Timothy M Pickett

US Patent:

7790034, Sep 7, 2010

Filed:

Jul 24, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/996384

Inventors:

Jeffrey Gerard Peeters - Toronto, CA
William A. Bonkoski - Wilmington DE, US
Pierre Lucien Cote - Dundas, CA
Hidayat Husain - Oakville, CA
Timothy Michael Pickett - Salt Lake City UT, US

Assignee:

Zenon Technology Partnership - Wilmington DE

International Classification:

C02F 3/30

US Classification:

210615, 210617, 210630, 210631, 210150, 210914

Abstract:

A process has steps of one or more of aerobic treatment to remove COD and nitrify a waste stream, anoxic treatment to denitrify a waste stream, anoxic treatment to remove selenium and anaerobic treatment to remove heavy metals and sulphur. The process may be used to treat, for example, FGD blow down water. The process may further include one or more of (a) membrane separation of the waste stream upstream of the anoxic digestion to remove selenium, (b) dilution upstream of the biological treatment step, (c) physical/chemical pretreatment upstream of the biological processes or dilution step to remove TSS and soften the waste stream, or (d) ammonia stripping upstream of the biological treatment steps or dilutions step. These processes may be provided in a variety of suspended growth or fixed film reactors, for example a membrane bioreactor or a fixed film reactor having a GAC bed. Processes for biological treatment of inorganic compounds in a fixed medium reactor is described including steps of one or more of maintaining desired ORP levels, optionally by controlling nutrient addition, and removing solids or gas bubbles from the medium bed.

US Patent:

8163181, Apr 24, 2012

Filed:

Aug 13, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/856030

Inventors:

Jeffrey Gerard Peeters - Toronto, CA
William A. Bonkoski - Conshohocken PA, US
Pierre Lucien Cote - Dundas, CA
Hidayat Husain - Oakville, CA
Timothy Michael Pickett - Salt Lake City UT, US

Assignee:

Zenon Technology Partnership - Wilmington DE

International Classification:

C02F 3/04

US Classification:

210615, 210150

Abstract:

A process has steps of one or more of aerobic treatment to remove COD and nitrify a waste stream, anoxic treatment to denitrify a waste stream, anoxic treatment to remove selenium and anaerobic treatment to remove heavy metals and sulphur. The process may be used to treat, for example, FGD blow down water. The process may further include one or more of (a) membrane separation of the waste stream upstream of the anoxic digestion to remove selenium, (b) dilution upstream of the biological treatment step, (c) physical/chemical pretreatment upstream of the biological processes or dilution step to remove TSS and soften the waste stream, or (d) ammonia stripping upstream of the biological treatment steps or dilutions step. These processes may be provided in a variety of suspended growth or fixed film reactors, for example a membrane bioreactor or a fixed film reactor having a GAC bed. Processes for biological treatment of inorganic compounds in a fixed medium reactor is described including steps of one or more of maintaining desired ORP levels, optionally by controlling nutrient addition, and removing solids or gas bubbles from the medium bed.

US Patent:

8557118, Oct 15, 2013

Filed:

Feb 2, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/699004

Inventors:

James Scott Kain - Houston TX, US
David Brian Fraser - Burlington, CA
Timothy Michael Pickett - Salt Lake City UT, US

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

International Classification:

C02F 1/70

US Classification:

210616, 210631, 210719, 210721, 210757, 210202, 210205

Abstract:

In one embodiment, a grey water treatment system includes an oxidation reactor for oxidizing grey water. The grey water treatment system also includes a biological reduction and precipitation system with microbes designed to remove one or more target components from the oxidized grey water.

US Patent:

20120024798, Feb 2, 2012

Filed:

Jul 27, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/844053

Inventors:

Timothy Michael PICKETT - Salt Lake City UT, US
Yanguo Ma - Salt Lake City UT, US
Jill Sonstegard - Layton UT, US

International Classification:

C02F 9/04
C02F 3/00
C02F 1/70
C02F 1/72
C02F 1/58

US Classification:

210719, 210205

Abstract:

Selenium in the form of a reduced species such as selenocyanate is oxidized to produce an oxidized selenium species such as selenate or selenite, and then a biological reduction process is used to remove selenium from the oxidized selenium species. In an example, a chemical oxidant is added to a wastewater containing selenocyanate to produce selenate and selenite. The partially treated wastewater is then fed to a reactor containing a fixed media supporting a biofilm with selenium reducing organisms. The selenium in the selenate and selenite is reduced to an insoluble form of selenium, such as elemental selenium, which precipitates from the wastewater.

