The present invention provides a system that includes a glow discharge cell and a plasma arc torch. A first valve is connected to a wastewater source. An eductor has a first inlet, a second inlet and an outlet, wherein the first inlet is connected to the outlet of the electrically conductive cylindrical vessel, the second inlet is connected to the first valve, and the outlet is connected to the tangential inlet of the plasma arc torch. A second valve is connected between the tangential outlet of the plasma arc torch and the inlet of the glow discharge cell, such that the plasma arc torch provides the electrically conductive fluid to the glow discharge cell and the glow discharge cell provides a treated water via the outlet centered in the closed second end.

A membrane distillation apparatus includes a housing and an impeller. The housing includes a hot medium compartment, a cold medium compartment, an air gap compartment, a membrane, and a thermally conductive plate. The hot medium compartment includes a hot medium inlet configured to receive a hot medium stream including water. The cold medium compartment includes a cold medium inlet configured to receive a cold medium stream. The membrane defines pores that are sized to allow water vapor originating from the hot medium stream to pass from the hot medium compartment through the membrane to the air gap compartment. The thermally conductive plate and the cold medium stream are cooperatively configured to condense the water vapor from the hot medium stream. The air gap compartment is substantially filled with air and includes a permeate outlet configured to discharge the condensed water vapor. The impeller is disposed within the air gap compartment.

A capture device for capturing a target gas from a gas flow is disclosed that can be continuously used without requiring consumption of target gas binding salts. To this end, the device is arranged to generate separate acidic and alkaline streams of fluid by electrolyzing water, binding the target gas to the hydroxide ions in the alkaline fluid stream or the hydronium ions in the acidic stream, and recombining the generated streams to release the bound target gas and regenerating part of the electrolyzed water for further electrolysis. Such a capture device may for instance be used in a gas purification system, e.g. an air purification system for controlling target gas levels in a confined space such as a vehicle cabin, domestic dwelling or office space, a target gas generation system or a target gas enrichment system, e.g. for creating target gas-rich air for horticultural purposes. A method for capturing target gas from a gas flow and optionally utilizing the captured target gas is also disclosed.

The present invention relates to a bio-electrochemical system (BES) and a method of in-situ production and removal of H.sub.2O.sub.2 using such a bio-electrochemical system (BES). Further, the invention relates to a method for in-situ control of H .sub.2O.sub.2 content in an aqueous system of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) involving in-situ generation of hydroxyl radical (OH) by using such a bio-electrochemical system (BES) and to a method for treatment of wastewater and water disinfection. The bio-electrochemical system (BES) according to the invention comprises:—an aqueous cathode compartment comprising a first cathode and a second cathode,—an aqueous anode compartment comprising an anode at least partly covered in biofilm, wherein the first cathode is connected to a first circuit and the second cathode is connected to a second circuit, wherein the first and the second circuit are connected to the system by an external switch.

Ion exchange membranes may comprise a polymeric microporous substrate and a cross-linked ion transferring polymeric layer on the substrate. The cross-linked ion transferring polymeric layer may comprise a polymerization product of at least a functional monomer and a low value r.sub.2/r.sub.s monomer. The ion exchange membranes may have an apparent permselectivity of at least about 95% and a resistivity of less than about 1.5 Ohm-cm.sup.2.

An integrated system for exploiting renewable energy sources based upon carbon dioxide captured from the atmosphere is provided, the system comprising: a solar energy collector; apparatus for capturing CO.sub.2 from the atmosphere; a wind power driven electrical generator; water power driven electrical generator; electric power distribution control means from the renewable energy sources; energy storage systems; water desalinating means and water electrolysis means powered by the renewably generated electricity; hydrocarbon fuel preparation means utilizing the hydrogen and the carbon dioxide generated by this system; and a body of saline water adjacent the land on which the integrated system is built.

Some implementations can include method and system to collect and remove micro plastics from a water environment or ecosystem.

Provided is a sewage treatment device and method for synchronously recovering water and electric energy, belonging to the field of sewage treatment. The method includes the following steps: providing municipal sewage serving as influent water and a sludge and sewage mixed solution serving as a feed solution to enter a feed solution channel of a membrane component through a peristaltic pump, and allowing brine serving as a draw solution to enter a draw solution channel of the membrane component through a high pressure pump; allowing water to flow from the side of the feed solution to the side of the draw solution by means of the osmotic pressure difference between two sides of an FO membrane, and allowing the mixed draw solution with high pressure to push a turbine to rotate in an outflow process, so as to generate electric energy; and allowing the diluted draw solution to pass through a draw solution recovery system to obtain recycled water, and at the same time, allowing the concentrated draw solution to continue to be applied to the FO membrane.

The present disclosure provides systems for refrigeration facility cooling and water desalination. In certain aspects, the systems include a refrigeration facility having a water cooling subsystem configured to receive cool water and output warm water and a desalination plant co-located with the refrigeration facility and configured to receive and desalinate the warm water. Aspects of the invention also include methods for cooling a refrigeration facility using a water cooling subsystem and desalinating water with a desalination plant that is co-located with the refrigeration facility.

The inventive concepts herein allow several seemingly intractable environmental problems (toxic algae blooms, water pollution, petroleum-based plastics pollution, water contamination, premature retirement of zero-carbon nuclear power plants, etc.) to be solved economically and in a commercially practical way by integrating recovered heat, to grow or sustain organisms, that provide services (e.g. water purification, water pollution remediation, industrial recycling, contaminant degradation, load following) and/or products (e.g. biomaterials, hydrogen).