A water softener valve mechanism includes a body provided with a first inlet, a first outlet and a first discharge. The body has a static valve plate provided with a first passage, a second passage, a third passage, a fourth passage, a fifth passage and a sixth passage and a second discharge and a dynamic plate rotatable relative to the static plate and having an elongated recess defined in a side face of the dynamic plate and a third inlet in communication with the first inlet of the body and to selectively communicate with the first passage, the second passage, the third passage, the fourth passage, the fifth passage and the sixth passage, and a driving device mounted inside the body to drive the dynamic valve plate to rotate.

A water softener valve mechanism includes a body provided with a main inlet, a main outlet and a discharge. The body has a static valve plate provided with a first passage, a second passage, a third passage, a fourth passage, a blind fifth passage, a sixth passage and a seventh passage and a dynamic plate rotatable relative to the static plate and having an elongated blind hole defined in a side face of the dynamic plate and an aligning hole to selectively communicate with the first passage, the second passage, the third passage and the fourth passage and a driving device mounted inside the body to drive the dynamic valve plate to rotate.

Fusion proteins containing a targeting sequence, an exosporium protein, or an exosporium protein fragment that targets the fusion protein to the exosporium of a Bacillus cereus family member are provided. Recombinant Bacillus cereus family members expressing such fusion proteins are also provided. Genetically inactivated Bacillus cereus family members and recombinant Bacillus cereus family members that overexpress exosporium proteins are also provided. Seeds coated with the recombinant Bacillus cereus family members and methods for using the recombinant Bacillus cereus family members (e.g., for stimulating plant growth) are also provided. Various modifications of the recombinant Bacillus cereus family members that express the fusion proteins are further provided. Fusion proteins comprising a spore coat protein and a protein or peptide of interest, recombinant bacteria that express such fusion proteins, seeds coated with such recombinant bacteria, and methods for using such recombinant bacteria (e.g., for stimulating plant growth) are also provided.

A metal surface treatment liquid recycling system includes a treatment liquid collecting tank, a pre-treatment device, a nanofiltration device and a vacuum distillation device, all of which are connected sequentially. The nanofiltration device includes a feed tank, a first-stage nanofiltration membrane unit, and a second-stage nanofiltration membrane unit. Treatment wastewater in the treatment liquid collecting tank is fed into the pre-treatment device to filter out suspended solids and then enter the feed tank. The wastewater in the feed tank is filtered by the first-stage nanofiltration membrane unit and transformed to a first-stage concentrated waste liquid and first-stage infiltration fluids. The first-stage infiltration fluids are fed into and re-filtered by the second-stage nanofiltration membrane unit and transformed to a second-stage concentrated waste liquid and second-stage infiltration fluids. The second-stage infiltration fluids are evaporated and concentrated by the vacuum distillation device for generation of distilled water and high-concentration acid concentrated fluids.

Systems and methods using solar evaporation to preconcentrate lithium containing brines to at or near lithium saturation, followed by a separation processes to separate lithium from impurities. A separated impurity stream is recycled to a point in the evaporation sequence where conditions are favorable for their precipitation and removal or disposed in a separate evaporation pond or reinjected underground, while a lower impurity stream is transferred to one or more of the removal location, to a subsequent pond in the sequence, or to a lithium plant or concentration facility. Further concentration of lithium by evaporation can then take place because impurities are removed thus eliminating lithium losses due to co-precipitation and achieving significantly higher concentrations of lithium.

In this disclosure, a process of recycling acid, base and the salt reagents required in the Li recovery process is introduced. A membrane electrolysis cell which incorporates an oxygen depolarized cathode is implemented to generate the required chemicals onsite. The system can utilize a portion of the salar brine or other lithium-containing brine or solid waste to generate hydrochloric or sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide and carbonate salts. Simultaneous generation of acid and base allows for taking advantage of both chemicals during the conventional Li recovery from brines and mineral rocks. The desalinated water can also be used for the washing steps on the recovery process or returned into the evaporation ponds. The method also can be used for the direct conversion of lithium salts to the high value LiOH product. The method does not produce any solid effluent which makes it easy-to-adopt for use in existing industrial Li recovery plants.

The proposed system in which its purpose is to produce crystallized salt and bittern using extracted seawater containing amounts of specific minerals. The seawater is extracted at specific water depths and at a specific offshore location being around underwater volcanic sites where the seawater is affected by volcanic eruption activity. The proposed system further comprises of a refinery facility being a chemical plant for producing specific chemical products using produced crystallized salt and bittern, which contain amounts of specific minerals having amounts of specific chemical elements and specific chemical compounds.

A fiber comprising a carbon chain backbone and amidoxime, carboxylate, and nitrile pendant groups. The fiber may be used for removing uranium from seawater and toxic metals from drinking water.

Provided are electrodialysis systems for removing silica from a desalinated water stream and methods for removing silica from a desalinated water stream. For example, described are bipolar membrane electrodialysis devices for removing silica from water comprising one or more anion exchange membranes; one or more bipolar membranes; and a pair of electrodes comprising a positive electrode and a negative electrode. Also described are electrodialysis systems comprising: one or more electrodialysis devices for the removal of dissolved ions and one or more bipolar membrane electrodialysis devices, wherein a product inlet stream of the one or more bipolar membrane electrodialysis devices comprises the product outlet stream of the one or more electrodialysis devices.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for reducing greenhouse gas emission in a vessel, and a vessel including the same, which are capable of satisfying IMO greenhouse gas emission regulations by separating and discharging NO.sub.x, SO.sub.x, and CO.sub.2 from exhaust gas exhausted from a vessel engine and increasing CO.sub.2 solubility and CO.sub.2 removal efficiency by removing CO.sub.2 after removing SO.sub.x.