The present invention relates generally to processes for converting fructose-containing feedstocks to a product comprising 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) and water in the presence of water, solvent and an acid catalyst. In some embodiments, the conversion of fructose to HMF is controlled at a partial conversion endpoint characterized by a yield of HMF from fructose that does not exceed about 80 mol %. In these and other embodiments, the processes provide separation techniques for separating and recovering the product, unconverted fructose, solvent and acid catalyst to enable the effective recovery and reutilization of reaction components.

The present disclosure provides a reverse osmosis filter elements for separating components of a fluid mixture. The filter elements comprise self-supporting membrane vanes comprising porous supporting strips and at least one reverse osmosis membrane layer laminated thereon. These filter elements have a permeate flow channel between the inner surface of the two porous supporting strips and an open feed water flow channel dispersed around the membrane vane. These filter elements can be used in new and existing filtration plants, such as desalination systems, and have a wide range of advantages over the spiral wound filter elements currently available.

A pressurized forward osmotic separation process is disclosed. Generally there are two processes described. One process involves the concentration of a target solute in the first solution; the other process involves the extraction of a solvent from a first solution both by a second solution comprising of water and soluble gas or water, soluble gas, and a compound by creating an osmotic concentration gradient across the semi permeable membrane. The first solution is under pressure from an inert gas and the second solution is under pressure from a soluble gas with equal system pressures greater than 1 atmosphere. The increase or decrease of partial pressure of the soluble gas in the second solution increases or decreases the chemical potential of the second solution to achieve different solution properties. The soluble gas may be carbon dioxide and the compound may be magnesium hydroxide.

Green liquor clarification comprising filtering of a flowing suspension containing solids, wherein the suspension is brought into contact with a first filter unit (4), said 5 filter unit (4) comprising one or several filter elements (12) comprising one or several filter bodies (3) having filter channels (33) within the filter bodies (3) with a filtering layer (32), a part of the suspension is forced to pass through the filtering layer (32) from a first/inner surface (32A) to a second/outer surface (32B) of the filtering layer (32) forming a filtrate while the solids substantially remains in a residual part of the suspension forming a slurry and where the filtering layer (32) is made of a membrane material with pores, said pores having a pore size of 0.1-10 micrometer, more preferred 0.1-5 micrometer and most preferred 0.2-1.0 micrometer.

The present invention may be used in systems and methods for brine treatment scaling control in a water treatment system. A concentrated brine stream influent may be treated in an electrodialysis-reversal process to produce a concentrated brine stream effluent and a lower salinity diluent water, which may be potable water effluent. The concentrated brine stream effluent may be processed in a brine treatment scaling control system that may have a mixing vessel and a membrane filter with the mixing vessel seeded with calcium sulfate. A lowered salinity brine stream effluent may be produced for return to the electrodialysis-reversal process to allow operation at greater overall recovery and an elevated concentrated brine stream may be produced.

The present invention relates to a method of membrane-filtrating a lignin containing composition in order to obtain a lignin fraction more suitable for further treatments. In particular it relates to treating a liquid lignin composition to obtain a lignin fraction having a desired molecular weight distribution by a membrane filtration. It comprises subjecting the liquid lignin composition to a first membrane filtration with a first filter cut-off adapted to remove species having a first molecular weight thereby providing a permeate with a molecular weight distribution defined by said cut-off. Then, the permeate from the first membrane filtration is; subjected to at least one further filtration step with a second filter cut-off, different from said first filter cut-off to provide a retentate (concentrate) with a molecular weight distribution defined by both the cut-off in the first filter the cut-off in said second filter. A dilution is performed on a desired lignin containing fraction at some point downstream of the first filtration unit. A lignin containing retentate (concentrate) is collected from the further ultrafiltration for further processing.

An acidic treatment liquid processing apparatus includes: a tank having an interior space; a diaphragm permeable to a metal cation and separating the interior space of the tank into a first chamber and a second chamber; a first electrode disposed in the first chamber; a second electrode disposed in the second chamber; a power supply configured to apply a voltage while using the first electrode as an anode and the second electrode as a cathode; a first liquid passing part configured to pass an acidic treatment liquid containing a dichromate ion and a metal cation into the first chamber; and a second liquid passing part configured to pass an acid aqueous solution into the second chamber.

A water treatment system includes a coagulating and flocculating system, an ultrafiltration membrane, and a fluid driver. The coagulating and flocculating system includes a first inlet for receiving water and a second inlet configured to receive a coagulating and flocculating agent. The coagulating and flocculating system is configured to precipitate dissolved phosphorous from the water, and to provide a flocculated effluent at an outlet of the coagulating and flocculating system. The ultrafiltration membrane includes an inlet that is fluidly coupled to an outlet of the coagulating and flocculating system. The ultrafiltration membrane is configured to separate the precipitated phosphorus from the flocculated effluent. The fluid driver is adapted to transfer the flocculated effluent from the outlet of the coagulating and flocculating system to the inlet of the ultrafiltration membrane at sustained flux rates of at least 150 LMH.

A water treatment system includes a coagulating and flocculating system, an ultrafiltration membrane, and a fluid driver. The coagulating and flocculating system includes a first inlet for receiving water and a second inlet configured to receive a coagulating and flocculating agent. The coagulating and flocculating system is configured to precipitate dissolved phosphorous from the water, and to provide a flocculated effluent at an outlet of the coagulating and flocculating system. The ultrafiltration membrane includes an inlet that is fluidly coupled to an outlet of the coagulating and flocculating system. The ultrafiltration membrane is configured to separate the precipitated phosphorus from the flocculated effluent. The fluid driver is adapted to transfer the flocculated effluent from the outlet of the coagulating and flocculating system to the inlet of the ultrafiltration membrane at sustained flux rates of at least 150 LMH.

A method and system of removing environmental contaminants from water comprising adding a fatty chemical to form a mixture with the water in which the fatty chemical and the environmental contaminants complex to form molecular complexes. The mixture is then filtered to remove the molecular complexes from the water.