Abstract: A purified water dispensing and reject water control device that when operatively associated with a pressurized feed water supplied reverse osmosis cartridge that has purified water and reject water outlets and a tank that is subdivided by a movable barrier into first and second compartments of variable volume that receive purified and reject water and may have same discharged therefrom. The control device includes a single elongate tubular member that actuates first and second valve members that tend to remain in first positions. Purified water from the purified water outlet flows to the first compartment and reject water from reject water outlet flows through a first flow restrictor and then through a second flow restrictor defined by the tubular member to the drain when the valve members are in first positions.

Abstract: Modified, polyacrylonitrile-containing membranes suitable for ultrafiltration are prepared by reacting polyacrylonitrile or copolymers of acrylonitrile and other ethylenically unsaturated monomers with, successively, hydroxylamine, at least difunctional compounds, which act as bridge members, e.g. cyanuric chloride, a polyfunctional oligomer or polymer, e.g. polyethyleneimine, and, finally, a reactive compound containing at least one ionic group, e.g. an anionic reactive azo dye. The latter compound must be able to react with the polyfunctional oligomer or polymer and is required only if the said polymer does not already itself contain ionic groups.

Abstract: Fermented beverages of a reduced alcohol contents are made by causing the fermented beverage having a normal alcohol contents as produced in the fermentation to flow along one face of a dialysis membrane at a pressure differential below 5.0 bar while simultaneously a dialysate liquid which is substantially alcohol-free is passed along the other face of the dialysate membrane. An apparatus for carrying out the process comprises a housing in which two separate chambers are provided. Each chamber has separate inlet and outlet ducts. The inlet ducts are connected to separate feeding devices for liquids. Separate regulating devices are arranged for regulating the flow through each of said two chambers and means are provided for regulating the pressure differential between the two chambers.

Abstract: A skirt for a sewage aerator mixer is supported on a bubble generator pipe beneath the mixer structure in a sludge basin or directly on the floor of the basin in surrounding relation to the lower end of the mixer structure to extend the sphere of influence of the mixer.

Abstract: A fluid collection device is provided which includes a container for receiving a liquid, such as blood, which is centrifugally separable into relatively light and heavy phases, and a phase partitioning device in the container. The partitioning device includes a bag filled with a thixotropic gel-like sealant having a specific gravity between the specific gravities of the separated light and heavy phases. During centrifugation, the components of the cellular phase cause collapse of the bag and the flow of sealant through an outlet in the bag. The sealant flows to the interface between the two phases during centrifugation and provides a barrier between the separated phases.

Abstract: An apparatus for blood treatment has a housing having a blood inlet for introducing the blood to be treated and a blood outlet for exhausting the treated blood, at least one blood channel within the housing and extending from the inlet to the outlet and being constituted by a plasma-separating membrane capable of allowing the plasma component of blood to permeate therethrough while preventing the blood cells from penetrating therethrough. A blood treating material is packed in the space within the housing around the blood channel. A pump is connected to the inlet for pumping blood into the inlet.

Abstract: A method for improving the separating action in the ultrafiltration of aqueous solutions containing high-molecular-weight organic compounds including water-soluble anionic and/or non-ionic surface-active compounds consisting essentially of subjecting an aqueous solution containing high-molecular-weight organic compounds including water-soluble anionic and/or non-ionic surface-active compounds to an ultrafiltration through a porous membrane in the presence of olefinically-unsaturated C.sub.16-22 fatty acids or water-soluble salts thereof, in a weight ratio of surface-active compound to fatty acid or salt of from 20:1 to 1:1 and recovering said aqueous solution substantially separated from said high-molecular-weight organic compounds. The retention power for water-soluble tensides can be 0.9 or more with this measure (without the addition, .ltoreq.0.1 to 0.5).

