A method of sewage treatment includes: immersing a separation membrane module into sewage, wherein the separation membrane module has a plurality of separation membrane elements, each having a supporting plate, a separation membrane and a filtered water outlet; separating water into filtered water and suspended solids by having the water permeated through the separation membrane; and having the filtered water flow toward the exterior from the filtered water outlet;
wherein the separation membrane has a nonwoven fabric and a porous resin layer on at least one surface of the nonwoven fabric; and
a part of the resin permeates into the nonwoven fabric to form a composite layer with the nonwoven fabric.

A method of operating an immersed microporous membrane module includes a step of monitoring membrane performance to sense the onset of sludging in the module. Differences in permeability between permeation in backwashes, or trends in permeability during backwashing and permeability during permeation, or both, are monitored. Solid deposits formed during the onset of sludging may be removed with an in situ de-sludging process. For example, the deposits may be removed by stopping permeation while aerating the module, optionally at an increased rate. At other times, the module is optionally aerated while permeate is withdrawn at an aeration rate correlated to flux. The method may be used in particular with a membrane module having parallel textured flat sheet membranes suspended between a pair of vertically oriented headers. An aerator may be made from an open bottomed channel having an array of holes rising and concentrated towards the center of the channel.

The present application introduces design methodology and manufacturing procedures employing conventional permeable and semipermeable membrane flat sheet membrane apparatus [FSM], adapted for use in symbiotic fluids fractionation, water treatment, symbiotic osmotic processes of brine desalination and osmotic power generation, where flat sheet membranes are manufactured in the form of plurality of spaced apart, encaged self-supported unrolled membrane of flat surface panel (leaf) in three (3) categories, including; methodology for assembly of pre-cut flat sheet membrane panels, tube-like blown or rolled membrane film methodology, and blanketing membrane sheet methodology. Further assembling these flat sheet membranes in large membrane frames, where symbiotic reverse osmosis or symbiotic osmosis power generation membrane panels varies from about 250 mm (10 inch) to 1.00 m (40 inch) in width and 250 mm to 2.00 m (10-80 inch) in length or larger for a new unique approach in desalinating various water salinity sources.

Where, desalinated seawater recovery can exceed 85%, where water and chemicals can be recovered for reuse in Ecologically Sustainable Hydraulic Fracturing [ES-FRAC] processes of underground waters, and where generating osmotic power from brines can be achieved at 10-25 KW/liter-sec, depending on the source.

A tunable nanofiber filter device can include a filter housing defining an interior space, the housing having defined therein and inlet and an outlet, each in fluid communication with the interior space, and a plurality of filter laminas disposed within the interior space, each filter lamina including an upper surface, a lower surface, and an aperture defined therethrough. The plurality of filter laminas can be arranged in a stack wherein the opposing surfaces of adjacent filter laminas define a portion of an interlaminar flow space extending between the opposing surfaces. The flow space can be in fluid communication with the apertures of corresponding adjacent filter laminas to form a continuous flow passage extending through the lamina stack from the inlet to the outlet. An array nanofibers can extend into the flow passage from a portion of each filter lamina such that a fluid flowed through the flow passage flows across a portion of said array.

The invention concerns a filtration device comprising a providing fluid connection and mechanical connection comprising a clamping plate movably mounted relative to the manifold and adapted to compress at least one cassette against the manifold, means for driving and guiding the clamping plate comprising a rod extending between the manifold and the plate, an actuator provided with a body and a member moveable relative to the body, which member is adapted to move through a predetermined travel between an extended position and a retracted position, the body being carried by the manifold, and the member carrying the rod and driving the plate via the rod to a clamped position in which the member is in an intermediate retracted position in which it has moved through a shorter travel than the predetermined travel relative to its extended position.

An electrodialysis process and apparatus is presented for improving the current efficiency of salty water desalination. The process includes reducing the osmotic and the electro-osmotic flow of water from diluate compartments to concentrate compartments, and between electrode compartments and adjacent compartments, by confinement and hydraulic isolation of their contents in constant volume compartments, so that the tendency of waters entering from diluate compartments to concentrate compartments leads to pressure buildup in the concentrate compartments, reducing the transfer of product desalinated water to the concentrate waste.

A process for preparing a membrane stack comprising the steps of: (i) interposing a curable adhesive between alternate anion exchange membranes and cation exchange; and (ii) curing the adhesive; CHARACTERISED IN THAT said adhesive, when cured, has a Shore A hardness of less than 70 and an elongation at break of at least 50%.

A process for preparing a membrane stack comprising the steps of (i) interposing a curable adhesive between alternate anion exchange membranes and cation exchange; and (ii) curing the adhesive; CHARACTERISED IN THAT said membranes are in a swollen state when step (ii) is performed.

A filtration membrane unit includes a filtration membrane and a suction side socket fixed to an end on one side in a longitudinal direction of the filtration membrane to hold the filtration membrane. The suction side socket extends in a lateral direction of the filtration membrane in a fixed state, and includes a recess into which the end is inserted. A flow path communicated with the recess extends in an extending direction of the suction side socket. A discharge port for discharging filtrate in the flow path is provided. The suction side socket includes a first outlet disposed on one side in the extending direction with respect to a center in the extending direction of the suction side socket, and a second outlet disposed on another side in the extending direction with respect to the center in the extending direction of the suction side socket.

A tangential flow filtration manifold takes a modular form for interconnection in a manifolded arrangement for aggregating a total filtration area of the aggregate filter (membrane) surface. A plurality of modular TFF cassette filters may be or stacked on the TFF manifold such that it allows the number of interconnected filters, as well as the membrane surface area within each cassette, to be readily reconfigured. A single output, or filtrate connection on the TFF manifold simplifies fluidic plumbing connections for directing and gathering the filtrate (permeate) produced as output.