Abstract: A synthetic hydrophilic membrane, and method for manufacturing thereof, in the form of hollow fibers or flat membranes for dialysis and/or ultrafiltration, containing a mixture of polysulfone and sulfonated polysulfone, the mixture containing 65 to 95 wt.% sulfonated polysulfone, possibly as a salt of sulfonic acid, and 35 to 5 wt.% unsulfonated polysulfone. Preferably, up to 12 wt.% water-soluble polymers, based on the total mixture, are added to the mixture of polysulfone and sulfonated polysulfone before formation of the membrane.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing ultrapure water includes a cation exchange resin tower, a decarbonation tower, an anion exchange resin tower, and a pH adjustor for changing the zeta potential of the impurities contained in water. The pH value is adjusted to aggregate or ionize the impurities. The apparatus can be controlled so that the treated water is introduced into a reverse osmosis unit or an oxidation tower and an after reverse osmosis unit according to the quality of the treated water.

Abstract: A reagentless separator for removal of hydrolyzed species such as bicarbonate or carbonate to free or dissolved acid gases from a solution comprises a flow-through solid-phase acid bed through which the solution is passed for decreasing the pH of the solution and thus converting the hydrolyzed species into a free or dissolved acid gases. The converted hydrolyzed species is then separated from the solution by a gas permeable membrane degasser having an acid gas permeable membrane across which a partial pressure gradient is established. The solution may be an aqueous solution containing CO.sub.2 or any other hydrolyzed gas. The dissolved acid gas separator will be especially useful on space craft missions where water must be recycled.

Abstract: A process for preparing an osteogenesis promoting substance, which comprises extracting a demineralized bone powder with a solution of chaotorpic reagent, subjecting the extracted solution to ultrafiltration to collect a fraction containing substances ranging from 1,000 to 100,000 daltons as molecular weight, dialyzing the collected fraction and collecting the water-insoluble fraction from the dialyzing liquid. The osteogenesis promoting substance prepared by the present invention is useful as a bone repairing agent and a bone grafting agent.

Abstract: A rotating disc filter has a plurality of sectors removably mounted on drainage and support structures which are fixed on a rotating hub. The drainage and support structure has flow channels and internal baffles which serve to trap filtrate to keep filtrate from re-wetting filter cake built up on the sectors prior to removal of the filter cake from the sectors.

Abstract: A method is presented for achieving constant purification cycle times over the life of an ultrafiltration membrane in a silver halide purification system. Silver halide emulsion pumped from a feed vessel enters an ultrapurification module wherein a permeate stream is separated from the emulsion. The permeate stream is then divided into a permeate-to-drain stream and a recycle stream. The recycle stream is returned to the feed vessel. By varying the amount of permeate recycled, a constant permeate-to-drain rate can be maintained, and hence the purification cycle time can be maintained constant despite fouling of the membrane.

Abstract: Latex dispersions are concentrated by a process in which, in a two-stage crossflow filtration, the latex dispersion is first concentrated under pressures of 2 to 7 bar and at temperatures of 20.degree. to 70.degree. C. under turbulent flow conditions, the permeate accumulating together with the emulsifier present therein is then also concentrated at 10 to 40 bar and at temperatures of 20.degree. to 50.degree. C. and the concentrate obtained is returned with the emulsifier to the first stage of the crossflow filtration process while the permeate of the second stage is returned to the production process.

Abstract: Phase separation equipment for thermally separating an emulsion, in particular, a water-oil emulsion, includes a container for receiving the emulsion, a heater for heating the emulsion in the container, a discharge outlet from the top of the container for evacuating a vapor phase of the emulsion and a system for introducing air into the lower region of the container for forming a vapor cloud at the surface of the emulsion at a lower temperature than would be expected. The vapor cloud is discharged from the container, and the condensible portion of the vapor is condensed and separated from the vapor stream. The separated air or residual gas is then fed back into the air stream supplied to the bottom area of the container so that a closed loop air circulation system is provided. The system avoids discharge of air and noxious odors into the atmosphere while enhancing the separation of the lower boiling point vapor from the emulsion.

Abstract: A rotating disc filter has a plurality of discs, each made of a plurality of sectors removably mounted on support structures which are fixed on a rotating hollow shaft into core drainage channels of which, the sectors drain. The drainage and support structure has flow channels designed to rapidly drain filtrate and to permit filtrate split between clear and fiber bearing fractions. Rapid drainage is made possible by a novel method and device for controlling fluid transit volume within the sectors.

Abstract: A hollow fiber mass transfer apparatus has a casing having inlet and outlet ports for dialyzing liquid. A bundle of hollow fibers is housed in the casing. Two partition members hold the bundle without closing the openings of the hollow fibers. Two funnel-like headers surround the openings of the hollow fibers. Blood, for example, passes from the frusto-conical portion of the header through the fibers and out from the inverted frusto-conical portion of the header. In the header 16, the inner diameter D of the fitting portion and the height H between the fitting portion and frusto-conical portion has a relationship: 0.8.ltoreq.H/D.ltoreq.1.2.

