Membrane & Separation Technology News articles from November 2001

Membrane & Separation Technology News archives from November 2001

REVERSE OSMOSIS: PV Power Runs Rural, Emergency Systems.
November 1, 2001... Portuguese researchers have assembled a small-scale RO unit powered by photovoltaic (PV) modules that might be used to generate potable water in small rural settings or during times of catastrophe when usual water supplies are unavailable. ...

MICROFILTRATION: Advanced Pall Products Reduce Wafer Defects.
November 1, 2001... At SEMICON Southwest's October meeting in Austin, Texas, Pall Corp. launched three advanced membrane products for semiconductor processing. The IonKleen AQ Purifier, UltiKleen-ST Filter, and UltiKleen Excellar Filter are designed to meet the...

ULTRAFILTRATION: Manual System Filters Water for Third World.
November 1, 2001... A manually operated tubular UF system, in development at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, could provide small, geographically isolated communities with high-quality water, reducing the risk of waterborne illness without the use of...

MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR: USF Reactor Improves Fluid Transfer.
November 1, 2001... The first immersed membrane bioreactor (MBR) unit developed by USFilter is wrapping up a demonstration of wastewater reuse in the Sammamish Valley of King County, Washington. The system unites USF's Jet Tech technology, which mixes and...

ION EXCHANGE: Ceramics Stabilize Stored Nuclear Fuel.
November 1, 2001... INEEL, Ceramatec, Inc., the University of Stuttgart, and the University of Idaho are developing proton-conducting ceramic membranes that will remove water and hydrogen from spent nuclear fuel to permit its disposal at the Yucca Mountain...

FUEL CELL & ED: Biofuel Cell Could Power Implanted Medical Devices.
November 1, 2001... TheraSense inventors have patented an implantable biological fuel cell incorporating ion exchange membranes that might be used to power implanted medical devices such as pacemakers, stimulators for pain control and tissue regrowth, drug release...

BIOMEDICAL & BIOMEMBRANES Assay Tests for Date Rape Drug.
November 1, 2001... U.K. firm SureScreen Diagnostics has launched the first commercially available test, a membrane-based immunoassay, that detects the presence of the date rape drug Rohypnol in a variety of drinks. Called Dipitin, the immunoassay incorporates...

MATERIALS: Modified MEEP Provides Superior Electrolytes.
November 1, 2001... Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) scientists have developed a solid electrolyte composed of a liquid polymer and a ceramic powder that turns into a clear, nontoxic flexible membrane when properly blended. The...

INDUSTRY NEWS: OCWD Passes Milestone in GWR Construction.
November 1, 2001... The Orange County Water District (OCWD) has completed the first scheduled construction task for its Groundwater Replenishment (GWR) System, a wastewater treatment plant that will purify 70 million gallons of water per day using RO. In addition...

Power Plants Generate Business for USFilter.
November 1, 2001... According to USFilter, the nation's need for new power plants is generating a flood of business for water treatment companies, including a demand for advanced membrane technology. Vice President Cheney's Report to the President on Energy...

Ventura County Protests RO Plans.
November 1, 2001... Eastern Ventura County officials are protesting plans that would require the RO removal of chloride salts from Calleguas Creek to improve the quality of irrigation water for local farmers, claiming that the process would add $480 annually to...

CUNO to Contest Court Decision.
November 1, 2001... CUNO, Inc. plans to appeal a recent ruling by the U.S. District Court concerning the company's alleged infringement of Pall's Ultipleat membrane configuration and products. The U.S. District Court ruled in favor of Pall in a patent...

Judge Rules in Leukofilter Suit.
November 1, 2001... A Federal Magistrate in the Eastern District of New York court has denied a motion to hold Pall's blood filtration patent (U.S. Patent 4,925,572) invalid, while granting a motion that Hemasure's Leukonet filter (now out of production) did not...

UF, RO Increase Cheese Output.
November 1, 2001... Cheese maker Glanbia Foods will spend $5.6 million to increase its milk-processing capacity from 5.5 million lb./day to 6.25 million lb./day, using ultrafiltration and RO. The Idaho manufacturer, a subsidiary of Glanbia, plc (Kilkenny,...

Artificial Liver in Final Human Trials.
November 1, 2001... After 30 yr. in development and testing, the Alin Foundation's Bio Artificial Liver will likely be the first such device receiving FDA approval. One of about six competing artificial livers that combine human or animal hepatocytes with hollow...

Baxter Recalls A, AF Dialyzers.
November 1, 2001... Baxter International, Inc. has announced a worldwide recall of its Series A and Series AF hollow-fiber membrane dialyzers following the deaths of 10 Spanish and 23 Croatian kidney patients receiving treatment with the devices. In addition, 2...

Briefly Noted:.
November 1, 2001... * NIOSH Specifies Sterlitech Silver Membrane. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has specified Sterlitech Corp.'s (Kent, WA) silver metal membranes for bulk sampling of chrysotile asbestos using x-ray diffraction. NIOSH...

CALENDAR.
November 1, 2001... March 26-29, 2002. WATER 2002 Expo & Forum-The International Water Technology, Equipment, Services & Management Exhibition & Conference, The Mines, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Contact: AMB Exhibitions Sdn. Bhd, Suite 807, 8th Floor, Plaza Permata,...

INDUSTRY INSIGHT PEERF: An Overview.
November 1, 2001... By Edward Gobina and Bhavana Tripathi, School of Engineering, The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, U.K. The Processing and Environmental Engineering Research Facility (PEERF) at Robert Gordon University is a well-established academic...

Consultancy.
November 1, 2001... The applications of the facility for industrial clients are for: * Improving quality control in process systems * Processing of alternative fuels and oils * Developing novel membrane processes * Simulating processes and...

Academic Activities.
November 1, 2001... Teaching: The teaching areas that benefit directly from the facility are as follows: * Drilling engineering (postgraduate) * Plant performance (mass transfer, membrane processes, fuel cells) * Environmental engineering (waste...

Experimental Methods.
November 1, 2001... PEERF has various experimental facilities for synthesis, characterization, and testing of membrane material. Membrane synthesis. The lab is well equipped with all facilities for preparation of inorganic hybrid membranes on large scale-up....

Characterization Methods.
November 1, 2001... Gas chromatograph (Varian, 3380). This equipment is useful in teaching, course development, routine sample analysis, and research studies. It provides qualitative as well as quantitative information in environmental analyses, quality control,...

Research Interests.
November 1, 2001... The research activities at PEERF mostly emphasize chemical reaction pathway engineering, membrane-enhanced separation processes, integrated catalytic membrane reactor technology, gas conversion and hydrogen technologies, and new energy systems....

Research Programs.
November 1, 2001... The PEERF has demonstrated an intense commitment to the development of interdisciplinary research programs as a part of team accompanied by undergraduate, postgraduate students, chemists, chemical engineers, and mechanical engineers. The...

Future Plans.
November 1, 2001... Other approaches of the PEERF's inter-disciplinary team include inventing economically substantial separation processes using novel membrane materials in order to meet defined performance criteria. They have been demonstrated for gas...