A submersible reverse osmosis desalination apparatus uses low temperature concentrate or brine from the desalination apparatus to provide a high volume cold liquid stream to an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) heat engine. The OTEC engine also employs a warm liquid stream and uses the cold and warm liquid streams to obtain electrical power from a closed-cycle or open-cycle heat exchange and generator system. Use of the concentrate or brine stream provides a much greater liquid volume and much greater cold thermal energy content than would be obtained by using cold desalinated product water from the desalination apparatus in the OTEC heat engine.

Membranes and filtration modules for producing a concentrated feed stream and a diluted feed stream during operation in a water purification or wastewater treatment system. Filtration modules are provided that include a semipermeable membrane having a first side and a second side, the first side configured to receive a first feed solution stream from a first feed solution source and the second side configured to receive a second feed solution stream from a second feed solution source. The semipermeable membrane may be configured to operate at a hydrostatic pressure on the second side of the membrane from about 1% to about 40% of the hydrostatic pressure on the first side of the membrane, and may in some cases exhibit a salt rejection of from about 60 percent to about 90 percent during operation.

A submerged offshore reverse osmosis desalination apparatus and method uses product water from the apparatus and an onshore cooler or heat exchanger to provide or improve the cooling of a Sea Water Air Conditioning (SWAC) system, power plant, data center, Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) system, or Rankine Cycle heat engine.

Disclosed is the use of a composite for extracting one or more metal or contaminating chemical species from an aerial or aqueous medium by selective binding, the composite including at least one porous template functionalized by at least one polymer, the polymer including one of the following chemical functions: primary, secondary or tertiary amine, amide, nitrile, pyridine, pyrole, thiol, thiolether, thiophene, thiadiazole, alcohol/hydroxyl, phenol, catechol, pyragalol, carboxylic acid, aldehyde, ester, acyl, crown ether, phosphate, phosphoryl, epoxide, halogen, haloalkane.

Further described herein are extensions to the basic concept of LHs as electrode materials, include both new materials for use with LHs and higher order poly-layer hydroxides (PLHs) as well as methods for synthesizing improved LH material such as with conductive supports or through the use of cross-linking. Finally, also described herein are embodiments enabling the use of LHs as flow electrodes as well as the use of 2-d LH materials for surface redox reactions.

This publication relates to a method and a system for producing freshwater through a reverse osmosis process in a submerged membrane system requiring a differential pressure over the membrane system. The differential pressure is provided by introducing gas bubbles in the riser device (2) downstream the outlet (7) for fresh water in the riser device (2). The system comprises at least one submerged, reverse osmosis unit (1), with an inlet (4) for water and an outlet (7) for fresh water, a riser device (2) extending from the outlet (7) of the submerged membrane system to at, above or below sea level and a system for providing a low pressure side for the reverse osmosis process.

At least one pressure exchange unit with a hollow cylindrical body, a piston sliding in the body, the piston including a piston head separating the interior of the cylindrical body into a downstream chamber and an upstream chamber, the downstream chamber being provided with a device for the admission and discharge of water to be treated, the upstream chamber being provided with a five-way distributor linkage including, for hydraulic balancing, two pressurized liquid supply orifices, two orifices for the evacuation of the liquid and an opening in communication with the upstream chamber.

A method by which an environmental energy (e.g., wave energy) is harvested, converted into electrical power, and thereafter used to electrolyze seawater into hydrogen and chlorine gases. Those gases are recombined into hydrogen chloride from which is formed hydrochloric acid solution which is diluted and deposited at a depth sufficient to ensure its neutralization and sequestration for a significant period of time (e.g., for over a millennium). By removing chloride ions from a portion of the sea adjacent to its upper surface and depositing them into a portion of the sea more adjacent to its bottom, acidity is shifted from the surface to base of the sea, and the surface ocean is given a greater ability to absorb and buffer atmospheric carbon dioxide without a corresponding increase in acidity.

A novel reverse osmosis or nanofiltration system (RO/NF) capable of detecting and responding to onset of fouling within the system utilizing uniquely configured membrane permeate flow path within the system which generates a time-sensitive data. Membrane performance data in real-time operating conditions is then utilized for rapid detection of membrane fouling, fouling rate, and cause of fouling, followed by controller-based system generated actions to stop, and recover from fouling or slow-down fouling, and, if required, to predict, plan, and schedule operator intervention steps to recover optimum system operating conditions. The end-result is a novel energy-efficient and fouling-managed advanced (machine learning) reverse osmosis system for brackish water desalination.

A membraneless electrochemical device comprises a fluid feed stream input to the membraneless electrochemical cell, a first electrode, and a second electrode. The first electrode comprises a first redox-active material configured to have a proton-coupled oxidation reaction with a first portion of the fluid feed stream, and the second electrode comprises a second redox-active material configured to have a proton-coupled reduction reaction with a second portion of the fluid feed stream. The first portion and the second portion of the fluid feed stream are separated. A first effluent stream comprises the first portion and has a first pH, and a second effluent stream comprises the second portion and has a second pH, different from the first pH.