A mobile device for biological treatment of bioreactor-type wastewater with a submerged membrane enabling treatment of greywater and blackwater has an inlet duct for effluent to be treated and an outlet duct for treated and filtered water connected to a permeate pump. The device includes a container, the interior volume of which has a parallelepiped appearance with two large vertical lateral sides, and a membrane filter having an assembly of parallel, planar filtration membranes also with a vertical appearance. The membranes are connected to a downstream collector collecting the filtered water and connected to the outlet duct. The permeate pump ensures a transmembrane flow less than the subcritical flow. At least one diffuser of fine air bubbles is located at the base of each column. Each diffuser is connected to a regulating solenoid valve and to pump, ensuring therein an airflow greater than or equal to 10 Nm.sup.3/h per diffuser.

To provide a filter medium, a process for producing filter medium, a filtration device, a method for operating the filtration device, and a filtration system, which are capable of promptly regenerating the adsorption power by backwashing and realizing efficient operation of a filtration device. The filter medium of the present invention contains a carbon-based material in which a cumulative pore volume of pores having a pore radius of 2 nm or less is 25% or less with respect to a cumulative pore volume of pores having a pore radius of 50 nm or less.

An apparatus for filtration has a feed of sludge, containing liquid, solids and gases fed into a tank, the tank containing at least one spinning separation filter comprising a filter cone set having a filter screen, and a barrier cone, arranged roughly in parallel, and defining a conical workspace between them, the conical workspace having a peripheral opening to the tank and a central opening communicating with the interiors of one or more hollow shafts supporting the barrier cone and the filter cone, the upper shaft supporting the barrier cone having an upper axial channel for the exit of gases, the lower shaft supporting the center of the filter cone having a lower axial channel for the exit of liquid or oil, motor means for producing rotation in said at least one spinning separation filter, and a filtrate liquid reservoir located underneath the filter cone for capturing the filtrate passing through the filter screen.

This specification describes membrane based filtration and softening systems and methods. A system has a microfiltration or ultrafiltration (MF/UF) membrane unit upstream of a nanofiltration or reverse osmosis (NF/RO) membrane unit, optionally with no intermediate tank. In some cases, the system and method may be used with feed water provided at municipal line pressure to the membranes. NF/RO permeate is collected in a tank and then pumped to a header. Treated water may be drawn from the header for use or recycled to the system, for example to backwash or flush one or both of the membrane units. In a combined process, NF/RO permeate flushes the feed side of the NF/RO unit and then backwashes the MF/UF unit. In another process, the MF/UF unit and NF/RO unit are filled with NF/RO permeate before being placed in a standby mode.

This specification describes membrane based filtration and softening systems and methods. A system has a microfiltration or ultrafiltration (MF/UF) membrane unit upstream of a nanofiltration or reverse osmosis (NF/RO) membrane unit, optionally with no intermediate tank. In some cases, the system and method may be used with feed water provided at municipal line pressure to the membranes. NF/RO permeate is collected in a tank and then pumped to a header. Treated water may be drawn from the header for use or recycled to the system, for example to backwash or flush one or both of the membrane units. In a combined process, NF/RO permeate flushes the feed side of the NF/RO unit and then backwashes the MF/UF unit. In another process, the MF/UF unit and NF/RO unit are filled with NF/RO permeate before being placed in a standby mode.

A reverse osmosis treatment device includes: a first pressure vessel for treating an untreated water to produce a primarily treated water and a first permeated water; a second pressure vessel for treating the primarily treated water to produce a secondarily treated water and a second permeated water; a first cleaning solution tank for storing a first cleaning solution for cleaning the first pressure vessel; and a second cleaning solution tank for storing a second cleaning solution for cleaning the second pressure vessel. Each of the first pressure vessel and the second pressure vessel has therein a reverse osmosis membrane element having a reverse osmosis membrane. The first cleaning solution tank is connected to the first concentrate outlet pipe of the first pressure vessel, and the second cleaning solution tank is connected to the inlet pipe for the primarily treated water of the second pressure vessel.

A reverse osmosis treatment device includes: a first pressure vessel for treating an untreated water to produce a primarily treated water and a first permeated water; a second pressure vessel for treating the primarily treated water to produce a secondarily treated water and a second permeated water; a first cleaning solution tank for storing a first cleaning solution for cleaning the first pressure vessel; and a second cleaning solution tank for storing a second cleaning solution for cleaning the second pressure vessel. Each of the first pressure vessel and the second pressure vessel has therein a reverse osmosis membrane element having a reverse osmosis membrane. The first cleaning solution tank is connected to the first concentrate outlet pipe of the first pressure vessel, and the second cleaning solution tank is connected to the inlet pipe for the primarily treated water of the second pressure vessel.

A method of activating and dewatering sludge through application of acoustic pressure shock waves to wastewater.

A method of activating and dewatering sludge through application of acoustic pressure shock waves to wastewater.

Provided are processes of removing particulate fouling from a filtration membrane or for preventing membrane fouling by particulate matter. A process capitalizes on reversal of a naturally occurring diisophoretic particle deposition to actively move particulate material away from a membrane. A process includes placing a microparticle including a salt in proximity to a membrane such that the microparticle creates a gradient generated spontaneous electric field or a gradient generated spontaneous chemiphoretic field in the solvent proximal to the membrane that actively draws charged particles away from the membrane thereby removing charged particulate matter away from the membrane or preventing its deposition.