A water treatment apparatus management system which manages a household water treatment apparatus located at or near a place of water use, and treats water before treatment with at least one type of filter to produce treated water for the place of water use. The system includes: a filter information storage unit storing information regarding an in-service filter used in the household water treatment apparatus; an information receiver receiving information regarding performance change of the in-service filter from the household water treatment apparatus; and a water type estimation means that estimates a water type of the water before treatment based on the information regarding performance change and the information regarding the in-service filter. The information regarding the in-service filter includes reference information of performance change of the same or the same type of filter as the in-service filter for each of plural types of reference water before treatment.

A method for mitigating formation of biofilm in a water system using predictive analysis of biofilm growth. An electrical current to the water system is used to deactivate bacteria and mitigate biofilm formation. The method also allows for optional dosing of the water system with biocide. A system is also used for mitigating formation of biofilm in a water system, made of a bacterial deactivator, a biofouling sensor, a biofouling potential analyzer, and a controller to synthesize data from the analyzer and sensor to model and predict biofouling events and operate the bacterial deactivator based upon the modeling and prediction.

A method for differentially lysing a liquid sample or target material using an augmented oxidizing agent (AOA), which includes a quantity of electronically modified oxygen derivatives (EMODs). The method reduces or eliminates total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), Biologic Oxygen Demand (BOD), microbial concentration, biofilms and other content in the liquid target material known or suspected to contain animal fluids, blood and blood cells and suspected or known to contain eukaryotic cells, microbial cells, bacteria, viruses, spores, fungi, prions, organic matter, minerals, proteins or associated structures. The BOD, TDS and TSS can be lowered or eliminated as desired. This action is directly proportional to the quantity of EMODs in the AOS applied to the liquid target material.

The invention relates to a method for preferably continuous treatment and/or purifying of water encumbered by contaminants, in particular organic contaminants, preferably micropollutants and/or trace substances, in particular untreated water, preferably for purposes of producing and/or obtaining treated and/or purified water, in particular pure water, preferably drinking water and/or service water. The invention further relates to a water treatment system for carrying out said method and to applications thereof.

A desalination system that can comprise an inlet, an optional preheating stage, multiple evaporation chambers and optional demisters, product condensers, a waste outlet, one or more product outlets, a nested configuration that facilitates heat transfer and recovery and a control system. The control system can permit operation of the purification system continuously with minimal user intervention or cleaning. The desalination system can operate with any number of pre-treatment methods for descaling, and with degassing systems to eliminate or reduce hydrocarbons and dissolved gases. The system is capable of removing, from a contaminated water sample, a plurality of contaminant types including microbiological contaminants, radiological contaminants, metals, and salts.

One disclosed system includes: (a) a fan directing an initial air stream to a heater with sufficient heating capacity to heat said initial airstream to a temperature of 200° C. to 350° C. and output a heated air stream; and (b) an air to air heat exchanger positioned and configured to use said heated air stream to preheat said initial airstream prior to its arrival at said heater. Additional systems and corresponding methods are disclosed.

Methods for increasing hydrophobicity of native water-bearing zones or aquifers comprising the step of permanently embedding non-degradable, solid colloidal materials formed to have a particulate size of less than 10 microns. Exemplary materials include activated carbon, zeolites and hydrophobically treated clays. The particulate colloidal materials are coated with an agent to facilitate their distribution, including anionic polymers, chelating agents or combinations thereof. The materials are applied preferably by low pressure injection and are particularly effective at containing the migration of hydrocarbon contaminants, typically present as a plume, for at least several decades.

Provided herein is a composition comprising high surface area titanium dioxide nanospheres, as well as a process for making the same. Also provided is a composition comprising carbon nanotubes and high surface area titanium dioxide nanospheres, wherein said high surface area titanium dioxide nanospheres are dispersed in said carbon nanotubes. Further provided is a method for making a filter comprising carbon nanotubes, wherein said carbon nanotubes comprise high surface area titanium dioxide nanospheres dispersed therein, as well as filters so produced, and a method of photo-regenerating the filters.

A method of water treatment includes providing water that includes at least one contaminant. An effective amount of at least one filter media is added to the to the water that includes at least one contaminant. The water and the at least one filter media are agitated to form a homogeneous mixture. A cationic biopolymer is added to the homogeneous mixture of water and the at least one filter media. The water is separated from the at least one contaminant and the at least one filter media.

An asymmetric system containing a first conductive polymer modified with a redox active moiety and a second conductive polymer modified with a surfactant is used for the separation of organic compounds from aqueous solutions. The asymmetric system has complementary hydrophobicity tunability in response to electrochemical modulations. For example, both materials are hydrophobic in their respective neutral states, therefore exhibiting affinity toward organic compounds. Application of a mild potential drives the desorption of the organic compounds and regeneration of the materials. The asymmetric system can be used in a cyclic fashion, through repeated electrical discharge or shorting of the two electrodes to program the capture of organics from a feed solution, and application of a potential to stimulate the release of the adsorbed organics.