A dehumidifier is connected to a respiratory gas measuring apparatus. A membrane dryer has a first flow path through which a respiratory gas of a subject passes, and a second flow path through which a purge gas passes. A first normally-closed electromagnetic valve is disposed in a first upstream flow path that communicates with the first flow path. A second normally-closed electromagnetic valve is disposed in a first downstream flow path that communicates with the first flow path. A third normally-closed electromagnetic valve is disposed in a second upstream flow path that communicates with the second flow path. A fourth normally-closed electromagnetic valve is disposed in a second downstream flow path that communicates with the second flow path.

A technique to desalinate seawater using melanin-concentrated solar energy wherein the melanin is extracted from a local isolate Aspergillus niger. A device consists of two fixed upper and lower containers with same volume of seawater in both, with or without melanin powder dissolved in the lower container at rate of 0.17 gm of melanin powder per 10 ml of water. The device is put outdoors under direct sunlight during daytime, circular water droplets free of salt starts to appear on the external bottom of upper container. Water droplets are collected by a sterile glass rod, pH of droplets water is about 7.1. Yield of fresh water is approximately 10 ml droplets water from 600 ml seawater per hour; after 24 hours day and night incubation, seawater in the upper container dries out leaving salt crystals. Yield of 1000 m3 seawater is 100 m3 freshwater (1000 L seawater yield 100 L freshwater).

An apparatus comprising: an active membrane, wherein the active membrane transports liquid through the active N membrane when a voltage is applied across the active membrane; and a controller for controlling the active membrane (i.e. controlling operation of the active membrane) are provided. The controller is configured to receive user data, membrane data and external data; and configured to control the active membrane based on one or more of the received user data, membrane data and external data. A system comprising: an apparatus comprising an active membrane, wherein the active membrane transports liquid across the membrane when a voltage is applied across the active membrane; and a server configured to communicate with the apparatus comprising the active membrane is provided. Methods of operating the apparatus and system are also provided.

The present disclosure to an apparatus for membrane distillation using a solar absorber and a heat pump, in which in the implementation of a membrane distillation process for producing treated water using a temperature difference between raw water and a coolant, raw water is heated using the solar absorber with improved heat collection efficiency, and through this, the treated water production efficiency of the membrane distillation process is improved.

Provided herein is a membrane filter device comprising a cell top cover (A, Y) and a cell bottom cover (B, Z) covering the device, a flexible tube (35, E, F) whereas at the end of the tube, a nozzle jet (22) is also secured via conical reducer to produce upper Reynold's number and for distributing the feed fluid, within the hex hollow chamber (C, X) for storing and receiving feed fluid, a reducer chamber (C, R1, R2) for storing and receiving permeate filtrated fluid, a connector (32, 53, 56) connecting both feed chambers (A, Y, Z) and reducer chambers (A, Y, Z), a membrane assembly (M/F) comprising a layer of membrane (130) sandwiched by a pair of seal rings (P1, OR, P2) and a layer of support net (MS) for securing said membrane (M/F). Most of the joints are connected using threaded joint and flow pressure, therefore no external clamp, nuts or bolts is needed. The flexible tube and the cylindrical shape ensure uniform flow in chambers. The apparatus is therefore a user-friendly and steadfast membrane filter device.

A thermally reflective membrane apparatus comprises a housing structure, and a thermally reflective membrane contained within the housing structure. The thermally reflective membrane comprises a semipermeable structure, and a porous, thermally reflective structure physically contacting the semipermeable structure. The porous, thermally reflective structure comprises discrete thermally reflective particles, and a binder material coupling the discrete thermally reflective particles to one another and the semipermeable structure. A fluid treatment system and method of treating a fluid are also described.

A method of treating a fluid comprises introducing a feed fluid stream comprising multiple materials to first side of a semi-permeable membrane. A draw fluid stream having a higher temperature than the feed fluid stream is introduced to second, opposing side of the semi-permeable membrane to form a thermal gradient across the semi-permeable membrane. One or more of the multiple materials of the feed fluid stream is drawn through the semi-permeable membrane and into the draw fluid stream via thermal gradient osmosis. A fluid treatment system and a thermal gradient osmosis apparatus are also described.

A water treatment apparatus is provided. The water treatment apparatus includes a filtering unit including a water filter filtering raw water, a sterilizing water generator producing sterilizing water from purified water filtered by at least a portion of the filtering unit, and a discharge member through which the purified water, filtered by the filtering unit, is discharged externally. The sterilizing water produced in the sterilizing water generator sterilizes the discharge member and at least a portion of a flow path connected to the discharge member.

The present disclosure to an apparatus for membrane distillation using a solar absorber and a heat pump, in which in the implementation of a membrane distillation process for producing treated water using a temperature difference between raw water and a coolant, raw water is heated using the solar absorber with improved heat collection efficiency, and through this, the treated water production efficiency of the membrane distillation process is improved.

The invention relates to a multistage membrane distillation apparatus (5000), comprising a plurality of multistage membrane distillation modules (500, 600), the modules being configured to be flowed through in parallel by a liquid (F) to be concentrated. Each module comprises a plurality of serial condensation/evaporation stages (50, 60) configured to be flowed through in series by the liquid to be concentrated. Each condensation/evaporation stage comprises a plurality of parallel condensation/evaporation elements (101, 102) configured to be flowed through in parallel by the liquid to be concentrated. Each condensation/evaporation element comprises at least one condensation unit and at least one evaporation unit. The apparatus further comprises at least one of: a centralized heating stage configured to generate steam and to provide the steam to each of the modules in parallel, and a centralized condensation stage configured to receive steam from each of the modules in parallel and to condensate the steam.