The present invention relates to methods and systems for optimization of dilution of a viscous starting material to isolate and/or concentrate the product of interest from the starting source material such that the process minimizes the volume of diluent and the total volume of the waste stream generated during the process as well as maximizing the yield of desired product. The system employs cross-flow filtration modules with sub-channels that are equidistant to the inlet and outlet of said modules and such modules are characterized by optimal channel height, optimal transmembrane pressure, etc., which are selected in order to achieve the best combination of product quality and production yield.

A water treatment device is provided with a separation membrane device having a separation membrane for concentrating dissolved components and dispersed components from water to be treated and obtaining permeated water; a first deposit detecting unit provided in a non-permeated water branch line branched from a non-permeated water line for discharging non-permeated water in which dissolved components and dispersed components have been concentrated, using part of the non-permeated water that has branched off as a detection liquid, and having a first separation membrane for detection in which the detection liquid is separated into permeated water for detection and non-permeated water for detection; and first flow rate measuring devices for separated liquid for detection that measure the flow rates of one or both of the permeated water for detection and the non-permeated water for detection separated by the first separation membrane for detection.

Provided is a reverse osmosis treatment apparatus which decreases operation power by utilizing a back pressure caused by regulating an amount of permeated water. The reverse osmosis treatment apparatus includes a first pressure vessel for a primary treatment of untreated water, and a second pressure vessel for a secondary treatment of the water treated by the primary treatment, wherein a reverse osmosis membrane element having a reverse osmosis membrane or the plurality of reverse osmosis membrane elements are arranged in series along a water collection pipe in the first pressure vessel and the second pressure vessel. The first pressure vessel includes a first outlet pipe which discharges permeated water, and a permeated water flow control valve connected to the first outlet pipe and regulating a pressure in the first pressure vessel. An energy recovery apparatus is provided between the first outlet pipe and the permeated water flow control valve.

A water treatment device includes a sub-reverse osmosis membrane device having a primary casing and a primary reverse osmosis membrane dividing the primary casing into a primary liquid passing part and a primary permeating part; a low pressure water feed pump feeding seawater to the primary liquid passing part at a pressure that is equal to or lower than an osmotic pressure of the seawater; a main reverse osmosis membrane device having a secondary casing and a secondary reverse osmosis membrane dividing an inside of the secondary casing into a secondary liquid passing part and a secondary permeating part; and a high pressure water feed pump feeding a primary treated liquid, which is a resultant product of the seawater passing through and flowing out of the primary liquid passing part, to the secondary liquid passing part at a pressure higher than an osmotic pressure of the primary treated liquid.

Improved reverse osmosis (RO) systems include at least first and second stages wherein each stage has at least one RO membrane, each stage has a feed stream inlet, a permeate stream outlet, and a concentrate stream outlet, the feed stream inlet of the second stage is coupled to the concentrate stream outlet of the first stage, the second pressure is greater than the first pressure, and pressure exchangers associated with each of the first and second stages are configured to recover energy from the second stage concentrate stream. The systems include M reverse osmosis membranes in the first stage and N reverse osmosis membranes in the second stage, wherein M≧N. The first pressure and second pressure are configured so that spatial variance in flux of the first stage permeate stream relative to flux of the second stage permeate stream is minimized.

Algae harvesting and cultivating systems and methods for producing high concentrations of algae product with minimal energy. In an embodiment, a dead-end filtration system and method includes at least one tank and a plurality hollow fiber membranes positioned in the at least one tank. An algae medium is pulled through the hollow fiber membranes such that a retentate and a permeate are produced.

A subsea system is configured to inject seawater into a subterranean formation. The system includes a sub-micron filtration module and a plurality of pumps and a plurality of other filtering devices arranged in series.

A system and method of treating sour water, including providing sour water having hydrosulfide ions and a carbon-containing compound to an anodic chamber of an electrolyzer vessel, converting the hydrosulfide ions into sulfate ions in the anodic chamber via an oxido half-reaction of a first oxido-reduction reaction and generating carbon dioxide in the anodic chamber via an oxido half-reaction of a second oxido-reduction reaction associated with the carbon-containing compound. The technique includes reacting the carbon dioxide with hydroxide ions in the anodic chamber to generate bicarbonate ions. The technique includes discharging an anodic chamber solution having the sulfate ions and the bicarbonate ions from the electrolyzer vessel from the anodic chamber.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods of extracting a high protein food product from legumes comprising: milling a supply of legumes to form a fine powder; hydrating the fine powder to form a liquid slurry; separating solids from the liquid slurry to form a milk-like fluid; pasteurising said milk-like fluid to remove unwanted organisms therefrom; filtrating said pasteurised milk-like fluid to remove permeates therefrom to form a substantially liquid product; and removing most of the moisture from the substantially liquid product to generate a high protein food product in the form of a powder.

Provided is a reverse osmosis treatment system capable of simultaneously and efficiently recovering energy generated both at brine and permeate sides. The system comprises a branched portion configured to divide second to-be-treated water into third and fourth to-be-treated water; a high-pressure pump configured to pressurize the third to-be-treated water thereby to feed fifth to-be-treated water having a higher pressure than the to-be-treated water before divided; a displacement type of first energy recovery device configured to exchange pressures between the fourth to-be-treated water and brine thus separated by a reverse osmosis treatment device, thereby to produce sixth to-be-treated water having a higher pressure than the fourth one; and a second energy recovery device configured to raise a pressure of the third to-be-treated water located at a downstream side of the branched portion with a pressure of first permeate thus separated by the reverse osmosis treatment device.