Hollow fiber membranes, membrane contactors, and related production and use methods. The asymmetric hollow fiber membranes include a porous substrate having a multiplicity of pores and including at least one semi-crystalline thermoplastic polyolefin (co)polymer. A skin layer including at least one polydiorganosiloxane polyoxamide copolymer overlays the porous substrate. The skin layer is less porous than the porous substrate and forms an outer surface of the asymmetric hollow fiber membrane, while the porous substrate forms an inner surface of the hollow fiber membrane. The skin layer is preferably nonporous.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a porous monolayer polymer membrane, to a porous monolayer polymer membrane, and to the use of the polymer membrane for filtration.

Improved methods for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions comprising at least one surfactant, involving prefiltration of the surfactant prior to formulation into final products.

There is provided a multi-layered membrane for separating components in an aqueous sample. There is also provided a method of preparing said multi-layered membrane, a method of separating blood plasma from a whole blood sample and a diagnostic device for separation of blood plasma from a whole blood sample.

A high salinity water purification system and process, including a forward osmosis system and a reverse osmosis or nanofiltration system. A concentrated brine of a zinc or iron complex combined with a salt or acid draws pure water across the FO membrane from the influent water. The diluted brine is pumped through a vessel holding an anionic adsorption media to remove the zinc or iron complex and the resultant brine is passed through the RO or nanofiltration system to obtain purified water and a concentrated brine stream. The adsorption media is regenerated by a rinse cycle using fresh water or water from the RO system, removing the zinc or iron complex adhered to the media. The resultant brine is stored and mixed with the output of the RO system. Charged membrane can be used as a standalone membrane in FO process or in combination with resin or resin embedded membrane.

The present invention relates to a separation membrane including a thermoplastic polymer selected from a cellulose ester and a polyamide, in which, when regions obtained by dividing a cross-sectional surface perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the separation membrane into 5 at an equal interval are defined as regions 1 to 5, all the regions 1 to 5 have a number average pore diameter changing rate a of −0.25 to 0.25, and at least one of the regions 1 to 5 is a region P that satisfies conditions (a) and (b): (a) a value of area average pore diameter D.sub.s/number average pore diameter D.sub.n is 2.50 to 6.00; and (b) a number average W of fine pores that are located at a distance smaller than L.sub.a from a center of respective coarse pores is 10 to 30.

Disclosed is the preparation of composite membranes formed by a tailored selective chemical modification of an ultra-thin nanoporous surface layer of a semi-crystalline mesoporous poly (aryl ether ketone) membrane with graded density pore structure. The composite separation layer is synthesized in situ on the poly (aryl ether ketone) substrate surface and is covalently linked to the surface of the semi-crystalline mesoporous poly (aryl ether ketone) membrane. Hollow fiber configuration is the preferred embodiment of forming the functionalized the poly (aryl ether ketone) membranes. Composite poly (aryl ether ketone) membranes of the present invention are particularly useful for a broad range of fluid separation applications, including organic solvent ultrafiltration and nanofiltration to separate and recover active pharmaceutical ingredients.

A virus removal membrane includes cellulose, and a primary-side surface through which the protein-containing solution is to be applied and a secondary-side surface from which a permeate that has permeated the virus removal membrane is to be flowed, wherein a bubble point is 0.5 MPa or more and 1.0 MPa or less; and when a solution containing gold colloids having a diameter of 30 nm is applied through the primary-side surface to the virus removal membrane to allow the virus removal membrane to capture the gold colloids for measurement of brightness in a cross section of the virus removal membrane, a value obtained by dividing a standard deviation of a value of an area of a spectrum of variation in the brightness by an average of the value of the area of the spectrum of variation in the brightness is 0.01 or more and 0.30 or less.

A mesoporous isoporous asymmetric material includes at least one diblock or multiblock copolymer, wherein the material has a transition layer having a thickness of at least 300 nm and a low macrovoid density, and the material has a sub-structure adjacent to said transition layer and said sub-structure comprises a high macrovoid density. A method for producing mesoporous isoporous asymmetric materials having macrovoids can include: dissolving at least one diblock or multiblock copolymer in a solution, the solution having one or more solvents and one or more nonsolvents, to form a polymer solution; dispensing the polymer solution onto a substrate or mold, or through a die or template; removing at least a portion of solvent and/or nonsolvent from the polymer solution to form a concentrated polymer solution; and exposing the concentrated polymer solution to a nonsolvent causing precipitation of at least a portion of the polymer from the concentrated polymer solution.

A process for the efficient transfer of molecules between phases employing mesoporous poly (aryl ether ketone) hollow fiber membranes is provided. The method addresses the controlled transfer of reactants into and removal of reaction products from a reaction media and the removal and separation of target molecules from process streams by membrane-assisted liquid-liquid extraction. A number of possible modes of liquid-liquid extraction are possible according to the invention by utilizing porous poly (aryl ether ketone) hollow fiber membranes of Janus-like structure that exhibit a combination of hydrophilic and hydrophobic surface characteristics. The method of the present invention can address the continuous manufacture of chemicals in membrane reactors and is useful for a broad range of separation applications, including separation and recovery of active pharmaceutical ingredients.