A device and process are disclosed for the separate removal of oppositely charged ions from electrolyte solutions and recombining them to form new chemical compositions. The invention provides the ability to create multiple ion flow channels and then form new chemical compositions therefrom. The process is accomplished by selectively combining oppositely charged ions of choice from different electrolyte solutions via the capacitive behavior of high electrical capacitance electrodes confined in insulated containers.

The present invention relates to an elongate microreactor (1) for desalinating a saline fluid (2), comprising at least one compartment (C1) for migrating ions, at least one compartment (C2) for separating ions and at least one compartment (C3) for collecting fluid, characterized in that first and second cathode electrodes (11A, 11B) and first and second anode electrodes (12A, 12B) each have a first surface (11F, 11G, 12F, 12G) that is in contact with the air and a second surface (11E, 11H, 12E, 12H) opposite said first surface, respectively, said second surface being in direct contact with a plastic wall (13B, 13C, 13A, 13D) that is in direct contact with the saline fluid.

In some embodiments, a fluid separation system is provided. The system includes a reactor for coagulating one or more suspended fluids in a fluid solution. The system also includes a first filtration unit downstream of the reactor for removing a first portion of the coagulated solids. The system also includes a second filtration unit downstream of the first filtration unit for removing a second portion of the solids.

A device and process are disclosed for the separate removal of oppositely charged ions from electrolyte solutions and recombining them to form new chemical compositions. The invention provides the ability to create multiple ion flow channels and then form new chemical compositions therefrom. The process is accomplished by selectively combining oppositely charged ions of choice from different electrolyte solutions via the capacitive behavior of high electrical capacitance electrodes confined in insulated containers.

A water stream is passed between two juxtaposed similar ion exchange membranes (AEMs or CEMs), forming an ion depletion and ion enrichment zones when an electric field is applied. As cations are selectively transferred through the CEMs, for example, anions are relocated in order to achieve electro-neutrality, resulting in the concentration drop (increase) in ion depletion (enrichment) zone. Trifurcation of the output channel allows collection of concentrated, dilute and intermediate streams, with the intermediate stream serving as input to the next stage of a serialized implementation.

Pre-treatment of an input feed in a desalination process includes splitting the input feed into two streams, a first stream and a second stream, passing the second stream through a nano-filtration unit to produce a softened second stream, combining the softened second stream and the first stream, and feeding the combined streams to a desalination process. An apparatus for pre-treatment of an input feed in a desalination process includes an adsorption unit for splitting the input feed into two streams, a first stream rich in sodium ions and a second stream rich in calcium and magnesium ions, a nano-filtration unit to receive the second stream to produce a softened second stream, and a combiner for combining the softened second stream and the first stream, and feeding the combined streams to a desalination process.

A device (10) for capacitive deionization of an aqueous media containing dissolved ion species, said device comprising a cell with a first primary electrode (2) and a second primary electrode (3) arranged opposite the first primary electrode (2) and preferably separated by at least one non-conductive spacer (4, 4). A third electrode (7) is arranged between the first and the second electrode. The third electrode (7) is grounded whereas the first and the second electrodes are polarized versus the grounded third electrode.

Ion separation media are described herein employing thermoelectric materials and architectures. In some embodiments, an ion separation medium comprises a layer of inorganic nanoparticles having a Seebeck coefficient sufficient to transport ionic species in a liquid medium along surfaces of the layer in the presence of a thermal gradient.

A membrane stack comprising the following components: (a) a first ion diluting compartment (D1); (b) a second ion diluting compartment (D2); (c) a first ion concentrating compartment (C1); (d) a second ion concentrating compartment (C2); and (e) a membrane wall (CEM1, mAEM, mCEM, AEM, CEM2) between each compartment and on the outside of the first and last compartment of the stack; wherein: (i) each membrane wall comprises a cation exchange membrane (CEM1, mCEM, CEM2) or an anion exchange membrane (mAEM, AEM) and the order of the cation and anion exchange membranes alternates from each wall to the next; (ii) the membrane walls (mAEM, mCEM) on each side of compartment (a) both have a higher monovalent ion selectivity than the corresponding membrane walls (AEM, CEM2) on each side of compartment (b); and (iii) the stack further comprises a means for communicating fluid between compartments (a) and (b).

A desalination and energy storage system comprises at least one water reservoir, at least one negative-ion redox electrode, at least one positive-ion redox electrode, a cation-exchange membrane disposed between the at least one negative-ion redox electrode and the water reservoir, and an anion-exchange membrane disposed between the at least one positive-ion redox electrode and the water reservoir. The at least one water reservoir comprises an input and an output, wherein water in the at least one water reservoir is reduced below a threshold concentration during a desalination operation mode. The at least one negative-ion electrode comprises a first solution and is configured to accept, and have, a reversible redox reaction with at least one negative ion in the water, and the at least one positive-ion electrode comprises a second solution and is configured to accept, and have, a reversible redox reaction with at least one positive ion in the water.