A desalination apparatus 12 (liquid treatment apparatus) includes a first water treatment unit 26 (liquid treatment unit) that includes a reverse osmosis membrane and in which a treated liquid is separated into a permeate that permeates the reverse osmosis membrane and a concentrate other than the permeate, a water recovery unit 28 (liquid recovery unit) that includes a reverse osmosis membrane and in which the concentrate is separated into a recovered liquid that permeates the reverse osmosis membrane and a waste liquid other than the recovered liquid, and a pressure increasing means that increases a liquid pressure of the concentrate, such that a state capable of separating into the recovered liquid and the waste liquid in the liquid recovery unit continues, and that directly feeds the concentrate from the liquid treatment unit to the liquid recovery unit.

A hollow-fiber membrane module of the invention includes: a cylindrical case having a first end and a second end in a height direction thereof; a hollow-fiber membrane bundle being housed in the cylindrical case and having a plurality of hollow-fiber membranes each closed at an end part on the first end side and opened at an end part on the second end side; a first binding part binding the end parts on the first end side of the hollow-fiber membranes; a first flow channel guiding fluid to pass through the first binding part from the first end side to the second end side of the first binding part; and a channel material directing, at a terminal on the second end side of the first flow channel, a flow of at least a part of the fluid flowing out from the terminal on the second end side of the first flow channel toward a direction intersecting the height direction of the cylindrical case.

An immersed membrane system or process may use measured or calculated process information to optimize one or more process operating parameters to improve performance or reduce operating costs. An on-line process control system or method may use the resistance in series method in operating an immersed membrane water treatment system. A process control system or process may consider resistance values and adjust operational parameters such as membrane aeration frequency factor, membrane aeration flow, permeate flux, permeation duration, backwash flow and duration, relaxation duration or maintenance or recovery chemical cleaning frequencies in order to reduce the operational costs related to membrane fouling removal.

A method is disclosed for monitoring deposit formation in an aqueous process. The method includes providing a feed flow of aqueous liquid onto a receiving surface of a monitoring cell. At least part of the receiving surface is illuminated with a light source. Visual data is collected at a multitude of positions across the receiving surface, and the collected visual data is analysed. A quantitative scaling and/or fouling indication is computed for the receiving surface. The monitoring cell has an inlet for the aqueous feed flow and an outlet for a reject flow from the monitoring cell. The receiving surface includes a selective barrier membrane. The feed flow is directed to the receiving surface at an elevated pressure to produce a permeate part that passes through the selective barrier membrane, and a concentrate part that forms the reject flow.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for evaluating the clogging of a filtration membrane with a protein-containing solution, including the steps of: a) passing a protein-containing solution through a filtration membrane, b) after the step a), obtaining a filtration membrane cross-section from the filtration membrane, c) treating the protein-containing solution before the step a), the filtration membrane before the step b), or the filtration membrane cross-section after the step b) with at least one stain specific to a protein aggregate, and d) confirming the presence of the protein aggregate in the filtration membrane cross-section.

A method for operating a diffusiophoretic water filter includes removing a membrane in a diffusiophoretic water filter; and replacing the membrane with a new membrane.

A wastewater treatment system is disclosed that includes a desanding hydrocyclone, a deoiling hydrocyclone, an electrocoagulation apparatus that is adapted to receive a flow of treated wastewater from the desanding and deoiling hydrocyclones, a floc separator that is adapted to receive a flow of a first effluent from the electrocoagulation apparatus, and an ultrafiltration membrane apparatus that is adapted to receive at least a portion of a flow of a second effluent from the floc separator.

A spiral wound membrane element and a method for cleaning a spiral wound membrane sheet are provided. The spiral wound membrane element comprising a perforated central tube; one or more membrane sleeves, each sleeve comprising two membrane sheets enclosed at two edges around a feed spacer sheet and wrapped around the central tube; a permeate carrier sheet attached to the central tube at a first edge opposite a second edge; and a seal on third and fourth edges of the permeate carrier sheet. The method comprises introducing two solution with different solute concentration to two sides of the spiral wound membrane sheet; establishing a concentration gradient between the first and second sides; communicating a first solvent from the first side to the second side to remove a foulant located on the second side of the membrane sheet; and collecting a waste stream that contains the foulant.

Provided is a biosensor including a scaffold and a dye complex, the dye complex including a clay material associated with a dye material, where the dye complex is at least partially embedded in the scaffold. Also provided is a process for preparing the biosensor, an apparatus including the biosensor and methods for detecting viable microorganisms in an aqueous fluid test sample making use of the biosensor, for predicting biofouling in a fluid flowing system and for determining a concentration of disinfectant required to disinfect an aqueous fluid.

A method of determining flux of fluid across a filtration membrane includes: receiving an initial flow rate of fluid on a feed side; determining a change in concentration of a species between an initial concentration of a species in the fluid and a final concentration of the species in the fluid; determining a final flow rate of fluid flowing on the feed side based on the change in concentration of the species and the initial flow rate of fluid; determining flux of the fluid that has passed through the filtration membrane based on a difference between the initial flow rate of fluid and the final flow rate of fluid, and the surface area of the membrane; determining that the flux of the fluid is outside a predetermined threshold; and adjusting one or more parameters to maintain the flux of fluid through the filtration membrane below a threshold value.