A method for removing noxious, hazardous, toxic, mutagenic, and/or carcinogenic compounds and/or precursor compounds from a comingled gas, liquid, and/or solid stream is described. In one embodiment, the method is used to prepare the stream for feeding to an oxidizer, such as a thermal oxidizer, to reduce the amount of particulate matter discharged by the oxidizer and includes passing the stream through an ambient or chilled temperature condenser followed by an optional gas/solid separator, and one or more gas scrubbers prior to feeding to the oxidizer.

Disclosed is a method for treating fly ash containing an initial carbon concentration to obtain ash containing a predetermined final carbon concentration less than the initial concentration, the method including: a step of granulometric separation of the ash into at least two fractions, a coarse traction and a fine fraction, the coarse fraction having a granulometry greater than the fine fraction; a step of extracting carbon from the ash; a method wherein the extraction step is subsequent to the separation step, the extraction step being implemented solely on the coarse fraction, by electrostatic separation, the method including a step of drying the ash during which the temperature of the ash is above 60 C.

The present invention provides devices and methods to separate and concentrate target species. In some embodiments, a punctuated continuous microchannel or parallel processing (array-based) separations are provided, the microchannel having a plurality of sequential, constrictive insulating features to form a plurality of reservoirs including a first, second and third reservoir, and a plurality of constricted passageways including a first constricted passageway that connects the first reservoir to the second reservoir and a second constricted passageway that connects the second reservoir to the third reservoir. A voltage is applied to the microchannel to create different electrical fields and/or different dielectrophoresis (DEP) gradients at each of the plurality of constricted passageways in order to separate species that have differing ratios of electrokinetic mobility to dielectrophoretic mobility.

The procedure of dielectric electrophoresis (dielectrophoresis or DEP) utilizes field-polarized particles that move under the application of positive (attractive) and/or negative (repulsive) applied forces. This invention uses negative dielectric electrophoresis (negative dielectrophoresis or nDEP) within a microchannel separation apparatus to make particles move (detached) or remain stationary (attached). In an embodiment of the present invention, the nDEP force generated was strong enough to detach Ag-Ab (antigen-antibody) bonds, which are in the order of 400 pN (piconewtons) while maintaining the integrity of the system components.

Provided are an apparatus and a system for classifying particles. The apparatus for classifying particles includes: an internal electrode which has a column shape; an external electrode which is spaced apart from the internal electrode and disposed to surround the internal electrode, and generates an electric field through an interaction with the internal electrode; and an aerosol supply unit which supplies aerosol particles to a separation space between the internal electrode and the external electrode, in which the separation space, through which the aerosol particles are introduced into the particle classifying apparatus and flow, is formed to be narrowed toward a lower aerosol flow side from an upper aerosol flow side into which the aerosol particles are introduced.

A continuous flow particle separation system for separating metallic and nonmetallic particles from a mixed-particle suspension includes a fluid channeling component defining an input channel and first and second output channels fluidly connected to the input channel at a bifurcated junction, a first electrode and a second electrode arranged proximate the input channel at least partially prior to the bifurcated junction, and an alternating current (AC) electric power source electrically connected to the first and second electrodes. The first and second electrodes have shapes configured to provide a spatially-gradient electric field across the input channel, and the AC electric power source is configured to provide an AC electric potential to the first and second electrodes to cause a separation of the metallic and nonmetallic particles by dielectrophoresis due to a difference in dielectrophoretic forces imposed on the metallic particles relative to those of the nanometallic particles such that first output fluid flow in the first output channel has an enriched concentration of metallic particles and second output fluid flow in the second output channel has an enriched concentration of nonmetallic particles relative to the mixed-particle suspension in said input channel.

The present invention includes methods, devices and systems for isolating a nucleic acid from a fluid comprising cells. In various aspects, the methods, devices and systems may allow for a rapid procedure that requires a minimal amount of material and/or results in high purity nucleic acid isolated from complex fluids such as blood or environmental samples.

A method of separating fine particles (clay, silt, etc.) that have adsorbed contaminants such as heavy metals or radioactive nuclides in soil using cationic magnetic nanoparticles. According to the method, contaminants such as heavy metals or radioactive nuclides selectively or irreversibly adsorbed to fine particles (clay, silt, etc.) in soil may be economically and efficiently separated. Therefore, the method may be effectively used to restore soil in residential areas that are contaminated with radioactive nuclides in serious accidents such as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster as well as facility sites contaminated with heavy metals or radioactive nuclides.

A method of separating fine particles (clay, silt, etc.) that have adsorbed contaminants such as heavy metals or radioactive nuclides in soil using cationic magnetic nanoparticles. According to the method, contaminants such as heavy metals or radioactive nuclides selectively or irreversibly adsorbed to fine particles (clay, silt, etc.) in soil may be economically and efficiently separated. Therefore, the method may be effectively used to restore soil in residential areas that are contaminated with radioactive nuclides in serious accidents such as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster as well as facility sites contaminated with heavy metals or radioactive nuclides.

A continuous flow particle separation system for separating metallic and nonmetallic particles from a mixed-particle suspension includes a fluid channeling component defining an input channel and first and second output channels fluidly connected to the input channel at a bifurcated junction, a first electrode and a second electrode arranged proximate the input channel at least partially prior to the bifurcated junction, and an alternating current (AC) electric power source electrically connected to the first and second electrodes. The first and second electrodes have shapes configured to provide a spatially-gradient electric field across the input channel, and the AC electric power source is configured to provide an AC electric potential to the first and second electrodes to cause a separation of the metallic and nonmetallic particles by dielectrophoresis due to a difference in dielectrophoretic forces imposed on the metallic particles relative to those of the nonmetallic particles such that first output fluid flow in the first output channel has an enriched concentration of metallic particles and second output fluid flow in the second output channel has an enriched concentration of nonmetallic particles relative to the mixed-particle suspension in said input channel.