A portable water conditioning system is provided that includes a water conditioner, a first sensor, a second sensor, and a controller. The water conditioner has a plurality of conditioning stages that condition water. The plurality of conditioning stages include, in a direction of flow of the water through the water conditioner, a reverse osmosis stage and a deionizing stage. The first sensor detects a first condition of the water before the reverse osmosis stage. The second sensor detects a second condition of the water after the reverse osmosis stage. The controller is in communication with the first and second sensors and determines a health status of the reverse osmosis stage based the first and second conditions. The first and second conditions each include a level of total dissolved solids of the water.

A cover member (36) that forms an end of a housing (26) of an oxygenator (10) has a recessed wall portion (88) recessed relative to a cover main body (74) further toward a side of a gas exchange unit (30) than an inner surface (74a). A pressure control hole (86) is formed through a main body (74) of the cover member (36), and a sampling port (90a) is disposed in the second recessed wall portion (88) to collect gas guided out from the gas exchange unit (30). The sampling port (90a) faces, at its inner opening portion (92), a second outlet side end face (31b) of the gas exchange unit (30).

Provided herein are, inter alia, biological manufacturing and downstream purification processes.

An apparatus utilizes a membrane unit to capture components from atmospheric air, including carbon dioxide, enriches the carbon dioxide concentration, and delivers the enriched concentration of carbon dioxide to a sequestering facility. The membrane is configured such that as a first gas containing oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide is drawn through the membrane, a permeate stream is formed where the permeate stream has an oxygen concentration and a carbon dioxide concentration higher than in the first gas and a nitrogen concentration lower than in the first gas. A permeate conduit, having a vacuum applied to it by a vacuum generating device receives the permeate stream and a delivery conduit delivers at least a portion of the enriched carbon dioxide to a sequestering facility. The apparatus may comprise a component of a system where the system may have a flue gas generator and/or a secondary enrichment system disposed between the vacuum generating device and the sequestering facility.

A desalination brine dispersal apparatus and method employ airlift to remove, oxygenate and disperse brine from a desalination apparatus. The apparatus includes a brine removal conduit having a brine inlet that receives brine from the desalination apparatus, a plurality of brine outlets submerged in seawater and one or more air introduction points located at depths below the brine outlets. The supplied air oxygenates and moves brine through the brine removal conduit and outlets via airlift and disperses the brine into seawater away from the brine removal conduit. The apparatus avoids the formation of concentrated, high shear brine plumes and can disperse brine into seawater over a wide area well away from the brine removal conduit.

A device for extracting biomolecules includes a membrane tube and a container. The membrane tube has an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the upper portion has an open end and the lower portion contains permeable membranes and also has an open end. The container has an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the upper portion has an open end, allowing the membrane tube to be pushed into the container and form a liquid-tight seal between the membrane tube and the container, and the lower portion has a closed end.

A permeate device includes at least one non-porous, gas permeable element configured for contact with a liquid flow and at least one element fabricated from a porous material configured to permit gas flow therethrough. The permeate device may include a vacuum chamber that surrounds an operative portion of a permeation zone. A method for processing a liquid flow to remove entrained gas includes providing a liquid flow that includes an initial level of entrained gas, delivering the liquid flow to a permeate device, wherein the permeate device includes (i) at least one non-porous, gas permeable element configured for direct contact with the flow; and (ii) at least one element fabricated at least in part from a porous material configured so as to permit gas flow therethrough, and applying a negative pressure to the permeate device to draw entrained gas from the flow within an operative portion of the permeate device.

A plurality of membrane elements are arranged in series within a pressure vessel in which at least two of the elements exhibit different permeances or selectivities for a gas or gas pair respectively.

A portable water conditioning system is provided that includes an incoming water inlet; a reverse osmosis stage in fluid communication with the incoming water inlet, the reverse osmosis stage having a permeate outlet and a concentrate outlet; a diversion device having a diversion valve, the diversion valve placing the concentrate outlet in fluid communication with a waste water outlet; a deionizing stage in fluid communication with a pure water outlet; a bypass valve configured to selectively place the permeate outlet in fluid communication with one or more of the waste water outlet, the deionizing stage, and the pure water outlet; and a controller configured to control the diversion device and the bypass valve to provide water at the pure water outlet of a desired condition.

A submersible reverse osmosis desalination apparatus and method employs airlift to remove desalinated water from the apparatus via as annular flow regime over a substantial portion of the product water discharge conduit. Use of a high air fraction for airlift operation and an annular flow regime significantly lowers the weight of the product water column, as well as the backpressure on the downstream side of the osmotic membranes and at the bottom of the discharge water conduit. This permits deployment of the apparatus at reduced depths and in many eases closer to shore. In preferred embodiments the apparatus relies wholly upon hydrostatic pressure to drive seawater through the osmotic membranes, and continuously desalinates seawater and delivers pure water to the discharge water conduit without using any submerged moving parts subject to wear or breakage.