Method for removing organic matter from water and a device for carrying out said method

1. A method for removing natural or synthetic organic matter from water comprising: contacting water to be treated with a powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge to form a treated effluent, having a particle size of between 0.1 μm and 2 mm, said powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge being a modified product of natural origin, wherein said material is floating or contained in a fluidized bed due to said material having a density lower than the density of water or due to the action of an ascending flow of gas without said material being subjected to a mechanical force, and subsequently purifying the treated effluent originating from the water brought into contact with said material.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said purification treatment is carried out by adsorption onto an adsorbent material.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said adsorbent material is of crosslinked and functionalized solid type having a particle size of between 0.1 μm and 2 mm.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein after the treated effluent has been brought into contact with said adsorbent material, the purified effluent is subjected to at least one separation step.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the separation is carried out using a filter, a grid, a semipermeable membrane, a settling tank, a strainer, a perforated top, a hydrocyclone or a flotation separator.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the adsorbent material is regenerated in situ and re-used.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is carried out continuously.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

feeding a lower part of at least one ascending-flow reactor, containing said powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge, with water to be treated, said reactor comprising at the lower part a distributing floor and at an upper part a floor or a grid, and

collecting the treated effluent at the upper part of the reactor.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

feeding a lower part of at least one 2-compartment reactor, wherein one of the compartments is an ascending-flow compartment and the other is a descending-flow compartment, containing said powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge, with water to be treated, said reactor comprising at the lower part a distributing floor and at an upper part a floor or a grid, and

collecting the treated effluent at the upper part of the reactor.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein said material is floating.

11. The method claim 8 , wherein said material is collected at the lower part of the reactor.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

feeding at least one ascending-flow reactor, containing an adsorbent material, with said treated effluent, said reactor comprising at the lower part a distributing floor and at an upper part a floor or a grid, and

collecting the purified effluent after a subsequent purification treatment.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

feeding at least one 2-compartment reactor, wherein one of the compartments is an ascending-flow compartment, and the other is a descending-flow compartment, containing an adsorbent material, with said treated effluent, said reactor comprising at the lower part a distributing floor and at the upper part a floor or a grid, and

collecting the purified effluent after a subsequent purification treatment.

14. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

contacting said water to be treated with said powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge, having a particle size of between 0.1 μm and 2 mm,

subjecting the treated effluent to at least one separation step,

feeding at least one ascending-flow reactor, containing an adsorbent material, with said treated effluent, said reactor comprising a lower part having a distributing floor and an upper part having a floor or a grid, and

collecting the purified effluent after the subsequent purification treatment.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

contacting said water to be treated with said powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge, having a particle size of between 0.1 μm and 2 mm,

subjecting the treated effluent to at least one separation step,

feeding at least one 2-compartment reactor, wherein one of the compartments is an ascending-flow compartment and the other is a descending-flow compartment, containing an adsorbent material, with said treated effluent, said reactor comprising at a lower part a distributing floor and at an upper part a floor or a grid, and

collecting the purified effluent after the subsequent purification treatment.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the feeding with water to be treated and the collecting of the treated effluent, before purification, comprises:

feeding the lower part of at least one ascending-flow reactor, containing said powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge, with water to be treated, said reactor comprising at the lower part a distributing floor and at the upper part a floor or a grid, and

collecting the treated effluent at the upper part of the reactor.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein feeding the water to be treated and the collecting of the treated effluent, before purification, comprises:

feeding the lower part of at least one 2-compartment reactor, wherein one of the compartments is an ascending flow compartment and the other is a descending-flow compartment, containing said powdered material with an anionic or cationic surface charge, with water to be treated, said reactor comprising at the lower part a distributing floor and at the upper part a floor or a grid, and

collecting the treated effluent at the upper part of the reactor.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the particle size is between 15 μm and 150 μm.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein said water is raw water, pretreated water, drinking water or an effluent.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein said modified product of natural origin is selected from a modified plant gum and modified starch, and mixtures thereof.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein said product of natural origin before modification is starch selected from wheat starch, potato starch, corn starch, sweet potato starch, tapioca starch, cassava starch, sago starch or rice starch.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein said modified product of natural origin is starch which has undergone a pregelatinization pretreatment.

23. The method of claim 1 , wherein said product of natural origin before modification is a plant gum selected from glucomannans, xyloglucans and galactomannans, and mixtures thereof.

24. The method of claim 1 , wherein said product of natural origin is selected from modified starch and a modified plant gum, said modified starch and said modified plant gum comprising respectively one or more cationic or cationizable groups.

25. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cationic or cationizable groups are selected from quaternary ammoniums, tertiary amines, pyridiniums, guanidiniums, phosphoniums and sulfoniums.

26. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cationic or cationizable groups are associated with negatively charged counterions selected from chloride, bromide, iodide, fluoride, sulfate, methyl sulfate, phosphate, hydrogen phosphate, phosphonate, carbonate, hydrogen carbonate and hydroxide ions.

27. The method of claim 1 wherein said product of natural origin is selected from modified starch and a modified plant gum, said modified starch and said modified plant gum comprising respectively one or more anionic or anionizable groups.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein the anionic or anionizable groups are selected from carboxylate, sulfate, sulfonate, phosphate and phosphonate groups.

29. The method of claim 1 , wherein said product of natural origin is modified so as to render it water-insoluble.

30. The process of claim 1 , wherein said purifying step is a step of removing natural or synthetic micropollutants and/or residual constituents of the organic matter.