A device for filtering and separating pressurized liquid mixtures by means of a membrane includes a substantially pressure-tight container in which the membranes are accommodated in a pressure-tight manner. The container has at least one intake for the mixture, as well as at least one outlet for the permeate separated from the mixture by means of the membranes, and at least one outlet for the retentate, also referred to as a concentrate. The pressure-tight container is made of plastic.

The present invention is directed to an affinity chromatography device that has a normal flow and which separates a targeted protein from aqueous mixtures. The chromatography device includes a housing containing therein a spiral wound membrane assembly that includes at least one inner intermediate material that forms an outer flow channel, at least one polymer membrane that contains therein inorganic particles, and at least one outer intermediate material that forms an inner flow channel sequentially positioned around a central core having a solid outer wall. An aqueous mixture is passed through the outer flow channel, through the polymer membrane where the targeted protein is removed, and then through an inner flow channel. The affinity chromatography device further includes an inlet flow distributor containing an inlet and an outlet flow distributer containing an outlet. Additionally, the chromatography device has a dimensionless resistance parameter that is less than 0.08.

The present invention provides a membrane separation device suitable for suppressing the growth of an undesirable microorganism inside the membrane separation device. The membrane separation device includes: a pervaporation membrane that separates a fermented liquid containing a volatile organic compound into a permeated fluid and a non-permeated fluid; a feed space and a permeation space separated from each other by the pervaporation membrane; a feed space inlet for supplying the fermented liquid to the feed space; and a feed space outlet for discharging the non-permeated fluid from the feed space. The feed space inlet is positioned below the feed space outlet.

An apparatus utilizes a membrane unit to capture components from atmospheric air, including oxygen and carbon dioxide, resulting in a permeate stream having an enriched concentration of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Alternatively, the membrane unit may be utilized to form a permeate stream having a permeate of enriched fast gas components. The permeate stream is thereafter directed to a permeate processing facility which may include a second stage of permeate enrichment, a flue gas generator, or a carbon dioxide sequestration facility for processing of an enriched stream of carbon dioxide. Among other carbon dioxide sequestration facilities, the carbon dioxide may be biologically sequestered by a facility of photosynthetic organisms, such as trees in an orchard, crops, or the like. The membrane unit may be shell-less and utilize a vacuum or positive pressure to facilitate the flow of fast gas components through a selective barrier of the membrane.

Disclosed is a membrane filter unit which includes: a filter case for housing a membrane; an inner tube housing a wastewater chamber and a hollow core tube, a middle tube housing a pure water chamber; the hollow core tube having a top opening at a top end and a bottom opening at a bottom end, and having a water collecting channel on its outer wall and positioned coaxially inside the case, wherein the top opening is adapted to open into the wastewater chamber; and a membrane having an inner peripheral surface, a top outer peripheral surface, a bottom outer peripheral surface and a side outer peripheral surface; and arranged around the core tube such that the inner peripheral surface of the membrane is spirally wound around the core tube and the side outer peripheral surface is capable of permeation of raw water through its surface.

A spiral membrane element includes an element body, an end member, and an exterior material. The end member includes a body portion having a first protrusion, and a skirt portion located between the element body and the exterior material, and satisfies at least one selected from the group consisting of the following requirements (1) to (3): (1) the first protrusion has a cut-in portion and a part of the exterior material is placed into at least a part of the cut-in portion; (2) the skirt portion has at least one of a hole and a through hole, and a part of the exterior material is placed into at least a part of at least one of a hole and a through hole; and (3) the first protrusion has a recess, and a part of the exterior material is placed into at least a part of the recess.

A spiral wound membrane module has a brackish water RO or NF membrane combined with a permeate carrier having a narrow spacing between membrane contacting elements. The membrane may have water permeability (A-Value) of at least 8*10.sup.5 cm/s/bar at 25 C. The membrane may have salt diffusion rate (B-Value) of at least 0.5*10.sup.5 cm/s at 25 C. The permeate carrier may have a density of 54 wales per inch or more of a gap between adjacent ribs of 215 um or less. The permeate carrier may have a channel cross-sectional area of 16*10.sup.9 m.sup.2 or more. Water is fed to the module at a high feed pressure, for example a pressure of at least 50 bar, optionally up to 120 bar. Retentate may be discharged at a concentration of 100 g/L, 130 g/L, or 150 g/L or more.

A spiral wound membrane module has a brackish water RO or NF membrane combined with a permeate carrier having a narrow spacing between membrane contacting elements. The membrane may have water permeability (A-Value) of at least 8*10.sup.5 cm/s/bar at 25 C. The membrane may have salt diffusion rate (B-Value) of at least 0.5*10.sup.5 cm/s at 25 C. The permeate carrier may have a density of 54 wales per inch or more of a gap between adjacent ribs of 215 um or less. The permeate carrier may have a channel cross-sectional area of 16*10.sup.9 m.sup.2 or more. Water is fed to the module at a high feed pressure, for example a pressure of at least 50 bar, optionally up to 120 bar. Retentate may be discharged at a concentration of 100 g/L, 130 g/L, or 150 g/L or more.

The present invention provides a spiral membrane element suitable for suppressing a decrease in a permeation rate (or a permeation flux) of a permeated fluid from a separation membrane. A spiral membrane element of the present invention includes: a central tube; a membrane leaf that has a separation membrane and a permeation spacer and is wound around the central tube; and a flow passage spacer that is connected to the permeation spacer and is wound around the central tube on a side closer to the central tube than the membrane leaf is. A pressure loss of the flow passage spacer measured by a predetermined test is smaller than a pressure loss of the permeation spacer.