WO2025123161A1 - Device for treating greywater by means of uv radiation and ozone - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to a device (100) for treating greywater by combining greywater and ozone and comprises at least an ozone generator (1), an ozonation tube (2), one or more UV solar radiation-transparent tubes (3), one or more one or more reflectors (4), a pump (5), a support structure (9), an outlet valve (10), a pipeline (6), a pipeline (7) before the ozonation tube (2), a connection pipeline (8) and an ozone pipeline (11).

Description

EQUIPMENT FOR THE TREATMENT OF GREY WATER BY MEANS OF UV RADIATION AND OZONE

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

[001] This application is located in the field of water treatment technologies, particularly grey water treatment systems through the combination of UV and ozone.

BACKGROUND OF THE TECHNOLOGY

[002] As a result of the water crisis that the planet is experiencing, it is desirable to have new sources that allow for the reuse and/or more efficient use of water. In this context, one type of water whose reuse and/or more efficient use is particularly desirable is grey water, that is, wastewater from bathtubs, showers, sinks, dishwashers, washing machines and, in general, domestic effluents, excluding sewage. This water can come from homes, buildings, hotels, hospitals, commercial establishments and even factories.

[003] Greywater contains a much smaller amount of contaminants that are dangerous to nature and humans than blackwater. Because it contains fewer pollutants, the greywater treatment process is substantially less complex than that of blackwater. In this context, there are treatment systems and equipment capable of treating greywater in situ, enabling it to be used for multiple purposes, such as refilling toilet cisterns, watering gardens, cleaning, among many others.

[004] In this context, there are different technologies for the reuse of greywater, such as physicochemical treatment, biological treatments or a mixed treatment of the two previous ones. For example, in Janiak et al., 2020, biological processes are disclosed to purify surfactants, however, these processes are not efficient because they take a long time. Another example are scientific publications such as Reang and Nath (2021), which describe the use of ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis processes, however, these processes consume a lot of energy, so they are not efficient either. [005] In this context, the inventors have carried out a line of research for the development of greywater treatment technologies that use UV radiation in conjunction with ozone, in order to have efficient technologies, both in terms of treatment time and energy use. For example, Poblete, R., Oller, I., Maldonado, M., Luna, Y., & Cortes, E. (2017) is a scientific publication that describes the use of advanced oxidation processes with activated carbon based on coffee waste for the removal of color from landfill leachate. Another example is Poblete, R., & Pérez, N. (2020), a scientific publication that describes the use of sawdust as a pretreatment in the context of a photo-Fenton process for the purification of landfill leachate. Finally, Poblete, R., & Bakit, J. (2023) is a publication by the same inventor that describes the treatment of vinasse, a waste product from the pisco industry, using advanced oxidation processes. These documents disclose prototypes of equipment that includes ozone and solar radiation generation equipment; however, they are not optimized. Consequently, there is still a large gap in the development of new equipment for the treatment of greywater with ozone and solar radiation, which makes said treatment more efficient.

[006] Therefore, there is a need for new and improved equipment that allows for the implementation of greywater treatment using a combination of ozone and solar radiation. With more efficient equipment, potential users will be more incentivized to implement equipment that allows them to treat greywater.

[007] In this context, the subject of this application is an optimized device for treating greywater by means of a combination of ultraviolet (UV) solar radiation and ozone. This application represents a new alternative that will make greywater treatment more likely to be a valid option for potential users, allowing for its reuse and, consequently, generating environmental benefits.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE TECHNOLOGY

[008] This technology falls within the scope of wastewater treatment and, in particular, consists of a greywater treatment system using ultraviolet (UV) solar radiation and ozone. More specifically, it is an optimized system that allows the efficient reuse of these waters, easy to apply and using renewable energy.

[009] In particular, the technology comprises grey water treatment equipment by means of the combination of UV solar radiation and ozone, which at least comprises the following elements:

- An ozone generator (1);

- An ozonation tube (2);

- One or more tubes transparent to UV solar radiation (3);

- One or more reflectors (4);

- A bomb (5);

- A support structure (9);

- An outlet valve (10);

- A pipe (6);

- A pipe (7) prior to the ozonation tube (2);

- A connecting pipe (8); and

- An ozone pipe (11).

