A fuel cell system 2 is provided with: a contaminated exhaust gas line for supplying a contaminated exhaust gas containing a contaminant discharged from a facility; and a contaminated exhaust gas purification part for purifying the contaminated exhaust gas supplied from the contaminated exhaust gas line by using heat of reaction of a fuel cell.

A fluid separation system and method includes a durable hardware component including a pump station with plurality of pumps, a centrifuge mounting station and drive unit, a plurality of valves and clamps, and a controller. The system includes a single use fluid flow circuit having a separation chamber configured to be received by the centrifuge and the fluid flow circuit is engageable with the durable hardware component to control fluid flow within the fluid flow circuit. The fluid flow circuit having an air access component configured to selectively receive air and to provide the air into a conduit to induce plug flow between the separated fluid component and another separated fluid component, wherein the controller is configured to operate the system to perform one or more blood processing procedures to convey a fluid into the separation chamber and to remove a separated fluid component from the separation chamber.

The present invention provides an automated system and method to isolate nucleated blood cells from whole blood or bone marrow. A disc mounted to a centrifuge system with spinning rotor is used to manipulate cells by channeling fluids while subjected to high gravitational field. The disc embodies at least two axisymmetric processing stations connected by a circular channel. Each station contains multiple chambers connected by fluidic channels to controllably transfer fluids. First stage separation allows for the isolation of the buffy coat layer while the second stage separation utilizes gradient density fluids to isolate the targeted nucleated cells from the buffy coat layer in the spinning disc.

Acoustophoretic devices are disclosed. The devices include a flow chamber, an ultrasonic transducer, a reflector, an inlet, a filtrate outlet, a concentrate outlet, and optionally a lipid collection trap. The ultrasonic transducer and reflector create a multi-dimensional acoustic standing wave in the flow chamber that traps and separates red blood cells and/or lipids from blood. Concentrated red blood cells can be recovered via the concentrate outlet, the lipids can be recovered via the lipid collection trap, and the remaining blood can be recovered via the filtrate outlet. Methods for separating blood components (e.g., red blood cells, lipids, platelets, white blood cells) from blood are also disclosed. The red blood cells can undergo washing with a solvent to remove undesired admixtures. Cryoprotectants can be added or removed from the blood.

The trap includes a container with a top opening covered by a lid. Inlet and outflow pipes extend through the lid into the container. A sheet of mesh filtration material (fiberglass, foam etc.) is situated within the container, below and preferably bonded to the interior surface of the lid. The inlet and outflow pipes extend through the filtration sheet into the container such that as the water level rises, sediment from the water flowing through the container settles to the bottom of the container and floating particles on the surface of the water which would otherwise be carried out of the trap with the water as the water exits the container remain in the filtration sheet.

A whole blood separator device has a sleeve. The sleeve has a sleeve body. The sleeve body has an enlarged first proximal end portion and an enlarged second distal end portion and an intermediate cylindrical tube portion connecting the first proximal end portion and the second distal end portion. The sleeve body is configured to fit inside a test tube and receive whole blood which can be separated by centrifugation into a plasma layer in the proximal end portion, a buffy coat layer in the intermediate portion and a red blood cell portion in the distal portion. The whole blood separator device wherein at least the proximal end portion has an open end. Preferably, the distal end portion also has an open end.

Sample collection tubes and methods of producing the same are provided. Contemplated collection tubes comprise a tube having a separator substance disposed therein. In some aspects, the separator substance preferably maintains a predetermined flowability during irradiation or heat sterilization, and can subsequently polymerize upon exposure to a UV light or other suitable source. In other aspects, the separator substance preferably includes a soft gel component (thixotropic gel), and a photocurable sealant component that is formulated to polymerize and form a solid barrier between fractions of a liquid.

There is provided a composition for separating blood serum or blood plasma that can inhibit bubbling during sterilization, and can inhibit the occurrence of phase separation during storage. The composition for separating blood serum or blood plasma according to the present invention comprises a (meth)acrylic acid ester-based polymer, a silica fine powder, and a silicone oil, wherein the (meth)acrylic acid ester-based polymer has fluidity at room temperature, and has a weight average molecular weight of 15000 or more and 100000 or less.

An adsorbent bed, including at least one elementary composite structure that includes adsorbent particles in a polymer matrix, wherein the adsorbent bed has a bed packing, ρ.sub.bed, defined as a volume occupied by the at least one elementary composite structure V.sub.ecs divided by a volume of the adsorbent bed V.sub.bed where ρ.sub.bed is greater than 0.60.

Separation of the cellular components of whole blood, or other biological fluid, from plasma or serum can be achieved for assay analysis. A device for facilitating separation can include, for example, a capillary tube that accurately draws target blood volume, a pad that chemically interacts with red-blood cells, such that the red blood cells become chemically and/or physically trapped within pad material, a mechanism for plasma recovery from the pad upon diffusion or active mixing, and a dropper tip that facilitates dispensing the mixture onto a test device. The treatment of the cellular components can be performed prior to contact with a buffer solution, so release of the cellular components into the buffer solution is reduced or prevented. Additional filtration can be provided to filter any remaining cellular components in the mixture.