of water, such as improving water quality, improving overall health of the water, or delivering food or probiotics. An additive composition according to a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises one or more treatment additive which can both biological, chemical, or a combination, and other components that effervesce in the presence of water to aid in dispersal of the additives. A delivery system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises forming a composition comprising one or more treating additives and effervescing compounds as tablets, pucks, powders, granules, or bricks which are encapsulated or otherwise contained in a water soluble capsule, pouch, or other container or form that will dissolve upon contact with water to allow the composition to effervesce and disperse the additive through the body of water.
According to a preferred method of the invention, a body of water is treated with one or more treatment additives, such as calcified seaweed, scale inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors, or other beneficial compounds, by dispensing or depositing product filled water soluble containers into the water. Most preferably, multiple such containers are deposited, such as by throwing them into the water, at various locations around the perimeter and at various locations across the length and width of the body of water. According to another preferred method of the invention, a body of water is treated with an additive by depositing water soluble containers comprising an effervescing composition into the body of water, preferably using multiple containers of the composition deposited at multiple locations, with the effervescing action aiding in dispersing the additives in the body of water.
The preferred systems, compositions, and treatment methods provide an easy way to disperse one or more treating additives in a body of water, including into a middle section or portion of the body of water not easily reachable by an outer perimeter or shoreline. The use of water soluble containers eliminates product loss issues associated with using a powdered, liquid, slurry, or granulated product. The water soluble containers may range in size and weight from smaller, very light-weight tablet sizes to larger pouches weighing from 0.01 to 5.0 pounds, but are most preferably sized to be easily picked up and thrown a distance into a body of water by the average adult. The effervescent components used in a preferred embodiment also aid in dispersal of the additive(s) without requiring the use or addition of any pumping or mixing equipment.
The system of the invention is further described and explained in relation to the following drawings wherein:
A composition according to one preferred embodiment of the invention comprises one or more treatment additives (an active ingredient) and an effervescent couple. Any type of treatment additive or active ingredient may be used, including without limitation, fish food, probiotics, antibiotics, biocides, algaecides, herbicides, biologicals, chelating agents, scale inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors (such as tolyltriazole or benzotriazole), water softeners, antifoam, chemicals, ph adjusters, and calcified seaweed. The composition according to this preferred embodiment may also include a dye. Any suitable dye may be used to provide a visual indication of dispersion of the treatment additive in the body of water. A reactive dye may also be used as an active ingredient to indicate the presence of certain components in the water being treated.
The effervescent couple comprises a solid acidic and a solid basic material. When these two materials dissolve in water, they react with one another to produce carbon dioxide resulting in effervescence. Preferably, the acid is one or more of citric acid, malic acid, maleic acid, or fumaric acid, but other acids may also be used. Preferably, the basic component is an alkali or alkaline carbonates or bicarbonates, such as sodium bicarbonate or calcium carbonate, but other basic components may also be used. Citric acid and sodium bicarbonate are the most preferred effervescent couple because of their rapid reaction together.
Preferably, the composition comprises about 0.01 to 80% total of one or more active ingredients, about 10 to 34% solid acid, and about 20 to 66% solid basic compound. The percentages herein are by % weight.
A composition according to another preferred embodiment of the invention comprises calcified seaweed as the active treatment additive. Calcified seaweed may be used to provide several benefits to the body of water, including pH modification, macronutrient addition to benefit fish and bacteria populations, and odor reduction. Most preferably, the calcified seaweed composition comprises about 0.8 to 70% calcified seaweed and effervescent couple comprising about 5 to 10% solid acid and about 10 to 20% solid basic compound, all by weight. Any effervescent couple may be used, but sodium bicarbonate and citric acid are preferred. When sodium bicarbonate and citric acid are used as the effervescent couple, they are preferably added in a 2:1 ratio and the calcified seaweed (biological material) being at least 70% of the composition. Optionally, other ingredients, including other active or inactive ingredients (such as tolyltriazole, or benzotriazole, or a dye), may be added to the composition. When other optional ingredients are included the composition, the amount of calcified seaweed and effervescent couple by weight percentage will vary, but are preferably maintained in a ratio of about 50:16:34 to about 80:6:14 (calcified seaweed:acid:basic compound).
A composition according to another preferred embodiment of the invention comprises as the active ingredients a first chelating agent in a concentration of around 30 ppm to around 120 ppm, a second chelating agent in a concentration of around 680 ppm to 2700 ppm, and an anionic surfactant in a concentration of around 50 ppm to 200 ppm. This preferred embodiment also includes an effervescent couple, as previously described. The first chelating agent is preferably an organic acid and the second chelating agent is preferably the corresponding neutral salt of the first agent. Citric acid and sodium citrate are the preferred chelating agents. The preferred surfactant is an anionic naphthalene sulfonate compound. Optionally and preferably, this composition also includes a corrosion inhibitor, such as a tolytriaole, in a concentration of around 1 ppm to 20 ppm. Optionally, a biocide may also be used. This treatment composition is particularly useful in treating cooling tower water and for removing biofilms within such towers, but may also be used to treat other bodies of water. The concentrations herein are the concentrations of the ingredients when added to the body of water, such as the volume of water in a cooling tower system, being treated.
