Abstract: Provided is a composite semipermeable membrane having a high salt removal rate and a high water permeability. The composite semipermeable membrane comprises a substrate, a porous support layer formed on the substrate, and a separation functional layer formed on the porous support layer, the hydrophilic macromolecule concentration on the substrate-side surface of the porous support layer being higher than that on the separation functional layer-side surface.

Abstract: A method of sewage treatment includes: immersing a separation membrane module into sewage, wherein the separation membrane module has a plurality of separation membrane elements, each having a supporting plate, a separation membrane and a filtered water outlet; separating water into filtered water and suspended solids by having the water permeated through the separation membrane; and having the filtered water flow toward the exterior from the filtered water outlet; wherein the separation membrane has a nonwoven fabric and a porous resin layer on at least one surface of the nonwoven fabric; and a part of the resin permeates into the nonwoven fabric to form a composite layer with the nonwoven fabric.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of producing a chemical product through continuous fermentation which includes filtering a culture of a microorganism or cultured cells with a separation membrane to recover a product from a filtrate and simultaneously retaining a nonfiltered fluid in, or refluxing it to, the culture, and adding fermentation materials to the culture, wherein a porous membrane having an average pore size of 0.01 ?m or more to less than 1 ?m is used as the separation membrane and the filtration is conducted with a transmembrane pressure difference in the range of 0.1 to 20 kPa. According to this method, the fermentation productivity of the chemical product can be largely elevated at high stability and a low cost.

Abstract: Provided is a composite semipermeable membrane having a high salt removal rate and a high water permeability. The composite semipermeable membrane comprises a substrate, a porous support layer formed on the substrate, and a separation functional layer formed on the porous support layer, the hydrophilic macromolecule concentration on the substrate-side surface of the porous support layer being higher than that on the separation functional layer-side surface.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a composite semipermeable membrane which has the high ability to remove substances other than water and high water permeability and which suffers little decrease in performance due to fouling. The invention relates to a composite semipermeable membrane including: a supporting membrane having a substrate and a porous supporting layer disposed on the substrate; and a separation functional layer disposed on the supporting membrane, in which, in any ten sites of cross-sections of the composite semipermeable membrane which have a width of 2.0 ?m in a membrane surface direction, the projections having a height of one-fifth or more of a 10-point average surface roughness of the separation functional layer have a standard deviation of height of 60 nm or less.

Abstract: In manufacturing a composite semipermeable membrane useful for separating a liquid mixture selectively, it is rendered possible to provide a composite semipermeable membrane that exhibits reduced deterioration of water permeability and solute removing property as a result of drying and that demonstrates reduced economic burden and load for waste liquid treatment without impairing the water permeability or solute removal ratio of the composite semipermeable membrane through change of the membrane manufacturing method, by making a saccharide exist in an aqueous polyfunctional amine solution in performing interfacial polycondensation by bringing the aqueous solution of the polyfunctional amine into contact with an organic solvent solution containing a polyfunctional acid halide on a microporous support membrane.

Abstract: In order to obtain a composite separation membrane which has excellent chemical resistance, separation performance and water permeability at the same time, the present invention provides a composite separation membrane comprising a separation function layer on a porous supporting membrane, characterized in that the separation function layer contains at least a polymer of a polyhedral silsesquioxane represented by the following general formula (a) and a hydrophilic monomer. (R1SiO1.5)n(R2SiO1.5)m ??General Formula (a) (In the formula, R1 includes a polymerizable reactive moiety; R2 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, which may be substituted; and n and m each represent an integer satisfying n>2 or m>0, with n+m being 8, 10 or 12.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a composite semipermeable membrane which has excellent chemical resistance, separation performance, and water permeability, and the composite semipermeable membrane has the following structure. The present invention provides a composite semipermeable membrane in which an separation function layer is formed on a microporous supporting membrane, wherein the separation function layer is formed from (A) a silicon compound in which a reactive group having an ethylenically unsaturated group and a hydrolyzable group are directly bonded to silicon atoms, and (B) a compound having an ethylenically unsaturated group other than the silicon compound, by condensation of the hydrolyzable group of the silicon compound (A) and polymerization of the ethylenically unsaturated group of the silicon compound (A) and the ethylenically unsaturated group of the compound (B) having the ethylenically unsaturated group.

Abstract: A method of producing a chemical by continuous fermentation includes a fermentation step of converting a fermentation feedstock to a fermentation liquid containing a chemical by fermentation on cultivation of a microorganism; a membrane separation step of recovering the chemical as a filtrate by a separation membrane from the fermentation liquid; a concentrating step of obtaining a permeate and a concentrate containing the chemical by a reverse osmosis membrane from the filtrate; and/or a purification step of distilling the filtrate to increase a purity of the chemical, in which, cleaning etc. of the separation membrane in the membrane separation step is preformed by using the permeated liquid from the reverse osmosis membrane in the concentrating step and/or the condensed liquid in the purification step.

Abstract: A method of sterilizing a separation membrane module reduces damage of a ceramic separation membrane, a sterilization process device achieves the method of sterilizing, and an apparatus produces chemicals. The method of sterilizing the separation membrane module includes a ceramic-containing separation membrane including a temperature raise step of raising the temperature of the separation membrane module to a predetermined sterilization temperature by feeding sterilization water having a controlled temperature and pressure so that a rate of temperature change of the separation membrane module is 6.0° C. or less per minute, and a sterilization step of sterilizing the separation membrane module at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time.

