Provided is a gas separation device configured to separate a non-hydrocarbon gas from a feed gas containing the non-hydrocarbon gas through use of a gas separation membrane, in which a decrease in operating rate can be suppressed, and economic efficiency is satisfactory. A first membrane module (1) and a second membrane module (2) are arranged in parallel to each other with respect to supply lines for a feed gas. Gas lines for regeneration (14, 15) ((24, 25)), which are branched from a permeate gas line (13) ((23)) of the membrane module (1) ((2)), and which are joined to a feed gas line (21) ((11)) configured to supply the feed gas to the membrane module (2) ((1)), are provided. Under a state in which the feed gas is supplied to the membrane module (1), a permeate gas through the membrane module (1) is supplied, as a gas for regeneration, to the membrane module (2) through the gas lines for regeneration (14, 15). In this case, the membrane module (2) is brought into a non-operation state, and the membrane module (2) is regenerated.

Methods of inducing or controlling particle motion in suspensions and colloids are described. In one aspect, a method of inducing particle motion in a suspension comprises contacting the suspension with a gas phase to establish at least one interface between the gas phase and continuous phase of the suspension. One or more gases of the gas phase are transferred across the interface to provide a solute gradient in the continuous phase, the solute gradient inducing motion of the suspended particles.

A method for reusing wastewater by using reverse osmosis, according to the present invention, provides a method for preparing pure water through a primary reverse osmosis step, a secondary reverse osmosis step, a foam generation step, and a reverse osmosis membrane washing step. The present invention prepares pure water through several reverse osmosis steps, thereby enabling prepared pure water to be immediately used as industrial water, and washes a reverse osmosis membrane with foam, thereby improving washing efficiency and saving on maintenance costs of a wastewater reuse apparatus.

Described herein are methods and compositions relating to tunable nanoporous coatings. In certain aspects, described herein are methods and compositions wherein a tunable nanoporous coating comprises a tunable nanoporous membrane which transitions from opaque to transparent upon the application of force, and from transparent to opaque after washing with a solvent.

A cleaning device includes: an ozone gas supply portion; an ozone dissolution tank including a gas phase portion in which ozone gas is to be accumulated and a liquid phase portion formed by water in which the ozone gas is to be dissolved; a gas phase portion ozone gas supply pipe for supplying ozone gas from the ozone gas supply portion to the gas phase portion; a liquid phase portion ozone gas supply pipe for supplying ozone gas from the ozone gas supply portion to the liquid phase portion; and an ozone water supply pipe for supplying ozone water generated in the ozone dissolution tank to a filtering secondary side, wherein the ozone water is supplied to the filtering secondary side by the pressure of ozone gas in the gas phase portion.

The invention relates to a process for cleaning a polymer membrane comprising the steps of (A) filtering an aqueous liquid through the polymer membrane; (B) drying the polymer membrane; (C) washing the polymer membrane with water or a chemical washing solution; and (D) continuing the filtering of the aqueous liquid through the polymer membrane.

Provided herein is a universally applicable biofouling mitigation technology using acoustically excited encapsulated microbubbles that disrupt biofilm or biofilm formation. For example, a method of reducing biofilm formation or removing biofilm in a membrane filtration system is provided in which a feed solution comprising encapsulated microbubbles is provided to the membrane under conditions that allow the encapsulated microbubbles to embed in a biofilm. Sonication of the embedded, encapsulated microbubbles disrupts the biofilm. Thus, provided herein is a membrane filtration system for performing the methods and encapsulated microbubbles specifically selected for binding to extracellular polymeric substances (EFS) in a biofilm.

Described herein are methods and compositions relating to tunable nanoporous coatings. In certain aspects, described herein are methods and compositions wherein a tunable nanoporous coating comprises a tunable nanoporous membrane which transitions from opaque to transparent upon the application of force, and from transparent to opaque after washing with a solvent.

Methods of inducing or controlling particle motion in suspensions and colloids are described. In one aspect, a method of inducing particle motion in a suspension comprises contacting the suspension with a gas phase to establish at least one interface between the gas phase and continuous phase of the suspension. One or more gases of the gas phase are transferred across the interface to provide a solute gradient in the continuous phase, the solute gradient inducing motion of the suspended particles.

The present invention is concerned with a fibre membrane for use in a Membrane Supported Biofilm Reactor (MSBR) or the like, the fibre membrane comprising a substantially cylindrical sidewall defining an internal lumen from which gas can permeate through the sidewall, and characterised in that at least a part of an outer surface of the fibre membrane is engineered to define at least one biofilm retaining region which acts to retain a quantity of biofilm therein, in particular when the fibre membrane is subjected to a high sheer biofilm control event, such as experienced during a reactor cleaning cycle, for removing excess biofilm in order to prevent clogging of the reactor.