Described herein are fluid treatment devices for use in tangential flow filtration, comprising a housing unit and a composite material, wherein the composite material comprises: a support member comprising a plurality of pores extending through the support member; and a non-self-supporting macroporous cross-linked gel comprising macropores having an average size of 10 nm to 3000 nm, said macroporous gel being located in the pores of the support member. The invention also relates to a method of separating a substance from a fluid, comprising the step of placing the fluid in contact with an inventive device, thereby adsorbing or absorbing the substance to the composite material contained therein.

A first adhesion-fixing-portion adhesively fixing hollow fiber membranes together and a hollow fiber membrane bundle and an inner wall of a housing together at an open end of the hollow fiber membranes, and a second adhesion-fixing-portion adhesively fixing the hollow fiber membranes together and the hollow fiber membrane bundle and the inner wall of the housing together at a closed end of the hollow fiber membranes are included. At least one of the second adhesion-fixing-portion and the housing around the second adhesion-fixing-portion has at least one through-hole for introducing liquid fed from the outside of the second adhesion-fixing-portion to a space in the housing. The total area of an opening or openings of at least one through-hole provided outside an outer perimeter of the hollow fiber membrane bundle is 80% or more of the total area of an opening or openings of all of the at least one through-hole.

A method of cleaning a membrane surface immersed in a liquid medium with a fluid flow, including the steps of providing a randomly generated intermittent or pulsed fluid flow along the membrane surface to dislodge fouling materials therefrom. A membrane module is also disclosed comprising a plurality of porous membranes (6) or a set of membrane modules (5) and a device (11) for providing a generally randomly generated, pulsed fluid flow such that, in use, said fluid flow moves past the surfaces of said membranes (6) to dislodge fouling materials therefrom.

Provided is a filtration device exhibiting a high water treatment capacity and capable of increasing the longevity of a hollow-fiber filter, in a water purification device not requiring a purification material and requiring a high water treatment capacity. The filtration device (3) has: a housing case (15) having a water inlet unit and a water outlet unit arranged on one end side thereof; and a membrane module (17) provided inside this housing case (15). A first flow path (31) for causing raw water that has flowed in from the water inlet unit (21) to flow further to the other end side of the housing case (15) than the membrane module (17), and a second flow path (33) for causing the raw water that has flowed further to the other end side of the housing case (15) along this first flow path (31) to pass through the membrane module (17) and flow to the water outlet unit (23) are provided inside the housing case (15). A spacer (19) is provided on the upstream side of the membrane module (17) in the second flow path (33).

A membrane filter for filtering a liquid to be filtered, the membrane filter including at least one membrane carrier to which membranes are fixed, the membranes allowing a liquid permeate to be filtered out of the liquid, and the membrane carrier includes a permeate collecting chamber to which the membranes are connected in an open manner on the permeate side, and also comprises a permeate outlet for the discharge of the permeate out of the permeate collecting chamber; a gas distribution system which is arranged below the at least one membrane carrier and which has at least one downwardly open and upwardly closed tub which has a wall with downwardly open vertical slots for the distribution of a gas into the liquid to be filtered, at least one gas inlet leading into the gas distribution system. The invention also relates to a method for filtering a liquid.

A housing (30) of a hollow-fiber membrane module (101) is so configured as to have a small-diameter part (3B) having an inner diameter smaller than an inner diameter of a flow regulation cylinder (9) facing a part of the housing (30) on which a nozzle (8) is provided, and which is arranged on a lower side than a lower end of the flow regulation cylinder (9) in an axial direction of the hollow-fiber membrane module (101); or the flow regulation cylinder (9) is so configured as to have a small-diameter part (9G) which has an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the flow regulation cylinder (9) facing the part of the housing (30) on which the nozzle (8) is provided, and which is arranged on a lower side than the existing region of the flow regulation holes (10) in the axial direction of the hollow-fiber membrane module (101).

In embodiments of the invention, there is provided a dialyzer or filter comprising hollow fibers, in which blood flows on the exterior of the hollow fibers, and dialysate or filtrate may flow on the inside. The external surfaces of the hollow fibers may have properties of smoothness and hemocompatibility. The fiber bundle may have appropriate packing fraction and may have wavy fibers. Optimum shear rates and blood velocities are identified. Geometric features of the cartridge, such as pertaining to flow distribution of the blood, may be different for different ends of the cartridge. Air bleed and emboli traps may be provided. Lengthened service life may be achieved by combinations of these features, which may permit additional therapies and applications or better economics.

A cartridge for a water purifier has: a granular filter medium; an inner cylinder that supports the granular filter medium from inside, and does not allow the granular filter medium to pass through but allows water to pass through; an outer cylinder that supports the granular filter medium from outside, and does not allow the granular filter medium to pass through but allows water to pass through; a cap member that connects one end of the inner cylinder to one end of the outer cylinder, and that has an opening connected with an inner diameter side channel; an inner cylinder blocking member that blocks the other end of the inner cylinder; and an end portion adhesion material for adhering and fixing the inner cylinder blocking member and the outer cylinder, wherein the inner cylinder blocking member, the outer cylinder, and the end portion adhesion material are arranged so as to integrally block the granular filter medium.

Hollow fiber cartridges and components and methods of their construction.

A hollow fiber membrane module having: a tubular case; a plurality of hollow fiber membranes disposed within the case; sealing and fixing parts that fix the hollow fiber membranes to each other at the ends of the plurality of hollow fiber membranes; and sealing parts that seal annular gaps between the case and the sealing and fixing parts. The sealing parts are bonded to the inner peripheral surface of the case and the outer peripheral surface of the sealing and fixing parts while being allowed to expand or contract in the direction in which the spacing of the gaps between the case and the sealing and fixing parts changes.