A variety of compositions and materials are provided for water purification and remediation. The compositions including multiple functionalities for treating a variety of pollutants or contaminants. The compositions can include a porous organic polymer with one or more of a variety of functional groups for binding the contaminants and with a hierarchical pore size distribution over a range of pore sizes to facilitate enhanced removal of the contaminants. Functional groups can include one, two, or more different functional groups such as amines, halides, ammoniums, pyridiuiums, thiols, imidazoliums, salts thereof, or others. The range of pore sizes can be about 1 nm to 10 nm or more. Contaminants can include antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, selenium, technetium, thallium, uranium, radium, urea, and phosphate. Methods of removing the contaminants from water using the compositions are also provided.

The invention relates to composite material comprising polymer microfibers and lithium-adsorbent particles characterized in that said polymer microfibers have a diameter comprised between 10 μm and 500 μm, and said composite material has an open porosity comprised between 70% and 99% and a density comprised between 0.05 g/cm.sup.3 and 0.5 g/cm.sup.3. It also relates to a cartridge comprising such a material and to a process for extracting lithium from a brine using such a material.

Polymeric sorbents for aldehydes including formaldehyde and acetaldehyde are provided. More particularly, the polymeric sorbents are sulfonic acid-containing polymeric materials with impregnated urea-based compounds. Additionally, methods of making the polymeric sorbent, methods of sorbing aldehydes (i.e., aldehydes that are volatile under use conditions) on the polymeric sorbents, compositions resulting from the sorption of aldehydes on the polymeric sorbents, and filters containing the polymeric sorbents are provided.

Reactor allowing the continuous filtration of a flowing fluid for the adsorption of pollutants on a filter, and electrolysis for regeneration of the filter and removal of organic pollutants, the reactor having a chamber, with at least one inlet delivering a fluid into the chamber and at least one outlet for evacuating the fluid from the chamber; a circuit for circulating a fluid to be treated by adsorption of pollutants on the filter; a circuit for recirculating an electrolyte solution for electrolysis, connecting the outlet to the inlet; the reactor operating in two modes; in continuous filtration mode of a fluid through the circulation circuit for adsorption of pollutants on the filter; in electrolysis mode for regeneration of the filter and removal of organic pollutants, by applying an electric current, with continuous recirculation of the electrolyte solution through the recirculation circuit.

Porous zirconia particles exhibit high specificity to a protein to be immobilized thereto and are used in immobilization of the protein. The porous zirconia particles have a pore diameter D50, at which a ratio of a cumulative pore volume to a total pore volume is 50%, the pore diameter D50 being in a range of 3.20 nm or more and 6.50 nm or less; and a pore diameter D90, at which a ratio of a cumulative pore volume to a total pore volume is 90%, the pore diameter D90 being in a range of 10.50 nm or more and 100.00 nm or less. The total pore volume of the particles is greater than 0.10 cm.sup.3/g. D50, D90, and the total pore volume are determined based on a pore diameter distribution measured through a BET method.

The present invention provides porous materials for use in solid phase extractions and chromatography. In particular, the materials exhibit superior properties in the SPE analysis of biological materials. In certain aspects, the porous materials comprise a copolymer of a least one hydrophobic monomer and at least one hydrophilic monomer, wherein more than 10% of the BJH surface area of the porous material is contributed by pores that have a diameter greater than or equal to 200 Å, wherein said material has a median pore diameter of about 100 Å to about 1000 Å, or both. In some embodiments, the at least one hydrophilic monomer has a log P value of less than 0.5. In some embodiments, the at least one hydrophilic monomer is selected from 4-acryloymorphine, N-(3-methoxypropyl)acrylamide, N,N′-methylenebis(acrylamide), acrylonitrile, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, methyl acrylate, 4-acetoxystyrene, 4-vinyl pyridine, or a boronic-acid-containing monomer, among others.

Compositions are provided for efficient uranium extraction, for example from wastewater, seawater, or other water sources. The compositions can include a functionalized porous organic polymer functionalized with one or more uranium binding moieties, e.g. having a plurality of amidoxime or amidrazone groups covalently attached thereto. The compositions can include covalent organic frameworks, porous aromatic frameworks, and various porous organic polymers, especially those having a hierarchical pore size distribution over a range of pore sizes. The compositions can have functional groups such as amidoxime or an amidrazone covalently attached thereto. The hierarchical pore size distribution can be determined based upon at least 60% of the pore sizes in the range of pore sizes having a pore volume of at least 0.01 cm.sup.3 g.sup.−1 in the pore size distribution at 77 K. Methods of making the compositions and methods of using the compositions are also provided.

The invention provides for methods, devices, and systems for pyrolyzing biomass. A pyrolysis unit can be used for the pyrolysis of biomass to form gas, liquid, and solid products. The biomass materials can be selected such that an enhanced biochar is formed after pyrolysis. The biomass can be pyrolyzed under specified conditions such that a selected biochar core is formed. The pyrolysis process can form a stable biochar core that is inert and/or resistant to degradation. The biochar or biochar core can be functionalized to form a functionalized biochar or functionalized biochar core. Functionalization can include post-pyrolysis treatments such as supplementation with microbes or physical transformations including annealing and/or activation.

The invention concerns a device for regenerating activated carbon in the form of porous fibres by electro-Fenton reaction, a method for regenerating activated carbon loaded with organic pollutants using the device of the invention, and the use of a filter consisting of porous fibres of activated carbon, which filter has previously been loaded with organic pollutants by filtration of polluted water or polluted air, as the cathode of an electro-Fenton reaction for regenerating the activated carbon porous fibres loaded with organic pollutants.

Method for recovering a target protein from a feedstock comprising said target protein and at least one impurity compound selected from host cell proteins (HCP), DNA, RNA or other nucleic acid, the target protein being characterized by a hydrodynamic radius R.sub.h1 and the impurity compound being characterized by a hydrodynamic radius R.sub.h2, wherein R.sub.h1>R.sub.h2, comprising the following steps (i) to (iv) and optionally step (v): (i) providing a polymeric mesh comprising at least one crosslinked polymer containing positively charged amino groups, wherein the polymer has a pore size exclusion limit Rhi which can be set variably; (ii) adapting the variable pore size exclusion limit Rhi of the polymeric mesh such that R.sub.h2<R.sub.hi and R.sub.h1>R.sub.hi; (iii) contacting the polymeric mesh with the feedstock; (iv) separating the polymeric mesh containing the retained impurity compound from the feedstock containing the excluded target protein.