Described herein are nanofibers and methods for making nanofibers that include any one or more of (a) a non-homogeneous charge density; (b) a plurality of regions of high charge density; and/or (c) charged nanoparticles or chargeable nanoparticles. In one aspect, the present invention fulfills a need for filtration media that are capable of both high performance (e.g., removal of particle sizes between 0.1 and 0.5 μm) with a low pressure drop, however the invention is not limited in this regard.

A flat ceramic membrane 1 has a plate-shaped porous support 21 made of ceramics and a filtration membrane 22 formed on an outer surface of the porous support 21. A plurality of water collection channels 2 where filtrate water obtained by permeation of water-to-be-treated through the filtration membrane 22 flows are formed inside the porous support 21. Further, a region where a thickness between a membrane surface 20 of the filtration membrane 22 and the water collection passage 2 is different is ensured inside the porous support 21.

A desalination system, including a membrane distillation portion, a solar power concentration portion, and a thermal vapor compression portion operationally connected to the membrane distillation portion and to the solar power concentration portion. The membrane distillation portion includes a first vessel having a first portion and a second portion separated by a hydrophobic membrane operationally connected therebetween and oriented to pass water from the first portion to the second portion, wherein the hydrophobic membrane further comprises a hydrophilic membrane and an air blocking layer connected to the hydrophilic membrane and disposed in the first portion, a vacuum gap adjacent the hydrophobic membrane and disposed in the second portion, a first fluid inlet and a first fluid outlet operationally connected to the first portion, and a second fluid inlet and a second fluid outlet operationally connected to the second portion. The solar power concentration portion includes a pump having a pump outlet and a pump inlet operationally connected to a water line and to the vacuum gap, a linear Fresnel mirror collector for collecting and focusing sunlight, and an outlet line operationally connected to the pump outlet and positioned to receive focused sunlight from linear Fresnel mirror collector. The thermal vapor compression portion includes an ejector having an ejector inlet portion and an ejector outlet portion, wherein the ejector inlet portion is operationally connected to the outlet line and to the vacuum gap, a second vessel fluidically connected to the outlet portion and further including a heat exchanger operationally connected to the ejector outlet portion and to a water pipe, a feed spray operationally connected to the second outlet and positioned to spray into the heat exchanger, and a collection portion for receiving concentrated feed spray. The heat exchanger receives desalinated water from the ejector and from the feed spray. The water line carries desalinated water from the heat exchanger. The first outlet passes concentrated brine, and the first inlet receives feed water to be desalinated.

Described herein are polysulfone-based and polyether sulfone-based thin-film nanocomposite (TFNC) membranes produced by solution blow spinning (SBS) technology for forward osmosis applications, including desalination and wastewater treatment. These TFNC membranes exhibit ultra-fast water flux, low reverse salt flux, and fouling resistance.

A nanobiocatalytic membrane for a filtration system is provided which includes a filtration membrane and a plurality of nanobiocatalyst nanoparticles associated with the membrane, each of the nanobiocatalyst nanoparticles including a core, a coating at least partially surrounding the core, and a plurality of nanobiocatalysts coupled to the coating. Each of the plurality of nanobiocatalysts includes an antibacterial nanoparticle comprising bismuth, and a quorum quenching agent coupled to the antibacterial nanoparticle. A nanobiocatalyst nanoparticle for use with a water purification system is also provided. A method of forming a nanobiocatalytic membrane for a filtration system and a method of using a nanobiocatalytic membrane in a filtration system are also provided.

Described herein is a gaslight multilayered composite tube having a heat transfer coefficient of >500 W/m.sup.2/K which in its construction over the cross section of the wall of the composite tube includes as an inner layer a nonporous monolithic oxide ceramic surrounded by an outer layer of oxidic fiber composite ceramic, where this outer layer has an open porosity of 5%<ε<50%, and which on the inner surface of the composite tube includes a plurality of depressions oriented towards the outer wall of the composite tube. Also described herein is a method of using the multilayered composite tube as a reaction tube for endothermic reactions, jet tubes, flame tubes or rotary tubes.

Polymer-based membranes and methods for fabricating membranes are described. The methods include forming a casting solution featuring a plurality of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-based solvent, and a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-based modifying agent, dispersing the casting solution to form a first element, generating a plurality of active sites on a surface of the first element, and forming a polymer-based membrane by exposing the surface of the first element to a fluorosilane composition to form a fluorosilane layer on the surface, where the fluorosilane composition includes a silane compound having at least one alkyl substituent that includes between 9 and 21 fluorine atoms.

Polymer-based membranes and methods for fabricating membranes are described. The methods include forming a casting solution featuring a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-based solvent and a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-based modifying agent, dispersing the casting solution to form a first element, generating a plurality of active sites on a surface of the first element, and forming a polymer-based membrane by exposing the surface of the first element to a fluorosilane composition to form a fluorosilane layer on the surface, where the fluorosilane composition includes a silane compound having at least one alkyl substituent that includes between 9 and 21 fluorine atoms.

This membrane filtration method includes: a membrane filtration process for adding a coagulant to water to be treated which contains viruses, and filtering the water to be treated by using a filtration membrane; and a cleaning process for, after the membrane filtration process, cleaning the filtration membrane, the membrane filtration process and the cleaning process being repeatedly performed, wherein, in the membrane filtration process, in the initial period of filtration, at least either an operation of filtering the water to be treated that includes the coagulant added by an amount larger than the amount of a coagulant added in a normal case, or an operation of filtering the water to be treated that has a pH lower than the pH of water to be treated in a normal case, is performed.

Certain examples of the present disclosure relate to a method for manufacturing a ceramic object, the method comprising: forming a ceramic structure by 3D printing the ceramic structure with a binder jetting 3D ceramic printer using a ceramic powder and an inorganic binder, wherein the ceramic powder comprises sintered ceramic material; and firing the ceramic structure to form the ceramic object.