A system (5) for regeneration of acidic gas solvent comprises a regeneration cell having a solvent chamber (100) arranged to receive a solvent flow and an internal chamber (92) arranged to receive a steam flow (110). The regeneration cell also includes a gas permeable membrane (95) separating the solvent chamber (100) and internal chamber (92). The regeneration cell is arranged to vent acidic gas stripped from the solvent by the steam. A method for regenerating acidic gas solvent is also provided.

A solar membrane distillation apparatus includes a housing comprising a light transmitting wall. A solar distillation membrane is positioned in the housing to receive solar radiation transmitted through the light transmitting wall. The solar distillation membrane includes a porous graphitic foam and a coating of a hydrophobic composition on the surface and pores of the graphitic foam. A water chamber within the housing is provided for retaining water adjacent to the solar distillation membrane. A vapor chamber is provided for collecting water vapor distilling through the solar distillation membrane. A condenser is provided for condensing distilled water vapor from the vapor chamber into liquid water. A separation membrane and a method of solar distillation are also disclosed.

An apparatus for water purification includes a membrane distillation (MD) cell; an air conditioner; a photovoltaic solar collector (PVSC) cell including a transparent photovoltaic cell configured to generate electricity, an absorber plate configured to absorb solar radiation, and a flow tube configured to receive the fluid; a first heat exchanger; a second heat exchanger; and a fluid source storing a fluid configured to circulate through the apparatus, wherein the fluid circulating in the apparatus carries heat generated by a condenser of the air conditioner to the PVSC cell where the fluid interacts with the PVSC cell to increase a temperature of the fluid to become a heated fluid; and the heated fluid circulates to the hot channel where the heated fluid drives the distillation of water in the MD cell.

Provided herein is a membrane filter device comprising a cell top cover (A, Y) and a cell bottom cover (B, Z) covering the device, a flexible tube (35, E, F) whereas at the end of the tube, a nozzle jet (22) is also secured via conical reducer to produce upper Reynold's number and for distributing the feed fluid, within the hex hollow chamber (C, X) for storing and receiving feed fluid, a reducer chamber (C, R1, R2) for storing and receiving permeate filtrated fluid, a connector (32, 53, 56) connecting both feed chambers (A, Y, Z) and reducer chambers (A, Y, Z), a membrane assembly (M/F) comprising a layer of membrane (130) sandwiched by a pair of seal rings (P1, OR, P2) and a layer of support net (MS) for securing said membrane (M/F). Most of the joints are connected using threaded joint and flow pressure, therefore no external clamp, nuts or bolts is needed. The flexible tube and the cylindrical shape ensure uniform flow in chambers. The apparatus is therefore a user-friendly and steadfast membrane filter device.

Composite polyether block amide (PEBA) copolymer tubes incorporate an ultra-thin PEBA layer that enables rapid moisture transfer and exchange through the tube. A composite PEBA film may include a porous scaffold support and may be formed or incorporated into the composite PEBA tube. A porous scaffold support may be coated or imbibed with PEBA to form a composite PEBA film. A composite PEBA film may be wrapped on a mandrel or over a porous scaffold support to form a composite PEBA tube. A film layer may be applied over a wrapped composite PEBA film to secure the layers together. The film layer by applied by dipping, spraying or painting.

The invention relates to a multistage membrane distillation apparatus (5000), comprising a plurality of multistage membrane distillation modules (500, 600), the modules being configured to be flowed through in parallel by a liquid (F) to be concentrated. Each module comprises a plurality of serial condensation/evaporation stages (50, 60) configured to be flowed through in series by the liquid to be concentrated. Each condensation/evaporation stage comprises a plurality of parallel condensation/evaporation elements (101, 102) configured to be flowed through in parallel by the liquid to be concentrated. Each condensation/evaporation element comprises at least one condensation unit and at least one evaporation unit. The apparatus further comprises at least one of: a centralized heating stage configured to generate steam and to provide the steam to each of the modules in parallel, and a centralized condensation stage configured to receive steam from each of the modules in parallel and to condensate the steam.

The present invention provides a membrane distillation apparatus that comprises an evaporation part comprising a liquid phase part 1 in which water to be treated flows, a gas phase part 1, and a hydrophobic porous membrane that separates the liquid phase part 1 and the gas phase part 1, a condensation part comprising a liquid phase part 2 in which cooling water flows, a gas phase part 2, and a cooling member that separates the liquid phase part 2 and the gas phase part 2, and a gas phase part 3 connecting the gas phase part 1 with the gas phase part 2, wherein the pressure of the gas phase parts 1 to 3 is 1 kPa or higher and the saturated steam pressure of water at the temperature of water to be treated or lower.

A solar distillation device includes a feed water chamber having an open interior feed water compartment and a feed water inlet to the feed water compartment. A distillate chamber has a top and sides and an open interior distillate compartment, and a distillate water outlet in liquid communication with the distillate compartment. The top, the rear wall, and the sides of the distillate chamber includes a solar radiation transmissive portion. A distillation membrane separates the feed water compartment from the distillate compartment, and has a feed water facing surface and a distillate facing surface. The membrane can include a porous hydrophobic material, and the distillate surface of the distillation membrane can be black. The transmissive portion allows solar radiation to pass through the top, the rear wall, and the sides of the distillate chamber and strike the distillation membrane.

This disclosure provides a water purification system for recovery of purified water from liquid wastewater. The liquid wastewater is converted to a contaminated gas stream using a water distillation technique. The contaminated gas stream is passed through a gas phase photolytic oxidation reaction chamber. An ultraviolet (UV) source in the gas phase photolytic oxidation reaction chamber exposes the contaminated gas stream to UV radiation to remove various contaminants in the gas phase and/or biological pathogens. The gas phase photolytic oxidation reaction chamber forms a purified gas stream from the contaminated gas stream, where the purified gas stream contains water vapor and is substantially free of contaminants. In some embodiments, an ionomer membrane may be placed downstream of a source of the liquid wastewater and upstream of the gas phase photolytic oxidation reaction chamber to treat the contaminated gas stream prior to UV exposure.

The invention provides a water-alcohol separation system and a method for water-alcohol separation for producing a high purity alcohol while achieving energy saving as the whole process. Namely, a water-alcohol separation system including plural separation membrane modules connected in series, a vacuum apparatus for reducing a pressure at a permeated side of each of the separation membrane modules, and a condenser for condensing a vapor that has passed through a membrane, in which plural independent vacuum systems reduce the pressure at the permeated side of the membrane of the separation membrane modules.