The present invention relates to a composite semipermeable membrane including: a support membrane including a base and a porous support layer; and a separation functional layer disposed on the porous support layer and including a crosslinked aromatic polyamide, in which the separation functional layer contains sulfo groups in an amount of 7.0×10.sup.−5 to 5.0×10.sup.−2 g/m.sup.2 and includes a structure represented by the formula 1.

Separation media includes a membrane and a plurality of ligands immobilized on the membrane, the plurality of ligands comprising anion-exchange ligands, cation-exchange ligands, thiophilic ligands, hydrophilic ligands, hydrophobic interaction ligands, or a combination thereof. The separation media may be multimodal. The separation media may be configured for separation of target molecules comprising a nucleic acid, nucleotide, nucleoside, nucleobase, or an analogue or derivative thereof, from a reaction mixture. The separation media may be configured for use with organic solvents. A separation device includes the separation media. Materials including a nucleic acid, nucleotide, nucleoside, nucleobase, or an analogue or derivative thereof, may be purified at high speeds using the separation device.

The present invention relates to an ion-selective composite membrane having a thickness of between 4 μm and 100 μm, comprising at least one inner layer disposed between two outer layers, wherein: —the outer layers are each formed of a first material comprising a network of nanofibres and/or crosslinked microfibres and pores with a diameter of between 10 nm and 10 μm, —the inner layer is formed of a second material comprising nanoparticles functionalized at the surface by charged groups and/or groups which become charged in the presence of water and having pores with a diameter of between 1 and 100 nm.

The invention relates to porous polymeric cellulose prepared via cellulose crosslinking. The porous polymeric cellulose can be incorporated into membranes and/or hydrogels. In preferred embodiments, the membranes and/or hydrogels can provide high dynamic binding capacity at high flow rates. Membranes and/or hydrogels comprising the porous polymeric cellulose are particularly suitable for filtration, separation, and/or functionalization media.

A hybrid electro-pressure driven method for the recovery, purification, and concentration of lithium salts is described. A fractionating electrodialysis stack equipped with selective ion exchange membranes is s used to separate a lithium containing brine into a monovalent enriched fraction and a divalent enriched fraction. The monovalent enriched fraction is further processed to remove remaining impurities by use of pressure driven nanofiltration. An optional concentrating electrodialysis device may further concentrate the monovalent enriched fraction in lithium content. The method may be combined with a subsequent solvent extraction and electrolysis step to produce lithium hydroxide, a Li+ selective sorbent step for producing purified lithium chloride, or a Li+ selective sorbent and precipitative step to produce lithium carbonate.

A polymer electrolyte membrane according to the present invention has a cluster diameter of 2.96 to 4.00 nm and a converted puncture strength of 300 gf/50 μm or more. The polymer electrolyte membrane according to the present invention has a low electric resistance and an excellent mechanical strength.

Disclosed herein is a ceramic membrane for water and/or wastewater treatment, the membrane comprising a ceramic substrate having at least one surface and a membrane layer comprising core-shell particles on the at least one surface, where the core and shell are formed from materials described herein. The core of the core-shell particles is formed from one or more of the group selected from Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and ZrO.sub.2, and the shell of the core-shell particles is formed from one or more of the group selected from SiO.sub.2, TiO.sub.2 and WO.sub.3. In a preferred embodiment, the core is Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and the shell is SiO.sub.2.

Described herein are water desalination membranes and methods of desalinating water. Sulfonated poly(arylene ether) polymers are also disclosed, including those comprising one or more sulfonate groups at various points along the polymer chain. The polymers may be used as at least a portion of a water desalination membrane. The polymers described herein are useful for preventing transport of aqueous ionic species (e.g., Na.sup.+ and Cl.sup.−) across a membrane made from the polymers while allowing water to pass. Chlorine-stable polymers are described, as well as polymers exhibiting good performance for rejecting monovalent cations in the presence of polyvalent cations.

A high salinity water purification system and process, including a forward osmosis system and a reverse osmosis or nanofiltration system. A concentrated brine of a zinc or iron complex combined with a salt or acid draws pure water across the FO membrane from the influent water. The diluted brine is pumped through a vessel holding an anionic adsorption media to remove the zinc or iron complex and the resultant brine is passed through the RO or nanofiltration system to obtain purified water and a concentrated brine stream. The adsorption media is regenerated by a rinse cycle using fresh water or water from the RO system, removing the zinc or iron complex adhered to the media. The resultant brine is stored and mixed with the output of the RO system. Charged membrane can be used as a standalone membrane in FO process or in combination with resin or resin embedded membrane.

The invention relates to membranes for separation, removal, and/or concentration purposes. The object of the invention is the simple and reliable adsorption of the molecules and to simplify the desorption of target molecules that are adsorbed and chromatographically bonded on membranes, preferably without the addition of substances with a high ion content, such as acids, alkalis or salts. The object of the invention is also to develop a value that can be easily measured, which allows for an indication of the current and/or remaining binding capacity of the membrane during the adsorption process and/or the control thereof. The adsorption takes place on a charged membrane and desorption is achieved using physical, electromagnetic and/or the generation of electrical fields. This is carried out with a thin metal layer being applied to one or both sides of a positively or negatively charged membrane and a voltage is applied for desorption.