The present invention provides a separation membrane suitable for separating water from a liquid mixture containing an alcohol and water. A separation membrane 10 according to the present invention contains polyimide including a structural unit represented by formula (1). A is a linking group having a solubility parameter, in accordance with a Fedors method, of more than 5.0. B is a linking group having a solubility parameter of more than 8.56. R.sup.1 to R.sup.6 each are independently a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, a sulfonic group, an alkoxy group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms, or a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms. Ar.sup.1 and Ar.sup.2 each are a divalent aromatic group.

An integrated solar PV panel-membrane distillation system includes a solar photovoltaic panel having a front face for receiving solar energy and a back face, opposite to the front face and a membrane distillation device attached directly to the back face of the solar photovoltaic panel. The solar photovoltaic panel is configured to simultaneously generate electrical energy and transfer heat to the back membrane distillation device for generating fresh water from contaminated water.

A bilayer electrospun membranes for treating hydraulic fracking wastewater via membrane distillation, and more particularly to bilayer electrospun membranes having an omniphobic layer to prevent low-surface tension solution wicking and an oleophobic antifouling surface to prevent foulant depositing on the membrane. Nanoparticles are decorated on the omniphobic surface through electrochemical interaction, which is coated with a fluorine monomer on the nanoparticles. A zwitterionic co-polymer is grafted using self-assembly between hydroxy groups on the antifouling surface generated by alkaline treatment and anchor segment epoxy groups on zwitterionic co-polymer.

In an example method, first electrical power is generated using one or more solar panels, and a water level rise of a sea is mitigated, at least in part, using a water processing system that is at least partially powered by the first electrical power. Mitigating the water level rise of the sea includes extracting saline water from the sea, desalinating the saline water, directing the desalinated water to one or more turbine generators, generating second electrical power using the one or more turbine generators, and directing the desalinated water from the one or more turbine generators into one or more aquifers. The one or more aquifers are hydraulically isolated from the sea.

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.

Various examples of methods and systems are provided for soft sensing of system parameters in membrane distillation (MD). In one example, a system includes a MD module comprising a feed side and a permeate side separated by a membrane boundary layer; and processing circuitry configured to estimate feed solution temperatures and permeate solution temperatures of the MD module using monitored outlet temperatures of the feed side and the permeate side. In another example, a method includes monitoring outlet temperatures of a feed side and a permeate side of a MD module to determine a current feed outlet temperature and a current permeate outlet temperature; and determining a plurality of estimated temperature states of a membrane boundary layer separating the feed side and the permeate side of the MD module using the current feed outlet temperature and the current permeate outlet temperature.

For powering a vehicle, a high energy density fuel is preferred. However, for example when the high energy fuel is highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide, this fuel may be dangerous to handle; especially when the person handling the fuel is a normal consumer filling a fuel reservoir of his vehicle at a gas station. The present invention therefore provides a vehicle arranged to receive a diluted—and thus safer—fuel, and to density this fuel to a concentrated fuel in low quantities on board for direct use. To this end a fuel densifier is provided in the vehicle arranged for receiving liquid diluted fuel and arranged to provide a concentrated fuel based on the diluted fuel, the concentrated fuel having a higher energy density than the diluted fuel. A power conversion module of the vehicle is arranged to convert the concentrated fuel to kinetic energy for powering the vehicle.

An arrangement for providing sterile water for injection purposes is described. A device for heating drinking water above the boiling point, a device for maintaining a chamber inner pressure which lies below the atmospheric pressure, and an electronic controller are provided, and the chamber is equipped with at least one membrane which is impermeable for liquids and a film or plate at a distance from the membrane, wherein steam which is permeated through the membrane is condensed on the film of plate. The membrane and the film or plate form a module, and the condensed water can be removed from the chamber via an outlet as sterile water for injection purposes.

Chinese ink is applied on various materials and stabilized by atomic layer deposition to fabricate solar steam generation devices. The encapsulated ink has excellent photothermal properties and evaporation efficiency under simulated sunlight, holding great promise in solar evaporation device applications.

A membrane distillation (MD) system consisting of a membrane module and carbon nanotube immobilized membrane for organic solvent separation is disclosed. The MD module includes a feed inlet and outlet, a sweep gas inlet, and a sweep gas outlet. Thermostats are positioned at the feed inlet and outlet to measure the change in temperature. Preferential sorption of the organic on carbon nanotube immobilized membrane contributes to enhanced solvent removal of the MD system. A pervaporation (PV) system consisting of a membrane module and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) mixed matrix membranes with graphene oxide (GO)—carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for enhanced purification of the alcohol solution after membrane distillation to remove trace amount of water is disclosed.