Bioreactor for water treatment

Patent Pending Bioreactors are also designed to treat sewage and wastewater. In the most efficient of these systems, there is a supply of a free-flowing, chemically inert medium which acts as a receptacle for the bacteria that break down the raw sewage. Examples of these bioreactors often have separate, sequential tanks and a mechanical separator or cyclone to speed the separation of water and biosolids. Aerators supply oxygen to the sewage and medium, further accelerating breakdown. Submersible mixers provide agitation in anoxic bioreactors to keep the solids in suspension and thereby ensure that the bacteria and the organic materials "meet". In the process, the liquid's Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) is reduced sufficiently to render the contaminated water fit for reuse. The biosolids can be collected for further processing, or dried and used as fertilizer.