A method of forming a plurality of hollow fibers includes the step of providing an elongated flexible substantially continuous fiber and coating an outer surface of the fiber with a hollow fiber material. The hollow fiber material is cured or hardened. A gap is created between the outer surface of the support fiber and the inner surface of the coating layer defined thereon. The coated support fiber is cut into a plurality of fiber segments each having exposed ends. The support fiber segments are removed from the coating layer so as to provide a plurality of hollow fibers.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method capable of easily controlling the permeation rate and the selectivity of gas molecules, in a hollow fiber carbon membrane which can be used as a gas separation membrane. The present invention provides a method of producing a hollow fiber carbon membrane, the method including: a preparation step of preparing a precursor made of an organic polymer compound in the form of a hollow fiber; a preheating step of heating the precursor to a temperature of 150 C. to 400 C. in an atmosphere containing an oxygen gas; and a carbonization step of heating the precursor which has been subjected to the preheating step to a temperature of 450 C. to 850 C., thereby carbonizing the precursor; wherein the carbonization step includes heating the precursor in the presence of a hydrocarbon gas which may contain a nitrogen atom and which has from 1 to 8 carbon atoms. This method allows for easily controlling the permeation rate and the selectivity of gas molecules, in the resulting hollow fiber carbon membrane.

Filtration membrane comprising polymeric nanofibers and/or microfibers attaching dendrimer component presenting reactive sites selective for chemicals to be filtered, and related nanofibers and microfibers, composite materials, compositions, methods and system.

A reel changing device is described for reeling fiber bundles from a fiber strand exiting a spinning device, including at least a first reel carrier and a second reel carrier on each of which a reel suited for winding up the fiber strand is arranged and which are movably received and guided in at least a first reel guide and a second reel guide so that the reels are adapted to be positioned one after another in an exit direction of the fiber strand so as to enable, in the case of a reel change, the fiber strand to be directly transferred from the first reel arranged on the first reel carrier to the second reel arranged on the second reel carrier. Moreover, a reel changing method in such reel changing device is described.

Disclosed are a bundle of hollow fiber membranes to improve use efficiency of the hollow fiber membranes and a method of manufacturing the same. The bundle of hollow fiber membranes includes a plurality of yarns to form fluid channels and serve as spacers disposed between the hollow fiber membranes to create a bundle. The method includes spinning including supplying a spinning dope to a nozzle and conducting spinning to form a plurality of hollow fiber membranes, coagulating the hollow fiber membranes formed during spinning, and yarn feeding including inserting a plurality of yarns between the hollow fiber membranes to form a bundle. The method is effective in uniformly distributing a fluid through fluid channels formed between the hollow fiber membranes and maximizes usage efficiency of the hollow fiber membranes.

A membrane distillation module comprising a membrane distillation cartridge and a membrane distillation housing, wherein: the cartridge comprises a anchoring part in which porous membranes are anchored by resin; the housing comprises a housing body and a housing lid; the membrane distillation module comprises a support part where the outer surface of the anchoring part is supported by the inner surface of the housing with a seal member interposed therebetween; and a value C in the cross section of the support part is at least 30 C. as represented by the formula, where d.sub.F is the equivalent circular diameter (mm) of the outer circumference of the anchoring part, k.sub.F is the linear expansion coefficient (1/ C.) of the resin, d.sub.E is the equivalent diameter (mm) of the inner circumference of the housing, and k.sub.E is the linear expansion coefficient (1/ C.) of a portion where the housing contacts the seal member.

A method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module, the hollow fiber membrane module including: a hollow fiber membrane bundle including a plurality of hollow fiber membranes; a housing configured to contain the hollow fiber membrane bundle; and a potting part in which a potting agent is added between an outer surface of the hollow fiber membranes and an inner surface of the housing at both end regions or at one end region of the hollow fiber membrane bundle, wherein the method including: providing a sheet-shaped spacer in a space between the hollow fiber membranes at the both end regions or at the one end region of the hollow fiber membrane bundle; and adding a potting agent between the outer surface of the hollow fiber membranes and the inner surface of the housing at the both end regions or at the one end region of the hollow fiber membrane bundle such that the provided spacer is embedded, wherein the potting agent includes resin, rubber, or elastomer, as a main ingredient, and wherein the spacer is a net, a non-woven fabric, a porous sheet, or a film.

An air separation module includes a housing, an air separation element, and an insulating element. The housing has an inlet and two outlets. The air separation element is enclosed within the housing and extends along a length of the housing. The insulating element is positioned inward of an outer perimeter of the housing and substantially surrounds an outer perimeter of the air separation element along a length of the air separation element.

The present invention relates to a manufacturing method for a hollow fiber membrane sheet comprising: accepting a hollow fiber membrane bundle, which is in a sheet state, of a length set in advance in which a plurality of hollow fiber membranes are aligned using one or more accepting means containing a drive roll; forming fixing parts at which the hollow fiber membranes are fixed in a widthwise direction of the hollow fiber membrane bundle using a fixing means after accepting the hollow fiber membrane bundle of the length set in advance; and cutting the hollow fiber membrane bundle at the fixing parts or on the vicinity thereof.

The present disclosure relates to semipermeable membranes which are suitable for blood purification, e.g. by hemodialysis, which have an increased ability to remove larger molecules while at the same time effectively retaining albumin. The membranes are characterized by a molecular retention onset (MWRO) of between 9.0 kD and 14.5 kD and a molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of between 55 kD and 130 kD as determined by dextran sieving curves and can be prepared by industrially feasible processes excluding a treatment with salt before drying. The invention therefore also relates to a process for the production of the membranes and to their use in medical applications.