When the treatment compositions according to the invention are added to water, the chemical reaction of the effervescent couple in water releases carbon dioxide which aids in the rapid and even dispersion of the treatment composition in the body of water. Although the compositions comprising an active and effervescent couple (along with any other optional ingredients) according to the embodiments of the invention may be added to a body of water as a dry, loose powder, these ingredients are most preferably uniformly mixed as dry, loose ingredients sealed or encapsulated in a water soluble container, such as a capsule, pouch, or bag. Such water soluble containers would dissolve upon contact with water (when they are dispensed or added to the body of water being treated) and allow the effervescent action to begin. These water soluble containers are not packed tightly, but are loosely package with the components and air to augment the float characteristics of the system. Loose product packing is preferred to insure buoyance of the total system. If powdered material is placed into a water soluble container or capsule, it will float and allow the powder to effervesce from the surface of the water once the water has penetrated the outside of the capsule or water soluble container. The inherent buoyance and the release of insitu gas product will act a propellant to transport the released actives through the body of water. A water soluble capsule may be made of PVA, cellulose, or other similar materials that safely degrade rapidly in an aqueous environment. Although water soluble capsules are preferred for this application, there are many other ways to package or contain this invention. PVA bags and cellulose bags are examples of other types of containment.
Although the treatment compositions are preferably loose ingredients within the water soluble container, one or more of them may be pressed into pellets or capsule or the like prior to be placed in the container. References herein to “pellets” include any compacted form of the treatment composition, such as tablets, puck, or bricks, which are pressed together and not coated with or sealed in any water soluble material.
Most preferably, the treatment compositions are included in a bag-in-bag dispersal system, as further described below, but may also be included in a single water soluble container.
Most preferably, each of the outer bags 112, 212, 312, 412, or 512 and each of the inner container or bags 114, 214, 314, 414, or 514 comprise at least one breach point. The breach point may be an area on the bag that is intended to be easily cut or opened by a user, but most preferably is a thinner area on the bag that will dissolve more quickly than the other areas of the bag when contacted with water. Most preferably, a breach point 116, 216, 316, or 416 on the outer bag is located at a position that is substantially opposite or around 180° from a breach point 118, 218, 318, or 418 on the inner bag, as shown in
An alternative embodiment is shown in
In addition to the appendages described above, the shape and design of the water-soluble pouches (inter and outer) are also a contributing factor to the movement of the product through the body of water. For example, system 100 is shaped similar to boat to aid in moving or gliding through the water in a more hydrodynamic manner. The shapes depicted in the figures are exemplary only and other shapes may also be used with delivery systems according to the invention.
According to one preferred method of the invention, a body of water is treated with a treatment composition, such as the one described above comprising calcified seaweed, by depositing water soluble containers comprising a treatment composition into the body of water. Most preferably, the treatment composition comprises one or more active ingredients and an effervescent couple, with optional other ingredients in amounts described above with respect to the preferred compositions of the invention. Most preferably, multiple such containers (preferably a bag-in-bag delivery system according to the invention) of the treatment composition are deposited, such as by throwing them into the water, at various locations around the perimeter body of water and at various locations across the length and width of the body of water. The water soluble containers may range in size and weight from smaller, very light-weight sizes to larger pouches weighing from 0.1 to 5 pounds, but are most preferably sized to be easily picked up and thrown a distance into a body of water by the average adult. The use of smaller containers allows for the treatment composition to be easily placed at varying locations around and in or across the body of water from a point along the perimeter or shoreline of the body of water, which was not possible with prior art powdered or slurry treatment compositions. When the containers contact the water, they begin to dissolve and allow the effervescent couple to react and produce carbon dioxide, which aids in dispersing the calcified seaweed. Most preferably, the treatment composition is added to the body of water being with the pre-determined rate is variable based on the active needed to achieve the desired water quality.
When treating cooling towers or similar volumes of circulating water or similar water systems, the preferred method is to reduce conductivity by removing some or substantially all of the water from the water system being treated (if needed) and re-filling with an appropriate amount of fresh or new water, providing a treatment composition (preferably the composition for treating cooling towers as described above), and allowing the treatment composition to contact the components (such as pipes) in the water system being treated (whether circulating or non-circulating) for a period of time, and draining or otherwise removing the water containing the treatment composition from the water system and re-filling with an appropriate volume of fresh or new water. Optionally, a corrosion inhibitor and/or a biocide may also be added, either with the treatment composition (as an integrated product) or as separate components). This method is particularly useful in removing biofilms that have grown on components within the water system.
The composition and method described herein are particularly useful in non-flowing bodies of water, such as ponds or lakes, cooling towers, or other contained bodies of water, such as holding tanks in a wastewater treatment system. However, the composition and method herein may also be useful in moving bodies of water, such as rivers or streams or industrial processes, particularly in areas where the water may be stagnate for periods of time. References herein to additives, active ingredients, or treatment compounds include any type of compound or product or chemical that provides a treatment to a body of water or benefits animals or plants living in or drinking from the body of water, such as improving water quality, improving overall health of the water, or delivering food or probiotics. Those of ordinary skill in the art will also appreciate upon reading this specification and the description of preferred embodiments herein that modifications and alterations to the device may be made within the scope of the invention and it is intended that the scope of the invention disclosed herein be limited only by the broadest interpretation of the appended claims to which the inventors are legally entitled.
