A process of and apparatus for dehydrating an alcohol/water mixture may include pressurizing the mixture to at least 40 psig, heating the pressurized mixture to a temperature of at least 170° F., passing the heated and pressurized mixture through at least one Zeolite separator to produce separate streams of water and pressurized and heated dehydrated alcohol, and using the pressurized and heated dehydrated alcohol to at least in part heat pressurized mixture and to cool the pressurized and heated dehydrated alcohol. At least some implementations may include cooling the pressurized and heated dehydrated alcohol to a temperature below its boiling point at atmospheric pressure. At least some implementations may include applying a vacuum to the water stream side of the Zeolite separator. At least some implementations may include cooling the stream of water to a temperature of less than about 200° F.

The present disclosure relates to a method for determining the necessity of an action and/or a success of an action involving water, especially drinking water, process water or waste water, including steps as follows: providing a retentate of a water filter present in a water conveying line, analyzing the retentate regarding at least one property and/or its chemical composition, and determining the necessity or success of the action and, in given cases, deriving the action from the analysis. Furthermore, the present disclosure relates to a system including a means for providing the retentate of a water filter in a water conveying line and a measuring/analytical means for performing the analysis.

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.

Exemplary embodiments in desalination by direct contact membrane distillation present a cylindrical cross-flow module containing high-flux composite hydrophobic hollow fiber membranes. The present embodiments are directed to a model that has been developed to describe the observed water production rates of such devices in multiple brine feed introduction configurations. The model describes the observed water vapor production rates for different feed brine temperatures at various feed brine flow rates. The model flux predictions have been explored over a range of hollow fiber lengths to compare the present results with those obtained earlier from rectangular modules which had significantly shorter hollow fibers.

Enhanced cleaning of a fouled membrane is achieved via controlled deformation in a method wherein a feed composition, comprising a solvent and dissolved components, flows into a retentate side of a membrane module. The solvent passes through the membrane from the retentate side to a permeate or draw side of the membrane module while retaining the dissolved components on the membrane. As a foulant accumulates on either side of the membrane, a driving force is generated across the membrane, wherein the membrane responds cyclically by deforming back and forth toward the permeate or draw side and toward the retentate side. The foulant is dislodged from the membrane via mechanical fatigue at the foulant-membrane interface caused by the deformation of the membrane and contact with a spacer in contact with the membrane.

A water purification system utilizes an ionomer membrane and mild vacuum to draw water from source water through the membrane. A water source may be salt water or a contaminated water source. The water drawn through the membrane passes across the condenser chamber to a condenser surface where it is condensed into purified water. The condenser surface may be metal or any other suitable surface and may be flat or pleated. In addition, the condenser surface may be maintained at a lower temperature than the water on the water source side of the membrane. The ionomer membrane may be configured in a cartridge, a pleated or flat plate configuration. A latent heat loop may be configured to carry the latent heat of vaporization from the condenser back to the water source side of the ionomer membrane. The source water may be heated by a solar water heater.

Embodiments described herein relate generally to systems, apparatus, and methods for using graphene oxide-containing membranes for separation and concentration processes. In some embodiments, a fluid component having a first concentration in a fluid mixture can be concentrated using a first distillation process to a second concentration. In some embodiments, the fluid component can be concentrated from the second concentration to a third concentration using a graphene oxide-containing membrane. In some embodiments, the fluid component can be concentrated from the third concentration to a fourth concentration using a second distillation process. In some embodiments, the fluid component can have an azeotropic concentration between the second concentration and the third concentration.

Mass transfer packing with a minimal surface or a triply periodic minimal surface which enables significantly improved performance for separation and mixing applications particularly with respect to distillation, liquid-liquid contacting, and heat exchange applications.

A feedstock solution flow concentration system, which has a first step for counterflowing or parallel flowing a feedstock solution flow a containing a solute and a solvent b, and a draw solution flow d via a forward osmosis membrane o and transferring the solvent b in the feedstock solution flow a to the draw solution flow d to obtain a concentrated feedstock solution flow c, which is the feedstock solution flow which has been concentrated, and a diluted draw solution flow e, which is the draw solution flow which has been diluted.

A membrane distillation module with a circulating line to circulate a portion of distilled water, which is formed and accumulated in a distillate zone, to enhance a permeate flux of water vapor through a hydrophobic membrane of the membrane distillation module. Various combinations of embodiments of the membrane distillation module are provided.