The present invention relates generally to an effluent treatment device including in one embodiment a skid configuration. The method and apparatus of the present invention can use only two fluid pump units and including individual or multiple membrane modules in a stacked longitudinally arranged configuration. The stacked or in series modules can be either vertical or horizontal forming a column. The membrane modules are contained in large diameter pipes with enough space around each module so that filtered permeate water collects in the pipe and backwash water can flow in the pipe to backwash the modules and contained membranes. The present invention includes one or more hollow fiber ceramic membrane modules which each includes multiple hollow fibers bundled together by end or band caps (e.g., ceramic, epoxy of glass material end caps) to form a complete membrane module. A complete hollow fiber membrane module can comprise multiple symmetric individual hollow fibers between about 2.0 to 4.00 millimeters inside diameter and can be made of aluminium oxide (Al.sub.2O.sub.3) substrate material. The geometry of the individual ceramic fiber walls can be between about 1.0 to 2.0 millimeters in thickness, known as the membrane wall. Such ceramic hollow fibers can have pores including a range of nominal 1 nanometer to 1400 nanometers. The ceramic hollow fibers can comprise selective membranes pores including a range of nominal 1 nanometer to 1400 nanometers which may include individual or multiple separating layers attached to the fiber walls of nominal 1 to 100 nanometers. The separating layers can each be a porous polymeric material. In one embodiment, a skid mounted treatment device is operable to pass water through an individual hollow fiber ceramic membrane module or multiple membrane modules in series known as a membrane loop. Filtration is inside to out flow filtration through the hollow fiber membranes. The apparatus is also operable to pass water through the hollow fiber ceramic filter module or multiple membrane modules in an outside to in flow direction, so as to remove material from the separation layer of the hollow fiber ceramic membrane fibers, a process known as backwashing or back flushing. Contaminant materials (retentate) having been deposited during inside-out filtration of the commercial or industrial laundry effluent is removed with such back flushing.

Apparatus and method for semi-permeable membrane cleaning in particular, applying series of pulsed water stroke, made simultaneously with osmosis backward flow causing superposed membrane directional shaking and fouling detachment. Pulsed water stroke provided by water stroke generator as several momentum sharp changes in gauge pressure and induce velocity pulse of residual brine flow. The pulsed water strokes ideally induce resonance in the membrane. Osmosis backward wash may be provided either by injection for predetermined injection time, additional solution selected in such way that net driving pressure becomes opposite to normal osmotic operation thereby providing a backward flow of permeate towards to the side opposite to normal operation mode, so as to lift said foulant, or by throttling permeate exiting from the permeate enclosure, until the net driving pressure value become equal to zero, during application of precise synchronized and opposing brine and permeate pressure strokes thereby providing a plurality of quick RO-FO-RO process changes. These procedures allow a membrane to be kept continuously clean and operate at higher recovery.

A water purifier comprises: an RO filter including a non-filtration part, a filtration part, and a reverse osmosis membrane for filtering the raw water into the purified water; purified water and raw water storages; a flow channel through which the raw water and the purified water flow; valve modules selectively opened or closed to adjust the flow of the raw water and the purified water; a sterilization module for sterilizing the raw water from the non-filtration part; and a controller controlling the opening/closing of the valve modules and the sterilization module based on flow modes. In a flushing mode for cleaning the reverse osmosis membrane using the purified water, the controller opens/closes the valve modules so that the purified water flows into the non-filtration part and flushing discharge water from the non-filtration part flows toward the raw water storage, and drives the sterilization module to sterilize the flushing discharge water.

The present invention provides a method of treating a commercial or industrial laundry wastewater stream. The method and apparatus treats a commercial laundry waste stream from a commercial washing machine or machines wherein the waste includes total suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand, turbidity, and bacteria. The waste stream is transmitted to a first treatment unit that has a membrane filter that filters particles of between about 6 and 40 nanometers. At the first treatment unit, the waste stream is separated into a permeate stream and a retentate component. The retentate component is transmitted to a second treatment unit that filters particles of between about 3 and 10 nanometers. The permeate stream is then transmitted to a permeate holding vessel after treatment in the second treatment unit. The retentate component is placed in a mixing vessel where it is mixed with a polymer to form a solid waste.

A fixed or mobile water treatment system comprises a primary screening tank that filters wastewater to remove inorganic and organic pollutants from the wastewater, and includes an electro-coagulation unit that provides an electrical charge to wastewater exiting the primary screening tank, ultraviolet light and oxidation processes in one or more settling tanks that remove pollutants from the wastewater, and one or more filters that remove pollutants from the wastewater.

A water desalination system includes a first set of ultrafiltration membranes, a second set of ultrafiltration membranes, a first backwashing system configured to treat at least one of the first set of ultrafiltration membranes or the second set of ultrafiltration membranes with brine generated by a reverse osmosis process, and a second backwashing system configured to treat at least one of the first set of ultrafiltration membranes or the second set of ultrafiltration membranes with one or more chemicals and reverse osmosis permeate water.

Apparatus and method for semi-permeable membrane cleaning in particular, applying series of pulsed water stroke, made simultaneously with osmosis backward flow causing superposed membrane directional shaking and fouling detachment. Pulsed water stroke provided by water stroke generator as several momentum sharp changes in gauge pressure and induce velocity pulse of residual brine flow. The pulsed water strokes ideally induce resonance in the membrane. Osmosis backward wash may be provided either by injection for predetermined injection time, additional solution selected in such way that net driving pressure be-comes opposite to normal osmotic operation thereby providing a backward flow of permeate towards to the side opposite to normal operation mode, so as to lift said foulant, or by throttling permeate exiting from the permeate enclosure, until the net driving pressure value become equal to zero, during application of precise synchronized and opposing brine and permeate pressure strokes thereby providing a plurality of quick RO-FO-RO process changes. These procedures allow a membrane to be kept continuously clean and operate at higher recovery.

A method includes supplying feed water in a forward direction into a ceramic membrane treatment system at a first rate the ceramic membrane treatment system including at least one ceramic membrane (120), and determining production cycle data of the system, the production cycle data including one of more of accumulation data, feed pressure data, and time since last backflush. The method further includes determining optimal physical flux parameters based on the production cycle data and efficiency of a previous flux maintenance event, conducting a flux maintenance event including accelerated cleaning of the at least one ceramic membrane at a second rate by using a square step backwash rate based on optimal physical flux parameters. The squre step rate can be generated by ramping up pressure by a pump (220) against a closed valve (222) and a sudden openin of said valve.

A fluid filtration system includes a fluid storage vessel such as a bioreactor, a filter housing including a filter element disposed therein, a pump coupled between the fluid storage vessel and the filter housing, and a flow diverter disposed between the pump and the filter housing. The pump is configured to move fluid from the fluid storage vessel through the filter element, and the flow diverter is configured for selectively directing fluid received from the pump to the first or second end of the filter housing. In a first mode of operation, the flow diverter directs flow through the filter housing in a first direction, while in a second mode of operation, the flow diverter directs flow through the filter housing in a second direction opposite the first direction.

Methods for monitoring patient parameters and blood fluid removal system parameters include identifying those system parameters that result in improved patient parameters or in worsened patent parameters. By comparing the patient's current parameters to past parameters in response to system parameters or changes in system parameters, a blood fluid removal system may be able to avoid future use of parameters that may harm the patient and may be able to learn which parameters are likely to be most effective in treating the patient in a blood fluid removal session.