Abstract: The ultra-filtration in a hemodialysis operation is controlled by a control apparatus which is connected to a balancing device (1) and to a dosing device (9) to form a closed loop control circuit for the metered supply of dialysis concentrate into the balancing device and for the metered supply of fresh dialysis solution into the dialyzer. The closed loop control circuit controls the alternating supply of fresh dialysis solution into one chamber of a balancing device and the withdrawal of used-up dialysis solution from the other chamber of the balancing device. The closed loop control circuit also controls a pump for the metered withdrawal of used-up dialysis solution out of the dialysis circulatory system. The dosing device operates as a proportionality device to produce fresh dialysis solution from water and dialysis concentrate whereby the concentrate is dosed and the dialysis solution is also dosed or metered.

Abstract: The present invention proposes the utilization of a bed of finely divided, naturally occurring, strongly hydrophilic, strongly oleophobic materials for the coalescent removal of oil from water-oil mixtures containing appreciable amounts of entrained gas, such as crude oil. Preferably, the bed materials have a water wetting-to-oil wetting ratio greater than about three and are of a particle size ranging from about 20 mesh to about 60 mesh. Specifically utilized materials include fruit pit shells and nut shells such as apricot pit shells, peach pit shells, walnut shells and the like. The method consists of flowing a water-oil mixture containing entrained gas through a deep bed of fine particles and coalescing the oil internally of the bed into globules of a size incapable of passing through the interstices of the bed.

Abstract: A self-flushing, magnetic separator technique including feeding the medium to be separated to one end of a matrix in a container; collecting separated fluid from the other end of the matrix; accumulating at least one matrix volume of the separated fluid in a chamber in the container adjacent one of the ends of the matrix stopping flow to and from the matrix, trapping the accumulated fluid in the chamber; and in one embodiment introducing a pressurized drive fluid to the chamber and venting the other end of the matrix to urge the accumulated fluid to move through and flush the matrix.

Abstract: A pressure filter utilizes a vibratory impactor for imparting vertically directed high frequency shock waves to a rigid manifold from which a plurality of rigid filter tubes incorporate a fine mesh sleeve held tightly by spaced elastic bands against a unitary plastic core having inner and outer tubes interconnected by integral web portions.

Abstract: A multiwell apparatus for the assay of microliter quantities of body fluids is provided which prevents fluid loss by lateral migration or gravity flow through a microporous membrane or ultrafilter. A sample is passed through a membrane to which an antibody has been bonded in order to harvest complementary viral antigens in the sample. The harvested viral antigen is converted to single strand DNA or RNA which then is deposited on a second membrane. The deposited single strand DNA or RNA is capable of reacting with labeled DNA or other suitable detection probe which can be detected and correlated with antigen concentration in the sample.

Abstract: The inventive liquid separator of laboratory use can overcome the problems in the conventional separatory funnels used for liquid-liquid phase separation. The inventive apparatus comprises (a) a first bottle-like vessel with a mouth, (b) a second bottle-like vessel with a mouth connected with the first vessel at the mouths with air-tightness but disconnectable therefrom, (c) a porous membrane partitioning the first and the second vessels and made, preferably, of a sintered body of a water-repellent plastic resin such as a fluorocarbon polymer, and (d) an air-passage tubing opening at the ends in the first and the second vessels. When a two-phase mixture of an aqueous liquid and an organic liquid is taken in the first vessel positioned above the second vessel, the organic liquid can pass through the porous membrane to be transferred into the second vessel but the aqueous liquid is retained in the first vessel by virtue of the water-repellency of the fluorocarbon polymer.

Abstract: This invention relates to a filter press in which between a pair of heads a plurality of filter plates are connected to one another by loose connecting means. In the improved apparatus, the heads are both movable so that the filter plates may be moved in sequence, simultaneously from both end sides, toward the center to close the intervals therebetween or away from the center to provide intervals therebetween, whereby the time required in assembling and separating the filter plates can be considerably reduced. When the filter plates in assembled state, if one of the heads is pressed, while the other head is placed under action of stoppers, the filter plates are vigorously tightened by a cylinder having a shorter stroke than that in the prior-art apparatus.

