The present invention discloses a beverage dispenser, having a supply opening adapted for supplying an aqueous liquid from a source of aqueous liquid, wherein the supply opening is couplable to the source of aqueous liquid; a recooling heat exchanger having a heat receiving portion, a recooling inlet and a recooling outlet, wherein the supply opening is coupled with the recooling inlet; a reverse osmosis filter having an inlet for aqueous liquid, a permeate outlet and a concentrate outlet, wherein the recooling outlet of the recooling heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of the reverse osmosis filter; and a cooling device having a cooling portion extracting heat energy from the permeate and a heat dissipation portion dissipating energy to the heat receiving portion of the recooling heat exchanger; wherein the heat dissipation portion of the cooling device is thermally coupled with the heat receiving portion of the recooling heat exchanger; and wherein the cooling portion of the cooling device is thermally coupled with the permeate exiting the permeate outlet of the reverse osmosis filter, wherein the permeate enters the cooling portion by a cooling portion permeate inlet and exits the cooling portion by a cooling portion permeate outlet.

A membrane for water collection may include a sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface, and a plurality of conical structures disposed on the top surface of the sheet, the conical structures comprising a hydrogel material. Each conical structure of the plurality of conical structures may have a height of 1 mm to 50 mm, wherein height is measured from the top surface of the sheet to an apex of a conical structure. Each conical structure of the plurality of conical structures may have an apex angle of 10 to 60 degrees.

A method of recovering draw agent utilised in a forward osmosis membrane cell, the method comprising the steps of passing diluted draw agent to a vapour-liquid separator; using the vapour-liquid separator to separate draw agent vapour and solvent; and condensing draw agent vapour.

The disclosure relates to a device for fermentation integrated with separation and purification of acetone, butanol, and ethanol (ABE) or butanol alone, including a medium tank (1), used for supplying a medium into a bioreactor; a bioreactor (2), connected with the medium tank (1), used for fermentation; a gas distributor (9), used for supplying gas bubble to the fermentation broth; a membrane separation unit (4), with gas communication to the bioreactor (2), used for receiving a gas with ABE or butanol from the bioreactor and separating ABE or butanol; a condensation unit (5), used for recovering ABE or butanol; a vacuum manometer (6) and a vacuum pump (8), used for supplying a force for driving ABE or butanol in a vapor form; and product tank (7), used for receiving a product.

A system is for producing products, advantageously solvents, by fermentation, advantageously multi-stage fermentation. The fermentation is complemented with pervaporation as in situ product recovery technology, combined with a multistage condensation of the permeate. The condensates are separately introduced in the downstream processing of the system to recover the produced products, advantageously solvents. The system for producing products, advantageously solvents, by fermentation is simplified and has an overall improved energy efficiency, compared to systems described in the art.

The present invention relates to the process for molecular separation of hydrocarbons using nanopore membrane comprising passing the hydrocarbon feedstock with or without separation enhancing additive/additives to produce permeate streams having different refractive indices which resonate with that of naphtha, kerosene and heavier molecules.

The present invention relates to the process for molecular separation of hydrocarbons using nanopore membrane comprising passing the hydrocarbon feedstock with or without separation enhancing additive/additives to produce permeate streams having different refractive indices which resonate with that of naphtha, kerosene and heavier molecules.

A method for producing products, advantageously solvents, is by fermentation, advantageously multi-stage fermentation. The fermentation is complemented with pervaporation as in situ product recovery technology, combined with a multistage condensation of the permeate. The condensates are separately introduced in the downstream processing to recover the produced products, advantageously solvents. The method for producing products, advantageously solvents, by fermentation is simplified and has an overall improved energy efficiency. A related system uses method for producing products, advantageously solvents, is by fermentation.

The disclosure relates to a method for fermentation integrated with separation and purification of acetone, butanol, and ethanol (ABE) or butanol alone, comprising the following steps: 1) obtaining ABE by fermentation using an acetone-butanol-producing bacterium or obtaining butanol using a butanol-producing bacterium; 2) using a “vapor-stripping-vapor-permeation” method (briefly VSVP) for online separation and purification of ABE or purifying butanol from the fermentation broth; wherein the VSVP method comprises the following steps: introducing a gas bubble into the fermentation broth comprising active cells for fermentation to vaporize ABE or Butanol; subjecting the gas along with the vaporized ABE or Butanol to a membrane separation unit to pass through the membrane; recovering ABE or Butanol, or subjecting ABE or Butanol to a next separation device. By using the disclosed method, production, separation, and purification efficiency of ABE or butanol are improved with saved energy consumption and without increasing equipment investment.

The invention provides a water-alcohol separation system and a method for water-alcohol separation for producing a high purity alcohol while achieving energy saving as the whole process. Namely, a water-alcohol separation system including plural separation membrane modules connected in series, a vacuum apparatus for reducing a pressure at a permeated side of each of the separation membrane modules, and a condenser for condensing a vapor that has passed through a membrane, in which plural independent vacuum systems reduce the pressure at the permeated side of the membrane of the separation membrane modules.