Abstract: Systems and processes for water-oil separations include feeding an oil-water mixture to an inlet of a water-oil separation vessel for separation of the decontaminated water from the oil. Steam bubbles are used to facilitate the separations, where the systems and processes include a water circulation loop for circulating a portion of the decontaminated water through the water circulation loop and heating the water to generate steam via solar energy captured by the concentrated solar collector. The steam may then be fed to a distributor in a separation chamber of the water-oil separation vessel, the distributor distributing the steam in the separation chamber of the water-oil separation vessel as a plurality of bubbles, facilitating separation of oil from water.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for the manufacture of at least one hollow fiber membrane, wherein a spinning mass is extruded via a spinning unit to form a spinning thread and precipitated in a precipitation bath to form a hollow fiber membrane and the hollow fiber membrane is optionally rinsed in a rinsing bath, wherein furthermore the hollow fiber membrane is passed through at least one drying unit, wherein the drying unit comprises a pressure section which is constructed in such a way that a positive pressure compared with atmospheric pressure can be set in the pressure section, and at least part of the precipitating agent or rinsing agent contained in the at least one hollow fiber membrane (104) is separated from the at least one hollow fiber membrane.

Abstract: In some examples, a conduit system includes a conduit defining a conduit lumen configured to provide a flow path for a fluid between a container and a medical machine. A flexible member secured to the conduit is configured to substantially occlude (e.g., close) the conduit lumen when deformed by a force acting on the flexible member toward the lumen. The conduit system includes a clamp head configured to pass through an opening defined by the conduit and exert the force on the flexible member, such that the flexible member occludes the conduit lumen. In examples, the conduit is substantially rigid conduit configured to provide a relatively constant geometry and/or flow path for the discharge of a nozzle.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of filtering an oil, the method including the following steps (A) and (B): (A) allowing a hydrophobic gas to permeate through a porous membrane including a hydrophobic polymer as a main component; and (B) allowing an oil to permeate through the porous membrane, in which the step (B) is performed after the hydrophobic gas that has permeated through the porous membrane is confirmed to have a relative humidity of 0 to 60% in the step (A).

Abstract: A hollow-fiber membrane according to an aspect of the present disclosure contains a polytetrafluoroethylene or a modified polytetrafluoroethylene as a main component and has an average outer diameter of 1 mm or less and an average inner diameter of 0.5 mm or less. In a measurement of a heat of fusion of the polytetrafluoroethylene or the modified polytetrafluoroethylene with a differential scanning calorimeter, when the polytetrafluoroethylene or modified polytetrafluoroethylene is subjected to a first step of heating from room temperature to 365° C., a second step of cooling from 365° C. to 350° C., maintaining the temperature, subsequently cooling from 350° C. to 330° C., and further cooling from 330° C. to 305° C., and a third step of cooling from 305° C. to 245° C. at a rate of ?50° C./min and subsequently heating from 245° C. to 365° C. at a rate of 10° C./min, a heat of fusion from 296° C. to 343° C. in the third step is 30.0 J/g or more and 45.0 J/g or less.

Abstract: Methods of fabricating a porous membrane are disclosed. The first method includes the following operations. A mesoporous silica thin film with perpendicular mesopore channels is grown on a polymer film. The mesoporous silica thin film and the polymer film are transferred onto a macroporous substrate, in which the polymer film is positioned between the macroporous substrate and the mesoporous silica thin film. The polymer film is removed to form the porous membrane. The second method includes the following operations. A polymer film is formed on a macroporous substrate, wherein the polymer film includes crosslinked polymers including cross-linked polystyrene, cross-linked polymethyl methacrylate, or a combination thereof. A mesoporous silica thin film with perpendicular mesopore channels is grown on the polymer film. The polymer film is removed to form the porous membrane.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a separation membrane including a thermoplastic polymer selected from a cellulose ester and a polyamide, in which, when regions obtained by dividing a cross-sectional surface perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the separation membrane into 5 at an equal interval are defined as regions 1 to 5, all the regions 1 to 5 have a number average pore diameter changing rate ?i of ?0.25 to 0.25, and at least one of the regions 1 to 5 is a region P that satisfies conditions (a) and (b): (a) a value of area average pore diameter Ds/number average pore diameter Dn is 2.50 to 6.00; and (b) a number average W of fine pores that are located at a distance smaller than La from a center of respective coarse pores is 10 to 30.

Abstract: A system and method for producing from saline source water a product containing an increased ratio of multi-valent ions to mono-valent ions, which includes multiple nanofiltration units arranged to selectively remove mono-valent ions from the water fed into each nanofiltration stage in the nanofiltration permeate stream while retaining multi-valent ions in the nanofiltration reject stream. The rate at which the increase in the multi-valent ion- to mono-valent ion ratio is obtained may be enhanced by introduction of lower salinity water into the nanofiltration reject between stages, and by recirculating a portion of downstream nanofiltration reject flow into an upstream nanofiltration unit. The enhanced multi-valent ion product is suitable for multiple uses, including irrigation of plants and remineralization of desalinated water.

Abstract: Hollow fiber membranes in an oxygenator for an extracorporeal blood circulator are coated with an antithrombotic polymeric material. The porous hollow fiber membranes for gas exchange have outer surfaces, inner surfaces forming lumens, opening portions through which the outer surfaces communicate with the inner surfaces in a housing. A blood flow path is outside of the hollow fiber membrane bundle in the housing, between a blood inlet port and a blood outlet port. The coating is obtained by filling the blood flow path with a colloidal solution containing an antithrombotic polymeric compound, and moving the colloid solution between the blood inlet port and the blood outlet port for a time that coats a predetermined amount of antithrombotic polymeric compound on the outer surfaces of the hollow fiber membranes. Other surfaces within the oxygenator contacting the blood flow likewise receive the coating.