Where:

- The pump (5) is connected to the ozonation tube (2) by means of the pipe before the ozonation tube (7).

- The ozone generator (1) is located on the support structure (9) and connected to the ozonation tube (2) by means of the ozone pipe (11).

- The ozonation tube (2) is connected to one or more UV solar radiation transparent tubes (3) by means of the connection pipe (8).

- The one or more UV solar radiation transparent tubes (3) are connected to the pump (5) by means of the pipe (6).

- The outlet valve (10) is located in the pipe (7) before the ozonation tube (2).

- The ozone pipe (11) connects the ozone generator (1) with the lower inner area of the ozonation tube (2) in such a way that the ozone travels through the entire ozonation tube from bottom to top.

[010] The equipment of the present application, as previously described, presents a series of advantages. In fact, it allows the elimination of contaminants from grey water, such as such as detergents, oils, and greases, efficiently and effectively. This way, the treated water can be reused for a variety of purposes, including irrigation. Thus, this equipment represents an additional solution to address water scarcity.

[011] Additionally, the equipment stands out especially because it uses solar energy, which not only reduces operating costs, but also positions the equipment as an environmentally friendly alternative.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[012] Figure No. 1 corresponds to a representative diagram of the grey water treatment equipment using UV solar radiation and ozone.

[013] Figure No. 2 corresponds to a representative diagram of the test equipment (a) made by the inventors.

[014] Figure No. 3 corresponds to a representative diagram of the test equipment ( ) made by the inventors.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE TECHNOLOGY

[015] This technology falls within the scope of wastewater treatment and, in particular, consists of equipment for treating greywater using ultraviolet (UV) solar radiation and ozone. More specifically, it is an optimized device that allows for efficient, easy-to-use reuse of greywater using renewable energy.

[016] Various preferred embodiments of the present technology application will be detailed below. However, unless otherwise indicated, various specific configurations, such as dimensions, materials, and other aspects of the parts and pieces of the equipment (100), which constitute the respective preferred or alternative embodiments, are to be construed only as illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the present technology. [017] The technology comprises a grey water treatment equipment by means of the combination of UV solar radiation and ozone that at least comprises at least the following elements:

- An ozone generator (1);

- An ozonation tube (2);

- One or more tubes transparent to UV solar radiation (3);

- One or more reflectors (4);

- A bomb (5);

- A support structure (9);

- An outlet valve (10);

- A pipe (6);

- A pipe (7) prior to the ozonation tube (2);

- A connecting pipe (8); and

- An ozone pipe (11).

Where:

- The pump (5) is connected to the ozonation tube (2) by means of the pipe before the ozonation tube (7).

- The ozone generator (1) is located on the support structure (9) and connected to the ozonation tube (2) by means of the ozone pipe (11).

- The ozonation tube (2) is connected to one or more UV solar radiation transparent tubes (3) by means of the connection pipe (8).

- The one or more UV solar radiation transparent tubes (3) are connected to the pump (5) by means of the pipe (6).

- The outlet valve (10) is located in the pipe (7) before the ozonation tube (2).

- The ozone pipe (11) connects the ozone generator (1) with the lower inner area of the ozonation tube (2) in such a way that the ozone travels through the entire ozonation tube from bottom to top.

[018] The equipment of the present application, as previously described, presents a series of advantages. In effect, it allows to eliminate contaminants from water such as detergents, oils and greases in an efficient and effective way to use the treated water for irrigation work, offering a solution to water shortage, through a valuable climate change adaptation strategy.

[019] The aforementioned advantages of the equipment are explained by the particular elements that form it, as well as by their configuration and arrangement.

[020] The ozone generator (1) is particularly relevant since it produces the ozone that is subsequently introduced into the ozonation tube (2). The introduced ozone plays a key role in achieving the adequate cleaning of the grey water that is treated in the equipment (100), since it allows the elimination of contaminating agents from the water, specifically, through the oxidation of these agents.