US Patent:

20120152761, Jun 21, 2012

Filed:

Dec 17, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/971585

Inventors:

Timothy Michael Pickett - Salt Lake City UT, US
Jill Noreen Sonstegard - Layton UT, US

International Classification:

C01B 19/00
C02F 1/70
C02F 1/461
C02F 1/52
C02F 11/00
C02F 1/68
C02F 1/72

US Classification:

205751, 210767, 210696, 210787, 210806, 210773, 210719

Abstract:

Wastewater containing soluble selenium is treated in a bioreactor. Microorganisms in the reactor reduce the selenium to elemental selenium, which is insoluble. The elemental selenium is discharged from the reactor in waste sludge. The sludge is treated to recover selenium. In one method, the sludge is washed with chemicals, for example surfactants, and agitated to disrupt the adhesion of the selenium particles to the cells. The selenium particles are then separated from the cells using a physical separation process such as a centrifuge or differential filtration. In another method, the sludge is de-watered or dried to a very high solids content. The selenium particles are dissolved using an oxidizer under high pH conditions. A solids fraction is removed from the resulting slurry. A resulting selenium brine is further refined to recover the selenium.

US Patent:

61836443, Feb 6, 2001

Filed:

Feb 11, 2000

Appl. No.:

9/503135

Inventors:

D. Jack Adams - Park City UT
Timothy M. Pickett - Salt Lake City UT

Assignee:

Weber State University - Ogden UT

International Classification:

C02F 300
C02F 334

US Classification:

210611

Abstract:

Dissolved selenium is removed from contaminated water by treating the water in a reactor containing selected endemic and other selenium reducing organisms. Microbes may be isolated from the specific water or imported from other selenium contaminated water, The microbes are then screened for ability to reduce selenium under the site specific environmental conditions. The selected microbes are optimized for selenium reduction, then established in a high density biofilm within a reactor. The selenium contaminated water is passed through the reactor with optimized nutrient mix added as needed. The elemental selenium is precipitated and removed from the water.

US Patent:

20220242763, Aug 4, 2022

Filed:

Apr 13, 2022

Appl. No.:

17/719911

Inventors:

- San Diego CA, US
Timothy Michael Pickett - Salt Lake City UT, US

Assignee:

Frontier Water Systems, LLC - San Diego CA

International Classification:

C02F 3/28
B01D 61/14
B01D 61/02
B01D 61/04
C02F 9/00
C02F 3/30
B01D 61/58
C02F 3/00
B01D 61/16

Abstract:

A biological reactor system treats concentrated contaminated water with a combination of upflow and downflow bioreactors that are downstream from a reverse osmosis or other concentrator. The system may have a fail safe configuration where flush water may be introduced to the reactors in the event of a power failure or when taking the reactors offline. Many reverse osmosis systems introduce antiscalant treatments upstream so that the reverse osmosis filters do not scale. However, such treatments result in superconcentrated conditions of the antiscalants in the contaminated water processed by the bioreactors. A flushing system may deconcentrate the bioreactors to prevent the antiscalants from precipitating and fouling the bioreactors.

US Patent:

20210061690, Mar 4, 2021

Filed:

Apr 4, 2020

Appl. No.:

16/840383

Inventors:

- San Diego CA, US
Timothy Michael Pickett - Salt Lake City UT, US

Assignee:

Frontier Water Systems, LLC - San Diego CA

International Classification:

C02F 3/28
B01D 61/14
B01D 61/02
B01D 61/04
C02F 9/00
C02F 3/30
B01D 61/58
C02F 3/00
B01D 61/16

Abstract:

A biological reactor system treats concentrated contaminated water with a combination of upflow and downflow bioreactors that are downstream from a reverse osmosis or other concentrator. The system may have a fail safe configuration where flush water may be introduced to the reactors in the event of a power failure or when taking the reactors offline. Many reverse osmosis systems introduce antiscalant treatments upstream so that the reverse osmosis filters do not scale. However, such treatments result in superconcentrated conditions of the antiscalants in the contaminated water processed by the bioreactors. A flushing system may deconcentrate the bioreactors to prevent the antiscalants from precipitating and fouling the bioreactors.