Provided is a flow path material for a liquid separation apparatus, which is less likely to collapse upon the application of a high pressure to the flow path material and causes a lower reduction of the flow rate. The flow path material for a liquid separation apparatus includes a tricot fabric containing thermoplastic core-sheath composite fibers each made of two kinds of polyester resins having different melting points or softening points. The flow path material for a liquid separation apparatus is configured such that: in the thermoplastic core-sheath composite fibers, a high-melting-point component is placed in the core, while a low-melting-point component is placed in the sheath; the tricot fabric is a tricot knitted fabric knitted with a two-guide-reed knitting machine using the thermoplastic core-sheath composite fibers as a front yarn and a back yarn and is rigidified by the thermoplastic core-sheath composite fibers being bonded to each other; the tricot fabric has a wale density of 45 to 70 yarns/inch (2.54 cm) and a course density of 40 to 70 yarns/inch (2.54 cm); and, when the tricot fabric is heat-pressed at 90? C. and 4.0 MPa for 3 minutes, the percentage of change in the thickness of the tricot fabric before and after pressing is 10% or less.

Embodiments described herein are directed to methods of manufacturing a multi-leaf membrane module for filtering product fluid flow (e.g., food products or wastewater) and such multi-leaf membrane modules. In an embodiment, a multi-leaf membrane module is disclosed. The multi-leaf membrane module includes a permeate fluid flow tube defining a permeate fluid flow channel for permeate, and a membrane sheet spirally wound about the permeate fluid flow tube. The membrane sheet includes two or more leaves. Each of the two or more leaves includes a feed spacer including at least one opening formed therein that at least partially defines a feed channel for product fluid flow therethrough and a permeate structure defining a permeate fluid flow channel. The permeate structure of each of the two or more leaves includes at least one membrane and at least one porous permeate spacer.

The present invention relates to separation methods and systems for converting high concentrations of animal wastes into useful products, wherein the separation of the desired useful products is conducted with a cross-flow filtration system having the ability to the separate desired useful energy and/or products from both viscous and non-viscous medium.

A filtration system suitable for recovering base stock from used lubricating oil and other applications pass feedstock over nano-filtration membranes assembled as a stack of membranes all experiencing parallel flow. On exiting a first stack of membranes the feedstock passes through an opening in a pressure-sustaining separator plate to flow in the reverse direction past a second stack of membranes and subsequently establish a serpentine flow of feedstock through multiple stacks of membranes. The stacks of membranes all share a common pressure containment vessel. Pressure boosters installed in the flow-through openings of separator plates separating consecutive stacks can serve to restore lost pressure of the feedstock and maintain effective permeation of permeate through the membranes. A pressure control valve at the outlet to the permeate-receiving cavities of a stack can be used to adjust the trans-membrane pressure.

The present invention provides a spiral membrane element suitable for suppressing a decrease in a permeation rate of a permeated fluid from a separation membrane. The spiral membrane element of the present invention includes a central tube and a separation membrane that is wound around the central tube. The central tube has an opening for guiding, to an inside of the central tube, a permeated fluid having permeated through the separation membrane. The opening extends in a longitudinal direction of the central tube.

A gas separation module comprising gas separation elements, said elements comprising at least two membrane sheets and a permeate carrier sandwiched between the membrane sheets, wherein the permeate carrier comprises at least two macroporous layers and a gas-impermeable sheet located between the macroporous layers.

Embodiments provide methods and structures for purification or volume reduction of a brine by an advanced vacuum distillation process (AVMD) to achieve higher flux by passage of vapors through an AVMD distillation unit. In one example, brine is circulated in a tank. The tank may include one or more membrane pouches that are submerged in the circulating brine or placed above the water level of the hot circulating brine. In other embodiments the membrane pouches are outside of the tank that includes the hot circulating brine but still in communication with it. The circulating brine is heated, allowing creation of water vapor. Using a vacuum, the water vapor is drawn through the membrane, where it may be condensed and subjected to further beneficial use. This process can concentrate to levels to generate crystals or solids, which can be separated and utilized.

A filter element comprises a membrane layer; and a feed spacer on the membrane layer, wherein the feed spacer comprises a plurality of unit cells arranged in three dimensions, wherein each of the plurality of unit cells comprises a cavity defined by a triply periodic minimal surface, and wherein the cavities of the plurality of unit cells are interconnected to allow a fluid to pass through the cavities of the plurality of unit cells.

A membrane separation apparatus includes: a lower support body that includes a water-to-be-treated introduction port and a concentrated water discharge port; an upper support body that includes a permeated water discharge port; a separation membrane that is provided between the lower support body and the upper support body, and that separates water to be treated into permeated water and concentrated water; and a first sheet-like elastic member that is provided between the separation membrane and the lower support body, and that forms seals between the separation membrane and the lower support body and between the lower support body and the upper support body.

Disclosed is a spiral wound membrane element that provides two permeate streams through a permeate carrier sheet. The spiral wound membrane element is sealed such that the only communication with the permeate carrier is through a membrane sleeve. The first permeate stream flows spirally inward and the second permeate stream flows in the opposite direction, spirally outward. The permeate carrier sheet is sealed at two edges so that the permeate streams can only discharge from opposite, unsealed edges of the permeate carrier sheet. The first permeate stream may be collected in a central collection tube and the second permeate stream may be collected in a peripheral region of the membrane element.