Methods, systems, and devices for water treatment or for preventing fouling of components of water treatment systems can include the upstream introduction of nanobubbles in-line and/or in close proximity to a reverse osmosis membrane in the water treatment system. The nanobubbles can bind to and cluster (flocculate) nanoparticles (and possible larger solid particles) so that they can be removed and not foul water purification components such as reverse osmosis membranes. The nanobubbles can also interact with and change some characteristics of nanoparticles and thereby reduce fouling of some system components, such as reverse osmosis membranes, or other components. The systems, methods, and devices disclosed herein can help produce potable water safe for human consumption in a more cost-effective manner, e.g., by reducing maintenance costs and in some cases manufacturing costs.

A beverage dispenser has a supply opening that supplies an aqueous liquid from a source; a recooling heat exchanger having a heat receiving portion, a recooling inlet and a recooling outlet; a reverse osmosis filter having an inlet for aqueous liquid, a permeate outlet and a concentrate outlet; and a cooling device having a cooling portion extracting heat energy from the permeate and a heat dissipation portion dissipating energy to the heat receiving portion of the recooling heat exchanger. The heat dissipation portion of the cooling device is thermally coupled with the heat receiving portion of the recooling heat exchanger. The cooling portion of the cooling device is thermally coupled with the permeate exiting the permeate outlet of the reverse osmosis filter, wherein the permeate enters the cooling portion by a cooling portion permeate inlet and exits the cooling portion by a cooling portion permeate outlet.

A membrane filtration device including a filtration mode for filtrating water to be treated by passing the water to be treated from a primary side to a secondary side of a filtration membrane and a filtration membrane cleaning mode for cleaning the filtration membrane by passing ozone water from the secondary side to the primary side of the filtration membrane, wherein the membrane filtration device includes an inter-membrane differential pressure controller for controlling an inter-membrane differential pressure ?P, and is configured such that in the filtration membrane cleaning mode, the inter-membrane differential pressure controller performs control to gradually lower the inter-membrane differential pressure ?P twin a predetermined initial differential pressure ?P1 to a final differential ?P2, which is a value lower than the ?P1.

The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of an aqueous solution comprising at least one earth alkali hydrogen carbonate, a process for the mineralization and/or stabilization of water as well as the use of the aqueous solution comprising at least one earth alkali hydrogen carbonate obtained by the process for the mineralization and/or stabilization of water.

An object of the present invention is to provide a water treatment system in which explosions can be prevented even when filtering water to be treated that is able to generate flammable gas. A water treatment system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a water-to-be-treated tank which stores water to be treated, a crossflow-type filtration membrane module which filters the water to be treated, a supply passage through which the water to be treated is supplied to the filtration membrane module from the water-to-be-treated tank by using a supply pump, and a recirculation passage through which the water to be treated is recirculated from the filtration membrane module to the water-to-be-treated tank. The supply passage is provided with an aspirator which mixes a gas with the supplied water to be treated, the gas being recirculated through the recirculation passage to the water-to-be-treated tank together with the water to be treated. The water-to-be-treated tank has an upper space provided above the liquid surface of the stored water to be treated, the upper space being hermetically filled with an inert gas. The water-to-be-treated tank is further provided with a gas transport passage through which the inert gas is supplied from the upper space to the aspirator.

An object of the present invention is to provide a water treatment system in which explosions can be prevented even when filtering water to be treated that is able to generate flammable gas. A water treatment system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a water-to-be-treated tank which stores water to be treated, a crossflow-type filtration membrane module which filters the water to be treated, a supply passage through which the water to be treated is supplied to the filtration membrane module from the water-to-be-treated tank by using a supply pump, and a recirculation passage through which the water to be treated is recirculated from the filtration membrane module to the water-to-be-treated tank. The supply passage is provided with an aspirator which mixes a gas with the supplied water to be treated, the gas being recirculated through the recirculation passage to the water-to-be-treated tank together with the water to be treated. The water-to-be-treated tank has an upper space provided above the liquid surface of the stored water to be treated, the upper space being hermetically filled with an inert gas. The water-to-be-treated tank is further provided with a gas transport passage through which the inert gas is supplied from the upper space to the aspirator.

The present application provides a switchable forward osmosis system, and processes thereof. In particular, this application provides a process for treating an aqueous feed stream, comprising: forward osmosis using an aqueous draw solution having a draw solute concentration of ?20 wt %, the draw solute comprising ionized trimethylamine and a counter ion; wherein, the feed stream: (i) comprises ?5 wt % total dissolved solids; (ii) is at a temperature of ?20? C.; (iii) is at a temperature between ?30? C.-?60? C.; (iv) has an acidic pH or a basic pH; (v) comprises organic content; (vi) comprises suspended solids; (vii) or any combination of two or more of i)-v). Also provided herein are the related system and draw solution for performing the process, and various uses thereof for treating typically difficult to dewater feed streams.

An oily water separator for removing oil from oil-containing water, including a vessel, a filtration membrane unit and a discharge mechanism, the filtration membrane unit containing a filtration membrane module and a returning mechanism, the filtration membrane module for performing filtration in the state of allowing the module to be immersed into the oil-containing water, the filtration membrane module having an elongated filtration membrane with an opening portion, the opening portion of the filtration membrane being fixed to one end of the filtration membrane module, the opening portion of the filtration membrane being communicatively connected to the returning mechanism, and the returning mechanism being extended along the filtration membrane toward an end on a side opposite to an end portion having the opening portion thereof, the returning mechanism being communicatively connected with the discharge mechanism.

A submerged offshore reverse osmosis desalination apparatus and method uses desalinated product water from the apparatus and an onshore cooler or heat exchanger to provide or improve the cooling of an onshore Rankine Cycle heat engine.

Method for treating water for the purpose of reducing the content of organic matter, of micropollutants and of pathogenic agents therein, comprising the supplying of water to be treated directly into a membrane reactor containing at least one filtration membrane and an adsorbent material, stirring the mixture of water and adsorbent, and extracting treated water, characterised in that the adsorbent material consists of micrograins of activated carbon having a real density of at least 0.45, a settling velocity of 30 to 50 m/H, a specific surface area of 400 to 2500 m.sup.2/g, and an average particle size of between 600 and 1300 m, less than 5% by volume of said grains having a size of less than 400 m, in that the concentration of said activated carbon micrograins in said membrane reactor is maintained between 5 and 100 g/L, and in that no other granular or particulate material other than the activated carbon micrograins is used in said reactor, the stirring of said mixture of water and activated carbon micrograins in the membrane reactor being at least partially carried out by air injection into said mixture at a rate of 30 to 60 Nm.sup.3/m.sup.2.Math.H and being sufficiently vigorous to avoid the deposit of activated carbon micrograins on said at least one filtration membrane