Adsorptive membrane device for treating particle-laden liquid feeds

1. A device for the simultaneous separation of particles and at least one target substance from a particle-laden liquid feed comprising:

(a) a housing having a liquid feed inlet and a permeate outlet for the discharge of permeate that is substantially free of said at least one target substance; and

(b) at least two adjacent porous adsorption membrane layers sealed fluid-tight in their peripheries and spaced apart from each other and having at least one aperture in each layer, with each aperture sized to be smaller than 100 times the diameter of the largest particles in the feed, so as to permit intermixing of (i) the liquid feed containing particles and said at least one target substance and (ii) said permeate

wherein said adsorption membrane layers carry at least one binding group capable of binding at least one of said at least one target substance, said binding group being selected from the group consisting of a functional group, a ligand and an ion exchange site.

2. The device of claim 1 including at least one spacer between said at least two adjacent membrane layers.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said adjacent membrane layers are substantially parallel to each other.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein said adjacent membrane layers are separated from each other by a distance of from about 0.1 to 5 mm.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said distance is from about 0.2 to about 1.0 mm.

6. The device of claim 2 wherein said at least one spacer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a web, a mesh, a woven material and matting.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein said at least one aperture in said at least two adjacent membrane layers are offset from each other.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein said at least one aperture takes up an area of up to about 20% of the surface area of said at least two membrane layers.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein said area is from about 2 to about 4%.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the shape of said at least one aperture is selected from a slot and a circle.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein said at least one aperture is in the shape of a circle and its diameter is from about 0.01 to about 20 mm.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein said diameter is from about 0.5 to about 2 mm.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein said membrane layers are spiral wound.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein said membrane layers are enclosed within a module.

15. The device of claim 1 wherein said membrane layers have a pore diameter ranging from about 0.1 to about 10 μm.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein said pore diameter is from about 3 to about 5 μm.