A low energy apparatus to aerate liquid in a tank using pumped liquid flow over bubble aerators operating at low air pressure near the tank surface, with the flow of liquid and entrained bubbles then being directed through pipes at speeds sufficient to carry the bubbles to the bottom of the tank where the bubbles are released to rise to the top of the tank, infusing the liquid in the tank with air.

An aeration nozzle is provided, having on one end an air supply port (16a) connected to an aeration pump (13) and a waste water suction port (17) for suctioning waste water in a processing tank (3, 4), and having a micro-bubble generation unit (18), provided facing the air supply port, for mixing air supplied by the air supply port and waste water suctioned from the waste water suction port and generating micro-bubbles (9), wherein a plurality of blades of cylindrical micro-bubble generators (19) included in the micro-bubble generation unit (18) is configured such that tip ends of the blades are formed so as to face one another around the center of the cylindrical micro-bubble generators (19a, 19b); and by being formed from an elastic member (such as rubber), the tip ends of the blades are configured so as to bend with the base ends as starting points.

The invention relates to a ventilation element for the introduction of a gas into a liquid, having at least one gas port, having at least one carrier plate and having at least one elastically deformable diaphragm which is connected to the at least one gas port and/or to the at least one carrier plate. A space that can be formed between the at least one diaphragm and the at least one carrier plate is connected in terms of flow to the gas port. The at least one carrier plate has a multiplicity of gas outlet openings, and at least one diaphragm is composed at least in sections of a material with a lower density than water, or is equipped with at least one float body which has a lower density than water.

A super-fine bubble generation apparatus includes a fine-array porous membrane and a device for generating substantially uniform, super-fine gas bubbles in a liquid. The fine-array porous membrane includes a plurality of pores having a substantially uniform size of <100 μm, with a variation of <20%. The super-fine gas bubbles generated by this apparatus can have a size of 50 nm-50000 nm, with a substantially uniform distribution with variations <20%. Applications of such super-fine bubble generation apparatus can include a skin cleansing device, or a teeth-cleaning device.

A passive gas exchange transfer apparatus for exchanging carbon dioxide from a flue gas to a water supply is disclosed. The apparatus includes several upper rods and several lower rods to hold a membrane in place. The membrane provides increased surface area for the gas and the water to meet. The upper rods may be the source of the water supply, and the lower rods may be the source of the gas. The upper rods may disperse the water onto one side of the membrane, and the lower rods may disperse the gas onto the other side. The two may therefore meet at the surface created by the membrane as gravity draws the water downward, and convection draws the gas upward.

A system and method for aerating and mixing wastewater that includes fine bubble diffusers located at least partially below a large bubble mixer. At least a portion of the gas discharged from the fine bubble diffusers is captured by the large bubble mixer and is reused by the large bubble mixer to form and release intermittent large bubbles. Prior to being captured by the large bubble mixer, the gas discharged by the fine bubble diffusers can aerate the wastewater. The large bubble mixer includes an accumulator that, upon becoming filled with gas, generates and releases a large bubble. Upon discharge from the large bubble mixer, the large bubbles generated therein may separate into a plurality of coarse bubbles for providing additional oxygen transfer and mixing of the wastewater. The system may include supply lines for supplying gas only to the fine bubble diffuser.

There is provided an inline saturator system and method for gas exchange with an aqueous-phase liquid. The system includes a pressure vessel, configured to receive a first liquid and a first gas from external sources and to discharge a second liquid and a second gas from the pressure vessel, and a gas infusion device situated within the pressure vessel. The gas infusion device is configured to receive the first liquid and first gas, to facilitate gas exchange therebetween, producing the second liquid and the second gas, and to discharge the second liquid and second gas into the pressure vessel. The system further includes a recirculation system configured to direct a portion of liquid within the pressure vessel back into the saturator device, where injection of the redirected liquid into the gas infusion device forces the first liquid into the gas infusion device for the gas exchange.

In order to efficiently produce a liquid containing ultrafine bubbles of a desired gas, an ultrafine bubble-containing liquid producing apparatus includes a gas dissolving unit that dissolves a predetermined gas into a liquid, and a UFB generating unit that generates ultrafine bubbles in the liquid in which the predetermined gas is dissolved. A CPU performs control under a first condition in a case of causing the gas dissolving unit to operate in a circulation route passing through the dissolving unit. The CPU performs control under a second condition different from the first condition in a case of causing the UFB generating unit to operate in a circulation route passing through the UFB generating unit.

A method for processing a fluid includes removably securing a retention member to a vessel that bounds a chamber; inserting a collapsible bag within the chamber of the vessel; securing the bag to the retention member so that the bag is supported within the chamber of the vessel; and dispensing a fluid into a compartment of the collapsible bag supported within the chamber of the vessel. The fluid can be mixed within bag while the bag is disposed within the vessel.

A passive gas exchange transfer apparatus for exchanging carbon dioxide from a flue gas to a water supply is disclosed. The apparatus includes several upper rods and several lower rods to hold a membrane in place. The membrane provides increased surface area for the gas and the water to meet. The upper rods may be the source of the water supply, and the lower rods may be the source of the gas. The upper rods may disperse the water onto one side of the membrane, and the lower rods may disperse the gas onto the other side. The two may therefore meet at the surface created by the membrane as gravity draws the water downward, and convection draws the gas upward.