Disclosed is an all-in-one emergency shed that can supply electricity and potable drinkable water during an emergency when electrical grid power is not available and water sources may be contaminated. The emergency shed can use battery banks from electric cars to store electrical energy for emergencies and can store electrical energy in electric car battery banks that are charged during off-peak times and resold to the utility company during peak demand periods.

A reject valve of a reverse osmosis device, which is especially suited for brackish water reverse osmosis devices, which require a low system pressure less than 15bar. The valve keeps the system pressure substantially constant in a pre-defined range of the reject volume. The size of the inflow channel is adjusted by a spring-operated cone, which never entirely closes the channel, which forms a constant throttle until the pressure of the inflow has risen to approximately three quarters of the pressure arranged by the spring and prevailing at maximum volume of the reject flow. This operation is arranged structurally such that onto the shaft of the cone is fixedly supported a transverse plate abutting the inner wall of the body, which as pressed by the compression spring is supported by the end of an element connected to the end of the body, wherein the cone is in its lowest position.

Described herein are water desalination membranes and methods of desalinating water. Sulfonated poly(arylene ether) polymers are also disclosed, including those comprising one or more sulfonate groups at various points along the polymer chain. The polymers may be used as at least a portion of a water desalination membrane. The polymers described herein are useful for preventing transport of aqueous ionic species (e.g., Na.sup.+ and Cl.sup.−) across a membrane made from the polymers while allowing water to pass. Chlorine-stable polymers are described, as well as polymers exhibiting good performance for rejecting monovalent cations in the presence of polyvalent cations.

A system for treating a tetraalkylammonium hydroxide-containing liquid having a high-pressure type reverse osmosis membrane device concentrating a liquid to be treated containing tetraalkylammonium hydroxide at a concentration side, and a line for supplying the concentrated liquid to be treated by the reverse osmosis membrane device to an evaporator further concentrating the concentrated liquid to be treated.

An automatic rainwater collection system, with a high degree of autonomy and sensitivity, which allows the collection and use of rainwater, in open spaces, areas of difficult access and/or lacking of water extraction systems, as well as in domestic spaces such as gardens or roofs, without additional adaptations for its use and which works with solar energy. The automatic rainwater collection system is conformed by: a flower-shaped obturable rainwater receiving element, which comprises: a plurality of internal petals and a plurality of external petals that can be opened or closed in an automated manner, a sensor with high sensitivity to droplet impacts and/or relative humidity, which is operatively connected to a motor to control the opening and closing of the plurality of petals of the rainwater receiving element; a support frame, which functions as a support for the obturable rainwater receiving element and as a water storage media; a modular system for filtering water, connected to said central media of water accumulation, which comprises a plurality of filtering modules, which provide different filtering options depending on the quantity and combination thereof in order to obtain different qualities of water for use in several activities; and a water storage media, which further functions as base and support of the collection system.

Biocide can be controllably added to a feed stream for a membrane. In some examples, the feed stream is separated into a primary feed stream and a secondary feed stream, for example, with the secondary feed stream having a lower flow rate than the primary feed stream. The secondary feed stream may be used to monitor and control the addition of the biocide, which is then diluted when the secondary feed stream is combined with the primary feed stream to form a combined stream for delivery to the membrane.

Biocide can be controllably added to a feed stream for a membrane. In some examples, the feed stream is separated into a primary feed stream and a secondary feed stream, for example, with the secondary feed stream having a lower flow rate than the primary feed stream. The secondary feed stream may be used to monitor and control the addition of the biocide, which is then diluted when the secondary feed stream is combined with the primary feed stream to form a combined stream for delivery to the membrane.

Water or wastewater filtration processes and systems have a plurality of membrane modules, each having filter media therein, the plurality of membrane modules arranged in parallel fluid flow, a main bottom feed conduit, a main top feed conduit, and separate feed conduits fluidly connecting the main bottom feed conduits and the main top feed conduits to respective membrane modules. A main filtrate conduit, and separate filtrate conduits fluidly connect respective membrane modules to the main filtrate conduit. A backwash conduit fluidly connects the main filtrate conduit to respective membrane modules through the main top and bottom feed conduits. A pump having a pump feed conduit and a pump discharge conduit, the pump discharge conduit fluidly connected to the main top and bottom feed conduits, and a plurality of automatically controllable valves positioned in the main top and bottom feed conduits, the main filtrate conduit, the pump discharge conduit, and the backwash conduit, with a controller configured to actuate the plurality of automatically controllable valves to control feed and backwash flows through the membrane modules using pressure developed only by the pump. The pump is preferably operated by a variable-speed prime mover.

A process for the preparation of a filtration membrane, which includes providing an aqueous suspension of vesicles having transmembrane proteins incorporated therein, the vesicles being formed from an amphiphilic block copolymer having reactive end groups; providing a porous support; functionalizing a surface of the porous support to introduce reactive groups on the surface which are capable of reacting with the reactive end groups of the amphiphilic block copolymers of the vesicles; depositing said suspension of vesicles on a surface of the porous support; and providing reaction conditions such that covalent bonds are formed between the vesicles and the surface.

A process for the preparation of a filtration membrane, which includes providing an aqueous suspension of vesicles having transmembrane proteins incorporated therein, the vesicles being formed from an amphiphilic block copolymer having reactive end groups; providing a porous support; functionalizing a surface of the porous support to introduce reactive groups on the surface which are capable of reacting with the reactive end groups of the amphiphilic block copolymers of the vesicles; depositing said suspension of vesicles on a surface of the porous support; and providing reaction conditions such that covalent bonds are formed between the vesicles and the surface.