Alternating Anion And Cation Selective Membranes Patents (Class 204/634)
  • Patent number: 6461491
    Abstract: An electrodialysis apparatus includes a stack of alternating cation and anion semi-permeable, ion-selective membranes disposed between a positive DC potential anode electrode and a negative DC potential cathode electrode. The cation and anion selective membranes can be selective for monovalent or multivalent ions and form compartments therebetween through alternate compartments of which flow concentrate and diluate solutions such that the concentrate and diluate solutions are separated from each other by the ion selective membranes. Due to the potential maintained across each of the compartments and the cation and anion selective membranes separating the compartments, cations and anions as well as water will migrate from the diluate solution to the concentrate solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2002
    Assignee: The University of Chicago
    Inventors: John N. Hryn, Kandipati Sreenivasarao
  • Patent number: 6436264
    Abstract: A cation exchange membrane (11) and an anion exchange membrane (12) are alternately arranged between an anode (20) and a cathode (19). A desalination chamber (14) and a concentrating chamber (15) are alternately formed between both the exchange membranes (11), (12). Then, the desalination chamber (14) is formed to hold a channel through which liquid flows from one to the other side of the desalination chamber, and allow the cation exchange membrane (11) to contact the anion exchange membrane (12). There is thus obtained an electrodeionization water producing apparatus which maintains a deionizing efficiency as in a conventional case, has a simple structure, is easy to manufacture, and has a high degree of freedom of apparatus configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: Organo Corporation
    Inventor: Makio Tamura
  • Patent number: 6379517
    Abstract: A method and a device for the regeneration of an electroless metal deposition bath containing hypophosphite ions by electrodialysis is described. The method according to the invention and the device differ from the prior art in that the bath solution is led simultaneously through diluate compartments in a second electrodialysis unit having cathodes and anodes, which compartments are separated from concentrate compartments in the second electrodialysis unit on the cathode side by monoselective anion-exchange membranes and on the anode side by anion-exchange membranes, the diluate compartments and the concentrate compartments in the second electrodialysis unit being disposed alternately to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2002
    Assignee: Atotech Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Jens Heydecke, Rainer Born, Werner Richtering, Manfred Blaschke, Alexander Kraft, Maja Wunsche
  • Patent number: 6379518
    Abstract: The electrodeionization apparatus 3A has a plurality of cation exchange membrane and plurality of anion exchange membrane alternately arranged between electrodes in such a manner as to alternately form diluting compartments and concentrating compartments. The diluting compartments are filled with an ion exchanger. The product water having pH exceeding pH of the feed water by 1.0 or more when the feed water having pH of equal to or less than 8.5 is treated without adding alkaline agents. The apparatus for producing purified water has plural electrodeionization apparatuses 3A, 3B connected each other so that the feed water flows through the electrodeionization apparatuses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2002
    Assignee: Kurita Water Industries Ltd.
    Inventors: Masanobu Osawa, Osamu Kato
  • Publication number: 20020020626
    Abstract: Feed water, fed through an inlet 6 into a desalting compartment 8, flows around the end 4a of a anion-exchange membrane 4 surrounding an anode 2a. The feed water enters into a portion defined between the anion-exchange membrane 4 and a cation-exchange membrane 5, and flows around the end 5a of the cation-exchange membrane 5 surrounding a cathode 3a. Then, the water to be treated further flows around the ends 4b, 5b of ion-exchange membranes 4, 5 surrounding an anode 2b and a cathode 3b, respectively, and then flows out through a product water outlet 7. A part of product water is supplied to the concentrated water circulating within the concentrating compartment 30, 40. A part of the concentrated water flowing out of the concentrating compartment 30, 40 is added to concentrated water circulating within the concentrating compartment 10, 20. The diffusion of silica from the concentrating compartment is restricted. As a result, final product water containing extremely low silica concentration is obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2001
    Publication date: February 21, 2002
    Inventor: Shin Sato
  • Publication number: 20020011413
    Abstract: Electrodeionization apparatus and method. The electrodeionization apparatus includes an ion-depleting compartment in which alternating layers of an electroactive media are positioned. One of the alternating layers is doped to provide a more balanced current distribution through the apparatus. The method involves providing reducing the difference in conductivity between the alternating layers positioned in the ion-depleting compartment by adding a dopant material to one of the layers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2001
    Publication date: January 31, 2002
