A device and method are described for the treatment of blood, which device may be used in conjunction with or in place of a failed Kidney. The device includes an ultrafiltration unit to remove proteins, red and white blood cells and other high molecular weight components, a nanofiltration unit to remove glucose, at least one electrodeionization unit to transport ions from the blood stream, and a reverse osmosis unit to modulate the flow of water, to both the blood and urine streams. In one embodiment, a specialized electrodeionization unit is provided having multiple chambers defining multiple dilute fluid channels, each channel filled with an ion specific resin wafer, and electrodes at the extremity of the device and proximate each of the resin filled dilute channels. By selective application of voltages to these electrodes, the ion transport functionality of a given dilute channel can be turned on or off.

A method of producing a sugar liquid includes filtering a sugar liquid through a nanofiltration membrane and collecting a sugar liquid from the feed side, wherein a sugar liquid containing an organic liquid compound having a relative dielectric constant of not less than 17 at 25? C. is filtered through the nanofiltration membrane.

Concentration control in filtration systems and associated methods are generally described. Streams originating from upstream filters and having similar concentrations of a target minor component and/or similar osmotic pressures can be mixed and subsequently filtered within additional filters. Certain embodiments comprise recycling an output stream produced by a filter to a filter feed stream, wherein the output stream and the filter feed stream have similar concentrations of a target minor component and/or similar osmotic pressures. Such strategic mixing and/or recycling can reduce the amount of energy and/or the amount of filtration medium surface area required to achieve a desired concentration of the target minor component in a final product stream.

A water treatment subsea installation and method are disclosed, adapted for scaling prevention and treatment of raw seawater into process water suitable for use in subsea hydrocarbon production. The water treatment installation comprises a seawater inlet to a primary filtration unit wherein a filtration membrane separates a receiving chamber from a permeate chamber having an outlet for treated water. A pump is installed in fluid flow communication with the treated water outlet, a recirculation loop feeding a portion of the treated water via a subsea electro-chlorinator back to the water stream upstream or downstream of the membrane of the primary filtration unit, and a secondary filtration unit is installed in the treated water stream between the primary filtration unit and the electro-chlorinator.

The disclosed technology includes a membrane-based device configured to concentrate black liquor, which results from papermaking. Certain embodiments may comprise a nanofiltration membrane configured to remove lignin from black liquor, and the nanofiltration membrane may include a first macroporous polymer substrate and a first graphene oxide membrane covering the first macroporous polymer substrate. Some embodiments may comprise a reverse osmosis membrane, which may include a second macroporous polymer substrate and a second graphene oxide membrane covering the second macroporous polymer substrate.

The present invention provides combined electrodialysis and pressure membrane systems and methods for processing and treating water samples. These improved systems and methods use electrodialysis in combination with a pressure membrane process to remove organic matter from water sources while retaining ion concentrations appropriate for drinking water.

The integrated reverse osmosis/pressure retarded osmosis system includes a first housing configured for pretreating feed brine, a second housing, a third housing configured for pretreatment of seawater, a first splitter positioned in communicating relation with the third housing, a first pump positioned in communicating relation with the first splitter, a fourth housing positioned in communicating relation with the first pump, a mixer positioned in communicating relation with the second housing and the first splitter, a first energy recovery system positioned in communicating relation with the second housing, a second energy recovery system positioned in communicating relation with the fourth housing, and a generator. The fourth housing configured for receiving pressurized seawater and producing desalinated product water by reverse osmosis. The second housing configured to receive feed brine from an oil production waste stream and decrease the salinity of the feed brine by pressure retarded osmosis.

Produced water from a crude oil or natural gas production process is purified using a membrane purification system for petroleum production, agricultural, commercial and domestic uses. The produced water is pretreated to remove, at least, particulates and oil from the produced water. The minimally pretreated water is then purified in a membrane purification system, that is operated at conditions such that membrane scaling is reduced or prevented. In particular, the membrane purification system is operated to maintain the turbidity of clarified water feed to the system or intermediate aqueous streams that are cascading through the membrane purification system. Ensuring that the turbidity of the reject streams generated in the membrane system are useful in achieving long membrane operating life.

A process for separating solvent from a feed solution, said process comprising: contacting a feed solution comprising solutes dissolved in a solvent with one side of a nanofiltration membrane, applying hydraulic pressure to the feed solution, such that solvent and some of the dissolved salts from the feed solution flow through the nanofiltration membrane to provide a permeate solution on the permeate-side of the nanofiltration membrane and a concentrated solution on the retentate-side of the nanofiltration membrane; contacting the permeate solution from the nanofiltration membrane with one side of a reverse osmosis membrane and applying hydraulic pressure to the permeate solution, such that solvent from the permeate solution flows through the reverse osmosis membrane to leave a concentrated solution on the retentate-side of the reverse osmosis membrane, using the concentrated solution from the retentate-side of the reverse osmosis membrane as at least part of the feed solution tothe nanofiltration membrane;withdrawing at least a portion of the concentrated solution from the retentate-sideof the nanofiltration membrane.

A method of producing a sugar liquid includes filtering a cellulose-derived sugar liquid through one or more separation membranes selected from the group consisting of an ultrafiltration membrane, a nanofiltration membrane and a reverse osmosis membrane, and washing the separation membrane(s) after filtration with washing water containing an acidic substance and an aromatic compound.