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.

A pervaporation membrane formed on a porous support containing a composition encompassing a polysiloxane, a crosslinker and a catalyst are disclosed and claimed. Also disclosed are the fabrication of membranes which exhibit unique separation properties, and their use in the separation of organic volatiles from biomass and/or organic waste, including butanol, ethanol, and the like.

Described herein is a method for preparing a flavor composition, typically a dehydrated and de-alcoholized flavor composition, by decreasing or removing water and ethanol from a strong alcoholic flavor composition. The method includes the steps of treating the strong alcoholic flavor composition by a dehydration process and dealcoholization process. Also described herein are flavor compositions obtainable by this method, flavored consumer products including the same and methods and uses thereof.

A purification method for separating and purifying an organic solvent from a liquid mixture of an organic solvent and water, the organic solvent having a boiling point of more than 100° C. at 1 atm, includes the steps of: passing the liquid mixture through a first ion exchange device; supplying the liquid mixture discharged from the first ion exchange device to a pervaporation device to selectively separate water component; supplying the organic solvent recovered from the concentration side of the pervaporation device to an evaporator to obtain a purified organic solvent; and passing, through the second ion exchange device, a portion of liquid containing the organic solvent and flowing at a first position subsequent to the first ion exchange device. The liquid discharged from the second ion exchange device is returned to a second position which is at a preceding stage of the pervaporation device.

A method of obtaining a compound may include adding a substrate to a medium in a reactor, and reacting the substrate in the reactor to form the compound. A first stream is separated from the reaction liquid through a first membrane. A second stream is separated from the reaction liquid through a second membrane. The first membrane is a filtration membrane and the second membrane is configured for liquid-gas or liquid-liquid extraction The first membrane and the second membrane are at least partially immersed in the medium and are moved relative to the reactor during the separation steps.

Systems and methods for separating a liquid mixture are disclosed. A membrane is first soaked by the liquid mixture via dynamic soaking to reach steady state. During the soaking process, the flow rate of the liquid mixture is increased at a flow rate ramp, the temperature is increased at a temperature ramp, and the pressure drop is increased at a pressure drop ramp. After the soaking process, the liquid mixture is separated by the membrane under optimized conditions to produce a permeate and a retentate.

A method of obtaining a compound may include adding a substrate to a medium in a reactor, and reacting the substrate in the reactor to form the compound. A first stream is separated from the reaction liquid through a first membrane. A second stream is separated from the reaction liquid through a second membrane. The first membrane is a filtration membrane and the second membrane is configured for liquid-gas or liquid-liquid extraction The first membrane and the second membrane are at least partially immersed in the medium and are moved relative to the reactor during the separation steps.

An ambient water condenser system is described having a condensation chamber which at least partially contains or surrounds a fluid reservoir which contains a volume or mass of an aqueous hygroscopic solution for condensing water from ambient air and a distillation process for extracting the water from the solution. The fluid reservoir has a heat source, a lower porous hydrophobic membrane, and an upper porous hydrophobic membrane. The heat source causes the hygroscopic solution near the top of reservoir to have a higher temperature which causes it to have a higher water vapor pressure, whereby the water vapor passing through the upper porous hydrophobic membrane and into the condensation chamber condenses into liquid water.

The disclosure provides a bifunctional composite membrane, a preparation method and use thereof, and a method for removing a plasticizer in liquor. The bifunctional composite membrane includes a supporting membrane and a dense layer which covers a surface of the supporting membrane, wherein the supporting membrane includes a filtering membrane and an adsorbent, and the adsorbent is dispersed in a pore structure of the filtering membrane.

The present invention relates, in general terms, to a composite membrane for use in filtration. The present invention also relates to a method of fabricating the composite membrane, and a method of filtrating using the composite membrane as disclosed herein. The method of fabricating a composite membrane comprising contacting a perfluorinated polymer solution with a surface of a polymer layer and drying the perfluorinated polymer solution at a relative humidity of less than 20% to form a perfluorinated polymer layer physisorbed on the surface of the polymer layer.