Abstract: An energy-saving desalination system, used for obtaining a salt water from a salt-water source and desalinating to generate a fresh water, and the system includes: a salt-water magnetizing device disposed at an intake for magnetizing the salt water to generate a magnetized salt water; a salt-water filtering device coupled to the salt-water magnetizing device for filtering the magnetized salt water; a salt-water preheating device coupled to the salt-water filtering device for heating the magnetized salt water to reach a middle temperature; a salt-water reheating device coupled to the salt-water preheating device for heating the magnetized salt water to maintain in a higher temperature range; a nebulization device coupled to the salt-water reheating device to nebulize the magnetized salt water having a higher temperature into a mixing fog; and a condensing device coupled to the nebulization device to extract a fresh water from the mixing fog.

Abstract: To enhance diffusive mass transfer of solutes, the present hemodialyzer in a cylindrical configuration for hemodialysis comprises a blood compartment having a packed bundle of hollow fibers in a reversibly distensible doughnut configuration on a radial cross-section, and a dialysate compartment having an axial spiral flow converter slidably inserted in a center of the packed bundle of the hollow fibers and an outer circumferential space encircling an outer circumferential layer of the packed bundle of the hollow fibers. The axial spiral flow converter is configured to convert an axial dialysate flow to a centrifugal dialysate flow radially spreading from the center of the packed bundle of the hollow fibers to the outer circumferential space of the hemodialyzer.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for treatment of produced or process water from hydrocarbon production to reduce the volume of the produced or process water while simultaneously reducing the salinity of a highly saline stream, for example, the brine from a seawater desalination plant. The method includes causing a feed stream comprising produced or process water to flow through the lumen of a hollow fiber osmotic membrane 4 which is immersed in an open channel 2 or tank of flowing draw solution 6 which has high salinity. In this way, water from the feed stream is drawn through the osmotic membrane 4 by an osmotic pressure differential caused by the difference in salinity between the feed stream and the draw solution 6.

Abstract: A filter for the filtration of a fluid, such as a liquid, includes or is composed of a support element made of a porous ceramic material, the element exhibiting a tubular or parallelepipedal shape delimited by an external surface and including, in its internal portion, a set of adjacent channels with axes parallel to one another and separated from one another by walls of the porous inorganic material, in which at least a portion of the channels and/or at least a portion of the external surface are covered with a porous separating membrane layer, wherein the separating membrane layer is made of a material essentially composed of silicon carbide (SiC), and the content by weight of elemental nitrogen of the layer constituting the porous separating membrane layer is between 0.1% and 2%.

Abstract: A filter assembly separating organic waste from water includes a first annular filter element defining an axis. The first annular filter element is defined by a first annular coil of flat wire and an optional second filter element is defined by a second annular coil of flat wire, being generally helical in the axial direction. A cylindrically or frustoconical filter membrane is concentrically disposed between the first and second annular filter element. The filter membrane is porous having aperture size of less than a nano-particulate size of the organic waste, but greater than a nano-particulate size of the water molecule. The second annular filter includes adjustable porosity for selectively preventing particles from reaching the filter membrane and selectively cleaning the membrane by reversed flow of water through the membrane. The assembly generates radial and distal flows and differential pressure forces, for use in high throughput industrial, agricultural and municipal facilities.

Abstract: Methods of inducing or controlling particle motion in suspensions and colloids are described. In one aspect, a method of inducing particle motion in a suspension comprises contacting the suspension with a gas phase to establish at least one interface between the gas phase and continuous phase of the suspension. One or more gases of the gas phase are transferred across the interface to provide a solute gradient in the continuous phase, the solute gradient inducing motion of the suspended particles.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a gas separation membrane including: a supporting membrane; and a separation functional layer which is provided on the supporting membrane and includes a crosslinked polyamide obtained by polycondensation of a polyfunctional amine and a polyfunctional acid halide, in which, in the crosslinked polyamide, the number A of terminal amino groups, the number B of terminal carboxy groups, and the number C of amide groups satisfy (A+B)/C?0.66.

Abstract: Disclosed is a hollow fiber membrane module including a case and a hollow fiber membrane built in the case, wherein the hollow fiber membrane contains a polysulfone-based polymer and a hydrophilic polymer, and satisfies the following (A) and (B), and an amount of an eluted substance contained in a liquid obtained by circulating ultrapure water heated at 37° C. through a passage of an inner surface side of the hollow fiber membrane for 4 hours at 200 mL/min is 1.0 mg/m2 or less: (A) an insoluble component accounts for less than 3% by mass of the total mass of the hollow fiber membrane when the hollow fiber membrane is dissolved in N,N-dimethylacetamide; and (B) a flexible layer exists on a surface of a functional layer in a wet state and the flexible layer has a thickness of 7 nm or more.

Abstract: Provided herein are tubular membrane filter elements, tangential flow filtration systems comprising such filter elements and methods of using such filter elements and filtration systems.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for removing biopolymer aggregates and viruses from a fluid. In a first step, the biopolymer aggregates are selectively removed by filtration through a porous, polyamide-comprising shaped body having a native surface. In a second step, the biopolymer aggregate-free fluid is filtered through at least one suitable virus-retentive membrane.