[021] Water purification is achieved through oxidation by ozone and UV radiation together. This type of oxidation, commonly called advanced oxidation, eliminates organic and inorganic particles by generating radicals, thus obtaining clean water.

[022] For its part, the ozonation tube (2), the pipe (1 1 ) and the particular form of interconnection between them, is also fundamental. Indeed, on the one hand, the ozonation tube (2) is essential because it is where the flow of grey water to be treated comes into contact with the ozone coming from the ozone generator (1 ) and, on the other hand, as the ozone flow is released from the lower part of the aforementioned ozonation tube (2), the bubbles will rise vertically, traveling through the entire ozonation tube (2), this allows the residence time of the ozone and its contact with the flow of treated grey water to be optimal, improving and optimizing the oxidation process of the polluting substances. Additionally, this configuration allows the ozone to be dispersed along the entire ozonation tube (2) and not only in the upper part.

[023] The ozonation tube (2) can be made of materials such as PVC or other plastics or materials, preferably low porosity materials, this allows reducing the probability of contaminating substances sticking to the pipe (1 1).

[024] The one or more tubes transparent to UV solar radiation (3) are also essential, since the oxidative photochemical process triggered by UV solar radiation operates in them. In this sense, considering that in the case of the present invention the UV solar radiation comes from one or more solar reflectors (4), it is key that the UV solar radiation tubes (3) are transparent.

[025] In one embodiment of the present technology, the equipment may be configured with a plurality of UV solar radiation tubes (3), in which case, preferably, they may be connected in series. This configuration makes it possible to increase the residence time of the water in the UV solar radiation tubes (3) and, thereby, optimize the grey water cleaning process. This embodiment also has the advantage of allowing treatment of a larger quantity of water.

[026] In cases where the equipment (100) comprises a plurality of UV solar radiation tubes (3), each of them may comprise a reflector (4). In this way it is ensured that the reception of UV solar radiation is more uniform in each of the UV solar radiation tubes (3).

[027] In a preferred embodiment, the one or more UV solar radiation transparent tubes (3) are made of borosilicate. The advantage of this alternative is that said material is transparent and, therefore, does not greatly affect the angle of entry of the solar rays, allowing greater entry of ultraviolet radiation, thus maximizing its photolytic effect on the contaminants present in the water. It is also a resistant material.

[028] In one embodiment, the UV solar radiation transparent tubes (3) are open at the top, allowing the foam to escape. The advantage of this configuration is, on the one hand, that contaminating substances (those that form the foam) are directly eliminated and, in addition, the turbidity of the flow that could partially block the effects of UV solar radiation is reduced.

[029] In an embodiment of the equipment in which the UV solar radiation transparent tubes (3) are open at the top, they may comprise a protective grid. This grid prevents unwanted material from entering the equipment from the environment, without preventing the removal of foam from the equipment (100). [030] In a preferred embodiment, the reflectors (4) are CPC reflectors or compound parabolic concentrators. This configuration ensures that, even at unfavorable radiation angles, direct and diffuse sunlight reaches the absorbing layer of one or more UV solar radiation-transparent tubes (3), which considerably improves the energy efficiency of the equipment.

[031] In a preferred embodiment of the technology, the reflectors (4) are arranged at an inclination and position that depends on the geographical area in which the equipment is installed, to maximize reception of solar radiation. Preferably, the angle of inclination is 30° with respect to the horizontal and oriented towards the equator.

[032] In a preferred embodiment, the reflectors (4) are made of ionized aluminum. This embodiment is advantageous because said material has high reflectivity and resistance to corrosion. However, other alternatives such as reflectors made of silica mirrors, treated iron, plastic, or others, would also be possible.

[033] The pump (5) is configured and arranged so that it generates a flow that goes towards the ozonation tube (2). This allows the flow to rise and circulate through the equipment and, in addition, increases the turbulence of the water flow. The advantage of increasing the turbulence is that it contributes to mixing the flow and, therefore, increasing its homogeneity. From another point of view, the turbulence allows the water flow to circulate and a greater amount of it to come into contact with the faces of the tubes transparent to UV solar radiation (3), increasing the surface area of water that is exposed to solar radiation.

