Disclosed are apparatus and methods for blood and other biological fluid purification using a membrane with cell containing vascular channel systems and filtration channel systems. Also disclosed are methods of making the apparatus as well as methods of making membranes.

A forward osmosis filtration cell is provided which includes a fluid passageway and a forward osmosis filtration membrane positioned within the passageway. The filtration membrane divides the fluid passageway into two chambers, a first chamber configured to hold a draw solution, and a second chamber configured to hold a feed solution. The filtration cell further includes a first electrode positioned in the first chamber, and a second electrode positioned in the second chamber. The first and second electrodes are configured to apply an electric field across the filtration membrane to prevent fouling on the filtration membrane. A method of using a forward osmosis filtration cell in a water treatment system, and a method of retrofitting a water treatment system with first and second electrodes are also provided.

A water desalination system includes a first set of ultrafiltration membranes, a second set of ultrafiltration membranes, a first backwashing system configured to treat at least one of the first set of ultrafiltration membranes or the second set of ultrafiltration membranes with brine generated by a reverse osmosis process, and a second backwashing system configured to treat at least one of the first set of ultrafiltration membranes or the second set of ultrafiltration membranes with one or more chemicals and reverse osmosis permeate water.

Methods and devices are disclosed for a separation device. A separation device includes a separation module having a separation membrane separating an interior of the separation module into a retentate compartment and a permeate compartment. The retentate compartment includes at least one retentate channel, a feed port fluidly coupled to the at least one retentate channel and a retentate port. The permeate compartment includes at least one permeate channel disposed within the permeate compartment and a permeate port fluidly coupled to the at least one permeate channel, a retentate collector fluidly connected to the retentate port. The device further includes a feed reservoir, a permeate reservoir, a fluidic gate located between the feed reservoir and the separation module, a vent located between the retentate channel and the permeate channel end adjacent the adjacent the retentate port and a pressure differential source applied across the separation module.

An emitter apparatus is mounted on a marine structure powered by wind or marine hydrokinetic energy to disperse a carbon dioxide sorbent such as sodium hydroxide. The sorbent can be generated by reverse osmosis of seawater with electrolysis of the brine, or delivered from an external supply. Suitable marine structures include offshore wind turbines, marine hydrokinetic generators, offshore oil platforms, merchant vessels, and other fixed and mobile structures. Effective capture is made by dispersing a fine mist or fog of aqueous sorbent from nozzles with a particle size from a nozzle of less than 100 microns. The sorbent reacts with atmospheric carbon dioxide forming carbonates and bicarbonates, which drift and fall to the ocean surface, reducing surface acidity and capturing additional atmospheric carbon dioxide via absorption at the local ocean surface. The resulting carbonates sink to the ocean floor and are there sequestered.

A tangential flow filtration manifold takes a modular form for interconnection in a manifolded arrangement for aggregating a total filtration area of the aggregate filter (membrane) surface. A plurality of modular TFF cassette filters may be or stacked on the TFF manifold such that it allows the number of interconnected filters, as well as the membrane surface area within each cassette, to be readily reconfigured. A single output, or filtrate connection on the TFF manifold simplifies fluidic plumbing connections for directing and gathering the filtrate (permeate) produced as output.

An automated modular filtration system, particularly for low volume tangential flow filtration processes, comprises a plurality of filtration modules formed as separate assemblies and at least one control unit for jointly controlling filtration processes of individual filtration units. Each filtration module contains at least one individual filtration unit for executing a filtration process independent of the other filtration units, first input ports for receiving a first type of fluids, second input ports for receiving a second type of fluids, and exit ports for outputting unused system fluids. First type fluids are process fluids are specific to the filtration processes executed in individual filtration units. Second type fluids are system fluids not specific to filtration processes executed in the individual filtration units. The second input and exit ports establish inter-module connections so system fluids can be forwarded from one filtration module to an adjacent filtration module of the filtration system.

A filtration system can include a loading member configured to receive a plurality of filtration members which can be sequentially moved from a non-active position in which a respective one of the plurality of filtration members is not in fluid communication with a sample flow path of the cell removal system, to an active position in which the respective filtration member is in fluid communication with the sample flow path, and to a discarded position in which the respective filtration member has been removed from fluid communication with the sample flow path.

A modular element for making reverse osmosis filtering devices includes: at least one first container and a second container, each of which is provided with a tubular lateral wall, with a bottom plate which closes a first axial end of said lateral wall, with an inlet, with a first outlet and with a second outlet, the first and second containers being arranged so that the respective lateral walls are arranged adjacent and have mutually parallel central axes, and a scavenging duct which connects the second outlet of the first container with the inlet of the second container, the first container, the second container and the scavenging duct are obtained as a single monolithic body.

The present invention relates to a cartridge of a fuel cell humidifier and the fuel cell humidifier, the cartridge comprising: an inner case to be inserted into a middle case of the fuel cell humidifier for humidifying dry gas supplied from the outside using wet gas discharged from a fuel cell stack; a plurality of hollow-fiber membranes accommodated inside the inner case; a first potting part which is coupled to the inner case and which fixes one side of each of the hollow-fiber membranes; a second potting part which is coupled to the the inner case and which fixes the other sides of the hollow-fiber membranes; and a link member for connecting the inner case to the middle case so that the middle case and the inner case are linked so as to move according to the pressure of the wet gas positioned inside the middle case.