Environmental remediation apparatus
View Patent ↗This invention relates to remediation systems, and more particularly to remediation systems for water, soil, and sediment bodies using thin-layer coated microbubbles.
1. An apparatus for remediating a contaminated area including one or more gases comprising:
an injection well;
a source of a liquid suitable for promoting biological degradation of organic compounds;
a source for delivering a gas including an oxidizing gaseous agent;
an aerosolizer for aerosolizing the liquid;
a microporous diffuser disposed in the well for generating coated microbubbles of a controlled size comprising the gas in the microbubbles and a liquid coating surrounding the gas.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the microporous diffuser provides microbubbles having a diameter of less than 200 microns.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a controller for controlling the ratio of gas and liquid in generating the coated microbubble.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a controller for controlling mixing of ambient air with said liquids.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an agitator to pulse or surge the microbubbles into the well to improve transport of coated microbubbles through the contaminated area.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the agitator comprises a submersible pump.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the liquid is selected from the group consisting of hydroperoxides, potassium permanganate, and Fenton reaction reagents.
8. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the controller for controlling mixing comprises:
a wellhead controller for equalizing flow between formations of differing permeability.
9. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the agitator alternates pumping of water and delivery of coated microbubble injection.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the liquid is hydrogen peroxide, or an intermediate by-product of decomposition of ozone and an organic compound, the intermediate by-product including formic peracid, acetic peracid, hydroxymethylhydroperoxide, or 2-hydroxy-2-propyl hydroperoxide, and the gaseous oxidizing includes ozone in sufficient quantities to decontaminate contaminates in the contaminated area.