A reverse osmosis system and a method of operating the same includes a membrane housing comprising a reverse osmosis membrane therein. The membrane housing has a feed fluid inlet, a brine outlet and a permeate outlet. A first turbocharger has a first pump portion and a first turbine portion. The brine outlet is coupled to a first pipe directing a first portion of brine to the first pump portion. The first pump portion is in fluid communication with the feed fluid inlet. A feed pump communicates feed fluid to the feed fluid inlet. The brine outlet is coupled to a second pipe directing a second portion of brine away from the first pump portion.

Disclosed herein is a method and apparatus that uses a brine from a well that is used to both generate electricity and recover valuable minerals present in the brine. The method and apparatus uses a hydrophobic membrane to separate water vapor from the brine to concentrate the brine that is then used to recover the minerals.

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.

A waste processing system includes a reactor including an inlet end and an outlet end configured to discharge reactor effluent. The inlet end includes a mixing unit having an oxidizing material input and a waste stream input. The reactor oxidizing material input is configured to receive reactor oxidizing material at a temperature greater than 200 C. and at a pressure greater than 60 atm. A second waste stream input is positioned between the reactor inlet end and the reactor outlet end.

Disclosed are modular microbial fuel cell (MFC) devices, systems and methods for treating wastewater and generating electrical energy through a bioelectrochemical waste-to-energy conversion process. In some aspects, a modular MFC system includes a wastewater pretreatment system to receive and pre-treat raw wastewater for feeding pre-treated wastewater for bioelectrochemical processing; one or more modular MFC devices to bioelectrochemically process the pre-treated wastewater by concurrently generating electrical energy and digesting organic contaminants and particulates in the wastewater to yield treated, cleaner water; and a water collection module to receive the treated water from the one or more modular MFC devices and store the treated water and/or route the treated water from the system.

Disclosed are floating micro-aeration unit (FMU) devices, systems and methods for biological sulfide removal from water/wastewater bodies and streams. In some aspects, a system includes a manifold structure including one or more opening to flow air out of an interior of the manifold structure; one or more support structures connected to the manifold structure, in which the one or more support structures are floatable on a surface of a fluid that includes water or a wastewater; and an air source that flows air to the manifold structure, such that the manifold structure supplies the air containing a predetermined amount of oxygen (e.g., less than 0.1 mg/L of oxygen) to oxidize sulfide of the fluid.

A system and method for desalinating and removing pollutants from water produced during oil and gas development that includes a discharge directing produced water from a well and a direct contact steam generator positioned downstream of the discharge. A filter is positioned downstream of the direct contact steam generator to separate solid waste from the produced water and a condenser is positioned downstream of the filter, the condenser separating combustion exhaust from clean water.

A distillation apparatus includes at least one evaporation space in which feed water is evaporated into a vapour and at least one condensation space, in which vapour from a preceding evaporation space is condensed into distillate. The evaporation space and the condensation space each include a chamber and a plurality of interdigitated pockets arranged between said chambers, such that a first pocket of the evaporation space is present between a first and a second pocket of the condensation space, and that the first pocket of the condensation space is present between the first and a second pocket of the evaporation space. The spaces are mutually separated by means of a separation barrier that is configured for transmission of heat and for definition of the interdigitated pockets.

Various implementations of a system that addresses the need for clean drinking water, improved solid fuel combustion and convection of the heat resulting from the combustion, exhausting of gases and air-borne particulates resulting from combustion, and provides electricity for lighting and charging of battery-operated devices are described herein. The system may include at least one solar panel, a battery, a fan assisted exhaust hood, a fan assisted cooking device, and a water purification device. Such a device could not only save millions of lives, but the quality of life for millions of people living in impoverished areas or refugee camps could be improved dramatically.

A process for the generation of power is disclosed. The process comprises receiving a wastewater stream containing organic matter and passing the wastewater stream to an anaerobic digester in which the organic matter contained therein is broken down to produce biogas. The liquid content of said wastewater stream is reduced before said stream enters the anaerobic digester by passing the wastewater stream through an osmotic power unit. The said stream is passed over one side of a semi-permeable membrane which permits the passage of water but not the passage of salts, an aqueous stream of higher salinity than said wastewater stream being passed over the other side of said membrane such that latent osmotic energy present in said aqueous stream of higher salinity is converted into electricity.