A device for easy and rapid removal of pollutants from drinking water and other liquids. A method for removing a pollutant from a drink by immersing the device into the drink. A method for constructing the device using polypropylene (PP) membrane sheet and an adsorbent.

A device for determining contamination of a fluid by microorganisms has a housing with an internal volume, a cover closing the housing, a fluid inlet port, at least one filtration member, at least one nutrient layer including a composition of a microbiological culture medium, characterized in that the device includes a fluid outlet port, and in that the cover has an inner surface in the internal volume extending radially about the fluid inlet port up to a peripheral edge of the cover, said inner surface being inclined and converging towards the fluid inlet port, and in that the bottom of the housing has a surface extending radially about the fluid outlet port up to the side wall of the housing, said inner surface being inclined and converging towards the fluid outlet port.

A filtration cell (10) for a biological sample including an upper chamber for receiving the biological sample to be filtered, a lower chamber in fluid communication with the upper chamber, and a filtration membrane (14) positioned between the upper chamber and the lower chamber is disclosed. A surface of the filtration membrane has a contact angle >90°. The flow of the biological sample through the upper chamber may be tangential to the filtration membrane and a filtrate passing through the filtration membrane may be collected in the lower chamber. Also, a method of filtering a biological sample including passing the biological sample through an upper chamber of a filtration cell as described above and collecting a filtrate in the lower chamber is disclosed.

A biological fluid separation device adapted to receive a biological fluid sample having a first portion and a second portion is disclosed. The device includes a housing having a first chamber having a first chamber inlet for receiving the biological fluid sample therein and a first chamber outlet. The housing has a second chamber having a second chamber inlet and a second chamber outlet, and a separation member separating at least a portion of the first chamber outlet and the second chamber. The separation member is adapted to restrain the first portion of the biological fluid sample within the first chamber and to allow at least a portion of the second portion of the biological fluid sample to pass into the second chamber. An actuator, such as a vacuum source, draws the biological fluid sample into the first chamber and the second portion into the second chamber.

A crossflow filter device for filtering a pressurised feed liquid is provided. The crossflow filter device comprises: a filter membrane; a flow channel for the pressurised feed liquid which extends in a path over a retentate surface of the membrane such that the direction of flow in the channel is tangential to the retentate surface, and a filtrate derived from the feed liquid passes through the membrane leaving retentate liquid in the flow channel; and a collection chamber for the filtrate formed on an opposite, filtrate surface of the membrane. The crossflow filter device further comprises a sealed housing having a retentate side and a filtrate side which enclose therebetween the flow channel, the filter membrane and the collection chamber. The crossflow filter device further comprises, flow channel guide walls provided at an inner surface of the retentate side of the housing. The guide walls are configured to form a fluid tight seal with the filter membrane, and thereby define the path of the flow channel over the retentate surface of the membrane.

Devices and methods herein remove water from human or animal biological waste fluids using one or more forward osmosis filters. The devices allow for the volume of liquid or semi-liquid waste, including potentially infectious liquid waste, to be filtered to reduce potential exposure of healthcare staff to infectious liquid waste. On a hospital, healthcare staff, or individual patient basis, removing water and concentrating the waste can reduce challenges in management and disposal of the waste. Devices herein use forward osmosis to manage and filter, using one or more suitably sized filter(s), biological fluid exudate from wounds. The devices can be constructed to transport water present in the exudate away from a wound. The wound treatment devices herein not only allow for fluid from wounds to be filtered but also provide structures that can protect wounds from external contaminants, including bacteria and viruses. The wound treatment devices can be incorporated into negative pressure wound therapy systems, if desired.

Devices and methods herein remove water from human or animal biological waste fluids using one or more forward osmosis filters. The devices allow for the volume of liquid or semi-liquid waste, including potentially infectious liquid waste, to be filtered to reduce potential exposure of healthcare staff to infectious liquid waste. On a hospital, healthcare staff, or individual patient basis, removing water and concentrating the waste can reduce challenges in management and disposal of the waste. Devices herein use forward osmosis to manage and filter, using one or more suitably sized filter(s), biological fluid exudate from wounds. The devices can be constructed to transport water present in the exudate away from a wound. The wound treatment devices herein not only allow for fluid from wounds to be filtered but also provide structures that can protect wounds from external contaminants, including bacteria and viruses. The wound treatment devices can be incorporated into negative pressure wound therapy systems, if desired.

The invention concerns a filtration assembly for microbiological testing and a method of using the filtration assembly for that purpose. The filtration assembly (1) comprises a ring-like membrane support (10) holding a filtration membrane (11), a cylindrical reservoir (20) of which opposite axial ends have openings and one axial opening is removably and fluid-tightly attachable to the membrane support (10) to define a sample volume adjacent to the filtration membrane (11) on one axial side of the membrane support (10); and a lid device (40) removably and fluid tightly attachable to the other axial opening of the reservoir (20) to close the opening. Further, the lid device (40) is removably and fluid tightly attachable to the membrane support (10) so as to seal the one axial side of the membrane support (10) from the environment.

Embodiments of the present disclosure describe an isoporous polymer membrane comprising a polymeric film having a plurality of isopores, wherein the isoporous polymer membrane is characterized in that it has one or more of the following features: a porosity of about 20% or greater, a plurality of isopores arranged in an ordered array, wherein the plurality of isopores extend from a first membrane surface to a second membrane surface along an axis perpendicular to the first and second membrane surfaces, a membrane size of about 45 cm.sup.2 or greater, and a pore size of about 2 μm or less. Embodiments of the present disclosure also describe methods of fabricating the isoporous polymer membranes, applications using the isoporous polymer membranes, and the like.

A self-contained filtration assembly with a self-contained filtration cassette therein. The cassette may be formed from one or more layers membranes and spacers (spacers, screens, or combinations thereof) all having the same general shape. The cassette may have a feed inlet path and a retentate outlet path extending through the layers of the cassette within the perimeter of the cassette, and a permeate outlet path between the cassette exterior and the interior of the cassette housing. The housing may have a generally circular or elliptical cross-section. A clamping assembly may hold together the components of the housing, and may be elongated in a direction along the flow path of the feedstream through the cassette. Various port-defining zones defined in the layers of the cassette may be sealed in a manner facilitating assembly of the cassette as well as isolation of the flow paths therein.