Claims
- 1. A filter comprising:
a. a removal component that is capable of removing a material from a filtrate; and b. an addition component that is capable of adding a material to a filtrate.
- 2. The filter according to claim 1 wherein the removal component and addition component are present the same filter zone.
- 3. The filter according to claim 1 wherein the removal component and addition component are present in separate, discrete filter zones.
- 4. The filter according to claim 1 wherein the removal component comprises an adsorbent.
- 5. The filter according to claim 4 wherein the adsorbent comprises a polar agent.
- 6. The filter according to claim 5 wherein the polar agent has the formula:
- 7. The filter according to claim 5 wherein the polar agent is selected from the group consisting of: silica, diatomaceous earth, aluminosilicates, polyamide resin, alumina, hydrogels, zeolites and mixtures thereof.
- 8. The filter according to claim 7 wherein the polar agent comprises silica gel.
- 9. The filter according to claim 4 wherein the adsorbent comprises an apolar agent.
- 10. The filter according to claim 9 wherein the apolar agent comprising one or more of the following: activated carbon, polystyrene, polyethylene, polydivinylbenzene and mixtures thereof.
- 11. The filter according to claim 4 wherein the adsorbent comprises a charged agent.
- 12. The filter according to claim 11 wherein the charged agent has the formula:
- 13. The filter according to claim 12 wherein the polymer backbone comprises polystyrene, polyethylene, polydivinyl benzene, polyacrylic acid, polyacrylamide, polysaccharide, polyvinyl alcohol, copolymers of these and mixtures thereof.
- 14. The filter according to claim 12 wherein the charged substituent comprises sulfonates, phosphates, quaternary ammonium salts and mixture thereof.
- 15. The filter according to claim 12 wherein the charged substituent comprises alcohols; diols; salts of carboxylates, primary amines, secondary amines and mixtures thereof.
- 16. The filter according to claim 12 wherein W comprises from about 1% to about 15% by weight of W of the charged agent.
- 17. The filter according to claim 11 wherein said charged agent is capable of regeneration such that the charged agent can release the contaminant that it removes upon being exposed to an environmental condition.
- 18. The filter according to claim 17 wherein said charged agent exhibits a pKa or pKb of from about 2 to about 8.
- 19. The filter according to claim 17 wherein the charged agent releases the contaminant upon being exposed to one or more of the following: acids, bases and salts.
- 20. The filter according to claim 17 wherein the charged agent is capable of being reused for multi-cycle contaminant removal.
- 21. The filter according to claim 1 wherein the addition component comprises a releasing agent.
- 22. The filter according to claim 21 wherein the releasing agent comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: perfumes, biocides, anti-static agents, fabric softening agents and mixtures thereof.
- 23. The filter according to claim 21 wherein the releasing agent comprises a substrate and a material that is releasably retained by the substrate.
- 24. The filter according to claim 23 wherein the material that is releasably retained by the substrate is selected from the group consisting of: perfumes, biocides, anti-static agents, fabric softening agents and mixtures thereof.
- 25. The filter according to claim 4 wherein the adsorbent comprises a polar adsorbent and an apolar adsorbent which are present in a single filter zone.
- 26. The filter according to claim 4 wherein the adsorbent comprises a polar adsorbent and an apolar adsorbent which are present in separate, discrete filter zones.
- 27. The filter according to claim 1 wherein the removal component and addition component are physically separated from one another by an intermediate component.
- 28. The filter according to claim 27 wherein the intermediate component comprises a fluid permeable material.
- 29. The filter according to claim 1 wherein the removal component is physically separated from other removal components by an intermediate component.
- 30. The filter according to claim 29 wherein the intermediate component comprises a fluid permeable material.
- 31. The filter according to claim 1 wherein the addition component is physically separated from other addition components by an intermediate component.
- 32. The filter according to claim 31 wherein the intermediate component comprises a fluid permeable material.
- 33. The filter according to claim 1 wherein the removal component and addition component are housed within a filter housing.
- 34. The filter according to claim 33 wherein the filter housing comprises an external wall that substantially encases the removal component and addition component.
- 35. A filter comprising:
c. a housing comprising an in-flow port through which a filtrate enters the filter and an out-flow port through which the filtrate exits the filter; d. a filtering material housed within said housing, wherein the filtering material is pleated in a fanfold manner and positioned within the filter such that the filtrate contacts the filtering material as it passes from the in-flow port to the out-flow port; e. a removal component for removing a material from the filtrate, wherein the removal component is dispersed throughout and fixed to the filtering material; and f. an addition component for adding a material to the filtrate.
- 36. An apparatus comprising:
g. a filter according to claim 1; and h. a filtrate source in fluid communication with the filter such that the filtrate contacts the filter.
- 37. A process for treating a filtrate comprising contacting the filter according to claim 1 with the filtrate.
- 38. A filtrate produced by the process according to claim 37.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/318,438 filed Sep. 10, 2001.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60318438 |
Sep 2001 |
US |