Composite materials for removing hydrophobic components from a fluid include a porous matrix polymer, carbon nanotubes grafted to surfaces of the porous matrix polymer, and polystyrene chains grafted to the carbon nanotubes. Examples of porous matrix polymer include polyurethanes, polyethylenes, and polypropylenes. Membranes of the composite material may be enclosed within a fluid-permeable pouch to form a fluid treatment apparatus, such that by contacting the apparatus with a fluid mixture containing water and a hydrophobic component, the hydrophobic component absorbs selectively into the membrane. The apparatus may be removed from the fluid mixture and reused after the hydrophobic component is expelled from the membrane. The composite material may be prepared by grafting functionalized carbon nanotubes to a porous matrix polymer to form a polymer-nanotube composite, then polymerizing styrene onto the carbon nanotubes of the polymer-nanotube composite.

A filter material has a layer of porous material and a plurality of structures disposed on a surface of the layer, where each of the structures has a re-entrant geometry. The plurality of structures may be a plurality of ordered structures. A filter material may include a layer of porous material and a plurality of re-entrant structures disposed on a surface of the layer, each of the re-entrant structures including a stem and a cap, where the caps of adjacent structures are attached to each other to form a plurality of pores, where each pore is disposed between adjacent re-entrant structures.

Fabricating a zeolite membrane on a substrate includes disposing first zeolite crystals on a substrate to yield a first layer on the substrate and disposing second zeolite crystals on the first layer to yield a second layer on the first layer, thereby yielding a membrane precursor. The membrane precursor is heated at a first temperature for a first length of time, and the temperature of the membrane precursor is increased or decreased from the first temperature to a second temperature. The membrane precursor is heated at the second temperature for a second length of time to yield the zeolite membrane. The second zeolite crystals have a smaller average diameter than the first zeolite crystals. The second temperature can exceed the first temperature or the first temperature can exceed the second temperature.

The present disclosure relates to a vacuum filter that incorporates a large area pleated filter element having pleated hydrophilic membrane configured along slanting surface in pyramid shape and incorporated with in a filter housing that can be accommodated in neck of a filtrate container. The disclosed configuration reduces overall height of the filtering system improving its stability and reducing space requirement. Further, top portion of the filter housing is configured to receive either a feed cup for direct feeding of feed liquid by pouring in the cup or a fitting with tube that can be used to suck the feed from a feed solution container under action of a vacuum thus allowing universal use. In another embodiment, a single hydrophobic membrane is provided to avoid problems of low flow due to bubbles coming with the feed solution and also to allow restart of filtration without air lock.

There is provided a multi-layered membrane comprising a top layer, a bottom layer, and a spacer layer; wherein said spacer layer is interposed between said top layer and said bottom layer; wherein said top layer, said bottom layer and said spacer layer are each independently composed of one or more selective layers, each selective layer comprising a 2D material; wherein said spacer layer comprises at least one channel for receiving a fluid; wherein said bottom layer comprises a hole with an area in the range of 1 μm.sup.2 to 1 mm.sup.2; and wherein said hole is capable of being in fluid communication with said at least one channels of said spacer layer.

There is also provided a method to synthesize the top layer of a multi-layered membrane as disclosed herein, methods for separating a plurality of ions or molecules in a fluid stream, a device comprising a multi-layered membrane as disclosed herein, and use of the method or the device as disclosed herein in osmotic power generation.

A method for filtering a protein-containing liquid containing protein at a concentration of 20 mg/mL or more and 100 mg/mL or less, the method including a prefiltration step of filtering the protein-containing liquid by a prefilter having a pore size of 0.08 μm to 0.25 μm and including a hydrophobic resin, and a virus removal step of filtering the protein-containing liquid by a virus removal membrane including a synthetic polymer, after the prefiltration step, wherein the protein-containing liquid before conducting the prefiltration step includes 0.25 g or more of a trimer or higher multimer of the proteins having an average diameter of less than 100 nm, per 1 m.sup.2 of the virus removal membrane.

The invention relates to the providing of hydrophobic and hydrophilic polymer-based hollow fiber membranes containing a water-insoluble antioxidant; in particular, the invention relates to the providing of hollow fiber membranes for the extracorporeal treatment of blood, wherein the hollow fiber membranes have improved biocompatibility relative to treatment blood, in particular improved complement activation and lower platelet loss vis-à-vis treatment blood. At the same time, the elution of hydrophilic polymers from the lumen of the hollow fiber membrane is reduced.

The present invention relates to a lipophilic and hydrophobic nanofiber membrane and a method of preparing the same. The lipophilic and hydrophobic nanofiber membrane according to an exemplary embodiment may be compressed at a pressure of 10 kPa to 100 kPa and may have an average thickness of 10 μm to 1,500 μm.

This application relates to a method of treating wastewater wherein an oxygen infusion system is used to supersaturate wastewater before aerobic biological processes, wherein oxygen is transferred to the wastewater free of oxygen bubbles and achieves a reduction in power demand for the aeration process of wastewater.

A method and a system for in-situ remediation of recalcitrant organic and inorganic contaminants in an environmental medium are disclosed. Dissolved gases from water and an oil are removed to form degassed water and a degassed oil. The degassed water and the degassed oil are mixed to form a surfactant-free oil-in water emulsion. The surfactant-free oil-in-water emulsion is injected into the environmental medium, thereby producing anaerobic conditions to cause indigenous anerobic bacteria to biodegrade residual concentrations of the contaminants in the environmental medium.