Process and plant for treating wastewater containing micropollutants of pharmaceutical origin

US11845681B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• COCKERILL MAINTENANCE & INGENIERIE S.A. · BE
• CENTRE BELGE D'ETUDE ET DE DOCUMENTATION DE L'EAU, EN ABREGE CEBEDEAU ASBL · BE
• LIST—LUXEMBOURG INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY · LU

Inventors

• Stephane Nonet · Bois-de-Villers, BE
• Christian Koehler · Dresden, DE
• Alain Magis · Oupeye, BE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 6, 2019
• Grant date: Dec 19, 2023
• Expiry date: Jun 7, 2040

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02W10/10
• WIPO field: Environmental technology
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A completely biological method for removing a first group of micropollutants of pharmaceutical origin and a second group of micropollutants of pharmaceutical origin from raw wastewater includes: providing a first buffer tank upstream of a bioreactor; providing a moving bed membrane bioreactor (MB-MBR) for developing biomass growth both on a fixed support and in suspension in a form of flocs, and on mobile supports, the bioreactor obtaining an effluent with a COD concentration of organic matter of less than 50 mg l−1 and a total nitrogen concentration of less than 15 mg l−1; providing a biofiltration tank, separate from the first buffer tank of the bioreactor, that includes one or more biologically activated carbon (BAC) columns containing activated carbon; supplying the first buffer tank upstream of the bioreactor with raw wastewater containing micropollutants of pharmaceutical origin; pretreating the wastewater by passing the wastewater through a fine mesh sieve.