The present disclosure describes a field flow fractionator including (1) a top plate assembly including a first non-corrosive material, at least three fluid fittings machined into the first non-corrosive material, a top cavity machined into the first non-corrosive material, and at least one top plate o-ring configured to form a horizontal geometry of a separation channel, (2) a membrane, (3) a bottom plate assembly including a second non-corrosive material, a bottom cavity machined into the second non-corrosive material, a frit configured to be placed into the bottom cavity, and at least one bottom plate o-ring configured to seal the bottom plate assembly to the top plate assembly, such that a top surface of the second non-corrosive material and a top surface of the frit are machined to be coplanar, and (4) where the top plate assembly, the membrane, and the bottom assembly define the separation channel.

The present disclosure describes a field flow fractionator including (1) a top plate assembly including a first non-corrosive material, at least three fluid fittings machined into the first non-corrosive material, a top cavity machined into the first non-corrosive material, and at least one top plate o-ring configured to form a horizontal geometry of a separation channel, (2) a membrane, (3) a bottom plate assembly including a second non-corrosive material, a bottom cavity machined into the second non-corrosive material, a frit configured to be placed into the bottom cavity, and at least one bottom plate o-ring configured to seal the bottom plate assembly to the top plate assembly, such that a top surface of the second non-corrosive material and a top surface of the frit are machined to be coplanar, and (4) where the top plate assembly, the membrane, and the bottom assembly define the separation channel.

A water purification system utilizes an ionomer membrane and mild vacuum to draw water from source water through the membrane. A water source may be salt water or a contaminated water source. The water drawn through the membrane passes across the condenser chamber to a condenser surface where it is condensed into purified water. The condenser surface may be metal or any other suitable surface and may be flat or pleated. In addition, the condenser surface may be maintained at a lower temperature than the water on the water source side of the membrane. The ionomer membrane may be configured in a cartridge, a pleated or flat plate configuration. A latent heat loop may be configured to carry the latent heat of vaporization from the condenser back to the water source side of the ionomer membrane. The source water may be heated by a solar water heater.

The present invention relates to a water extraction system for up-concentration of organic solutes comprising a flow cell comprising a membrane; said membrane comprising an active layer comprising immobilized aquaporin water channels and a support layer, and said membrane having a feed side and a non-feed side; and an aqueous source solution in fluid communication with the feed side of the membrane. The system also includes an aqueous source solution in fluid communication with the feed side of the membrane and an aqueous draw solution in fluid communication with the draw side of the membrane. The aqueous source solution comprises the organic solutes. The membrane module comprises an inlet and an outlet for the aqueous draw solution. The aquaporin vesicles are formed by self-assembly of block copolymers in the presence of an aquaporin protein suspension.

A feedstock solution flow concentration system, which has a first step for counterflowing or parallel flowing a feedstock solution flow a containing a solute and a solvent b, and a draw solution flow d via a forward osmosis membrane o and transferring the solvent b in the feedstock solution flow a to the draw solution flow d to obtain a concentrated feedstock solution flow c, which is the feedstock solution flow which has been concentrated, and a diluted draw solution flow e, which is the draw solution flow which has been diluted.

In this disclosure, a process of recycling acid, base and the salt reagents required in the Li recovery process is introduced. A membrane electrolysis cell which incorporates an oxygen depolarized cathode is implemented to generate the required chemicals onsite. The system can utilize a portion of the salar brine or other lithium-containing brine or solid waste to generate hydrochloric or sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide and carbonate salts. Simultaneous generation of acid and base allows for taking advantage of both chemicals during the conventional Li recovery from brines and mineral rocks. The desalinated water can also be used for the washing steps on the recovery process or returned into the evaporation ponds. The method also can be used for the direct conversion of lithium salts to the high value LiOH product. The method does not produce any solid effluent which makes it easy-to-adopt for use in existing industrial Li recovery plants.

Selective removal of non-aromatic hydrocarbons from a xylene isomerization process for para-xylene production is accomplished using a membrane unit positioned within a xylene recovery loop. The membrane unit may include a one-stage or multi-stage (e.g., two-stage) membrane system and may be configured to separate a membrane unit product stream from a non-aromatics rich stream, which can be removed from the xylene recovery loop. The membrane unit may have a xylene permeance of about 60 gm/m2/hr/psi and a xylene to non-aromatic permeance ratio of about 15.

The present invention relates to a thermo-responsive solution and in particular, a solution for use in an osmosis process that is suitable for separating or purifying solutes and or water from an aqueous solution on a large scale and under energy efficient conditions.

Provided herein is forward osmosis-based water purification process, that includes contacting a solution of a soluble draw agent with a dehydrated insoluble draw agent, separating the now hydrated insoluble draw agent from the now concentrated draw solution, and exerting a stimulus on the hydrated insoluble draw agent for extracting water therefrom, thereby regenerating a dehydrated insoluble draw agent, wherein the osmotic concentration (osmolality) of the insoluble draw agent is greater than the osmotic concentration of the diluted draw solution, and the insoluble draw agent is impermeable to the soluble draw agent.

In this disclosure, a process of recycling acid, base and the salt reagents required in the Li recovery process is introduced. A membrane electrolysis cell which incorporates an oxygen depolarized cathode is implemented to generate the required chemicals onsite. The system can utilize a portion of the salar brine or other lithium-containing brine or solid waste to generate hydrochloric or sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide and carbonate salts. Simultaneous generation of acid and base allows for taking advantage of both chemicals during the conventional Li recovery from brines and mineral rocks. The desalinated water can also be used for the washing steps on the recovery process or returned into the evaporation ponds. The method also can be used for the direct conversion of lithium salts to the high value LiOH product. The method does not produce any solid effluent which makes it easy-to-adopt for use in existing industrial Li recovery plants.