Abstract: An ammonia recovery method which includes electrodialysis of a treatment liquid comprising an ammonium salt and an acid to obtain a recovered acid solution including ammonia-containing recovered ammonia water and an acid, wherein the electrodialysis is carried out by a two-chamber method using a bipolar membrane and an anion exchange membrane.

Abstract: Provided are a composite forward osmosis membrane and a membrane module containing same. The composite forward osmosis membrane reduces salt back-diffusion and has high water-permeability, or is made of readily available materials and can be easily manufactured. Even when used at high pressure, separation between a substrate membrane support layer and an active separation layer does not occur in the composite forward osmosis membrane, and thus the composite forward osmosis membrane exhibits stable high performance.

Abstract: This system for concentrating solvent-containing articles involves a first step in which: a supply flow (a) comprising solvent-containing articles containing a solute and a solvent (b) is caused to flow counter to or parallel with a permeant flow (d) through a forward osmosis membrane (o); the solvent (b) contained in the supply flow (a) is made to pass through the forward osmosis membrane (o) and to move into the permeant flow (d); and a concentrate flow (c) formed from the concentrated solvent-containing articles and a flow (e) formed from the diluted permeant flow (d) are obtained, wherein the permeant flow (d) is an inorganic salt solution containing multivalent cations, and the temperature of the permeant flow (d) in the aforementioned first step is 5-60° C.

Abstract: The present invention offers a forward osmosis composite hollow fiber membrane module having hollow fiber bundles comprising a plurality of hollow fibers, the hollow fibers having a separation layer composed of a macromolecular polymer thin film provided on the inner surface of a microporous hollow fiber supporting membrane, wherein the membrane area of the hollow fiber bundle is at least 1 m2, and a variation coefficient for the average thickness of the separation layer in the radial direction and the lengthwise direction of the hollow fiber bundles, as calculated by a method of measuring the mass of the separation layer portion in a scanning electron microscope image of a cross section of the separation layer in the thickness direction, is 0% to 60%.

Abstract: The present invention offers a forward osmosis composite hollow fiber membrane module having hollow fiber bundles comprising a plurality of hollow fibers, the hollow fibers having a separation layer composed of a macromolecular polymer thin film provided on the inner surface of a microporous hollow fiber supporting membrane, wherein the membrane area of the hollow fiber bundle is at least 1 m2, and a variation coefficient for the average thickness of the separation layer in the radial direction and the lengthwise direction of the hollow fiber bundles, as calculated by a method of measuring the mass of the separation layer portion in a scanning electron microscope image of a cross section of the separation layer in the thickness direction, is 0% to 60%.

Abstract: Provided is an electrodialyzer for regenerating amines, comprising a negative electrode, a positive electrode, a bipolar film, and an anion exchange film. The electrodialyzer includes a chamber having an amine purification function, a chamber having an amine recovery function, and a chamber having an acid recovery function, between the facing negative electrode and positive electrode and in order in the direction from the negative electrode towards the positive electrode. The chamber having the amine purification function is surrounded by the bipolar film arranged on the negative electrode side and the anion exchange film arranged at a position facing the bipolar film. The chamber having the amine recovery function is surrounded by a set of facing anion exchange films, and the chamber having an acid recovery function is surrounded by the anion exchange film arranged on the negative electrode side, and the positive electrode or bipolar film arranged at a position facing the anion exchange film.

Abstract: An analyzing cartridge and method for using it to analyze a sample having a plurality of reservoirs and capillaries connected for communication between these reservoirs and is provided therein with a reagent required for analysis. The reservoirs are provided with openings leading to the outside of the cartridge, and the openings are covered with vents each consisting of a gas-permeable/non-liquid-permeable, hydrophobic, porous membrane. The analyzing cartridge requires only trace amounts of a sample and a reagent and no maintenance. It is provided with a non-fluid reagent in vent-carrying reservoirs thereby making it possible to formulate a very trace amount of reagent solution in the cartridge by injecting a reagent dissolving liquid into the reservoirs immediately before analyzing. A liquid feed control device controls the feeding of the liquid between the reservoirs via the capillaries when it is attached to the cartridge to allow or control the entry/exit of air via the vents.

Abstract: An analyzer characterized by comprising a chip and a detector, wherein the chip is an organic polymer member having a fine capillary through which a fluid sample or a fluid sample and a fluid reagent flow and can perform a chemical reaction on the sample in the capillary without using a separate weighing means, and the detector is a photothermal conversion detector for measuring a physical quantity change such as a refractive index change caused by a partial temperature change of the sample and the reagent by applying an excitation light to a substance to be measured produced by the chemical reaction, thereby providing a small analyzer excellent in chip waste-disposal, capable of analyzing inexpensively, simply and in a short time and being suitable for a POC analysis.

Abstract: An analyzing cartridge and method for using it to analyze a sample having a plurality of reservoirs and capillaries connected for communication between these reservoirs and is provided therein with a reagent required for analysis. The reservoirs are provided with openings leading to the outside of the cartridge, and the openings are covered with vents each consisting of a gas-permeable/non-liquid-permeable, hydrophobic, porous membrane. The analyzing cartridge requires only trace amounts of a sample and a reagent and no maintenance. It is provided with a non-fluid reagent in vent-carrying reservoirs thereby making it possible to formulate a very trace amount of reagent solution in the cartridge by injecting a reagent dissolving liquid into the reservoirs immediately before analyzing. A liquid feed control device controls the feeding of the liquid between the reservoirs via the capillaries when it is attached to the cartridge to allow or control the entry/exit of air via the vents.

Abstract: A polysulfone membrane for purifying blood having excellent compatibility with blood and the process producing the membrane are disclosed. The membrane comprises a mixed polymer phase of a graft copolymer and/or block copolymer having a molecular weight of 3.times.10.sup.5 daltons or more and comprising (A) a hydrophilic segment and (B) a hydrophobic segment (exclusive of polysulfone) in a total amount of from 0.5 to 30 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of polysulfone, with the monomer unit ratio (A/B) between the segments A and B being from 0.5 to 5. The copolymer is preferably a graft copolymer where the hydrophilic segment is a polyvinylpyrrolidone segment and the hydrophobic segment is a polystyrene segment. The membrane can be prepared by applying a wet film formation process to a dope containing an appropriate solvent of the mixed polymer, such as N,N-dimethylacetamide.