Devices and methods herein remove water from human or animal biological waste fluids using one or more forward osmosis filters. The devices allow for the volume of liquid or semi-liquid waste, including potentially infectious liquid waste, to be filtered to reduce potential exposure of healthcare staff to infectious liquid waste. On a hospital, healthcare staff, or individual patient basis, removing water and concentrating the waste can reduce challenges in management and disposal of the waste. Devices herein use forward osmosis to manage and filter, using one or more suitably sized filter(s), biological fluid exudate from wounds. The devices can be constructed to transport water present in the exudate away from a wound. The wound treatment devices herein not only allow for fluid from wounds to be filtered but also provide structures that can protect wounds from external contaminants, including bacteria and viruses. The wound treatment devices can be incorporated into negative pressure wound therapy systems, if desired.

Devices and methods herein remove water from human or animal biological waste fluids using one or more forward osmosis filters. The devices allow for the volume of liquid or semi-liquid waste, including potentially infectious liquid waste, to be filtered to reduce potential exposure of healthcare staff to infectious liquid waste. On a hospital, healthcare staff, or individual patient basis, removing water and concentrating the waste can reduce challenges in management and disposal of the waste. Devices herein use forward osmosis to manage and filter, using one or more suitably sized filter(s), biological fluid exudate from wounds. The devices can be constructed to transport water present in the exudate away from a wound. The wound treatment devices herein not only allow for fluid from wounds to be filtered but also provide structures that can protect wounds from external contaminants, including bacteria and viruses. The wound treatment devices can be incorporated into negative pressure wound therapy systems, if desired.

Examples disclosed herein relate to methods and systems for controllably removing one or more solutes from a solution. Examples disclosed herein relate to methods and systems for removing water from alcoholic beverages.

The present invention relates to a purification/filtration system using reverse electro-osmotic flow through a composite or hybrid membrane element. The invention also relates to a process for purifying an electrolyte solution using such system. The invention further relates to a water purification system, a water desalination system and an implantable artificial kidney, comprising a reverse electro-osmotic filtration system according to the invention.

Forward osmosis membrane vessels, and particularly stackable forward osmosis membrane vessels, are provided as well as systems and methods thereof. The forward osmosis membrane vessel has a body, a strong draw solution chamber, a first and a second semipermeable membrane, and a brine chamber. The first and second semipermeable membranes each are disposed within the cavity of the body. The first and second semipermeable membranes are configured to produce diluted draw solution streams and brine streams. The brine chamber is disposed at least partially between the first semipermeable membrane and the second semipermeable membrane. The forward osmosis membrane vessel may be configured such that in a stacked configuration the brine chamber and the strong draw solution chamber of the forward osmosis membrane vessel aligns with a brine chamber and a strong draw solution chamber of an adjacent second forward osmosis membrane vessel.

Provided herein are osmotic desalination methods and associated systems. According to certain embodiments, multiple osmotic membranes may be used to perform a series of osmosis steps, such that an output stream having a relatively high water purity—compared to a water purity of an aqueous feed stream—is produced. In some embodiments, multiple draw streams can be used to produce aqueous product streams having sequentially higher purities of water. Certain embodiments are related to osmotic desalination systems and methods in which forward osmosis is used to produce a first product stream having a relatively high water purity relative to an aqueous feed stream, and reverse osmosis is used to perform a second step (and/or additional steps) on the first product stream. In some embodiments, multiple reverse osmosis steps can be used in series to perform a net desalination process.

The invention relates to osmotically driven membrane processes and systems and methods for recovering draw solutes in the osmotically driven membrane processes. Osmotically driven membrane processes involve the extraction of a solvent from a first solution by using a second concentrated solution to draw the solvent from the first solution across a semi-permeable membrane. Draw solute recovery may be carried out by various means to recover and recycle draw solutes contained within a diluted second solution and obtain a product solvent.

The present disclosure describes methods and systems for separating a fluid. The methods and systems include a plurality of osmosis modules operably coupled together. At least some of the plurality of osmosis modules include an osmosis membrane, a feed side on a first side of the osmosis membrane; a draw side on a second side of the osmosis membrane; a feed inlet operably coupled to the feed side; a draw inlet operably coupled to the draw side; a feed outlet operably coupled to the feed side; a draw outlet operably coupled to the draw side. The at least some of the plurality of osmosis units further including a feed recirculation loop operably coupled to the feed inlet, the feed outlet, and a feed inlet of a downstream osmosis module; and a draw recirculation loop operably coupled to the draw inlet, the draw outlet, and a draw inlet of a downstream osmosis module.

A system for reverse osmosis, RO, and for pressure retarded osmosis, PRO, includes: a RO subsystem (10) with a high-pressure RO chamber (11) and a low-pressure RO chamber (12) separated by a RO membrane (13), the high-pressure RO chamber (11) having a RO feed inlet (14) and a brine outlet (15) and the low-pressure RO chamber (12) having a permeate outlet (16); a PRO subsystem (20) with a high-pressure PRO chamber (21) and a low-pressure PRO chamber (22) separated by a PRO membrane (23), the high-pressure PRO chamber (21) having a draw inlet (24) and a draw outlet (25) and the low-pressure PRO chamber (22) having PRO feed inlet (26) and a PRO feed outlet (27); an induction motor (30) having a stator and a rotor, wherein the rotor is mechanically connected to an input shaft of a hydraulic pump (31) configured for providing a feed solution to the RO feed inlet (14) and to an output shaft of a hydraulic motor (32) configured for receiving a draw solution from the draw outlet (25). The invention further discloses a method for operating such system for RO/PRO and to the use of such system.

A process and system for indirect seawater, and other contaminated waters, electrolysis are provided. The system includes a pressure retarded osmosis unit including a semipermeable membrane, and a high pressure electrolyzer unit including an anode and a cathode, with an osmotic agent solution being circulated at high pressure between the draw side of the pressure retarded osmosis unit and the electrolyzer unit. The osmotic agent solution is diluted in the PRO unit as molecular water is drawn into it from the feed solution side through the semipermeable PRO membrane, and it is concentrated in the electrolyzer unit as molecular water is removed by electrolysis. The PRO process supplies the electrolyzer with the required molecular water for electrolysis and maintains a high pressure of the electrolyzer feed.