Engineered calcium alginate and uses thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12145128-B2
Application number	US-201916397898-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2019
Priority date	Apr 27, 2018
Publication date	Nov 19, 2024
Grant date	Nov 19, 2024

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to biodegradable materials and methods of removing using the biodegradable materials to remove phosphorus from water. Additionally, the biodegradable materials may be used as a fertilizer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of recovering or removing a nutrient from an aqueous medium, the method comprising:
adding a sodium alginate solution comprising phosphate ions to a calcium bath with a base to form a plurality of spherical calcium alginate beads having embedded calcium phosphate seed minerals;
contacting the aqueous medium with the plurality of calcium alginate beads having embedded calcium phosphate seed minerals under conditions and for a time effective to immobilize the nutrient by calcium phosphate solid nucleation, wherein the nutrient is at least one of phosphorus and nitrogen.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous medium is selected from the group consisting of surface water, ground water, an aquifer, well water, a eutrophic lake, municipal and industrial wastewater, agricultural runoff, effluent from water or sewer treatment plants, acid mine drainage, sludge, groundwater, a reservoir, well water, a marsh, swamp, a bay, an estuary, a river, a stream, a tidal or intertidal area, a sea or an ocean.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the aqueous medium has a neutral pH.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of calcium seeded calcium alginate beads are contacted with the aqueous medium for about 1 hour to about 24 hours.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of calcium mineral-seeded calcium alginate beads are contacted with the aqueous medium for less than about 24 hours.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of calcium mineral-seeded calcium alginate beads are disposed within a stationary treatment medium.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the stationary treatment medium comprises a permeable reactive barrier, a slurry wall, a filtration bed, or a filter.

Assignees

• Jun Young Shin
• Kim Doyoon
• Washington University St Louis

Inventors

• Jun Young-Shin
• Kim Doyoon

Classifications

• C02F1/286

  using natural organic sorbents or derivatives thereof · CPC title

• C02F2103/10

  from quarries or from mining activities · CPC title

• C02F2103/007

  Contaminated open waterways, rivers, lakes or ponds · CPC title

• C02F2103/001

  Runoff or storm water · CPC title

• C02F2101/105

  Phosphorus compounds · CPC title