The present invention relates to a particulate material separation assembly. It comprises a filtration membrane and an antifouling device. The antifouling device comprises one or more magnets and a plurality of magnetisable particles. The one or more magnets cause the plurality of magnetisable particles to self-assemble into dynamic bristles, thereby forming a brush. The particulate material separation assembly is particularly useful in the context of micro algae harvesting.

A polyamide (PA) nanofiltration (NF) membrane and a preparation method thereof by regeneration from a scrapped microfiltration (MF) membrane are provided. The method adopts a cleaning-repairing-interfacial polymerization upgrading strategy, where, sodium hypochlorite and oxalic acid are used for deeply cleaning a scrapped MF membrane. PDA is used as a repairing agent to construct a reaction platform on the membrane surface, and finally a reaction system of piperazine and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) are used to form a PA NF membrane with a PA active layer. The repairing can construct a coating with a given thickness and prominent hydrophilicity on the membrane surface, which provides favorable base membrane conditions for upgrading and preparing an NF membrane.

A water purification system and method embodying a submerged conduit with a semipermeable surface, thereby leveraging water pressure to cost-effectively and energy-efficiently purify the water that permeates the semipermeable surface. A intake conduit may provide the semipermeable surface, wherein the system contemplates rotating the intake conduit so that as it rotates it engages brushes or blades that clear the semipermeable surface of obstructions.

A method of activating and dewatering sludge through application of acoustic pressure shock waves to wastewater.

An apparatus for reducing the total dissolved solids of a solution includes a unit having at least two chambers; a respective semi-permeable membrane arrangement disposed between each of the at least two chambers; a device for introducing respective solutions into, and withdrawing solutions from, the chambers; and at least one paddle disposed in each of said chambers. The paddles are configured to sweep opposite sides of each of the semi-permeable membrane arrangements. A device provides relative movement between the paddles and the semi-permeable arrangements.

A system for treatment of a polluted effluent, includes an outer chamber configured to treat the polluted effluent in mixture with a purification slurry including particles of one or more catalysts and/or organoclays, or a mixture thereof. The outer chamber includes (i) a stirring unit consisting of an engine and a stirrer, configured to mix the polluted effluent and the purification slurry to prevent the particles from sinking without causing a turbulence, (ii) a membrane located at the top of the outer chamber through which a treated effluent passes, while preventing the particles of one or more catalysts and/or organoclays from exiting the outer chamber together with the treated effluent, (iii) a membrane cleaning system configured to remove and collect the particles of one or more catalysts and/or organoclays accumulated on the membrane, and re-introducing the particles back to the bottom of the outer chamber.

A control method is provided for a filter system, which includes at least one filter element (2). The method includes continuously recording a total energy consumption (E.sub.G) during a filtration cycle (22) of the filter system. The total energy consumption (E.sub.G) includes at least of the energy consumption (E.sub.B) for a physical cleaning (24) and the energy consumption (E.sub.P) for the subsequent production cycle (23) up to a predefined, in particular current point in time. The method further includes computing a relative energy consumption (E.sub.rel) by way of division of the recorded total energy consumption (E.sub.G) by a net permeate volume (Q.sub.N) which has been produced during the filtration cycle (22) up to the predefined point in time and starting a physical cleaning (24) in dependence on the relative energy consumption or of a characteristic value derived from this.

A polyamide (PA) nanofiltration (NF) membrane and a preparation method thereof by regeneration from a scrapped microfiltration (MF) membrane are provided. The method adopts a cleaning-repairing-interfacial polymerization upgrading strategy, where, sodium hypochlorite and oxalic acid are used for deeply cleaning a scrapped MF membrane. PDA is used as a repairing agent to construct a reaction platform on the membrane surface, and finally a reaction system of piperazine and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) are used to form a PA NF membrane with a PA active layer. The repairing can construct a coating with a given thickness and prominent hydrophilicity on the membrane surface, which provides favorable base membrane conditions for upgrading and preparing an NF membrane.

An isolation device includes an isolation chip assembly, a vacuum system, a frequency converting module, and a controller. The isolation chip assembly includes an isolation chip having a first chamber and a second chamber, a first oscillator mounted on the first chamber, and a second oscillator mounted on the second chamber. The frequency converting module causes the vacuum system to generate negative pressure in the first and the second chambers alternately. The controller controls the first and the second oscillators to operate when the vacuum system stops generating the negative pressure in the first chamber and in the second chamber. The first and the second oscillators respectively generate a first and a second oscillation wave when operating, a frequency of the first oscillation wave is greater than a frequency of the oscillation wave, an amplitude of the first oscillation wave is less than an amplitude of the second oscillation wave.

Filter membranes in systems for drinking water, tertiary water treatment and combined sewage overflow, MBR and MBT are efficiently cleaned without use of air scour. In one system the membranes, preferably flat plate membranes, are cleaned by mechanically driven wipers that can clean the surfaces of two adjacent membranes simultaneously. Another system uses water jets to clean the membrane surfaces.