[034] Another aspect to consider regarding the present equipment (100) is that the pump (5) is located in a lower area of the equipment. This is a relevant difference with other equipment available in the state of the art. Indeed, the inventors determined that this configuration is particularly beneficial since it enables positive suction of the water, avoiding cavitation of the pump, that is, the production of bubbles inside the pump.

[035] As regards the arrangement of the ozone generator (1) on the support structure (9) also has a number of advantages. Indeed, this configuration prevents the ozone generator (1) from getting wet with foam and water that may drip from other components of the equipment, especially from the UV solar radiation-transparent tubes (3).

[036] Among other reasons, this is relevant because in some embodiments, the one or more UV solar radiation transparent tubes (3) may be open at the top and, therefore, allow some quantities of water and/or foam to fall to the floor.

[037] The outlet valve (10) is also relevant because it allows the treated water to exit the equipment (100). In this way, the water can be directed to storage tanks for later use, to other treatment equipment, to sewage systems, to irrigation systems, or others.

[038] The pipes (6,7, 8 and 11) are relevant since they allow the connection of the different elements of the equipment (100) to be completed, ensuring a constant flow. These pipes (6,7, 8 and 11) can be made of different materials, such as PVC or other plastics.

EXAMPLES:

[039] The equipment (100) will be better understood by means of the following examples, which are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the present application. Various changes and modifications to the described embodiments would be apparent to those skilled in the art and such changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the technology and the scope of the appended claims.

[040] It should be noted that, in order to design optimal equipment for the treatment of grey water by means of a combination of ultraviolet (UV) solar radiation and ozone, the inventors carried out an arduous process of research and development, during which they evaluated different parts, materials, distributions and configurations. In this context, they manufactured, by trial and error, a number of prototypes, finally arriving at 3 main configurations, a prototype that, for For the purposes of this specification, it is called the first prototype (200); another prototype which, for the purposes of this specification, is called the second prototype (300); and the equipment (100).

[041] EXAMPLE NO. 1: First prototype design (200).

[042] Through an arduous process of research and development, in which different alternatives were evaluated, the inventors arrived at the first prototype (200), which is observed in Figure No. 2. The configuration of the first prototype (200) was as follows:

- An ozone generator (201 );

- One transparent UV solar radiation tube (203) made of borosilicate and open at the top;

- A reflector (204) of ionized aluminum;

- A support structure (209);

- An ozone pipe (21 1 ).

Where:

- The ozone generator (201) was located on the support structure (209).

- The ozone pipe (21 1 ) connected the ozone generator (201 ) with the transparent borosilicate UV solar radiation tube (203) open at the top.

When testing the prototype (200) the inventors realized that the flow cleaning was not effective because with only one circulation through the equipment it was not possible to produce sufficient oxidation to achieve the objective. For this reason, the inventors considered it necessary to incorporate elements that allow a recirculation of the flow. In addition, for this, the inventors considered the integration of a pump to the equipment (200) because it allowed a constant flow of the flow to be treated without blockages in the area where the water has to move upwards. [043] EXAMPLE NO. 2: Second prototype design (300).

[044] Based on what was obtained in the prototype (200), the inventors made a second prototype (300), which is observed in Figure No. 3. The configuration of the second prototype (300) was as follows:

- An ozone generator (301 );

- One transparent UV solar radiation tube (303) made of borosilicate and open at the top;

- A reflector (304) made of ionized aluminum;

- A bomb (305);

- A support structure (309);

- A pipe (306);

- A pipe (307)

- An ozone pipe (31 1 ).

Where:

- The pump (305) was connected to the ozonation tube (302) by means of the pipe before the ozonation tube (307).

- The ozone generator (301) was located on the support structure (309) and connected to the ozonation tube (302) by means of the ozone pipe (311).

- The ozonation tube (302) was connected to the UV solar radiation tube (303) by means of the connection pipe (308).

- The UV solar radiation tube (303) was connected to the pump (305) by means of the pipe (306).

- The ozone pipe (31 1 ) connected the ozone generator (301 ) to the lower inner area of the ozonation tube (302) in such a way that the ozone traveled through the entire ozonation tube (302) from bottom to top.

