A CMS membrane module includes plurality of hollow fiber CMS membranes that are enclosed within an open cylindrical shell whose ends are embedded in tubesheets. The shell is concentrically disposed within an open cylindrical pressure vessel whose open ends are covered by and secured by end caps. The shell includes a feed fluid inlet formed therein between the tubesheets and a retentate outlet in between one of the tubesheets and an adjacent end cap. A retentate seal is formed between the shell and the pressure vessel at a position between the tubesheets. A permeate seal is formed between the pressure vessel and the tubesheet that is adjacent a permeate port of the module. A structure made up of the CMS membranes, shell, tubesheets, and seals is slidable within the pressure vessel and not fixed in place in relation to the pressure vessel and end caps.

A membrane assembly includes a tube container having an inlet conduit and a first outlet conduit both oriented in a radial direction, and a second outlet conduit oriented in an axial direction; and a hollow fiber membrane element disposed inside the tube container, the hollow first membrane element comprising a first adapter with an axial permeate fluid passage in a center thereof and an inlet gas passage in a peripheral portion thereof; and a second adapter with an axial permeate fluid passage in a center thereof and a non-permeate fluid passage in a peripheral portion thereof.

Lithium recovery processes are described using concentration and conversion techniques. A vaporizer or membrane can be used to concentrate lithium and precipitate impurities. A conversion process can be used to replace anions in lithium bearing streams by adding a second anion and precipitating lithium in a salt with the second anion. Rotary separation can be used to separate the precipitated lithium salt.

A gradient energy system includes a membrane module including a first section, a second section, and a membrane separating the first section and the second section. A first gas may be provided within the first section. A second gas may be provided within the second section. The membrane module may be configured such that a differential associated with the first gas and the second gas generates a fluid pressure force or an electrical current. A method of recovering energy from gradients of gas mixtures may include providing a first gas to a first section of a membrane module, providing a second gas to a second section of the membrane module, which may be separated from the first section by a membrane, and/or recovering energy generated via a differential between the first gas and the second gas.

The present invention relates to a crossflow membrane module configured to separate a feed fluid into a permeate fluid and a residue fluid across one or more membrane sheet(s). The crossflow module comprises a second end offset from a first end along the first direction where an inlet is provided at the first end and an outlet is provided at the second end. The one or more membrane sheet(s) each have a first portion and a second portion. A conduit is adjacent to the first side of each membrane sheet and is configured to receive and output the permeate fluid separated from the feed fluid. The second portion of the membrane sheet has a greater permeance for a major component than the first portion such that the second part of the permeate fluid, which is generated by separation across the second portion of the membrane sheet, has a higher concentration of the major component than the first part of the permeate fluid, which is generated by separation across the first portion. The second portion is spaced apart from the first side of the membrane sheet along the second direction thereby causing the second part of the permeate gas to flow towards the first side of the membrane sheet such that the second part of the permeate gas mixes with the first part of the permeate gas thereby reducing the concentration of the minor component in the first part of the permeate gas.

Various systems and processes are directed to filtering organic compounds using nanoporous membranes and osmosis. In various implementations, the nanoporous membrane can be trained on one or more organic compounds such that the nanoporous membrane preferentially allows the one or more organic compounds to permeate the nanoporous membrane to the exclusion of other compounds. In some implementations, the nanoporous membrane is trained on ethanol such that the nanoporous membrane preferentially allows ethanol to permeate the nanoporous membrane to the exclusion of other compounds, such as water or other compounds or mixtures. In some implementations, the selective ethanol permeation of the nanoporous membrane may occur even where the other compounds have smaller molecules than ethanol.

A feedstock solution flow concentration system, which has a first step for counterflowing or parallel flowing a feedstock solution flow a containing a solute and a solvent b, and a draw solution flow d via a forward osmosis membrane o and transferring the solvent b in the feedstock solution flow a to the draw solution flow d to obtain a concentrated feedstock solution flow c, which is the feedstock solution flow which has been concentrated, and a diluted draw solution flow e, which is the draw solution flow which has been diluted.

A CMS membrane module includes plurality of hollow fiber CMS membranes that are enclosed within an open cylindrical shell whose ends are embedded in tubesheets. The shell is concentrically disposed within an open cylindrical pressure vessel whose open ends are covered by and secured by end caps. The shell includes a feed fluid inlet formed therein between the tubesheets and a retentate outlet in between one of the tubesheets and an adjacent end cap. A retentate seal is formed between the shell and the pressure vessel at a position between the tubesheets. A permeate seal is formed between the pressure vessel and the tubesheet that is adjacent a permeate port of the module. A structure made up of the CMS membranes, shell, tubesheets, and seals is slidable within the pressure vessel and not fixed in place in relation to the pressure vessel and end caps.

A feedstock solution flow concentration system, which has a first step for counterflowing or parallel flowing a feedstock solution flow a containing a solute and a solvent b, and a draw solution flow d via a forward osmosis membrane o and transferring the solvent b in the feedstock solution flow a to the draw solution flow d to obtain a concentrated feedstock solution flow c, which is the feedstock solution flow which has been concentrated, and a diluted draw solution flow e, which is the draw solution flow which has been diluted.

Described herein are methods of recovering lithium from dilute lithium sources. The methods include concentrating a dilute aqueous lithium source to yield an extraction feed having an extraction lithium concentration; extracting lithium from the extraction feed using direct lithium extraction in an extraction stage to yield a lithium intermediate; concentrating a stream obtained from the lithium intermediate in a concentration stage to yield a lithium concentrate; and converting lithium in the lithium concentrate to lithium hydroxide.