    Inventors: Felice DiMascio, Anil Jha, Gary C. Ganzi, Frederick Wilkins
  • Patent number: 6338784
    Abstract: An apparatus for producing deionized water, comprising an electrodialyzer having cation exchange membranes and anion exchange membranes alternately arranged to form demineralizing compartments and concentrating compartments and having ion exchangers accommodated in the demineralizing compartments, and designed to conduct an electric current while supplying water to be treated to the demineralizing compartments, wherein a spacer is arranged in each concentrating compartment to maintain the thickness of the concentrating compartment, and the cation exchange membranes or the anion exchange membranes are incorporated in their dry state in the electrodialyzer, whereby water is supplied to the electrodialyzer, while each ion exchange membrane is brought in contact with the spacer by a pressure from the demineralizing compartment side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2002
    Assignees: Asahi Glass Company Ltd., Glegg Water Conditioning, Incorporated
    Inventors: Ichiro Terada, Hiroshi Toda, Kazuo Umemura, Mark Philip Huehnergard, David Florian Tessier, Ian Glenn Towe
  • Patent number: 6334941
    Abstract: An apparatus for producing deionized water, which has an ion exchanger accommodated in demineralizing compartments of an electrodialyzer having cation exchange membranes and anion exchange membranes alternately arranged between an anode and a cathode, wherein the ion exchanger is a composite ion exchanger comprising a first porous ion exchanger having a mixture of 60 to 95 wt % of cation exchange resin particles and 5 to 40 wt % of anion exchange resin particles bonded to each other and a second porous ion exchanger having a mixture of 60 to 95 wt % of anion exchange resin particles and 5 to 40 wt % of cation exchange resin particles bonded to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2002
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company Ltd.
    Inventor: Junjiro Iwamoto
  • Publication number: 20010040093
    Abstract: An apparatus and process produces salts by an electrodialysis operation. The basic electrodialysis apparatus is a cell having a number of compartments separated by membranes. A DC source is connected to drive a current through a feed stream passing through the cell which splits the salt stream into an acid and a base. The incoming feed may be nanofiltered to remove divalent metal. The base loop may be in communication with an ion exchange column packed with a material that removes multivalent cations. Depending upon the material being processed and the desired end result either or both the nanofiltration and the ion exchanged column may be used in the apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2001
    Publication date: November 15, 2001
    Applicant: Archer Daniels Midland Company
    Inventor: K. N. Mani
  • Publication number: 20010037942
    Abstract: An apparatus and system of operation of an electrodialysis membrane and gasket stack for separation of components in liquid mixtures is disclosed. The system of operation for purification and deionizing liquids includes an operation of pretreatment by filtration for removal of inorganic contaminants, includes an operation of adsorption for removing organic contaminants by activated carbon adsorption, and includes an operation of deionizing for removing ions from the effluent liquids. The deionizing operation includes an apparatus having an electrodialysis stack of a plurality of ion exchange membranes and separating gaskets for selectively removing contaminant ions. The electrodialysis stack of ion exchange membranes and separating gaskets provides continuous operations for purifying ethylene glycol and glycol/water mixtures, for continuous desalinating of water, and/or for continuous deionizing of water to generate ultra-pure water or other purified liquid mixtures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2001
    Publication date: November 8, 2001
    Inventors: Ernst Schmidt, Michael E. Williams, Brian M. Schmidt, James Schmidt, Erich Schmidt
  • Patent number: 6312577
    Abstract: A continuous electrodeionization apparatus and method. The continuous electrodeionization apparatus and method provide improved removal of weakly ionized ions, particularly silica. The apparatus and method involves using macroporous ion exchange resins that are both highly crosslinked and have a high water content. In preferred embodiments, the ion exchange resin beads also have a substantially uniform diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2001
    Assignee: United State Filter Corporation
    Inventors: Gary C. Ganzi, Frederick Wilkins, Anthony J. Giuffrida
  • Patent number: 6294066
    Abstract: An apparatus and the process produces salts by an electrodialysis operation. The basic electrodialysis apparatus is a cell having a number of compartments separated by membranes. A DC source is connected to drive a current through a feed stream passing through the cell which splits the salt stream into an acid and a base. The incoming feed may be nanofiltered to remove divalent metal. The base loop may be in communication with an ion exchange column packed with a material that removes multivalent cations. Depending upon the material being processed and the desired end result either or both the nanofiltration and the ion exchanged column may be used in the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2001
    Assignee: Archer Daniels Midland Company
    Inventor: K. N. Mani
