A solar distillation device includes a feed water chamber having an open interior feed water compartment and a feed water inlet to the feed water compartment. A distillate chamber has a top and sides and an open interior distillate compartment, and a distillate water outlet in liquid communication with the distillate compartment. The top, the rear wall, and the sides of the distillate chamber includes a solar radiation transmissive portion. A distillation membrane separates the feed water compartment from the distillate compartment, and has a feed water facing surface and a distillate facing surface. The membrane can include a porous hydrophobic material, and the distillate surface of the distillation membrane can be black. The transmissive portion allows solar radiation to pass through the top, the rear wall, and the sides of the distillate chamber and strike the distillation membrane.

A process for removing Co.sup.2+, Pb.sup.2+, Cd.sup.2+ and Cr.sup.3+ toxins from bodily fluids is disclosed. The process involves contacting the bodily fluid with an ion exchange composition to remove the metal toxins in the bodily fluid, including blood and gastrointestinal fluid. Alternatively, blood can be contacted with a dialysis solution which is then contacted with the ion exchange composition. The ion exchange compositions are represented by the following empirical formula:

A.sub.mZr.sub.aTi.sub.bSn.sub.cM.sub.dSi.sub.xO.sub.y.

A composition comprising the above ion exchange compositions in combination with bodily fluids or dialysis solution is also disclosed. The ion exchange compositions may be supported by porous networks of biocompatible polymers such as carbohydrates or proteins.

A process for removing Sr.sup.2+ toxins from bodily fluids is disclosed. The process involves contacting the bodily fluid with an ion exchanger to remove the metal toxins in the bodily fluid, including blood and gastrointestinal fluid. Alternatively, blood can be contacted with a dialysis solution which is then contacted with the ion exchanger. The ion exchangers are represented by the following empirical formula:

A.sub.mZr.sub.aTi.sub.bSn.sub.cM.sub.dSi.sub.xO.sub.y.

A composition comprising the above ion exchange compositions in combination with bodily fluids or dialysis solution is also disclosed. The ion exchange compositions may be supported by porous networks of biocompatible polymers such as carbohydrates or proteins.

The present invention provides a fluid separation membrane that can maintain separation performance for a long period of time. The present invention provides a fluid separation membrane including a separation layer including a dense layer, wherein 2 to 10,000 ppm of a total of a monocyclic or bicyclic aromatic compound being liquid or solid at 16 C. under atmospheric pressure and 10 to 250,000 ppm of water are adsorbed.

Cation exchange membranes and materials including silica-based ceramics, and associated methods, are provided. In some aspects, cation exchange membranes that include a silica-based ceramic that forms a coating on and/or within a porous support membrane are described. The cation exchange membranes and materials may have certain structural or chemical attributes (e.g., pore size/distribution, chemical functionalization) that, alone or in combination, can result in advantageous performance characteristics in any of a variety of applications for which selective transport of positively charged ions through membranes/materials is desired. In some embodiments, the silica-based ceramic contains relatively small pores (e.g., substantially spherical nanopores) that may contribute to some such advantageous properties. In some embodiments, the cation exchange membrane or material includes sulfonate and/or sulfonic acid groups covalently bound to the silica-based ceramic.

An air treatment article is provided, comprising: a semipermeable barrier and a plurality of multi-staged non-film forming polymer abatement particles having a core polymer and at least one shell polymer; wherein the core polymer accounts for 1 to 25 wt % of the weight of the non-film forming polymer abatement particles; wherein the semipermeable barrier is disposed between an air atmosphere and the non-film forming polymer abatement particles; wherein the semipermeable barrier impedes passage therethrough by the non-film forming polymer abatement particles; wherein the semipermeable barrier permits passage therethrough by a for-treatment air containing a contaminant such that the for-treatment air can make contact with the non-film forming polymer abatement particles; wherein the non-film forming polymer abatement particles have an affinity for the contaminant.

A filtering device is for obtaining a chemical liquid by purifying a liquid to be purified, and the filtering device has an inlet portion, an outlet portion, a filter A, at least one filter B different from the filter A, and a flow path which includes the filter A and the filter B arranged in series and extends from the inlet portion to the outlet portion, in which the filter A has a porous base material made of polyfluorocarbon and a coating layer which is disposed to cover the porous base material and contains a resin having an adsorptive group.

Gas separation modules and methods for use including an integrated adsorbent and membrane. In certain refining applications, it is paramount to obtain high purity product gases. Adsorbent beds are effective at removing certain contaminants, such as CO.sub.2, from gas streams containing product and contaminant constituents to form a product-rich stream. The integrated membrane permits a further separation of products from any unadsorbed contaminant to produce a high purity product, such as hydrogen, stream. The gas separation modules described herein include stacked, radial, and spiral arrangements. Each modules includes a configuration of feed and cross-flow channels for the collection of contaminant gases and/or high purity product gases.

Disclosed herein are hybrid membranes comprising: a microporous polymer, the microporous polymer comprising a continuous polymer phase permeated by a continuous pore phase; and an atomic scale inorganic material dispersed throughout the microporous polymer within the continuous pore phase. Methods of making and use of the hybrid membranes are also disclosed.

A platform has a filter system with a first set of filter modules and a second set of filter modules that is different from the first set of filter modules. Each set of filter modules includes an inflow channel and an outflow channel. A fluid inlet is connected to the first set of filter modules, a fluid outlet is connected to the second set of filter modules, and a separation interface separates the first and second sets of filter modules. The separation interface has a first interface channel to connect to the module outflow channel of the first set of filter modules, and a second interface channel to connect to the module inflow channel of the second set of filter modules. The filter system receives fluid through the fluid inlet and, after the fluid has passed through each set of filter modules, discharges the fluid through the fluid outlet.