A device and method are described for the treatment of blood, which device may be used in conjunction with or in place of a failed Kidney. The device includes an ultrafiltration unit to remove proteins, red and white blood cells and other high molecular weight components, a nanofiltration unit to remove glucose, at least one electrodeionization unit to transport ions from the blood stream, and a reverse osmosis unit to modulate the flow of water, to both the blood and urine streams. In one embodiment, a specialized electrodeionization unit is provided having multiple chambers defining multiple dilute fluid channels, each channel filled with an ion specific resin wafer, and electrodes at the extremity of the device and proximate each of the resin filled dilute channels. By selective application of voltages to these electrodes, the ion transport functionality of a given dilute channel can be turned on or off.

Provided is an electrodeionization apparatus for producing deionized water, capable of removing or reducing a biased flow of electric current in a deionization chamber. In the electrodeionization apparatus for producing deionized water, at least one deionization treatment unit including the deionization chamber and a pair of concentration chambers adjacent to both sides of the deionization chamber is disposed between a cathode and an anode. In the deionization chamber, anion exchanger layers and cation exchanger layers are stacked in an order in which a last ion exchanger layer through which water to be treated passes is an anion exchanger layer. A bipolar membrane is formed on the cathode side of the anion exchanger layer in the deionization chamber. The anion exchange membrane of the bipolar membrane is in contact with the anion exchanger layer.

Apparatus for treating a fluid, which comprises at least one pair of electrode layers power supplied to different polarities, delimiting between them a passage chamber for a first fluid flow containing ionized particles and exerting hydraulic pressure on at least one surface of such electrode layers. Each electrode layer comprises a metal conduction layer electrically connected to a power supply and at least one layer of graphite having a wet surface directed towards the passage chamber and a dry surface compressed, by the hydraulic pressure exerted by the first fluid contained in the passage chamber, directly in adherence against the metal conduction layer, in order to distribute the current of the power supply from the metal conduction layer to the layer of graphite.

The invention is directed to a scalable concentration device and method of use thereof based on electrokinetics.

A membrane obtainable from curing a composition comprising: (i) a curable compound comprising at least two (meth)acrylic groups and a sulphonic acid group and having a molecular weight which satisfies the equation:

MW<(300+300n) wherein: MW is the molecular weight of the said curable compound; and n has a value of 1, 2, 3 or 4 and is the number of sulphonic acid groups present in the said curable compound; and optionally (ii) a curable compound having one ethylenically unsaturated group; wherein the molar fraction of curable compounds comprising at least two (meth)acrylic groups, relative to the total number of moles of curable compounds present in the composition, is at least 0.25.

A membrane obtainable from curing a composition comprising: (i) a curable compound comprising at least two (meth)acrylic groups and a sulphonic acid group and having a molecular weight which satisfies the equation: MW<(300+300n) wherein: MW is the molecular weight of the said curable compound; and n has a value of 1, 2, 3 or 4 and is the number of sulphonic acid groups present in the said curable compound; and optionally (ii) a curable compound having one ethylenically unsaturated group; wherein the molar fraction of curable compounds comprising at least two (meth)acrylic groups, relative to the total number of moles of curable compounds present in the composition, is at least 0.25.

An electrochemical treating device having low scale potential is disclosed. The device has a variety of configurations directed to the layering of the anionic exchange and cationic exchange. The treatment device can also comprise unevenly sized ion exchange resin beads and/or have at least one compartment that provides a dominating resistance that results in a uniform current distribution throughout the apparatus.

A process for preparing an ion-exchange membrane having a textured surface profile comprising the steps (i) and (ii): (i) screen-printing a radiation-curable composition onto a membrane in a patterned manner; and (ii) irradiating and thereby curing the printed, radiation-curable composition; wherein the radiation-curable composition has a viscosity of at least 30 Pa.Math.s when measured at a shear rate of 0.1 s.sup.1 at 20 C.

The present invention relates to an improved electrodeionization (EDI) module and apparatus adapted to transfer ions present in a liquid under the influence of an electric field.

A process for preparing an ion-exchange membrane having a textured surface profile comprising the steps (i) and (ii): (i) applying a radiation-curable composition to a membrane in a patternwise manner; and (ii) irradiating and thereby curing the radiation-curable composition present on the membrane; wherein the radiation-curable composition comprises: a) 10 to 65 wt % of curable ionic compound(s) comprising one ethylenically unsaturated group; b) 3 to 60 wt % of crosslinking agent(s) comprising at least two ethylenically unsaturated groups and having a number average molecular weight below 800; c) 0 to 70 wt % of inert solvent(s); d) 0 to 10 wt % of free-radical initiator(s);and e) 0.5 to 25 wt % of thickening agent(s).