A modular water filtration system including a first filter manifold and a second filter manifold is provided. The first filter manifold includes a first bracket and a first pair of arm members horizontally extending from the first bracket. One of the first pair of arm members includes a protrusion defining a bore. The second filter manifold includes a second bracket and a second pair of arm members horizontally extending from the second bracket. One of the second pair of arm members includes a duct, and the duct is configured to receive the protrusion of the first filter manifold to provide fluid communication through the bore between the first filter manifold and the second filter manifold.

A fluid separation apparatus comprising a fluid separation membrane is provided. The fluid separation apparatus comprises a fluid separation membrane extending in one direction and having a cross-section with a closed curve shape, wherein the fluid separation membrane has a thickness of 0.1 mm to 2 mm, and an outer diameter of 60 mm to 360 mm when the cross-section is adjusted to be circular.

A fluid separation apparatus comprising a fluid separation membrane is provided. The fluid separation apparatus comprises a fluid separation membrane extending in one direction and having a cross-section with a closed curve shape, wherein the fluid separation membrane has a thickness of 0.1 mm to 2 mm, and an outer diameter of 60 mm to 360 mm when the cross-section is adjusted to be circular.

Exemplary embodiments in desalination by direct contact membrane distillation present a cylindrical cross-flow module containing high-flux composite hydrophobic hollow fiber membranes. The present embodiments are directed to a model that has been developed to describe the observed water production rates of such devices in multiple brine feed introduction configurations. The model describes the observed water vapor production rates for different feed brine temperatures at various feed brine flow rates. The model flux predictions have been explored over a range of hollow fiber lengths to compare the present results with those obtained earlier from rectangular modules which had significantly shorter hollow fibers.

A filtration method that includes a cleaning step using a chemical agent, wherein provided is the filtration method with excellent chemical resistance performance. The filtration method pertaining to the present invention comprises a filtration step in which a liquid to be filtered is filtered by being passed through a porous membrane formed of a resin, and a cleaning step in which the membrane interior of the porous membrane is cleaned after the filtration step, wherein a porous membrane for which the area ratio of a resin part having an area of 1 μm.sup.2 or less included in a cross section of the membrane interior is at least 70% of the total area of the entire resin part included in the cross section, and said cleaning step includes a step in which an aqueous solution of at least 1% sodium hydroxide is passed through the porous membrane.

A filtration method that includes a cleaning step using a chemical agent, wherein provided is the filtration method with excellent chemical resistance performance. The filtration method pertaining to the present invention comprises a filtration step in which a liquid to be filtered is filtered by being passed through a porous membrane formed of a resin, and a cleaning step in which the membrane interior of the porous membrane is cleaned after the filtration step, wherein a porous membrane for which the area ratio of a resin part having an area of 1 μm.sup.2 or less included in a cross section of the membrane interior is at least 70% of the total area of the entire resin part included in the cross section, and said cleaning step includes a step in which an aqueous solution of at least 1% sodium hydroxide is passed through the porous membrane.

A water dispensing unit adapted for communication with a water supply includes a spout configured to receive water from the water supply and dispense the water to a receptacle for consumption. The water supply includes water received from a municipal water supply and contained within a space directly upstream of a base of the spout. A flow of water from the water supply and into the spout via the base is a downstream water flow. A disinfecting mechanism operable to disinfect water in at least one of the spout or a space immediately upstream of the spout.

A serial filtration system for liquid purification includes a preliminary-stage reverse-osmosis (RO) module and a first-stage, high-permeability, reverse-osmosis (HiRO) module. Both modules include (a) a chamber including an inlet, a retentate outlet, and a permeate outlet, and (b) at least one membrane separating the chamber into a retentate side on an upstream side of the membrane and a permeate side on a downstream side of the membrane. The membrane in the preliminary stage is an RO membrane, while the membrane in the first stage is an oxidized membrane. The first-stage inlet is in fluid communication with the preliminary-stage, retentate outlet; and the oxidized membrane in the first stage, comprises an oxidized polyamide active layer coated on a porous support, wherein the oxidized polyamide active layer has an atomic oxygen/nitrogen ratio of at least 1.5.

A membrane distillation (MD) module includes a first MD sub-module including a first thermocouple; a second MD sub-module including a second thermocouple; and a distillation membrane sandwiched between the first MD sub-module and the second MD sub-module. A hot chamber of the first MD sub-module is closed by the distillation membrane, and a cold chamber of the second MD sub-module is closed by the distillation membrane.

Disclosed herein is a ceramic membrane for water and/or wastewater treatment, the membrane comprising a ceramic substrate having at least one surface and a membrane layer comprising core-shell particles on the at least one surface, where the core and shell are formed from materials described herein. The core of the core-shell particles is formed from one or more of the group selected from Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and ZrO.sub.2, and the shell of the core-shell particles is formed from one or more of the group selected from SiO.sub.2, TiO.sub.2 and WO.sub.3. In a preferred embodiment, the core is Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and the shell is SiO.sub.2.