A method for producing biomass from a microalgae includes culturing the microalgae in an effluent diluted in seawater. A method for bioremediating an effluent includes culturing a microalgae in the effluent diluted in seawater. The microalgae is at least one of a strain of the genus Nodularia, a strain of the genus Chrysoreinhardia, a strain of the genus Halochlorella, or combinations thereof. At the beginning of culturing, the diluted effluent exhibits concentrations of total nitrogen (N) in the range of 30-150 mg/l and concentrations of total phosphorus (P) in the range of 1-15 mg/l. The N/P quotient is in the range of 5-40.

A current conductor for use in an electrochemical device for removing ions from a solution. The current conductor includes a current conductor substrate having a current conductor surface. The current conductor also includes an anti-corrosive, anti-reactive coating coated onto the current conductor surface. The anti-corrosive, anti-reactive coating contains a material with a chemical composition of AO.sub.y, where A= Zr, Nb, Ti, or a combination thereof and 2 < y < 3; M.sub.xAO.sub.y, where M= Ca, Mg, Na, or a combination thereof, A= Zr, Nb, Ti, or a combination thereof, 0 < x < 2, and 2 < y < 3; MgCr.sub.2O.sub.4; or a combination thereof.

Zero liquid discharge systems, processes, and techniques for treating a saltwater without evaporative crystallization. The saltwater is treated by a fluidic circuit comprising a high-pressure reverse osmosis (“HPRO”) unit configured to operate at a hydraulic pressure of at least 1,500 psi, a cooling crystallizer, and a solids-liquid separator. The saltwater is first concentrated by the HPRO unit to produce an HPRO brine, which is subsequently cooled to a designated crystallization temperature by the cooling crystallizer. The cooling crystallizer crystallizes salt crystals from the cooled HPRO brine and produces a salt-diminished brine. The solids-liquid separator separates the salt-diminished brine from the salt crystals. The salt-diminished brine from the solids-liquid separator is returned to the HPRO unit for further treatment, which allows additional salts to be crystallized from the returned salt-diminished brine.

A biofilm inhibition system, for a sensor which includes a chamber with an interior volume and an interior surface exposed to direct contact with a fluid during sensor operation, includes an ultraviolet light emitting diode (UV-LED) and an optical subsystem. The optical subsystem is coupled to the UV-LED to deliver a portion of the emitted UV light to illuminate a substantial fraction of the interior volume and the interior surface. A watertight housing encloses the UV-LED and at least a portion of the optical subsystem.

A method for storing solar energy and generating electric power comprising the steps of utilizing a solar powered water treatment device (2) to convert non-potable water (3) into distillate (4) and concentrate (5), storing the distillate and the concentrate in a distillate storage tank (104) and a concentrate storage tank (105) respectively and feeding the distillate from the distillate storage tank and the concentrate from the concentrate storage tank to a salient gradient power device (106) to generate electric power.

The present invention relates to a hybrid system for water treatment, desalination, and chemical production. The hybrid system of the present invention includes a photoanode, an anode chamber, an anion exchange membrane, a middle chamber, a cation exchange membrane, a cathode chamber, and a cathode. In the middle chamber, saltwater or seawater is desalinated by photoelectrochemical electrodialysis. Chloride ions are generated during the desalination, transferred to the anode chamber, and activated by the photoanode. In the anode chamber, wastewater is treated by the activated chloride ions. In the cathode chamber, at least one chemical species selected from the group consisting of water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide is reduced by electrons supplied from the photoanode.

Compositions are provided for efficient uranium extraction, for example from wastewater, seawater, or other water sources. The compositions can include a functionalized porous organic polymer functionalized with one or more uranium binding moieties, e.g. having a plurality of amidoxime or amidrazone groups covalently attached thereto. The compositions can include covalent organic frameworks, porous aromatic frameworks, and various porous organic polymers, especially those having a hierarchical pore size distribution over a range of pore sizes. The compositions can have functional groups such as amidoxime or an amidrazone covalently attached thereto. The hierarchical pore size distribution can be determined based upon at least 60% of the pore sizes in the range of pore sizes having a pore volume of at least 0.01 cm.sup.3 g.sup.−1 in the pore size distribution at 77 K. Methods of making the compositions and methods of using the compositions are also provided.

Saltwater to freshwater conversion cells are provided. The saltwater to freshwater conversion cell includes a positive electrode; a negative electrode disposed opposite and parallel to the positive electrode; a first plastic perforated plate positioned adjacent to the positive electrode and between the positive electrode and the negative electrode; a second plastic perforated plate positioned adjacent to the negative electrode and between the positive electrode and the negative electrode; a power supply configured to generate an electric field between the positive electrode and the negative electrode; and a saltwater stream comprising a plurality of positively charged sodium ions and a plurality of negatively charged chloride ions, the saltwater stream flowing through the conversion cell. The positive electrode and the first plastic perforated plate define a chloride-dense water channel, the negative electrode and the second plastic perforated plate define a sodium-dense water channel, and the first plastic perforated plate and the second plastic perforated plate define a desalinated water channel. The electric field is configured to cause the plurality of negatively charged chloride ions in the saltwater stream to move through the first plastic perforated plate and into the chloride-dense water channel and the plurality of positively charged sodium ions in the saltwater stream to move through the second plastic perforated plate and into the sodium-dense water channel.

Liquid solution concentration systems, and related methods, are generally described. In some embodiments, the system is an osmotic system comprising a plurality of osmotic modules. For example, the osmotic system can comprise a feed osmotic module configured to produce an osmotic module retentate outlet stream having a higher concentration of solute than the retentate inlet stream transported to the feed osmotic module. The osmotic system can also comprise an isolation osmotic module fluidically connected to the feed osmotic module. The osmotic system can also optionally comprise a purification osmotic module fluidically connected to the feed osmotic module and/or the isolation osmotic module. Certain embodiments are related to altering the degree to which the feed osmotic module retentate outlet stream is recycled back to the retentate-side inlet of the feed osmotic module during operation. Additional embodiments are related to the manner in which the retentate-side effluent from the isolation osmotic module is distributed among the system modules during operation.

Water deionization systems based on electrochemical water desalination or softening using a capacitive or intercalative deionization devices including a stack of electrochemical cells. Each cell includes first and second electrodes and an ion exchange membrane. Each cell includes inlet and outlet channels with control valves that control the separation of the source water into brine (e.g., concentration) and clean water (e.g., purification) streams. The deionization device or module may include multiple electrochemical cells connected electrically in series, parallel or a combination of both. The cells may also be in serial, parallel, or combined fluid communication. The output water of one or more streams from each cell or collection of cells may be recirculated and combined with one or more input water streams to improve the electrochemical energy efficiency of the cells. The electrochemical cells at different rows may have varying electrode thickness, area and loading of the active material.