Purification methods and systems for contaminated liquids and mineral slurries

Abstract

The present disclosure describes methods and systems comprising hydrodynamic cavitation, microwave irradiation, and at least one of oxidative sonoelectrolysis and reductive sonoelectrolysis, providing feedstock purification of at least one of water, fluid and mineral. Contaminants, broken down and chemically degraded into smaller and more volatile substances by hydrodynamic cavitation are ultimately destroyed in the course of one or more sonoelectrolysis steps. In various embodiments, at least one of oxidative sonoelectrolysis and reductive sonoelectrolysis is irradiated with microwaves in order to heat the sonoplasma present within acoustic cavitation bubbles to temperatures sufficient to destroy contaminants therein.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 hydrodynamic cavitation;   microwave irradiation; and   at least one of oxidative sonoelectrolysis and reductive sonoelectrolysis.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising filtration. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising distillation. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said microwave irradiation and at least one of oxidative sonoelectrolysis and reductive sonoelectrolysis are contemporaneous. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein oxidative sonoelectrolysis and reductive sonoelectrolysis are both present and sequential, with oxidative sonoelectrolysis preceding reductive sonoelectrolysis. 
     
     
         6 . A method of feedstock purification comprising: providing a feedstock containing at least one material to be purified; and, exposing said feedstock to hydrodynamic cavitation, microwave irradiation and at least one of oxidative sonoelectrolysis and reductive sonoelectrolysis to produce a product stream comprising compositionally changed material. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising at least one of filtration and distillation. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said microwave irradiation and at least one of oxidative sonoelectrolysis and reductive sonoelectrolysis are contemporaneous. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein oxidative sonoelectrolysis and reductive sonoelectrolysis are both present and sequential, with oxidative sonoelectrolysis preceding reductive sonoelectrolysis. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said feedstock comprises at least one of water, fluid and mineral. 
     
     
         11 . A system comprising:
 (i) a hydrodynamic cavitation device;   (ii) an oxidative sonoelectrolysis microwave device; and   (iii) a reductive sonoelectrolysis microwave device.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising at least one of a filter and distiller. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said hydrodynamic cavitation device comprises at least one cavitation inducer. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein said cavitation inducer is selected from the group consisting of venturis, propellers, orifice plates, perforated cylinders, perforated cones, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein at least one of said oxidative sonoelectrolysis microwave device and said reductive sonoelectrolysis microwave device comprises a magnetron. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein at least one of said oxidative sonoelectrolysis microwave device and said reductive sonoelectrolysis microwave device comprises a transducer. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said oxidative sonoelectrolysis microwave device comprises a positive electrical potential. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said reductive sonoelectrolysis microwave device comprises a negative electrical potential. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said oxidative sonoelectrolysis microwave device comprises a positively charged electrode and said reductive sonoelectrolysis microwave device comprises a negatively charged electrode. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein said positively charged electrode and said negatively charged electrode are connected together through a single DC source such that the positively charged electrode operates as a cathode and said negatively charged electrode operates as an anode.