A water replicating system comprises a water analyzer for analyzing a target water to determine relative content of selected components. The system further comprises a water treatment apparatus for receiving source water, the water treatment apparatus having a first treatment portion for removing or reducing the relative content of selected components and a second treatment portion for adding components so that the source water will substantially replicate the target water.

The invention relates to a compressed salt block and a liquid treatment apparatus provided therein with at least one such compressed salt block. The liquid treatment apparatus comprises a housing adapted to accommodate at least one liquid treatment tank and at least one compressed salt block. The housing comprises a first space portion for accommodating the at least one liquid treatment tank, and a second space portion for accommodating at least partially the at least one compressed salt block; wherein the at least one compressed salt block comprises an extension portion which extends into a space in the first space portion between an external surface of the at least one liquid treatment tank and an inner wall surface of the housing adjacent the external surface of the at least one liquid treatment tank to thereby position the at least one compressed salt block within the housing. The compressed salt block comprises an elongated body having an irregular cross section, the cross section comprising a base side and a functional side opposing the base side, wherein at least a portion of the functional side forms an acute angle to the base side thereby forming the extension portion of the salt block.

Provided is an UFB generating apparatus and an UFB generating method capable of efficiently generating an UFB-containing liquid with high purity. The ultrafine bubble generating apparatus includes a generating unit that generates ultrafine bubbles in a liquid and a post-processing unit that performs predetermined post-processing on the ultrafine bubble-containing liquid generated by the generating unit. The generating unit generates the ultrafine bubbles by causing a heating element, which is provided in the liquid on which the pre-processing is performed, to generate heat to generate film boiling on an interface between the liquid and the heating element.

The present invention includes a novel salt-free water softening method that utilizes an exchange medium (such as a gel exchange polymer, a macroporous exchange polymer, or an inorganic cation exchanger) that is pre-loaded with a polyvalent cation that has low solubility in aqueous phase at nearly neutral pH. The method of the invention does not require use of a sodium salt or mineral acid in the regeneration of the exchange medium.

The present invention relates to a filter element for disinfecting, cleaning and purifying household water, by removing pollutants such as heavy metals, bacteria, VOCs, and even radioactive substance. The present filter element comprises activated carbon, ion exchange resins (cationic and anionic), biopolymer and transitional metal oxide. Said biopolymer and transitional metal oxide are both in particle form and said transitional metal oxide particle can be either incorporated into the biopolymer particle or directly incorporated into the present filter element as individual particle. Maximum capacity of the present filter element can reach up to 150 L of household water. Some of the pollutants can be removed by up to 99% by the present filter element. A method of preparing the present filter element is also disclosed herein.

The present invention relates to a method of removing chromate ions from an ion-exchange effluent, the method comprising: (i) providing an ion-exchange effluent comprising chromate ions obtained from the regeneration of an ion-exchange material, (ii) admixing the ion-exchange effluent with a source of alkali metal dithionite to form a first precipitate, and (iii) removing the first precipitate

Methods for extracting lithium from solutions containing lithium ions via reversible cation exchange with H.sup.+ are provided. The methods utilize metal oxide or metalloid oxide cation exchange materials having an active sublattice that preferentially bind Li.sup.+ cations, relative to both H.sup.+ and Na.sup.+, in a sample solution and preferentially bind H.sup.+, relative to Li.sup.+, in an acidic solution.

A method for converting a salt-based ion exchange water softener into a brine-based system. The system includes a resin tank containing an ion exchange media, a batch tank containing crystalline salt, a master valve for directing water flow through selected portions of the softener system, a brine conduit connecting the batch tank to the master valve, and a controller for managing the master valve position to define at least operating, brine fill, and brine draw cycles. A control valve is installed in the brine conduit to prevent fresh water flow from the master valve to the batch tank and the crystalline salt in the batch tank replaced with a quantity of liquid brine. It is preferable to adjust the duration of the brine draw cycle to limit the brine draw cycle to the minimum time necessary to provide sufficient brine to the resin tank to recharge the ion exchange media.

The systems and methods disclosed herein process produced/flowback water, such as high total dissolved solids produced water, to generate high purity, high value products with little to no waste. The generated high purity, high value products include caustic soda, hydrochloric acid, and/or sodium hypochlorite. Further, the methods and systems disclosed herein generate high quality brine for electrolysis through the systematic removal of contaminants such as but not limited to suspended solids, iron, sulfides, barium, radium, strontium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, fluoride, heavy metals, organic carbon, recoverable hydrocarbons, silica, lithium, and/or nitrogen containing compounds. Further, some products generated by the systems and methods disclosed herein may be recovered and reutilized or sold for other uses, such as carbon dioxide, calcium oxide, chlorine, magnesium oxide, calcium carbonate, and/or barium sulfate.

The present invention relates to a water softening device including: a resin chamber which has an ion exchange resin and softens hard water passing through the ion exchange resin; and electrodes which are arranged by placing the resin chamber therebetween and apply voltages to the resin chamber so as to soften the hard water, and which regenerates the ion exchange resin, wherein the ion exchange resin is a slightly acidic cation exchange resin and/or a weakly alkaline anion exchange resin. The present invention provides the water softening device capable of easily regenerating the ion exchange resin and repeating the softening-regenerating without using chemicals or the like while maintaining the performance of softening water, thereby enabling a continuous use thereof.