Abstract:
A desalination system and method of operating the system to desalinate saltwater is disclosed. The desalination system includes a electrochemical desalination subsystem and a primary desalination subsystem, such as a thermal or reverse osmosis desalination system. The low multivalent ion concentration partially desalinated water from the electrochemical desalination subsystem is blended with low ion concentration desalinated water from the primary desalination subsystem to produce a blended desalted water that meets required specifications for release into the environment.
Abstract:
A multivalent ion separating desalination system and associated process employs at least one multivalent ion separator subsystem to split sparingly soluble multivalent ion species from saltwater into highly soluble salts comprising multivalent cations and monovalent anions and salts comprising monovalent cations and multivalent anions.
Abstract:
A process for preparing an acrylamide-based crosslinking monomer comprising reacting in the presence of a catalyst an isocyanate compound containing at least two isocyanate groups with one of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid. These acrylamide-based crosslinking monomers are used in the preparation of coating compositions, adhesive compositions curable by applying thermal or radiation energy, and in the preparation of cation or anion exchange membranes.
Abstract:
Zero liquid discharge systems, processes, and techniques for treating a saltwater without evaporative crystallization. The saltwater is treated by a fluidic circuit comprising a high-pressure reverse osmosis ("HPRO") unit configured to operate at a hydraulic pressure of at least 1,500 psi, a cooling crystallizer, and a solids-liquid separator. The saltwater is first concentrated by the HPRO unit to produce an HPRO brine, which is subsequently cooled to a designated crystallization temperature by the cooling crystallizer. The cooling crystallizer crystallizes salt crystals from the cooled HPRO brine and produces a salt-diminished brine. The solids-liquid separator separates the salt-diminished brine from the salt crystals. The salt-diminished brine from the solids-liquid separator is returned to the HPRO unit for further treatment, which allows additional salts to be crystallized from the returned salt-diminished brine.
Abstract:
The present disclosure describes a modular humidification-dehumidification (HDH) apparatus and system for concentrating a solution including a plurality of internal modules coupled to each other. The plurality of internal modules includes a humidification module and a dehumidification module in gas flow communication with the humidification module. The humidification module includes humidification media facilitating evaporation of liquid from the solution to gas as the solution passes through the humidification media thereby producing a concentrated solution and a humidified gas. The dehumidification module includes a condensing heat exchanger for condensing vapour from the humidified gas.
Abstract:
A process for producing a resilient ion exchange membrane. The process comprises the steps of (1) selecting a porous matrix, (2) saturating the porous matrix with a homogenous solution comprising a mixture of: (i) a hydrophilic ionic monomer, (ii) a hydrophobic cross-linking oligomer and/or a comonomer, (iii) a free radical initiator, and (iii) a solvent for solubilizing the hydrophilic ionic monomer, the hydrophobic cross-linking oligomer and/or comonomer, and the free radical initiator into a homogenous mixture. (3) removing excess homogenous solution from the saturated porous matrix, (4) stimulating release of free radicals from the free radical initiator thereby initiating a polymerization reaction to form a cross-linked ion-transferring polymer substantially filling the pores and covering the surfaces of the porous matrix thereby forming a membrane, (5) washing the membrane to remove excess solvent, and (6) optionally bathing the washed membrane in a sodium chloride solution to selectively cross-link sodium or chloride ions to and within the ion-transferring polymer.
Abstract:
The present disclosure is directed at a modular apparatus for a saltwater desalinating system, and a method for using same. The apparatus includes multiple internal modules that are compressively coupled to each other. Each of the internal modules includes a pair of rigid end plates located at opposing ends of the internal module, and a stack of membrane bounded compartments that are layered from one of the end plates to the other. The modular apparatus can be used in a membrane based desalination system, which includes concentration difference energy systems, electrodialysis reversal systems, and membrane distillation systems. The modular apparatus helps to mitigate problems such as leakage and buckling in such systems, and can be used to increase membrane packing density and, accordingly, desalination efficiency.
Abstract:
A hybrid electrochemical water softening desalination system softens water by both electrodialytical and non-electrodialytical means before desalinating the softened water in a primary desalination subsystem. The concentrate produced as byproduct from the desalination is provided to a concentrate channel of the electrodialysis device employed, and the electrodialysis device extracts multivalent ions from the water to the concentrate channel. In some embodiments the electrodialysis device provides softened water directly to the primary desalination subsystem. In other embodiments the electrodialysis device provides electrodialytically softened water to a non-electrodialytical softening subsystem for further softening, before the softened water is supplied to the primary desalination subsystem. The arrangement integrates the concentrate disposal line of the primary desalination subsystem with the functioning of the electrodialysis device.
Abstract:
The present disclosure is directed at an apparatus, method and plant for desalinating saltwater and contaminated saltwater. The apparatus comprises a stack and a manifolding assembly. The stack comprises a product chamber, a first and second concentrate chamber, an anion exchange membrane forming a boundary between the first concentrate chamber and the product chamber and a cation exchange membrane forming a boundary between the second concentrate chamber and the product chamber. The manifolding assembly comprises product and concentrate manifolding fluidly coupled to the product and concentrate chambers respectively, to convey a saltwater being desalinated to and away from the product chamber, and a concentrate to and away from the concentrate chambers. The stack may include a diluent chamber and adjacent anion or cation exchange membranes between the product chamber, diluent chamber and concentrate chamber to respectively convey anions or cations across multiple chambers. The stack may also contain a rinse chamber bounded by an anion exchange membrane to guard the stack electrodes from scaling cations. A cleaning system for cleaning the stack is also disclosed.
Abstract:
The present disclosure is directed at a system, apparatus and method for concentrating a solution. The system includes a humidification device and a solution flow path for flow of a solution to be concentrated to the humidification device. The humidification device includes humidification media to facilitate evaporation of liquid from the solution to be concentrated to gas as the solution to be concentrated passes through the humidification media thereby concentrating the solution. The method includes flowing a solution to be concentrated along a flow path to a humidification device including humidification media, flowing a gas through the humidification media, and flowing the solution to be concentrated through the humidification media. There is evaporation of liquid from the solution to the gas as the solution passes through the humidification media thereby concentrating the solution and producing a humidified gas. The solution to be concentrated may be salt water and the gas may be air.