A liquid desalination, distillation, disinfection, purification, or concentration system by repeatedly re-using thermal energy is provided. Thermal heat source can be solar, fossil fuel, or low grade heat discharged from industrial systems. Multiple thermally insulated and isolated stages of vaporization-condensation chambers can be connected to enhance production yield. Vapor is generated by direct heating of liquid and flash evaporation. Vapor generated is condensed in condenser cooled by intake liquid. Counter circulating intake liquid will be heated by released latent heat from vapor. Externally provided thermal energy will accumulate and be re-used in the system. Vaporization and condensation process will be continuously re-cycled to enhance production yield. The system can be configured to support flexible deployment in various configurations and in different locations, including direct floating installation on water surface.

A method for treating wastewater having one or more of suspended solids, dissolved solids, biological oxygen demand includes solids filtration followed by a bi-polar/bi-directional flow through ionic module fitted with anionically/cationically charged plates followed by a sub-sonic resonance module followed by another bi-polar/bi-directional flow through ionic module followed by a ultra-sonic resonance module followed by one or more anion/cation collection membrane modules. Recycle is provided in each step, wherein each step may be repeated, and wherein one or more of the steps can be bypassed.

Systems and processes for purifying and concentrating a liquid feed stream are disclosed. In the systems, the concentrated liquid output from the high pressure side of a reverse osmosis stage is used as the draw solution in the low pressure side of the reverse osmosis stage in a configuration called osmotically assisted reverse osmosis. This reduces the osmotic pressure differential across the membrane, permitting high solute concentrations to be obtained, hastening the purification of the liquid. Reduced system pressures are also obtained by arranging multiple osmotically assisted reverse osmosis stages in a cross-current arrangement. Overall system energy consumption is reduced compared to conventional thermal processes for high concentration streams.

Provided are an apparatus for removing boron and a method for removing boron for reducing the boron concentration in water to be treated, and an apparatus and a method for producing pure water wherein the boron concentration is reduced. An apparatus for removing boron includes: a first electrodeionization device to which water to be treated is supplied; an ultraviolet oxidation device to which the water treated by the first electrodeionization device is supplied; an oxide removal device to which the water treated by the ultraviolet oxidation device is supplied; and a second electrodeionization device to which the water treated by the oxide removal device is supplied. A method for removing boron using the apparatus is provided. The oxide removal device is equipped with a platinum group metal catalyst, and the water that has been treated by the oxide removal device has a hydrogen peroxide concentration of less than 1 ppb.

A reverse osmosis treatment device includes: a first pressure vessel for treating an untreated water to produce a primarily treated water and a first permeated water; a second pressure vessel for treating the primarily treated water to produce a secondarily treated water and a second permeated water; a first cleaning solution tank for storing a first cleaning solution for cleaning the first pressure vessel; and a second cleaning solution tank for storing a second cleaning solution for cleaning the second pressure vessel. Each of the first pressure vessel and the second pressure vessel has therein a reverse osmosis membrane element having a reverse osmosis membrane. The first cleaning solution tank is connected to the first concentrate outlet pipe of the first pressure vessel, and the second cleaning solution tank is connected to the inlet pipe for the primarily treated water of the second pressure vessel.

A system and method for producing minerals from divalent ion-containing brine stream includes rejecting sulfate from a divalent-ion rich reject stream in a first nanofiltration seawater reverse osmosis (NF-SWRO) unit, producing solid calcium sulfate dihydrate and a magnesium-rich brine stream in a first concentration unit, concentrating the magnesium-rich brine stream to a saturation point of sodium chloride in a second concentration unit, producing solid sodium chloride and a supernatant product stream in a first crystallizing unit, produce a concentrated magnesium-rich bittern stream from the supernatant product stream in a third concentration unit, and at least one of producing hydrated magnesium chloride from the concentrated magnesium-rich bittern stream in a second crystallizing unit and producing anhydrous magnesium chloride by prilling the concentrated magnesium-rich bitterns stream under a hydrogen chloride atmosphere in a dry air process unit.

A fluid cleaning system for cleaning contaminated water sources via at least one cleaning process. The system includes at least one solids dissociation apparatus that includes a housing, at least one insert operably engaged with the housing and is adapted to receive a continuous fluid stream, and a transducer operably engaged with the housing and is disposed about the at least one insert at a distance away from said at least one insert inside of the housing. The transducer is configured to create cavitation, via sonic waves, to eviscerate contaminants in the continuous fluid stream. The system also includes at least one solids separation apparatus operably connected with the at least one fluid treatment apparatus for receiving the eviscerated contaminants provided in the fluid stream. The at least one solids separation apparatus is adapted to separate the eviscerate contaminants from the fluid stream for at least one separation process.

A system an oil-water separation system including a vessel for receiving an oil-water mixture and passing a treated water having a lower concentration of oil than the oil-water mixture. The system further includes a first overflow baffle for directing the oil-water mixture fluid flow over the first overflow baffle, and a first underflow baffle positioned downstream along a fluid flow pathway of the first overflow baffle for directing the oil-water mixture fluid flow under the first underflow baffle, and a second overflow baffle positioned downstream along the fluid flow pathway of the first underflow baffle having a mesh with a plurality of perforations which directs fluid flow over the second overflow baffle and through the plurality of perforations. The second overflow baffle permits a water portion of the oil-water mixture to traverse through the mesh and an oil portion of the oil-water mixture to traverse over the mesh.

A liquid treatment loop system for dissociating and removing brine compositions found in wastewater and producing clean water for freshwater and potable water applications. The system includes an acoustic source process cell stage (SPCS) operatively in communication with a continuous stream from a fluid source. The SPCS is configured to eviscerate contaminants in the continuous fluid stream in at least one treatment process. The SPCS is also configured to separate the eviscerated contaminants from the continuous fluid stream to provide permeated water in the at least one treatment process. The system includes at least one mining process cell stage (MPCS) operatively in communication with SPCS. The at least one MPCS is adapted to receive the eviscerated contaminants from the SPCS. The system includes at least one permeate outlet operatively in communication with SPCS, wherein the at least one permeate outlet is adapted to receive the permeated water from the SPCS.

The present invention relates to a system and process for treating a feedwater wherein the system includes at least one RO or nanofiltration unit that receives a feed under high pressure and produces a concentrate that is directed to and held at low pressure in a concentrate accumulator. Generally the permeate or the inlet feedwater is maintained at a constant flow rate. Periodically the system is switched from a mode 1 or normal operating process to a mode 2 where the concentrate is drained from the concentrate accumulator. However, in mode 2, the feedwater is still directed into the system and through the RO or nanofiltration unit which produces the permeate and the concentrate.