The invention provides a high permeance and high selectivity facilitated transport membrane comprising a very small pore, nanoporous polyethersulfone (PES)/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) blend support membrane, a hydrophilic polymer inside the very small nanopores on the skin layer surface of the support membrane, a thin, nonporous, hydrophilic polymer layer coated on the surface of the support membrane, and metal salts incorporated in the hydrophilic polymer layer coated on the surface of the support membrane and the hydrophilic polymer inside the very small nanopores, a method of making this membrane, and the use of this membrane for olefin/paraffin separations, particularly for propylene/propane and ethylene/ethane separations.

A complex nanofiltration membrane comprising a substrate and a separating layer, wherein the separating layer is an oxidant-treated, crosslinked network structure formed from a hydroxyl-containing polymer, a thiol-containing silane coupling agent and a crosslinking agent, is disclosed. Also disclosed are a process for preparing the complex nanofiltration membrane and use of the complex nanofiltration membrane in water treatment.

The invention relates to a composition comprising: at least one porous solid additive having a charged surface; an IL; a polymerizable IL; and a cross-linker; wherein the cross-linker wherein the cross-linker has a high affinity to CO.sub.2 over other light gas and comprises at least two polymerizable groups configured to react, in a radical polymerization reaction, with the polymerizable ionic liquid, said polymerizable groups preferably containing double bond.

Membranes, methods of making the membranes, and methods of using the membranes are described herein. The membranes can comprise a gas permeable support layer, optionally an inorganic layer disposed on the support, and a selective polymer layer disposed on the inorganic layer. In some cases, the selective polymer layer can comprise an amine-containing polymer and an amino acid salt dispersed within the amine-containing polymer. In other cases, the selective polymer layer comprises a sterically hindered amine-containing polymer, such as a sterically hindered derivative of polyvinylamine. The membranes can be used, for example, to separate gaseous mixtures, such as flue gas.

A thin film composite polyamide membrane comprising a porous support and a thin film polyamide layer characterized by possessing: i) an azo (N?N) content of from 0.40% to 1.00%, as measured by pyrolysis gas chromatography; and ii) a dissociated carboxylate content of at least 0.40 mol/kg as measured by RBS at pH 9.5.

Disclosed herein are 2-stage membrane separation methods for capturing CO.sub.2 from a feed gas. The methods can employ two selectively permeable membranes, which may be the same or different. The selectively permeable membrane can have a carbon dioxide permeance of from 500 to 3000 GPU at 57? C. and 1 atm feed pressure and a carbon dioxide:nitrogen selectivity of from 10 to 1000 at 57? C. and 1 atm feed pressure. High pressure ratios across the membranes can be achieved by compressing the feed gas to a high pressure, by using vacuum pumps to create a lowered pressure on the permeate side of the membrane, by using a sweep stream, or a combination thereof. When a sweep stream is used, the sweep stream may include a portion of the retentate gas stream obtained from the retentate side of one or more of the membranes used.

The invention relates to a method for creating a porous film through aqueous phase separation, the method comprising: i) providing an aqueous solution comprising a responsive copolymer, and optionally a charged polymer, wherein at least one of the monomers in the responsive copolymer is a responsive monomer; ii) forming the aqueous solution into a thin layer and contacting the thin layer of aqueous solution with an aqueous coagulation solution in which the responsive copolymer is not soluble, or contacting the thin layer of aqueous solution with an aqueous coagulation solution in which a complex comprising the responsive copolymer and the charged polymer is not soluble; and iii) allowing solvent exchange between the aqueous solution and the aqueous coagulation solution to produce a porous film. The invention further relates to porous films or membranes thus obtained.

A method for making a graphene oxide membrane and a resulting free-standing graphene oxide membrane that provides desired qualities of water permeability and selectivity at larger sizes, thinner cross sections, and with increased ruggedness as compared to existing membranes and processes.

A water conditioning apparatus for separating organic compounds and dissolved solids from water. A membrane separates organic compounds from a liquid feed comprising water, organic compounds, and dissolved solids. A fluid passageway receives from the membrane, liquid from which the membrane has separated organic compounds, and allows the liquid to flow through the passageway. Magnets are disposed and oriented such that liquid flowing through the passageway passes through a magnetic field effect produced by the magnets. A precipitator receives fluid that has flowed through the magnetic field effect and collects particles that the magnetic field effect has caused to precipitate from the fluid.

Provided is an interfacial polymerization process for preparation of a highly permeable thin film composite membrane, which can be used for nanofiltration, forward osmosis, or reverse osmosis, particularly for use with brackish water or seawater. The process includes contacting a porous support membrane with an aqueous phase containing a polyamine to form a coated support membrane, and applying an organic phase containing a polyfunctional acid halide to the coated support membrane to interfacially polymerize the polyamine and the polyfunctional acid halide to form a discrimination layer of a thin film composite membrane, where the aqueous and/or organic phases include a flux-enhancing additive and a boron rejection-enhancing additive that includes a biguanide compound, dicarbonate compound, pentathiodicarbonate compound, or salts thereof. Also provided are the membranes prepared by the methods and reverse osmosis modules containing the membranes.