Abstract: Certain aspects of the invention relate to a method of synthesizing a composite usably for oil-water separation comprising surface nanostructuring a pristine powder or porous material to form a nanostructured powder or porous material having surfaces with nanoscale features; and coating single or multilayers of one or more low surface energy oligomers, polymers, or their composites with other materials on the surfaces of the nanostructured powder or porous material.

Abstract: A container system configured to transfer heat to a fluid contained within the container system, such as dialysate. The container system may be configured to fluidly couple to a medical machine. The container system includes a flexible material comprising a wall of the container system. In examples, the flexible material defines a container volume configured to contain the fluid. The flexible material mechanically supports a circuit configured to generate and transfer heat to the fluid. The circuit is configured to flex and/or bend when the flexible material flexes and/or bends. In examples, the container system includes control circuitry configured to cause the circuit to generate heat based on a temperature of the fluid.

Abstract: Dialyzer systems can consolidate multiple technologies and functionalities of blood treatment systems in a significantly integrated fashion. For example, this disclosure describes dialyzer systems that include a magnetically driven and magnetically levitating pump rotor integrated into the dialyzer. Such a dialyzer can be used with treatment modules that include a magnetic field-generating pump drive unit. In some embodiments, the dialyzers include pressure sensor chambers with flexible membranes with which corresponding pressure transducers of the treatment modules can interface to detect arterial and/or venous pressures.

Abstract: An oil filter assembly is disclosed for a machine, such as an internal combustion engine, that has an oil output port and an oil input port. A mounting plate is fixed with an outer enclosure. The mounting plate is further adapted to conduct oil from the machine into a peripheral portion of the outer enclosure, and then returning oil from a central portion of the outer enclosure back to the machine. Oil may pass from the peripheral portion to the central portion through a primary filter having a first porosity. A pressure-actuated valve is fixed fluidly between the portions of the outer enclosure.

Abstract: An ion-sensitive substance containing a crown ether structure composed of a repeating unit represented by formula (a): —CR1R2—CR3X—O— . . . (a) (in the formula, X is an organic group having an alkoxysilyl group at a terminal, and R1, R2 and R3 are each a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group), and a part or all of the alkoxysilyl groups in the crown ether structure may be hydrolyzed to form a silanol group.

Abstract: A preparation method of a gradient long-effective catalytic membrane with high-strength and anti-deposition property is provided and includes: adding a nanometal oxide catalyst into an N, N-dimethylformamide solution of polyacrylonitrile or polystyrene, uniformly mixing, performing electrostatic spinning, keeping a receiver at ?190° C. to ?200° C. in the electrostatic spinning process, and performing freeze drying on a precursor membrane obtained after the electrostatic spinning is finished, so as to obtain the gradient long-effective catalytic membrane.

Abstract: The invention relates to membranes, monomers and polymers. The monomers can form polymers, which can be used for membranes. The membranes can be used in alkaline fuel cells, for water purification, for electrolysis, for flow batteries, and for anti-bacterial membranes and materials, as well as membrane electrode assemblies for fuel cells. In addition to the membranes, polymers and monomers and methods of using the membranes, the present invention also relates to methods of making the membranes, monomers and polymers.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a porous polymeric membrane that is coated with a cross-linked polymerized monomer. The coating on the porous polymeric membrane has a charge when it is immersed in an organic liquid. The coated porous polymeric membrane, a filter utilizing the membrane, and a method for treating an organic liquid used for photoresist with the coated porous polymeric membrane to remove metal contaminants from the organic liquid are disclosed.

Abstract: Dialyzer systems can consolidate multiple technologies and functionalities of blood treatment systems in a significantly integrated fashion. For example, this disclosure describes dialyzer systems that include a magnetically driven and magnetically levitating pump rotor integrated into the dialyzer. Such a dialyzer can be used with treatment modules that include a magnetic field-generating pump drive unit. In some embodiments, the dialyzers include pressure sensor chambers with flexible membranes with which corresponding pressure transducers of the treatment modules can interface to detect arterial and/or venous pressures.

Abstract: A novel fibrous membrane comprises at least one substrate layer comprising at least 80% by weight of microfibers that carry positively charged and/or negatively charged functional groups, and at least one layer of filtration material attached to the substrate layer, wherein the layer of filtration material comprises at least 80% by weight of nanofibers that carry negatively charged and/or positively charged functional groups. The fibrous membrane is able to remove or reduce the concentration of bacteria, viruses and heavy metals while maintaining relatively high water flow. A filter comprising the fibrous membrane and a method for manufacturing the fibrous membrane are also provided.

Abstract: The invention relates to a dialysis cell for sample preparation for a chemical analysis method, in particular for ion chromatography. The dialysis cell comprises a donor channel and an acceptor channel extending parallel thereto. The donor channel and the acceptor channel are separated from each other by a selectively permeable dialysis membrane. In particular, an analyte that is dissolved in a donor solution in the donor channel can enter through the dialysis membrane into the acceptor solution in the acceptor channel. The acceptor channel has at least in some sections a volume that is smaller than the volume of the donor channel extending parallel thereto. Acceptor and donor channels are formed from half-cells, between which the dialysis membrane is arranged, wherein the donor channel and the acceptor channel are designed in each case as a recess in a contact surface of one of the half-cells with the dialysis membrane.