A method and system are provided for extracting a target analyte from a sample using acoustic ejection technology. The method involves applying focused acoustic energy to a fluid reservoir housing a fluid composition that contains a target analyte and comprises an upper region and a lower region, where the concentration of the target analyte in the upper region differs from that in the lower region. The focused acoustic energy is applied in a manner that is effective to result in the ejection of a fluid droplet from from the fluid composition into a droplet receiver, wherein the concentration of the analyte in the droplet corresponds to either the concentration of the analyte in the upper region or the concentration of the analyte in the lower region, and wherein the concentration of the analyte is substantially uniform throughout the droplet. The fluid composition may comprise an ionic liquid, used in the extraction of ionic target analytes. Related methods and an acoustic extraction system are also provided.

A turbid matter separating apparatus extracts turbid matter and a supernatant liquid separately from a suspension. The invention is directed to a turbid matter separating apparatus which includes a liquid container which includes a sediment discharge port and a supernatant liquid discharge port and is filled with a suspension containing turbid matter, a sediment valve which is provided in the sediment discharge port, a supernatant liquid valve which is provided in the supernatant liquid discharge port, an ultrasonic irradiator which irradiates the suspension filled in the liquid container with ultrasound, and a control unit which controls the sediment valve, the supernatant liquid valve, and the ultrasonic irradiator, the control unit being configured to control the sediment valve to discharge a sediment and controls a supernatant liquid valve to discharge a supernatant liquid after a predetermined time elapses since the irradiation with ultrasound by the ultrasonic irradiator is stopped.

A mud cleaning system may include a system inlet carrying mud from a wellbore, a heater, a fluid separating system, and a system outlet carrying the mud to a holding vessel. The system inlet, the heater, the separator, and the system outlet may be fluidly connected such that mud flows from the system inlet, into the heater and the separator, and then out the system outlet.

Provided herein are systems and methods for separation of particulate from water using ultrasonically generated acoustic standing waves.

An acoustic resonator device includes a fluid chamber with a carrier surface and a reflector surface. The fluid chamber is filled with a volume of a fluid that includes a phase-separate material such as algae. The carrier surface is coupled to a transducer, which may be a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) transducer. The transducer, when supplied with electricity, emits an acoustic wave-based output of an output frequency (e.g., ultrasound). A sensor may be used to track one or more eigenfrequencies of the volume of fluid, the acoustic resonator device, or some combination thereof. A controller may receive tracking data from the sensor and control the voltage source, the transducer, or some combination thereof to ensure that the output frequency matches one of the tracked eigenfrequencies, thereby maximizing excitation of the fluid to improve efficiency of mixing, stimulation, and separation of materials from fluid (e.g., for algal biocrude production).

The current invention relates to the device and method to separate biological entities from a sample fluid by a microfluidic device. The claimed methods separate biological entities by differentiating the sizes of the biological entities with ultrasound modes. The claimed methods further utilize a multi-staged design that removes smaller size entities at earlier and wider sections and concentrates larger entities at later and narrower sections of a microfluidic channel.

The current invention relates to the method and apparatus to separate biological entities from a fluid sample. The claimed methods separate biological entities based on size of entities by using acoustic pressure nodes in a microfluidic device. The claimed methods further separate biological entities with magnetic labels and by using a magnetic device. The claimed methods further include combination of microfluidic devices and magnetic devices to separate biological entities from a fluid sample.

The current invention relates to the method and apparatus to magnetically separate biological entities with magnetic labels from a fluid sample. The claimed methods separate biological entities with magnetic labels by using a magnetic device. The claimed methods further include processes to dissociate biological entities magnetic conglomerate after magnetic separation.

The current invention relates to the method to detect early stage pre-symptom cancer with enhanced accuracy. The claimed methods use anti-tumor agent to cause lysis of any existing cancer cells in a person, and causing release of genetic material from the lysed cancer cells into the blood stream of the person. The claimed methods further utilize a PCR method to amplify cancer gene in released generic material from a blood plasma sample of the person. The claimed methods further perform genetic sequencing on the blood plasma sample after PCR to identify existence of the cancer genes, thereby confirming existence of cancer.

Method and apparatus to facilitate recycling of at least one fraction of bitumen-containing materials. This can be accomplished by dissolving the at least one fraction, for example, maltenes or asphaltenes in roofing shingles, into at least one solvent. In one aspect, the apparatus comprises a dissolution vessel, a tumbler positioned therein, and at least one solvent distributor. The tumbler is configured to facilitate wetting the bitumen-containing materials with solvent. In a second aspect, a system comprises the apparatus, a solid-liquid separator, for example, a vibratory screen, and at least one solvent-fraction separator, for example, a flash drum. The at least one solvent can comprise one or more solvents useful to extract the at least one fraction. In a third aspect, a first fraction is extracted from the bitumen-containing materials with a first solvent composition, then a second fraction is extracted from the remaining bitumen-containing materials with a second solvent composition.