Abstract: Provided is a semi-permeable composite membrane which exhibits both high durability and high solute-removal and water-permeation performances. The semi-permeable composite membrane is formed from a porous support membrane and a polymer membrane. The polymer membrane is formed of at least one type of polymer (a) with a positive charge in the repeating unit and at least one type of polymer (b) with a negative charge in the repeating unit and has a crosslinked structure formed by siloxane bonds between the polymer (a) and the polymer (a), between the polymer (a) and the polymer (b), and/or between the polymer (b) and the polymer (b).

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a composite semipermeable membrane which has excellent chemical resistance, separation performance, and water permeability, and the composite semipermeable membrane has the following structure. The present invention provides a composite semipermeable membrane in which an separation function layer is formed on a microporous supporting membrane, wherein the separation function layer is formed from (A) a silicon compound in which a reactive group having an ethylenically unsaturated group and a hydrolyzable group are directly bonded to silicon atoms, and (B) a compound having an ethylenically unsaturated group other than the silicon compound, by condensation of the hydrolyzable group of the silicon compound (A) and polymerization of the ethylenically unsaturated group of the silicon compound (A) and the ethylenically unsaturated group of the compound (B) having the ethylenically unsaturated group.

Abstract: In manufacturing a composite semipermeable membrane useful for separating a liquid mixture selectively, it is rendered possible to provide a composite semipermeable membrane that exhibits reduced deterioration of water permeability and solute removing property as a result of drying and that demonstrates reduced economic burden and load for waste liquid treatment without impairing the water permeability or solute removal ratio of the composite semipermeable membrane through change of the membrane manufacturing method, by making a saccharide exist in an aqueous polyfunctional amine solution in performing interfacial polycondensation by bringing the aqueous solution of the polyfunctional amine into contact with an organic solvent solution containing a polyfunctional acid halide on a microporous support membrane.

Abstract: In order to obtain a composite separation membrane which has excellent chemical resistance, separation performance and water permeability at the same time, the present invention provides a composite separation membrane comprising a separation function layer on a porous supporting membrane, characterized in that the separation function layer contains at least a polymer of a polyhedral silsesquioxane represented by the following general formula (a) and a hydrophilic monomer. (R1SiO1.5)n(R2SiO1.5)m??General Formula (a) (In the formula, R1 includes a polymerizable reactive moiety; R2 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, which may be substituted; and n and m each represent an integer satisfying n?2 or m?0, with n+m being 8, 10 or 12.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a porous membrane including a three-dimensional network structure and a spherical structure is provided. The method includes forming a porous membrane having a spherical structure, applying a resin solution onto at least one surface of the porous membrane having the spherical structure, followed by immersing the membrane in a solidification liquid, thereby forming the three-dimensional network structure on at least one surface of a porous membrane having the spherical structure.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of producing a chemical product through continuous fermentation which includes filtering a culture of a microorganism or cultured cells with a separation membrane to recover a product from a filtrate and simultaneously retaining a nonfiltered fluid in, or refluxing it to, the culture, and adding fermentation materials to the culture, wherein a porous membrane having an average pore size of 0.01 ?m or more to less than 1 ?m is used as the separation membrane and the filtration is conducted with a transmembrane pressure difference in the range of 0.1 to 20 kPa. According to this method, the fermentation productivity of the chemical product can be largely elevated at high stability and a low cost.

Abstract: A method of producing a hollow fiber membrane includes discharging a polyvinylidene fluoride solution comprising a polyvinylidene fluoride resin and a poor solvent at a temperature above a phase separation temperature into a cooling bath at a temperature below the phase separation temperature to coagulate the polyvinylidene fluoride resin. The hollow fiber membrane comprises a polyvinylidene fluoride resin having spherical structures that have an average diameter in the range of 0.3 to 30 ?m.

Abstract: A method of sewage treatment includes: immersing a separation membrane module into sewage, wherein the separation membrane module has a plurality of separation membrane elements, each having a supporting plate, a separation membrane and a filtered water outlet; separating water into filtered water and suspended solids by having the water permeated through the separation membrane; and having the filtered water flow toward the exterior from the filtered water outlet; wherein the separation membrane has a nonwoven fabric and a porous resin layer on at least one surface of the nonwoven fabric; and a part of the resin permeates into the nonwoven fabric to form a composite layer with the nonwoven fabric.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a porous membrane having a high strength and excellent water permeability and rejection properties. The porous membrane of the present invention has both a three-dimensional network structure and a spherical structure. The porous membrane of the present invention is suitably used for water treatment membranes, battery separators, charged membranes, fuel cells, blood purification membranes, and the like.

Abstract: A method of producing a hollow fiber membrane includes discharging a polyvinylidene fluoride solution comprising a polyvinylidene fluoride resin and a poor solvent at a temperature above a phase separation temperature into a cooling bath at a temperature below the phase separation temperature to coagulate the polyvinylidene fluoride resin. The hollow fiber membrane comprises a polyvinylidene fluoride resin having spherical structures that have an average diameter in the range of 0.3 to 30 ?m.