Abstract: An inexpensive, throw-away water purifier is provided for use with water receiving household devices such as coffee makers, portable water containers, ice makers and the like, to treat the water with dosages of water softening and purifying chemicals as the water flows into the devices. The purifiers are small, compact, flat pancake-like units, used singly or in stacked combinations directing water flow in an extended serpentine path through one or more dosages of water treating chemicals. The purifiers have thin impervious plastics material housings, thin porous membranes separating the water treating chemicals from the inlet and outlet of the housing and baffle means directing the water flow in an extended serpentine path as it flows through the membranes and chemicals from a top inlet to a bottom outlet. The purifiers can be thrown away after a single usage and are sized to be compatible with the inlet mouths of standard water receiving household appliances.

Abstract: Water, such as the effluent from cooling towers, boilers, waste streams of industrial plants, hydrometallurgical processes or other sources of water solutions containing sparingly soluble solids is efficiently separated into its aqueous and solid constituents by reverse osmosis and chemical treatments effective to achieve a zero discharge of effluent and a minimum volume of sludge or a recovery of valuable solids.