Patent ID: 6911148

Claim:
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.