A phase-separation device and method of use is provided for separating immiscible liquids. The phase-separation device has a porous membrane with a filter surface having a non-planar contour that forms a receiving cavity to receive a liquid mixture. The filter surface is configured to impede flow of a polar liquid into the porous membrane and permit flow of a non-polar liquid into the porous membrane.

An electrochemical separation device includes a first electrode, a second electrode, a cell stack including alternating depleting compartments and concentrating compartments disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, an inlet manifold configured to introduce a fluid to one of the depleting compartments or the concentrating compartments an outlet manifold, and one or more of a fluid flow director disposed within the inlet manifold and having a surface configured to alter a flow path of the fluid introduced into the inlet manifold and direct the fluid into the one of the depleting compartments or the concentrating compartments, and a second fluid flow director disposed within the outlet manifold and having a surface configured to alter a flow path of the fluid introduced into the outlet manifold via one of the depleting compartments or the concentrating compartments.

A filter apparatus for treating hydrocarbon contaminated water comprising a housing defining an internal cavity and having an inlet and an outlet; a separating member that separates the internal cavity into a first treatment zone and a second treatment zone, wherein the first treatment zone is in fluid communication with the inlet and the second treatment zone is in fluid communication with the outlet, the separating member having one or more holes therethrough for fluid flow from the first treatment zone to the second treatment zone; at least one distribution tube within the second treatment zone having an end enclosing at least one of the holes to accept liquid flowing through the hole, the distribution tube further having perforations along its length for distributing liquid into the second treatment zone; a filtration barrier within the first treatment zone for removing particulate matter from the liquid flowing therethrough; and a particulate filtration media within the second treatment zone, surrounding the distribution tube, comprising at least one polymer for removing hydrocarbons from the water flowing through the second treatment zone prior to exiting the outlet.

A method of detecting free flocculant polymer having a net charge present in an aqueous phase of a multi-phase substance is provided. The multi-phase substance comprises a solid phase, an organic phase, and the aqueous phase. The method comprises separating the solid phase from the multi-phase substance to form a dual phase top liquid comprising the organic phase and the aqueous phase; separating the organic phase from the dual phase top liquid, leaving the aqueous phase; combining the free flocculant polymer in the aqueous phase and a dye having an opposite net charge than that of the free flocculant polymer, thereby causing a spectroscopically observable change in the aqueous phase; and analyzing the aqueous phase via spectrometry to determine the concentration of the free flocculant polymer in the multi-phase substance.

The present invention relates to a method for treating an aqueous liquid comprising oil droplets and a surfactant and/or a base. For this method, a pore size threshold of a filter is determined taking into account the interfacial tension between the oil droplets and the water, and a filter is selected whose pore size is less than or equal to this threshold for filtration of the aqueous liquid.

Systems and methods for treating a rag layer in a gas oil separation plant. The method includes withdrawing the rag layer from a vessel proximate an oil water interface, conveying the rag layer to a separation device, and recycling separated oil from the separation device back to the gas oil separation plant process.

Upon light irradiation, a dye sensitized photoactive surfaces can undergo hydrophobic to hydrophilic conversion in both in air and oil environments.

The present invention relates to a superhydrophilic biodegradable cross linked foam membrane and a process for preparation of said foam membrane from a seaweed polysaccharides by blending with amino biopolymers/amino acids/proteins/amino compounds followed by crosslinking with a naturally occurring cross linker, genipin. The foam membrane can be used as a substitute for synthetic membrane for varied applications including membrane separation for oil-water emulsions, oil-water mixtures and other aqueous-organic mixtures under ambient conditions. These foam membranes can be recycled and reused more than three times without considerable decrease in flux rate and stability. The separation methodology of the mixtures using the foam membrane of the present invention is gravity-driven and therefore, simple and energy-efficient.

The multi-layered membrane (100) for separating oil and water includes a porous top layer (110), a porous bottom layer (130), and a particulate middle layer (120) positioned between the top layer (110) and the bottom layer (130), the middle layer (120) being hydrophobic and adapted for adsorbing oil, such as trace amounts of oil, that may pass through the top layer (110). The top layer (110) and the bottom layer (130) are hydrophilic and oleophobic. While the membrane (100) does not require any external pressure other than the gravitational forces exerted on the oil/water mixture W to drive the filtration of the oil/water mixture W through the membrane (100), the filtration can be driven by a vacuum or other type of external pressure.

A membrane comprising a crystalline material deposited on a porous support. The crystalline material is made of tectosilicate with a portion of the Si atoms substituted with metal atoms. The membrane is useful in the separation of oil and water.