  • Patent number: 6241866
    Abstract: Electrodeionization apparatus for purifying water that includes a cathode, an anode, and a plurality of alternating anion permeable membranes and cation permeable membranes between the cathode and anode that define concentrating and diluting flow channels between adjacent pairs of membranes. The diluting channels include cation exchange materials and anion exchange materials that are fixed in close contacting position with respect to each other and provide conductive paths for cations and anions to the adjacent membranes and provide flow passages for water between the materials. The anion exchange materials and cation exchange materials each have a characteristic dimension that is smaller than the characteristic dimensions of the flow passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Inventor: Leon Mir
  • Patent number: 6187201
    Abstract: A system for producing ultra-pure water having an electrodialysis unit 1, which has a membrane selectively permeable to monovalent cations and a membrane selectively permeable to monovalent anions, and a reverse osmosis unit 5 which is connected after the electrodialysis unit 1 in series.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Assignee: Nomura Micro Science Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsugu Abe, Yoshiaki Noma
  • Patent number: 6071397
    Abstract: An apparatus for producing deionized water comprising an electrodialyzer having cation exchange membranes and anion exchange membranes alternately arranged between a cathode and an anode to form demineralizing compartments and concentrating compartments, and ion exchange resin particles packed in the demineralizing compartments, wherein the ion exchange resin particles are a mixture of at least two groups of ion exchange resin particles having a particle size distribution such that particles having particle sizes of from 75 to 125% of the average particle size, are at least 85 wt % of the total amount, and the average particle size of a group of ion exchange resin particles having the maximum average particle size, is at least 1.5 times the average particle size of a group of ion exchange resin particles having the minimum average particle size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2000
    Assignees: Asahi Glass Company Ltd., Glegg Water Conditioning, Incorporated
    Inventors: Ichiro Terada, Kazuo Umemura, Junjiro Iwamoto, Ken Komatsu, Mark Philip Huehnergard
  • Patent number: 5837124
    Abstract: A method for preventing scale from precipitating and an apparatus for producing deionized water are disclosed. The acidic water produced by electrolysis in the electrolysis unit (30) is introduced into a concentrating compartment (19) in the continuous deionization unit (10). The pH of the concentrated water in the concentrating compartment decreases, thereby preventing scale from precipitating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Qingquan Su, Syu Nakanishi, Takayuki Saito, Masato Nakatsu
  • Patent number: 5738775
    Abstract: Electrically regenerable desalting apparatus having the desalting compartment packed with ion exchangers produced by utilizing radiation-initiated graft polymerization, in which said ion exchangers are nonwoven fabrics in the form of a fiber assembly and a cation exchanger and an anion exchanger are disposed in a face-to-face relationship, with a porous material being interposed between the two ion exchangers. Having the ability to reject ions from liquids, the apparatus is particularly suited to the production of pure water in the electrical power generating industries (including the nuclear industry), electronic industry and the pharmaceuticals manufacturing industry, as well as to the desalting of thick fluids encountered in food and chemical manufacturing processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Assignees: Ebara Corporation, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute
    Inventors: Hiroshi Nagai, Syu Nakanishi, Kunio Fujiwara, Takanobu Sugo
  • Patent number: 5705046
    Abstract: A process for treating effluent from a flue-gas desulfurization system wherein the resulting gypsum is removed, comprises filtering the gypsum and fly ash free effluent by a filter, transferring the filtrate to an electrodialyzer wherein cation-exchange membranes and univalent anion-exchange membranes are alternately set up, concentrating chlorine ions in the solution therein by dialysis, further concentrating the solution by evaporation in an evaporator, kneading the concentrated solution with cement or a mixture of cement and coal ash to a solid matter with no harm, and thereafter abandoning for landfill; and an apparatus for treating effluent from a flue-gas desulfurization system, comprising a filter for filtering the effluent to a turbidity low enough for treatment by an electrodialyzer wherein the effluent is to be separated into concentrated and dilute solutions, the electrodialyzer equipped with an alternate arrangement of cation- and anion-exchange membranes, with concentration and dilution compartme
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1998
    Assignees: Chubu Electric Power Company, Incorporated, Mitsubishi Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Asahi Glass Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatunori Miwata, Tsumoru Nakamura, Shinichiro Kotake, Yoshiharu Aoki
  • Patent number: 5702582
