Patent ID: 7935536

Claim:
A method of removing water and concentrating an analyte in a solvent comprising: providing a separator apparatus containing a solution comprising solvent and residual water and an analyte; passing said solution through a hydrophobic porous membrane of said separator apparatus as a liquid, said porous membrane having a pore size of 0.05 to 0.2 microns to reduce the water content to less than or equal to 1.0 ppm and wherein said analyte is present at a first concentration; transferring said solution from said separator apparatus to an evaporator apparatus in a fluid transfer line; removing solvent from said solution to provide said analyte at a second concentration which is greater than analyte first concentration; wherein the step of removing solvent from said solution to provide an analyte at a second concentration which is greater than analyte first concentration comprises: introducing a flow of gas into said solution such that the gas bubbles through the solution and mixes said solution to reduce analyte collecting on a surface of said evaporator apparatus; introducing a vacuum within said evaporator apparatus comprising a vessel containing said solution; and forming solvent vapor and removing said solvent vapor.