TREATMENT OF SOLUTIONS OR WASTEWATER

• Main Authors: RABAEY, KORNEEL PIETER HERMAN LEO ANN, ROZENDAL, RENE ALEXANDER
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 22.04.2010
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMISTRY; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATERTREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT; ELECTRICITY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; METALLURGY; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY; REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGYGENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE

A method for treating a wastewater stream containing organic material or inorganic material comprising passing the wastewater stream to an anode or a cathode of a bioelectrochemical system to thereby alter the pH of the wastewater stream to: a) reduce the pH of the stream passed to the anode to minimise or suppress precipitation of dissolved cations; or b) increase the pH of the stream passed to the cathode to produce an alkaline stream; or c) reduce the pH of the stream passed to the anode to produce an acid containing stream. In one embodiment, a caustic soda solution is produced at the cathode and recovered for storage and subsequent use.