An apparatus and method for abating scale formation during the purification and demineralization of water in an electrochemical deionization apparatus. In the apparatus and method, scale forming ions in a raw water feed are precipitated at a controlled location remote from the deionization chambers of the deionization apparatus. Concentrate water produced during the deionization process to produce demineralized product water is acidified and circulated through the deionization apparatus to prevent scale formation and build-up in the deionization apparatus.

An apparatus and method for abating scale formation during the purification and demineralization of water in an electrochemical deionization apparatus. In the apparatus and method, scale forming ions in a raw water feed are precipitated at a controlled location remote from the deionization chambers of the deionization apparatus. Concentrate water produced during the deionization process to produce demineralized product water is acidified and circulated through the deionization apparatus to prevent scale formation and build-up in the deionization apparatus.

A technology that provides various modular biomimetic microfluidic modules emulating varieties of microvasculature in body. These microfluidic-base capillaries and lymphatic Technology modules are constructed as multilayered-microfluidic microchannels of various shapes, and aspect ratios using diverse biocompatible microfluidic polymers. Then, various semipermeable membranes are sandwiched in between these multilayered microfluidic microchannels. These membranes have different chemical, physical characteristics and MWCO values. Consequently, this design will produce much smaller dimension channels similar to human vasculature to achieve biomimetic properties like of human organs and tissues. By interchanging microfluidic-layers or the membranes various diverse modules are designed that act as building blocks for constructing various medical devices, various forms of dialysis devices including albumin and lipid dialysis, water purification, bioreactors, bio-artificial organ support systems. Connecting various modules in diverse combinations, permutations, in parallel and/or in series to ultimately design many unrelated medical devices such as dialysis, bioreactors and organ support devices.

Provided are a system and a method of treating wastewater. The system includes a forward osmosis (FO) liquid concentration apparatus and an electrodialysis (ED) apparatus. The FO liquid concentration apparatus increases the concentration of the salt in the wastewater to between 7% and 14%. The ED apparatus is disposed downstream of the FO liquid concentration apparatus and coupled to the FO liquid concentration apparatus to receive the wastewater introduced by the FO liquid concentration apparatus, and make the salt in the wastewater into an acid solution and a basic solution.

Provided are a system and a method of treating wastewater. The system includes a forward osmosis (FO) liquid concentration apparatus and an electrodialysis (ED) apparatus. The FO liquid concentration apparatus increases the concentration of the salt in the wastewater to between 7% and 14%. The ED apparatus is disposed downstream of the FO liquid concentration apparatus and coupled to the FO liquid concentration apparatus to receive the wastewater introduced by the FO liquid concentration apparatus, and make the salt in the wastewater into an acid solution and a basic solution.

A composite ion conducting tube is made by wrapping a support material or ion conducting sheet to from a tube having overlaps of layers that are bonded. The ion conducting sheet or tape used to make the tube may be very thin and the tube may be formed in situ by wrapping the support material and then coating with ion conducting polymer. The ion conducting tubes may be used in a pervaporation module or desalination system. The ion conducting tubes may be spirally wrapped or longitudinally wrapped and may be very thin having a tube wall thickness of no more than 25 microns.

A composite ion conducting tube is made by wrapping a support material or ion conducting sheet to from a tube having overlaps of layers that are bonded. The ion conducting sheet or tape used to make the tube may be very thin and the tube may be formed in situ by wrapping the support material and then coating with ion conducting polymer. The ion conducting tubes may be used in a pervaporation module or desalination system. The ion conducting tubes may be spirally wrapped or longitudinally wrapped and may be very thin having a tube wall thickness of no more than 25 microns.

The chamber frame element of the present invention, which has a smaller amount of voltage drop, consumes less reactive power than the prior art, and exhibits no metal corrosion, is a chamber frame element (14) for an electrolyzer or an electrodialysis cell. The chamber frame element (14) includes: a bag body (141); a frame (142) housed in an interior space of the bag body (141); and an inlet (143) and an outlet (144) to which piping can be attached, which are formed on the outer side of a region where the frame is housed in the bag body (141).

A pure-water production device including: a first reverse osmosis membrane device to which water to be treated is supplied; a second reverse osmosis membrane device to which permeated water from the first reverse osmosis membrane device is supplied; an electrodeionization device to which permeated water from the second reverse osmosis membrane device is supplied; a brine tank to which concentrated water from the first reverse osmosis membrane device is supplied; and a third reverse osmosis membrane device connected to the brine tank, wherein the second reverse osmosis membrane device is a high-pressure reverse osmosis membrane device, the brine tank is supplied with at least one concentrated water selected from the group consisting of concentrated water from the second reverse osmosis membrane device and concentrated water from the electrodeionization device, wherein permeated water from the third reverse osmosis membrane device is supplied to water to be treated, is used.

A pure-water production device including: a first reverse osmosis membrane device to which water to be treated is supplied; a second reverse osmosis membrane device to which permeated water from the first reverse osmosis membrane device is supplied; an electrodeionization device to which permeated water from the second reverse osmosis membrane device is supplied; a brine tank to which concentrated water from the first reverse osmosis membrane device is supplied; and a third reverse osmosis membrane device connected to the brine tank, wherein the second reverse osmosis membrane device is a high-pressure reverse osmosis membrane device, the brine tank is supplied with at least one concentrated water selected from the group consisting of concentrated water from the second reverse osmosis membrane device and concentrated water from the electrodeionization device, wherein permeated water from the third reverse osmosis membrane device is supplied to water to be treated, is used.