A serial filtration system for liquid purification includes a preliminary-stage reverse-osmosis (RO) module and a first-stage, high-permeability, reverse-osmosis (HiRO) module. Both modules include (a) a chamber including an inlet, a retentate outlet, and a permeate outlet, and (b) at least one membrane separating the chamber into a retentate side on an upstream side of the membrane and a permeate side on a downstream side of the membrane. The membrane in the preliminary stage is an RO membrane, while the membrane in the first stage is an oxidized membrane. The first-stage inlet is in fluid communication with the preliminary-stage, retentate outlet; and the oxidized membrane in the first stage, comprises an oxidized polyamide active layer coated on a porous support, wherein the oxidized polyamide active layer has an atomic oxygen/nitrogen ratio of at least 1.5.

A process for producing a liquid coffee concentrate that has a reduced acrylamide content. The process involves contacting a low aromatic aqueous coffee extract with a selectively-permeable membrane to reduce the acrylamide content of the extract, prior to combining the treated extract with a high aromatic aqueous coffee extract. In particular, the process comprises the steps of: a) providing a low aromatic aqueous coffee extract having a first acrylamide content; b) providing a high aromatic aqueous coffee extract; c) contacting the low aromatic aqueous coffee extract with a selectively-permeable membrane to provide a low aromatic aqueous coffee extract having a second acrylamide content; and d) combining the low aromatic aqueous coffee extract having a second acrylamide content and the high aromatic aqueous coffee extract to provide a liquid coffee concentrate, wherein the second acrylamide content is lower than the first acrylamide content.

A purification system is for purifying a mixture containing a first solvent, a second solvent, and an impurity. The purification system includes a first membrane separation device including a pervaporation membrane and a second membrane separation device including a filtration membrane. The pervaporation membrane separates the mixture into a first permeated fluid and a first concentrated fluid. The first permeated fluid has a lower concentration of the impurity than that in the mixture, and the first concentrated fluid has a higher concentration of the impurity than that in the mixture. The filtration membrane separates the first concentrated fluid into a second permeated fluid and a second concentrated fluid. The second permeated fluid has a lower concentration of the impurity than that in the first concentrated fluid, and the second concentrated fluid has a higher concentration of the impurity than that in the first concentrated fluid.

The invention relates to 100% renewably-powered desalination/water purification stations for universal applications, the station is disruptive, scalable, amphibious and deportable to seawater, brackish or spill oil sites for simple wave-powered and autonomous operations, the station has a mooring assembly with pumping-purification-delivery subsystems powered by wave and solar energies, the pumping subsystems has the simplest, most efficient wave push/pull pump mechanisms powered by amplified wave centrifugal forces , the mechanical purifications has turbine filters, reverse-osmosis filters, forward-osmosis filters and relief valves to backwash buildups without releasing brine, release water through collecting spill oil, the solar thermal purifications are provided with distilling processes under vaccine conditions, the delivery subsystems with wave turbines and solar panels for generating electricity, propellering and transferring the stations for delivering fresh waters to destinations under GPS guide with the lowest LCOW.

A water treatment system 100 includes: a filtration device 16 that includes an RO membrane element 12 and an NF membrane element 14, and treats raw water containing sodium chloride by the RO membrane element 12 and the NF membrane element 14 to generate concentrated raw water; and an electrolytic device 18 that is disposed downstream of the filtration device 16 and electrolyzes the concentrated raw water to generate water containing sodium hypochlorite.

A reverse osmosis arrangement is described, the first chamber (5) having a first port (7) and a second port (8) and the second chamber (6) being connected to a permeate outlet (9), wherein the first port (7) is connected to a first pump (13). Such a reverse osmosis arrangement should be operated with high efficiency. To this end the second port (8) is connected to a second pump (14).

A method of concentrating lithium containing solutions includes inputting a feed brine solution to an initial separation stage, the feed brine solution including lithium sulfate and one or more of sodium sulfate, potassium sulfate, calcium sulfate, and sodium chloride dissolved in water. In the initial separation stage, the feed brine solution is introduced to a pre-treatment membrane at a pressure that is less than the osmotic pressure of the feed brine solution. An initial permeate that passes through the pre-treatment membrane becomes the feed to a final separation stage, and an initial retentate that does not pass through the pre-treatment membrane includes a precipitate of at least one of the salts other than lithium sulfate. In the final separation stage, the initial permeate is introduced to a nanofiltration membrane at a pressure that is less than the osmotic pressure of the initial permeate. A final retentate that does not pass through the nanofiltration membrane is combined with the initial retentate to obtain a product solution having a higher concentration of dissolved lithium sulfate than the feed brine solution.

Described herein are water desalination membranes and methods of desalinating water. Sulfonated poly(arylene ether) polymers are also disclosed, including those comprising one or more sulfonate groups at various points along the polymer chain. The polymers may be used as at least a portion of a water desalination membrane. The polymers described herein are useful for preventing transport of aqueous ionic species (e.g., Na.sup.+ and Cl.sup.−) across a membrane made from the polymers while allowing water to pass. Chlorine-stable polymers are described, as well as polymers exhibiting good performance for rejecting monovalent cations in the presence of polyvalent cations.

A system for treating a tetraalkylammonium hydroxide-containing liquid having a high-pressure type reverse osmosis membrane device concentrating a liquid to be treated containing tetraalkylammonium hydroxide at a concentration side, and a line for supplying the concentrated liquid to be treated by the reverse osmosis membrane device to an evaporator further concentrating the concentrated liquid to be treated.

The present invention relates to a phytocomplex or natural concentrate rich in polyphenolic compounds such as hydroxytyrosol and 3,4-DHPA-EDA, derived from the waters from the pressing of olives for oil and/or olive pomace as residues of the olive milling process, for use in the reduction/attenuation of the symptoms and/or side effects associated with/caused by diabetes and/or the pathological conditions associated therewith.