This invention relates to a method of separating oils and aqueous media. The method uses membranes comprising 2D phyllosilicate coatings. The invention also relates to membranes for use in said methods.

A membrane sorbent is described, which comprises 1-6 wt % silicon carbide nanoparticles dispersed in a polymer matrix. The polymer matrix may comprise polysulfone and polyvinylpyrrolidone. The membrane sorbent is used for separating oil from a contaminated water mixture. The silicon carbide nanoparticles of the membrane sorbent may be made from rice husk ash.

In an aspect, the present disclosure provides a novel microorganism having an ester degrading ability. In an aspect, the present disclosure provides a combination of novel microorganisms having an oil degrading ability. In an embodiment, the microorganism of the present invention includes a yeast belonging to the genus Yarrowia. In an embodiment, the microorganism of the present invention includes Yarrowia lipolytica. In an embodiment, the present disclosure provides a combination of a Burkholderia bacterium with a Yarrowia yeast. In an embodiment, provided is an oil degrading agent that comprises the microorganism of the present disclosure.

A sludge removal apparatus includes a capturing head extending from a first side to a second side; a fluid line extending from a fluid source to the capturing head, the fluid line to transport water and one or more chemicals; a fluid removal line extending from the capturing head to a filtering system, the fluid removal line having one or more submersible pumps positioned within the capturing head to pump sludge through the fluid removal line; and one or more sprayers positioned at a front of the capturing head and in fluid communication with the fluid line; the water and one or more chemicals are sprayed through the one or more sprayers to break up the sludge; and the sludge is transported to the filtering system after being broken up.

Described herein is a flow-through application and system that utilizes a nanoparticle technology, which is modular and scalable, that can be utilized to recover a contaminant from water using an attendant pump and in-line sensors along with magnets and ultrasonic energy to separate magnetic nanoparticles from an aqueous mixture and to further separate recovered contaminant from contaminant-adsorbent nanoparticles. The contaminant can include an organic contaminant, such as an oil.

A method and apparatus for wastewater treatment using ultrafine bubbles, wherein bubbles of 200 nm or less are contacted with a wastewater volume in continuous flow conditions by means of an ultrafine bubble generator, a source of oxygen, a tank, a first and a second pump, a pipe system and connectors, the connectors being configured such that continuous flow conditions are maintained in the pipe system.

A water treatment system comprises a source of water including one or more contaminants, an electrocoagulation cell including a housing defining a fluid flow conduit, an anode disposed within the fluid flow conduit, and a cathode disposed within the fluid flow conduit, the housing including an inlet fluidly connectable to the source of water and an outlet, a solids/liquid separation system having an inlet fluidly connectable to the outlet of the housing of the electrocoagulation cell, a solids-rich outlet, and a solids-lean outlet, and a ballast feed system configured to deliver a ballast to the solids/liquid separation system.

A waste water treatment apparatus includes a housing having a settling tank mounted therein, the settling tank adapted to receive waste water. A skimming device is mounted in the settling tank to remove any fats, oils, or grease (FOG) that settles on the surface of the waste water. A drain is provided in a downstream end of the settling tank for removing water from the settling tank. An inlet end of the drain is defined by a weir that controls the water level within the settling tank. A sediment removal system adapted to remove sediment collected in the bottom of the settling tank.

The present invention refers to the heterologous production in microorganisms of modified versions of a predicted isoform of the surfactant protein Lv-ranaspumin-1 (Lv-Rsn-1), whose sequence was inferred from analyzes of the protein extract of the nest foam from the Northeastern Pepper Frog (Leptodactylus vastus). More specifically, it refers to two surfactant proteins that consist of modified versions of the predicted isoform of Lv-Rsn-1; to two synthetic genes each encoding one of these modified versions of the predicted isoform of Lv-Rsn-1; to two expression cassettes each containing one of the synthetic genes encoding one of the modified versions of the predicted isoform of Lv-Rsn-1; to two expression vectors each containing one of the synthetic genes encoding modified versions of the predicted isoform of Lv-Rsn-1; and to two transgenic microorganisms, a bacterium and a yeast, each transformed with one of these synthetic genes and heterologously producing one of the modified versions of the predicted isoform of Lv-Rsn-1. Lv-Rsn-1 has surfactancy, emulsification and dispersancy properties, among others, and its heterologous production allows it to be used in various applications and industrial products, without the need to extract it from the frog nest foam.

A water purification apparatus includes a water intake configured to receive water to the water purification apparatus, a filter part including a plurality of filters configured to filter the water and generate purified water, a water outlet including a plurality of water outlet ports configured to discharge the purified water, and one or more pipes that define a water purification path configured to guide the water from the water intake through at least one of the plurality of filters to thereby provide the purified water to at least one of the plurality of water outlet ports.