The invention relates to a process and apparatus for separation of gas mixtures with reduced maintenance costs. The process and the apparatus consist of a feed stream separation stage (1), and a retentate separation stage (2), of which both are membrance separation stages, wherein the first retentate stream (7) is heated to temperature higher than the temperature of the feed stream (5), before it is introduced to the retentate separation stage (2), and the total capacity of the membranes used in the retentate separation stage (2) is higher than the total capacity of the membranes used in the feed stream stage (1).

An ambient water condenser system is disclosed having a condensation chamber which at least partially contains or surrounds a fluid reservoir which contains a volume or mass of an aqueous hygroscopic solution for condensing water from ambient air and a distillation process for extracting the water from the solution. The fluid reservoir has a heat source, a lower porous hydrophobic membrane, and an upper porous hydrophobic membrane. The heat source causes the hygroscopic solution near the top of reservoir to have a higher temperature which causes it to have a higher water vapor pressure, whereby the water vapor passing through the upper porous hydrophobic membrane and into the condensation chamber condenses into liquid water.

The present disclosure relates to a floating type membrane distillation module for collecting sunlight to heat raw water and supplying the heated raw water to a membrane distillation separation membrane, to ensure effective heating of raw water and supply of the uniformly heated raw water to a membrane distillation separation membrane.

An integrated forward osmosis-membrane distillation (FO-MD) module and systems and methods incorporating the module is disclosed providing higher efficiencies and using less energy. The FO-MD module is osmotically and thermally isolated. The isolation can prevent mixing of FO draw solution/FO permeate and MD feed, and minimize dilution of FO draw solution and cooling of MD feed. The module provides MD feed solution and FO draw solution streams that flow in the same module but are separated by an isolation barrier. The osmotically and thermally isolated FO-MD integrated module, systems and methods offer higher driving forces of both FO and MD processes, higher recovery, and wider application than previously proposed hybrid FO-MD systems.

A water filtration device is provided including a diffusiophoretic water filter having an inlet and an outlet and for receiving a colloidal suspension at the inlet and flowing the colloidal suspension between the inlet and the outlet in a flow direction, a diffusiophoretic-inducing membrane, a cover, the membrane and the cover defining a plurality of channels extending between the inlet and the outlet, an outlet splitter for the plurality of channels being fixed with respect to the membrane or the cover, and a heater or cooler for controlling a temperature of at least one of the colloidal suspension, the membrane or the cover.

Water treatment apparatus, including: a ceramic filter; and a flow apparatus operable to pass water through the ceramic filter in a forward direction so as to filter the water, the flow apparatus also operable to pass water through the ceramic filter in a reverse direction so as to remove material from the ceramic filter, whereby material having been deposited by filtration of the water is removed.

A method is disclosed for preventing carbon nanotube degradation in ionizable environments. The method includes immersing a porous thin-film nanotube (CNT)/polymer composite Joule heating element in an ionizable environment; and applying an alternating current at a frequency of at least 100 Hz to the porous thin-film nanotube (CNT)/polymer composite Joule heating element in the ionizable environment.

A system includes an engine and an exhaust conduit in communication with the engine. A water separation device has exhaust gas passageways in communication with the exhaust conduit. The water separation device has a substrate and a membrane on the substrate. The substrate has inner walls surrounding the exhaust gas passageways with at least one of the inner walls being common to at least two of the exhaust gas passageways. The membrane is between the exhaust gas passageways and the substrate and has capillary condensation pores extending from the exhaust gas passageways to the substrate.

A system includes an engine and an exhaust conduit in communication with the engine. A water separation device has exhaust gas passageways in communication with the exhaust conduit. The water separation device has a substrate and a membrane on the substrate. The substrate has inner walls surrounding the exhaust gas passageways with at least one of the inner walls being common to at least two of the exhaust gas passageways. The membrane is between the exhaust gas passageways and the substrate and has capillary condensation pores extending from the exhaust gas passageways to the substrate.

The invention provides a water-alcohol separation system and a method for water-alcohol separation for producing a high purity alcohol while achieving energy saving as the whole process. Namely, a water-alcohol separation system including plural separation membrane modules connected in series, a vacuum apparatus for reducing a pressure at a permeated side of each of the separation membrane modules, and a condenser for condensing a vapor that has passed through a membrane, in which plural independent vacuum systems reduce the pressure at the permeated side of the membrane of the separation membrane modules.