Abstract: Mixtures containing methanol and dimethyl carbonate or methanol and methyl t-butyl ether may be treated by pervaporation to recover product containing decreased quantity of methanol.

Abstract: A charge containing dewaxed oil/dewaxing solvent may be treated to effect separation of components by a thermally cross-linked hydrocarbon-derived elastomer membrane, typified by polybutadiene.

Abstract: A membrane for a filter device or a device for gas or liquid separation, the membrane being constituted by a porous structure made of at least one material selected from sintered ceramic, sintered metals, microporous carbon, microporous glass, and polymers, said structure including at least one microporous layer, wherein the entire outside surface and inside surface of the pores of said structure is covered by a thin and continuous film of a polyphosphazene, the thickness of said film lying in the range 0.01% to 10% of the mean diameter of the pores of said microporous layer.

Abstract: A multi-element housing is disclosed for the containment of multiple membrane separation elements in parallel. The multi-element housing is characterized in that the elements are grouped in parallel with a feed/retentate zone, defined by a space enclosed by two tube sheets arranged at the same end of the elements. The central mandrels of the elements pass through the feed/retentate zone space defined by the two tube sheets and empty permeate outside the defined space into a permeate collection zone from which it is removed, while the tube sheet directly attached to the element is in open relationship to the interior of the membrane element and retentate accumulates in the space between the top tube sheet and the bottom tube sheet from which it is removed.

Abstract: Asymmetric semipermeable membranes which consist of aromatic polycondensates having recurring units of the formula(--O--Z--O--Y--).sub.n (I)in whichY is the divalent radical of an aromatic sulphone or of an aromatic ketone and--O--Z--O--is a divalent diphenolate radical which consists to the extent of 0.1-100 mol % of all the diphenolate radicals of those of the formula ##STR1## with the meaning given in the description, are suitable for haemodialysis, haemodiafiltration, haemofiltration, ultrafiltration, microfiltration and reverse osmosis.

Abstract: A fluid mixture separation membrane element (10) includes elongated hollow pressure-resistant non-permeable transport arteries (12) and a plurality of flexible hollow fibers (14) of semipermeable material having internal flow channels (20). The hollow tubular transport arteries (12) have exteriors (18) and interior flow passages (16). Each hollow fiber (14) has spaced opposite end portions (22, 24) and an elongated tubular portion (26) extending between and interconnecting the opposite end portions (22, 24). The opposite end portions (22, 24) of each hollow fiber (14) are attached by either an adhesive (28) or another suitable mechanism to the tubular transport artery or arteries (12) so as to provide flow communication between the internal flow channels (20) of the hollow fibers (14) and one of the interior flow passages (16) or the exteriors (18) of the hollow transport arteries (12).

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for treating salt water by a multiplicity of reverse osmosis membrane modules or a structure constituted by combining a multiplicity of reverse osmosis membrane modules and an evaporating device and thereby capable of efficiently treating it while preventing excessively large energy consumption. Salt water is passed through a plurality of reverse osmosis membrane modules so as to be separated into desalted water of a potable water level and high density concentrated water the salinity quality of which is 80,000 to 120,000 ppm.

Abstract: An asymmetric polymer membrane is disclosed characterized by being formed by irradiating a monomer and/or an oligomer polymerizable with an energy ray and having a pore diameter distribution in the thickness direction of the membrane, a ratio of a permeability flux of oxygen to nitrogen of 0.9-1.1, and communicating pores.

Abstract: Apparatus for the treatment of fluids are disclosed including a cylindrical housing closed at both ends by end caps, one of which includes an inlet for a fluid and the other includes an outlet for the fluid, a plurality of hollow fibers are arranged longitudinally within the housing between a pair of end walls, and one of the end caps includes an outlet for a second fluid which can thus be withdrawn from the outer surface of the hollow fibers between the end walls, and the apparatus includes a ring mounted between the hollow fibers at one of the end caps in order to create a fluid channel for the second fluid between the ring and the inner wall surface of the housing. This apparatus can be used, for example, for hemofiltration, hemodiafiltration or hemodialysis, but it may also be generally used for dialysis or filtration and purification of sewage, and for heat transfer, or as an oxygenator.

Abstract: A storage tank comprising a container having an interior space and a pressure responsive wall defining a fluid storage chamber. The pressure responsive wall is displaceable as fluid is supplied to the storage chamber to increase the volume of the storage chamber. The storage tank also includes a variable volume chamber and movement of the pressure responsive wall to increase the volume of the storage chamber reduces the volume of the variable volume container. A compressible medium under pressure is provided in the variable volume container and the change in volume of the fluid storage chamber for a given displacement of the pressure responsive wall is greater than the change in volume of the variable volume container.