Methods for improving ion flux and energy efficiency in a membrane stack of an electrodialysis unit wherein the membrane stack is disposed between an anode and a cathode each in an electrolyte of a selected concentration. Methods include increasing the concentration of the electrolyte, adding a strong base to the electrolyte and adding buffering anions to the electrolyte. Methods for cleaning the electrodes of such a unit involving involve applying a pulsed polarity reversal to the electrodes. Also provided are methods for improving unit operation by increasing the basicity of the electrolyte to the anode and increasing the acidity of the electrolyte to the cathode or alternatively or in addition, by applying heat to increase the operating temperature of at least one of the electrolyte and the treated water stream.

A conditioning system for a filter module is disclosed. The conditioning system may generally include an inlet, a heat exchanger, a magnetically levitated pump, a channel provided to bypass the heat exchanger, a controller, an outlet, and a base. The system may have components lined with corrosion-resistant materials. A method of conditioning a filter module is also disclosed. The method may generally include measuring TOC in a source of ultrapure water, heating the ultrapure water, rinsing a filter module with the heated water, flushing the filter module with ambient temperature water, and repeating the rinsing with heated water and flushing with ambient temperature water. A method of facilitating conditioning of the filter module is also disclosed. The method may generally include providing a portable filter module conditioning system and providing instructions for installation or use.

The disclosure pertains to sanitizing the permeate flow path of a reverse osmosis system. A method of sanitizing a filtration system is disclosed that can include injecting a biocide into a permeate compartment of an operating reverse osmosis system. The method can also include maintaining pressure in a concentrate compartment of the reverse osmosis system simultaneously while injecting the biocide.

Systems and methods for rapid flushing of a membrane-based fluid filtration system are disclosed herein. During flushing, a membrane of the system can be decoupled from other portions of the system and brine can be flushed from the membrane separate from the other portions of the system. In some embodiments, the membrane can be connected to a pump to form a flushing loop that is separate from the flushing loops of the main system to flow the flushing fluid therethrough. The flushing fluid through the membrane can be optimized and set based on a flow rate of the membrane to prevent damaging the membrane while minimizing flush time of the membrane relative to the flush time of the system.

A water purification apparatus capable of being cleaned at a point of care and methods for cleaning the water purification apparatus at the point of care are disclosed herein. The water purification apparatus and the methods provide an efficient use of a heater for heat disinfection the water purification apparatus. The water purification apparatus and the methods provide heat disinfection by recirculating heated fluid to further heat the fluid. Several different cleaning programs are provided that may be utilized for cleaning different parts of the water purification apparatus.

A passive device for controlling rain water runoff. The device including: an inlet for directing the rain water runoff; and a mechanism for directing a predetermined initial amount of the rain water runoff to a first outlet and passively directing a subsequent amount of the rain water runoff to a second outlet.

A water treatment apparatus is provided. The water treatment apparatus includes a filtering unit including a water filter filtering raw water, a sterilizing water generator producing sterilizing water from purified water filtered by at least a portion of the filtering unit, and a discharge member through which the purified water, filtered by the filtering unit, is discharged externally. The sterilizing water produced in the sterilizing water generator sterilizes the discharge member and at least a portion of a flow path connected to the discharge member.

A system and method for switching between flows of water solutions passed in groups of blocks of membrane pressure vessels arranged in parallel in a tapered flow system, wherein the system comprises a system inlet feed line, a system outlet flow line, high pressure booster pumps configured to provide a high pressure feed stream to the system; blocks of membrane pressure vessels arrayed in parallel, and a first and second bypass line each parallel to said blocks.

A reverse osmosis treatment apparatus includes a membrane unit including an osmosis membrane module. The membrane unit includes a plurality of banks connected in series, each bank including an osmosis membrane module. At least one of the banks includes a treatment water pipe valve and a concentrated water pipe valve, and a bypass pipe capable of diverting the water to be treated, which is to be supplied to the bank, around the bank and draining the water to be treated and a chemical cleaning pipe capable of supplying the reverse osmosis membrane module disposed in the bank with chemical cleaning water are connected. A reverse osmosis treatment method is for cleaning intermittently a bank having the treatment water pipe valve and the concentrated water pipe valve while continuing the reverse osmosis treatment using the remaining bank.

Disclosed herein is a water purification apparatus capable of being cleaned at a point of care, and methods for cleaning the water purification apparatus at the point of care. The water purification apparatus and the methods provide an efficient use of a heater for heat disinfection the water purification apparatus, e.g. by recirculating heated fluid to further heat the fluid. Several different cleaning programs are provided that may be utilized for cleaning different parts of the water purification apparatus.