Hydrate-based desalination/purification using permeable support member

A method for separating components of a fluid system, said fluid system being 1) a solution comprising a solute dissolved in a solvent, 2) a suspension comprising solid material suspended within a suspension suspending fluid, or 3) an emulsion comprising liquid material suspended within an emulsion suspending fluid, said method comprising:

• causing or allowing clathrate to form within said fluid system, said clathrate having a crystalline structure comprising one or more guest molecules disposed within a cage structure formed from a plurality of host molecules with at least one of said guest molecules and said host molecules being supplied to said clathrate from said fluid system;
• causing or allowing a generally solid layer of said clathrate to form along a surface of a permeable restraint, thereby expelling or displacing away from said clathrate residual fluid that remains after said clathrate forms, said generally solid layer of clathrate being sufficiently impermeable that it substantially isolates said fluid system, per se, from said permeable restraint such that said fluid system does not pass through said permeable restraint and said permeable restraint being sufficiently permeable that said host molecules and said guest molecules are able to pass through it upon dissociation of said clathrate;
• causing portions of said generally solid layer of clathrate that are adjacent to said surface of said permeable restraint to dissociate, whereby said host molecules and said guest molecules pass through said permeable restraint to a collection region that is located across said permeable restraint from said surface thereof;
• and
• collecting said host molecules and/or said guest molecules from said collection region.