In one aspect, systems and methods for the efficient and cost-effective removal of bromide from wastewater streams are described herein. Briefly, a system for bromide removal comprises pretreatment apparatus operable for at least partial removal of background ionic species from the wastewater stream and/or dilution of the background ionic species in the wastewater stream. The system also comprises bromide capture apparatus operable for removal of bromide from the pretreated wastewater stream, wherein the system removes bromide from the wastewater stream at an efficiency of at least 80 percent. In some embodiments, bromide is recovered from the capture apparatus and reused in flue gas treatment applications.

Provided are a method of removing a perchlorate ion (ClO.sub.4.sup.−) and a nitrate ion (NO.sub.3.sup.−) which are toxic anions in wastewater using an anion-exchange resin on which a metal is supported, and more particularly an anion-exchange resin on which a hydrogen activating metal is supported or a hydrogen activating metal and a secondary metal are supported together and a method of removing toxic anions using the same. The toxic anions may be efficiently ion-exchanged and removed using an anion-exchange resin supporting a reduction catalyst, the regeneration of the anion-exchange resin may be facilitated, and the consumption of energy and the reducing agent may be reduced, thereby being usable in removal of toxic anions from an actual water purification system.

Systems and methods for removing a contaminant from a liquid are generally described. The liquid (e.g., water) containing the contaminant may be flowed across a semipermeable membrane (e.g., via forward osmosis) that is not permeable to the contaminant in order to remove the contaminant from the liquid. A concentration gradient across the semipermeable membrane may be provided and maintained by electrolysis of the liquid and can drive forward osmosis of the liquid through the semipermeable membrane.

A filter for a liquid purifier may include a filter housing having an inlet and an outlet; and a filter module provided in the filter housing, and configured to purify liquid introduced through the inlet, and to supply the purified liquid to the outlet. The filter module may include an electrostatic adsorption nonwoven fabric having a hollow portion. The filter module may be configured to receive the liquid introduced through the inlet is to pass through the electrostatic adsorption nonwoven fabric and then is to discharge out of the outlet of the filter housing.

The invention relates to methods for the synthesis of a thin-film composite membrane, comprising the following steps: a) providing an ultrafiltration porous support membrane, coated at the outer surface with a thin film, synthesized through interfacial polymerisation or interfacial initiation of polymerisation, b) contacting the membrane with a first solution comprising a first monomer, and allowing the solution to impregnate inside the thin film of the membrane, c) discarding the first solution comprising the first monomer, d) contacting the membrane with a second solution comprising a second monomer, and allowing the solution to impregnate inside the thin film of membrane, whereby the second monomer reacts with the first monomer and optionally with reactive groups of the thin film, e) discarding the second solution comprising the second monomer.

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.

Provided are a system and a method of treating wastewater. The system includes a wastewater chamber, positive and negative electrode chambers, acid and basic solution chambers and a buffer chamber. The wastewater chamber receives wastewater containing a first ion. The positive and the negative electrode chambers are respectively on opposite sides of the wastewater chamber. The acid chamber is between the wastewater chamber and the positive electrode chamber. The basic chamber is between the wastewater chamber and the negative electrode chamber. The buffer chamber is between one of the acid and the basic chambers and the wastewater chamber, and receives the buffer solution containing the first ion. The interfaces between the wastewater chamber and the buffer chamber and between the one of the acid and the basic chambers and the buffer chamber are ion exchange membranes having the same electrical properties.

Embodiments described generally relate to systems comprising a humidifier (e.g., a bubble column humidifier) and a heating device (e.g. a heat exchanger), and associated methods. In certain embodiments, the heating device heats a first liquid stream comprising a condensable fluid in liquid phase (e.g., water) and a dissolved salt (e.g., NaCl) to a relatively low temperature (e.g., about 90° C. or less) prior to the first liquid stream entering the humidifier through a main humidifier liquid inlet. In some cases, the system comprising the humidifier and the heating device requires only low-grade heat to operate, which may be advantageous due to the low cost and high availability of such heat.

The present invention provides a semipermeable membrane which has resistance to oxidizing agents even in the presence of heavy metals and which, despite this, can have salt-removing performance equal to that of semipermeable membranes having poor resistance to oxidizing agents. A coated semipermeable membrane of the invention includes a semipermeable layer and a polymer layer formed on the semipermeable layer, and the polymer layer includes a polymerization product formed by both condensation of hydrolyzable groups possessed by the following compound (A) and polymerization of the compound (A) with the following compound (B): (A) a silicon compound having a silicon atom, a reactive group including an ethylenically unsaturated group directly bonded to the silicon atom, and a hydrolyzable group directly bonded to the silicon atom; and (B) a compound other than the compound (A), which has both a hydrophilic group and an ethylenically unsaturated group.

An incinerator system includes an evaporator tank having a fluid inlet, a steam vent, and an evaporation cavity and a heating assembly having a plurality of heating rods mounted on a rod spacing mechanism and disposed in the evaporation cavity of the evaporator tank. The rod spacing mechanism is configured to move the plurality of heating rods within the evaporation cavity. The incinerator system also includes a sensor system having a plurality of sensors positioned to perform one or more sensor measurements in the evaporation cavity and a programmable logic controller communicatively coupled to the sensor system and the heating assembly. The programmable logic controller is configured to instruct the rod spacing mechanism to move at least one of the plurality of heating rods based on the one or more sensor measurements.