Abstract: Disclosed is a thin film composite hollow fiber that includes an outer support layer having a thickness of 10 to 1000 ?m and a polyamide thin film layer having a thickness of 1 to 10000 nm; and has a transmembrane pressure resistance rate of higher than 15 bar and a pure water permeability rate of higher than 0.8 Lm?2h?1bar?1. Also disclosed are methods of preparing the above-described support and composite hollow fiber.

Abstract: The invention relates to macroporous, hydrophobic and isotropic polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes having improved properties and to a new method for preparing the same.

Abstract: A reaction assembly separating plant material from water includes a first annular filter element defining an axis. The first annular filter element is defined by an outer annular coil of flat wire and an optional second filter element is defined by an inner annular coil of flat wire, being generally helical in the axial direction. A cylindrically or frustoconical filter membrane is concentrically disposed between the first and second annular filter element. The filter membrane is porous having aperture size of less than a nano-particulate size of the plant material, but greater than a nano-particulate size of the water molecule. The second annular filter includes adjustable porosity for selectively preventing particles from reaching the filter membrane and selectively cleaning the membrane by reversed flow of water through the membrane. The assembly generates radial and distal flows and differential pressure forces, for use in high throughput industrial, agricultural and municipal facilities.

Abstract: Two-dimensional materials, particularly graphene-based materials, having a plurality of apertures thereon can be formed into enclosures for various substances and introduced to an environment, particularly a biological environment (in vivo or in vitro). One or more selected substances can be released into the environment, one or more selected substances from the environment can enter the enclosure, one or more selected substances from the environment can be prevented from entering the enclosure, one or more selected substances can be retained within the enclosure, or combinations thereof. The enclosure can for example allow a sense-response paradigm to be realized. The enclosure can for example provide immunoisolation for materials, such as living cells, retained therein.

Abstract: A process for treating waste water, including the steps of extracting by forward osmosis treated water from a wastewater feed stream and transferring it to a saline draw stream, and extracting from the saline draw stream treated water by a reverse osmosis process.

Abstract: In order to provide a composite semipermeable membrane which combines strength and water permeability, the present invention provides a composite semipermeable membrane including: a supporting membrane including a substrate and a porous support; and a separation functional layer disposed on the porous support, in which the substrate has a weight A per unit area, a portion of the porous support which is located within the substrate has a weight B per unit area, and a sum of the weight A and the weight B, (A+B), is 30 to 100 g/m2, and a ratio between the weight A and the weight B, B/A, is 0.10 to 0.60.

Abstract: An extracorporeal blood treatment machine for carrying out a blood treatment including a machine front on which a hollow fiber filter module is arranged in a horizontal position, which hollow fiber filter module includes a cylindrical housing, a blood chamber having a blood inlet nozzle and a blood outlet nozzle and a solution chamber having a solution inlet nozzle extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the hollow fiber filter module and a solution outlet nozzle extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the hollow fiber filter module, the solution chamber being semi-permeably communicated at least in portions with the blood chamber, wherein a height potential is present in the horizontal position between the solution inlet nozzle and the solution outlet nozzle so that drainage of solution is enabled via one of the solution nozzles and evacuation of air bubbles is enabled via an other of the solution nozzles.

Abstract: A composite semipermeable membrane includes a porous supporting membrane and a separation functional layer, in which, in cross-sections having a length of 2.0 ?m in a membrane surface direction, the average number density of projections in the separation functional layer which have a height of one-fifth or more of the 10-point average surface roughness is 10.0-30.0 projections/?m and the projections have an average height less than 100 nm, and in which a water production rate and a salt rejection are predetermined values or more after an aqueous solution is passed through under certain conditions.

Abstract: A fluid preparation system has a sealed sterilized fluid circuit with a sealed sterilized container with a conductivity sensor in communication with an interior of said container. Further, at least one sealed connector is adapted for adding fluid to said container, and at least one sealed connector is adapted for removing fluid from said container. The conductivity sensor is contained in a test line in communication with said interior and is adapted to be connected to a source of suction thereby to draw a sample of contents of said container. Furthermore, the test line may have a check valve to prevent ingress of contaminants into said container, and the sealed connector is adapted for adding fluid to said container and may have an inline sterile filter. Furthermore, the system may have a controller that controls pumping actuators.

Abstract: A dialysate-extracting apparatus in which a collecting port can be disinfected with no disinfecting work to be performed by a worker. A dialysate-extracting apparatus includes a dialysate-extracting device having an introduction port and a discharge port each of which is connected to the flow route for liquid and allows the liquid to flow therethrough, and a collecting port from which the liquid flowing in the flow route is collectable; and an opening-and-closing device that is movable between a closing position where the opening-and-closing device covers the collecting port of the dialysate-extracting device and an opening position where the opening-and-closing device 6 opens the collecting port. The dialysate-extracting apparatus further includes an ultraviolet-applying device attached to the opening-and-closing device and that is capable of applying ultraviolet rays to the collecting port when the opening-and-closing device is at the closing position.