The inventors were able to realize that, although, in comparison to the prototype (200), the work flow obtained by the new pipes and the implementation of the pump (305) allowed to obtain a constant flow and at the same time increased the working time in the prototype (300), they noticed that the cleaning did not reach the optimal values, so when analyzing the prototype (300), they were able to notice that the mixture of the liquid flow with the ozone was not optimal because the residence time required for the ozone bubbles to interact with the greywater flow was not achieved. For the reasons described above, the oxidation level required to clean the water was not achieved.

[045] EXAMPLE NO. 3: Equipment design (100).

[046] Based on the above, through the development of the prototype (100), the inventors solved the problem of the prototype (300) through the following elements and their particular configuration (as shown in Figure No. 1):

- An ozone generator (1);

- An ozonation tube (2);

- One or more UV solar radiation transparent tubes (3) made of borosilicate and open at the top;

- A reflector (4) of ionized aluminum;

- A bomb (5);

- A support structure (9);

- An outlet valve (10);

- A pipe (6);

- A pipe (7) prior to the ozonation tube (2);

- A connecting pipe (8); and

- An ozone pipe (1 1 ).

Where:

- The pump (5) was connected to the ozonation tube (2) by means of the pipe before the ozonation tube (7).

- The ozone generator (1 ) was located on the support structure (9) and connected to the ozonation tube (2) by means of the ozone pipe (1 1 ).

- The ozonation tube (2) was connected to one or more UV solar radiation transparent tubes (3) by means of the connection pipe (8).

- The one or more UV solar radiation transparent tubes (3) were connected to the pump (5) by means of the pipe (6). - The outlet valve (10) was located in the pipe (7) before the ozonation tube (2).

- The ozone pipe (1 1 ) connected the ozone generator (1 ) with the lower interior area of the ozonation tube (2) in such a way that the ozone traveled through the entire ozonation tube (2) from bottom to top.

[047] EXAMPLE NO. 4: Comparison of the performance of each of the teams.

[048] Once the characteristics of the equipment (100) were determined, the inventors wanted to evaluate its performance in comparison with the previously described prototypes. To determine which was the most suitable equipment for the treatment of grey water, first, the inventors took samples of grey water obtained from the dishwasher of the casino of the Teletón center in Coquimbo.

[049] To evaluate the different equipment, the capacity to degrade oils and greases in the water entering each of them was assessed. First, the initial concentration of the water to be treated was measured and then the final concentration of each of the photoreactors was measured after 8 hours of work. The results obtained are shown in the following table:

[050] Therefore, it is evident that the equipment (100) is the most efficient when it comes to removing fats and oils from the water to be treated and therefore it was selected for further evaluation.

Claims

LETTER OF CLAIMS 1. A grey water treatment system by means of the combination of ultraviolet (UV) solar radiation and ozone CHARACTERIZED because it comprises at least the following elements: - An ozone generator (1); - An ozonation tube (2); - One or more tubes transparent to UV solar radiation (3); - One or more reflectors (4); - A bomb (5); - A support structure (9); - An outlet valve (10); - A pipe (6); - A pipe (7) prior to the ozonation tube (2); - A connecting pipe (8); and - An ozone pipe (11). Where: - The pump (5) is connected to the ozonation tube (2) by means of the pipe before the ozonation tube (7). - The ozone generator (1) is located on the support structure (9) and connected to the ozonation tube (2) by means of the ozone pipe (11). - The ozonation tube (2) is connected to the UV solar radiation tube (3) by means of the connection pipe (8). - The UV solar radiation tube (3) is connected to the pump (5) by means of the pipe (6). - The outlet valve (10) is located in the pipe (7) before the ozonation tube (2). - The ozone pipe (11) connects the ozone generator (1) with the lower inner area of the ozonation tube (2) in such a way that the ozone travels through the entire ozonation tube. (2) from bottom to top. The equipment according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the UV solar radiation tube (3) is borosilicate. 3. The equipment according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the UV solar radiation tube (3) is open at its top. 4. The equipment according to claim 3, CHARACTERIZED in that the UV solar radiation tube (3) has a protective grid.