METHOD FOR TREATING WASTE STREAM

A method for treating a waste stream, feeding the waste stream to the top of a hydraulic downdraft column, conducting the waste stream to the bottom of the column, conducting the waste steam to a first reaction zone, introducing nitrogen-containing oxides into the first reaction zone so that the waste stream is contacted with the nitrogen-containing oxides, conducting the waste stream up a hydraulic updraft column into a second reaction zone, where the second reaction zone is configured to provide sufficient time so that a reaction between the nitrogen-containing oxides and waste solids can take place and substantially consume the nitrogen-containing oxides, introducing oxygen gas into the waste steam after the nitrogen-containing oxides are substantially consumed, thereby providing a second reactant that reacts with waste solids suspended within the stream, conducting the stream to the top of the column.