Clarifying Water And Wastewater With Fungal Treatment/Bioflocculation
Low energy process of water clarificationLow cost process eliminating or minimizing the use of chemicalsEasily recoverable biomass with many applications to the energy, biotechnology, and biochemical industries
Cleaning of water systems such as swimming pools, cooling towers, fountains, sewage wastewater systems, water troughs for agricultural animals, agricultural runoff and fisheries or natural water bodies such as lakes and streamsHarvesting algae and bacteria from industrial processes for biomass production
Undesirable bacteria, fungi, viruses, particulates, and other water system pollutants accumulate in swimming pools, water troughs for agricultural animals, and agricultural runoff and fisheries and can lead to broken devices as well as waterborne diseases. Current water treatment methods include chemical flocculation to join particles in easily filtered/settled flocs, chlorination to kill biological growth, desalination to remove salt, and filtration to remove particulates. However, many of these strategies require use of chemicals or high-energy processes, which increases the costs of maintaining the water quality. Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a low cost method of cleaning water and wastewater by removing microalgae and bacteria with fungal bioflocculation. This novel method of using filamentous fungi pellets to remove suspended solids such as microalgae and bacteria can be used as a water and wastewater treatment method for water clarification and biomass production while aiding disinfection processes.
Additional Technologies by these Inventors Tech ID/UC Case 27196/2017-072-0 Related Cases 2017-072-0
USA
