Devices, systems and methods for using photosynthetic biomass to purify water, reduce indoor air pollution, remove greenhouse gases including CO.sub.2 from outdoor atmospheric air, and produce biofuel, food products, and fertilizer are provided herein. Also provided herein are systems and methods for enhancing growth of a photosynthetic biomass in a greenhouse.

Stabilized air filters formed from mats of crosslinked protein-containing fibers are provided. The fibers are formed into a mat with pores that allow air to pass through while physically filtering particulate matter. The protein in the protein-containing fibers also serves to chemically filter polluted air passed through the filter. Specifically, chemical functional groups from the many amino acids that comprise the protein of the protein-containing nanowire react with certain chemical pollutants (e.g., carbon monoxide and formaldehyde) in order to capture or otherwise neutralize the pollutant. Accordingly, the single fiber mat performs two filtering functions. Methods for making the air filters from crosslinked protein-containing nanofibers are also provided.

An onboard aircraft inerting system includes an apparatus and method for regenerating an activated carbon media of a filter module while the aircraft is in flight. In regeneration mode, the activated carbon media is heated to a temperature sufficient to desorb the VOC contaminants adsorbed thereon and the air stream passing through the filter module is at a pressure lower than the air pressure of the air stream passing through the filter in normal inerting mode.

A process to prevent fouling using a desublimating heat exchanger is disclosed. An outlet stream from the desublimating heat exchanger may be split into a plurality of parallel streams. The parallel streams may be sent through other devices for performing a unit operation, and the devices for performing a unit operation may change the temperature of at least one of the parallel streams. Parallel streams of differing temperature may emerge from the devices for performing a unit operation. The parallel streams of differing temperature may be sent to a mixing chamber. A mixed stream of uniform temperature may emerge from the mixing chamber, and the mixed stream may be recycled back to the desublimating heat exchanger. The mixing chamber may be separate from the desublimating heat exchanger, or the parallel streams of differing temperature may be mixed in the desublimating heat exchanger.

An ozone converter includes a toroidal shaped inlet housing and an outlet housing that is removably coupled to the inlet housing. The converter also includes a ring shaped ozone removable core disposed at least partially within the inlet housing.

An apparatus and method for treating air. A housing can enclose a heating zone and an oxidizing zone positioned downstream of the heating zone with respect to a flow direction of the air being treated. A catalyst in the oxidizing zone oxidizes contaminants from the air, and an air mover positioned is configured to move air from an air inlet through the housing to an air outlet. An air treatment cycle can include an air cleaning mode at a high air flow and a self-cleaning mode at a lower air flow. A heater is operated during the self cleaning mode to oxidize contaminants that on the catalyst from the air cleaning mode.

A shielding structure of an object sterilized by radiation. The object is a housing that accommodates an accommodated object therein and is formed of a shielding material that shields the radiation and secondary radiation that has a higher transparency than the radiation and is secondarily generated by the radiation, an exterior of the housing is sterilized by the radiation, and the radiation and the secondary radiation do not penetrate through the accommodated object.

A method and a system are provided for collecting volatile organic compounds and applying THz based detection of a signature of the collected compounds to determine egg properties. Egg properties include gender and/or fertility.

A filter arrangement for a mobile device includes at least one first filter element and at least one second filter element, which are arranged in an air duct of the mobile device. The at least one first filter element is a pleated filter and the at least one second filter element is an adsorption filter. The at least one first filter element and the at least one second filter element are separate and mounted in the air duct so as to be mutually spaced. The at least one first filter element includes at least one nonwoven layer. The at least one second filter element is a honeycomb filter including a plurality of channels which are delimited by channel walls.

Methods, systems, and devices for an automotive vehicle air cleaning system are provided which may be configured to operate in at least an adsorption mode and an in-situ regeneration mode are disclosed. The system includes at least one type of sorbent material configured to remove CO.sub.2 from a cabin of an automotive vehicle according to a repeated adsorption-desorption swing cycle, a first inlet configured to supply a first airflow of air from the cabin to the system during an adsorption mode, and a first outlet configured to return the first airflow after passing over and/or through the sorbent material during the adsorption mode. The system includes a second inlet configured to supply a second airflow of outside air to the system during a regeneration mode, a second outlet to return the second airflow after passing over and/or through the sorbent material during the regeneration mode.