Abstract: A process for treating filter cakes, obtained by filtering oils containing oil soluble alkaline earth metal sulfonates employing siliceous filter aids in the filtration, to release oil and sulfonate from the filter cakes is disclosed. The filter cakes are mixed with hot aqueous solutions of materials selected from the group consisting of alkali metal hydroxides, alkali metal salts of acids having ionization constants less than 1.5.times.10.sup.-4 and mixtures of said salts and alkali metal hydroxides and held at a temperature above 160.degree. F. to separate oil and sulfonate.

Abstract: A filter press comprises a main frame having upper side bars for movably supporting a plurality of plates in horizontally stacked relation. The plates are moved to open the filter press by plate transporting trolleys which are supported on the upper side bars. Light emitters are mounted at one end of the press on each side bar and light detectors are mounted at the opposite end of the press on each side bar and are aligned to receive light from the light emitters. Shutters are coupled to the plate transporting trolleys such that the light from the light emitters is normally blocked by the shutters. The shutters are opened for a brief period of time when the plate transporting trolleys are moved into engagement with one of the filter plates such that plate engagement signals are generated by the light detectors.

Abstract: A membrane treating agent for rejuvenating and improving a rejection performance of a semipermeable membrane, which contains an effective amount of a modified vinyl polymer having acetoxy groups and at least one group represented by the Formula (I) and/or (II): ##STR1## wherein R is a radical selected from the group consisting of aliphatic, aromatic and heterocyclic radicals having from 1 to 9 carbon atoms, and n is an integer from 1 to 3.Valuable modified vinyl polymers are obtained by reacting a partially saponified vinyl polymer with at least one carboxylic acid such as maleic acid, phthalic acid, succinic acid, butane tetracarboxylic acid and/or acid anhydrides or acid chlorides thereof.

Abstract: The filter press includes pressing members for pressing the liquid out of a slurry of a solid in a liquid to form a solid cake. The pressing members are then separated to drop the cake through open diverter doors. The pressing members are washed after the diverter doors are again closed.The diverter doors are pivotally mounted with one diverter door having a portion thereof overlapping the top of the other diverter door in the closed position. Means are provided for pivoting the overlapping diverter door from the closed position in a first rotational direction and then in the opposite rotational direction while simultaneously pivoting the other diverter door in said first rotational direction.

Abstract: The disclosure sets forth blood processing apparatus of the general type which employs a cylindrical rotor with a semi-permeable membrane at its outer surface, rotatable within a surrounding stationary casing or housing, blood being supplied and discharged at angularly spaced loci of the casing, a secondary fluid being supplied to the interior of the rotor, effecting a cross-transfer of a component in the blood, and a secondary fluid, or a component thereof, across the membrane, sometimes referred to as a "journal machine" to distinguish such type from others which differ basically therefrom. The basic environment is like that of certain patents, identified hereinafter, and incorporates, by reference, features thereof insofar as they are applicable to the present disclosure.

Abstract: A haemodialyzer apparatus in which there are disposed two different types of membranes, namely, semi-permeable membranes that are substantially incapable of passing therethrough blood plasma proteins and filter membranes that are capable of passing therethrough blood plasma proteins. By the use of the present haemodialyzer apparatus, in addition to urea, creatinine and the like, the relatively high molecular weight substances such as the peptides having a molecular weight of more than 1,000 as well as the plasma proteins with their functions lowered, which relatively high molecular weight substances cannot be removed by any of the conventional haemodialyzers, can be effectively removed, to a desired extent, from the blood, thereby not only purifying or detoxifying the blood or components thereof but also recovering the toxic substances-absoring abilities of the plasma proteins so that the patients suffering from renal and/or liver failure may be remedied more satisfactorily.