Disclosed are apparatus and methods for blood and other biological fluid purification using a membrane with cell containing vascular channel systems and filtration channel systems. Also disclosed are methods of making the apparatus as well as methods of making membranes.

The present invention relates to a fuel cell membrane humidifier capable of preventing humidification membranes from being damaged by pressure of exhaust gas, and a fuel cell membrane humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a humidification module for humidifying air supplied from the outside by using water in exhaust gas discharged from a fuel cell stack; and caps coupled to opposite ends of the humidification module, respectively, wherein the humidification module comprises: a mid-case including an exhaust gas inlet through which the exhaust gas is introduced; at least one cartridge disposed in the mid-case to receive multiple humidification membranes; and a humidification membrane protection member formed on an inner wall of the mid-case through which the exhaust gas inlet is formed and inclined toward the cartridge to thus prevent the exhaust gas from coming into direct contact with the humidification membrane.

A method for purifying a liquid is described. A liquid feed is fed to a feed chamber. A carrier gas is fed through the liquid feed in the feed chamber to form a humidified carrier gas. A coolant is fed to a coolant chamber. The coolant chamber is separated from the feed chamber by a permeate gap chamber. The permeate gap chamber is separated from the feed chamber by a membrane that allows vapor to pass while blocking liquid flow across the membrane. The coolant chamber is separated from the permeate gap chamber by a thermally conductive plate. At least a portion of the vapor from the feed chamber that transported through the membrane is condensed by the coolant in the coolant chamber and the thermally conductive plate to form a first distillate. At least a portion of the humidified carrier gas is condensed to form a second distillate.

Offshore ocean desalination apparatus for 1.5 million GPM/D seawater into drinking water by Reverse Osmosis using renewable energy stored energy of compressed air. Multiple desalination units were installed on the construction tower 50 feet above seawater level, with the tower moored to the ocean floor up to 100 meters deep and equipped with air pressurized tank, and two seawater supply tanks, providing 1000 psig air to the desalination unit's moving actuator, with seawater in container pressurized by said moving actuator to push drinking water through 2 micron RO membrane located in a filter plate. The filter plates with hundreds of filter elements, each of 2-inch diameter, are secured to six vertical walls of the seawater container, to the container bottom, and to the top moving actuator lower side. Seawater a pumped from 20 feet below seawater level using an Archimedes screw-type pump powered by a supersonic air turbine.

A hollow fiber membrane bundle useful for manufacturing a wide variety of hollow fiber membrane modules having different flow configurations includes hollow fiber membranes arranged around a porous support tube, a cured resin tubesheet formed at first end of the bundle, and either a cured resin nub or a cured resin tubesheet formed at a second end of the bundle. The bore(s) of the hollow fiber membranes are open at a face of the tubesheet adjacent the first end of the bundle. The tubesheet has an annular structure that encapsulates the hollow fiber membranes and the porous support tube at the first end of the bundle but which does not completely block a bore of the porous support tube, wherein the collection tube has a plurality of orifices formed therein at least at positions adjacent the nub.

A multi-stage direct contact membrane distillation (MS-DCMD) system and a process for using the MS-DCMD are provide. The MS-DCMD includes a plurality of modules, wherein each module includes a feed chamber fluidically coupled to a feed line and a carrier gas line, wherein the feed line introduces a liquid feed into the feed chamber from a liquid feed tank, and wherein the carrier gas line introduces a carrier gas into the feed chamber. Each module includes a cold chamber fluidically coupled to a cold-water feed line and a cold-water return line, wherein cold water is circulated through the cold chamber. Each module further includes a membrane separating the feed chamber from the cold chamber, wherein the membrane allows transportation of vapor from the feed chamber to the cold chamber while blocking liquid from moving from the feed chamber to the cold chamber.

A multistage vacuum membrane distillation (MS-VMD) system including a plurality of modules is provided along with a method for using the MS-VMD. The MS-VMD system includes a feed chamber coupled to a feed line and a carrier gas line, wherein the feed line introduces a liquid feed into the feed chamber from a liquid feed tank, and wherein the carrier gas line introduces a carrier gas into the feed chamber. The MS-VMD system also includes a vacuum chamber coupled to a vacuum line, wherein the vacuum line pulls a vacuum on the vacuum chamber, and a membrane separating the feed chamber from the vacuum chamber, wherein the membrane allows transportation of vapor from the feed chamber to the vacuum chamber while blocking liquid from moving from the feed chamber to the vacuum chamber.

A hollow fiber membrane bundle useful for manufacturing a wide variety of hollow fiber membrane modules having different flow configurations includes hollow fiber membranes arranged around a porous support tube, a cured resin tubesheet formed at first end of the bundle, and either a cured resin nub or a cured resin tubesheet formed at a second end of the bundle. The bore(s) of the hollow fiber membranes are open at a face of the tubesheet adjacent the first end of the bundle. The tubesheet has an annular structure that encapsulates the hollow fiber membranes and the porous support tube at the first end of the bundle but which does not completely block a bore of the porous support tube, wherein the collection tube has a plurality of orifices formed therein at least at positions adjacent the nub.

The invention relates to filtration system (20), comprising a tank (40) filled at least partly with water to be filtered, and at least one filtration module (30), the at least one filtration module (30) comprising at least one filter membrane (10) for filtering the water comprising a substrate (12) which is penetrated by at least one capillary (16), and at least one filtrate pipe (32) for drawing filtered water out of the tank (40), whereat the at least one filtration module (30) is arranged in the tank (40) such that the at least one filter membrane (10) is submerged at least partly in the water to be filtered. The at least one filtration module (30) is designed and arranged such that water to be filtered flows into the at least one capillary (16) and from the at least one capillary (16) through the substrate (12) into the filtrate pipe (32). The invention also relates to a method for filtering water by means of a filtration system (20) according to the invention, whereat the water to be filtered is drawn into the at least one capillary (16) and from the at least one capillary (16) through the substrate (12) into the filtrate pipe (32) and from the filtrate pipe (32) out of the tank (40).

Apparatuses and methods for extracting desired chemical species including, without limitation, lithium, specific lithium species, and/or other chemical compounds from input flows in a modular unit. The input flows may be raw materials in which lithium metal and/or lithium species are dissolved and/or extracted. The apparatuses and methods may include daisy chain flow through separate tanks, a column array, and/or combinations thereof.