    Abstract: Apparatus for selecting connections from each of two or more inlet streams, at least two of which flow simultaneously, to one or more exit streams of a group of at least two. The apparatus has at least one rotatable first body, a first surface of which is adjacent to a first surface of a second body. The first body provides at least first and second fluid conduits, at least one end of each conduit terminating at the first surface of the first body. The second body also provides at least first and second fluid conduits, at least one end of each conduit terminating at the first surface of the second body. The first ends of each conduit provided by the first body and the first ends of each conduit provided by the second body are in such predetermined positions that the first conduit of the first body communicates with the second conduit of the second body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 30, 1997
    Assignee: Ionics, Incorporated
    Inventors: Arthur L. Goldstein, Theodore G. Papastavros, Emery J. Richard
  • Patent number: 5645703
    Abstract: A method for recovering salt from a process stream containing organic contaminants is provided, comprising directing the waste stream to a desalting electrodialysis unit so as to create a concentrated and purified salt permeate and an organic contaminants containing stream, and contacting said concentrated salt permeate to a water-splitting electrodialysis unit so as to convert the salt to its corresponding base and acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 8, 1997
    Assignee: University of Chicago
    Inventor: Shih-Perng Tsai
  • Patent number: 5615764
    Abstract: A positive electrode made of titanium having its surface electrolytically plated with platinum is disposed at the central position of an electrolytic ionized water producer. A cylindrical anion membrane is annularly arranged spaced from the positive electrode, a cylindrical cation membrane is annularly arranged spaced from the anion membrane, and a cylindrical negative electrode is annularly arranged spaced from the cation membrane. The opposite ends of the positive electrode, the anion membrane, the cation membrane and the negative electrode are watertightly closed with a base cover and a top cover, and a cylindrical first space is formed inside of the anion membrane. An annular second space is defined between the anion membrane and the cation membrane and an annular third space is defined between the cation membrane and the negative electrode. Water is introduced into the second space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 1, 1997
    Inventor: Yukimasa Satoh
  • Patent number: 5558753
    Abstract: Electrodeionization apparatus having a novel polarity reversal protocol designed to provide continuous, high-quality product fluid is described. The protocol involves substitution of a recirculating fluid stream established in an ion-concentrating compartment by a fluid stream having a lower ionic concentration, while maintaining fluid flow through an adjacent ion-depleting compartment. A method and protocol for modifying the ionic makeup of compartment ion exchange material and fluids are also provided. A flow reversal protocol is also provided, during which high-quality fluid product is recovered from the inventive apparatus. The polarity reversal protocol and flow reversal protocol may each be effected separately, or the flow reversal may be introduced into the sequence of the polarity reversal protocol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1996
    Assignee: U.S. Filter/Ionpure, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher J. Gallagher, Frederick Wilkins, Gary C. Ganzi
  • Patent number: 5547542
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for treating a low-concentrated aqueous feed solution which includes at least one aqueous process stream from a pulp mill. The process includes concentrating the feed solution by evaporation to form an evaporation concentrate, and subjecting at least a part of the concentrate to a first electrodialysis treatment, thereby forming a first electrodialysis concentrate containing salt removed from the evaporation concentrate and at least one diluate depleted in the salt. The invention also relates to a plant for carrying out the above process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1996
    Assignee: Eka Nobel AB
    Inventor: Johan Landfors
  • Patent number: 5512173
    Abstract: The invention is a demineralization apparatus comprising an anode chamber disposed at one end of a vessel having an anode at the inside of the anode chamber. A cathode chamber is disposed at the other end of the vessel, having a cathode at the inside of the cathode chamber. At lease one diluting chamber and at least one concentrating chamber are located alternately between the anode chamber and the cathode chamber. The diluting chamber has an anion exchange membrane on the anode chamber side and a cation exchange membrane on the cathode chamber side. The diluting chamber has an inlet for water to be treated and an outlet for demineralized water. The concentrating chamber has an inlet for water and an outlet for ion-concentrated water. The diluting chamber contains a cloth comprising a mixture of strongly acidic cation exchange fibers, strongly basic anion exchange fibers and ionically inactive synthetic fibers. Preferably, the mixture contains from 20 to 70% by weight ionically inactive synthetic fibers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1996
    Assignees: Nippon Rensui Co., Nitivy Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hajime Uchino, Motohiko Tajima, Hiroshi Horie