WO2024063175A1

WO2024063175A1 - Microplastic sampling and size distribution device

Info

Publication number: WO2024063175A1
Application number: PCT/KR2022/014181
Authority: WO
Inventors: 윤여준; 주성현; 이지훈; 계호민; 이준호; 김지윤; 임채휘
Original assignee: 연세대학교 원주산학협력단
Priority date: 2022-09-22
Filing date: 2022-09-22
Publication date: 2024-03-28

Abstract

In a microplastic sampling and size distribution device, the microplastic sampling and size distribution device according to an embodiment of the present application may comprise: a filter which is provided to enable sampling of microplastics present in an object; a cassette which fixes the filter; and a housing which is provided to enable locking and close contact of the cassette.

Description

Microplastic sample collection and size distribution device

This application relates to microplastic sampling and size distribution devices.

Microplastic samples in existing water samples were collected using methods used to collect marine samples, such as mantatrol and plankton nets. However, the conventional method of collecting microplastic samples in a sample had the problem of only being able to collect microplastic samples of relatively large sizes of 100 μm or more.

Recently, a method of collecting microplastic samples using a housing-type sampling device capable of applying various filters has been studied to compensate for these shortcomings, but the housing-type sampling device only applies to water quality samples.

In the case of air samples, samples such as fine dust were collected using standard devices certified by the National Institute of Environmental Research. However, in the case of housing used for water quality samples, certified samples were collected due to issues such as size and compatibility. There was a problem of incompatibility with the device.

The technology behind this application is disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1747840.

The purpose of this application is to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and to provide a microplastic sampling and size distribution device that is compatible between fluids and capable of collecting microplastic samples by improving the existing multi-stage housing sampling device. Do it as

However, the technical challenges sought to be achieved by the embodiments of the present application are not limited to the technical challenges described above, and other technical challenges may exist.

As a technical means for achieving the above-described technical problem, a microplastic sample collection and size distribution device according to an embodiment of the present application includes a filter provided to enable collection of a microplastic sample present in an object; A cassette for fixing the filter; And it may include a housing provided to enable fixation and close contact with the cassette.

In addition, the housing includes a base member disposed on the floor and provided to enable the cassette to be placed on the upper side, and an upper member provided to enable the cassette to be fixed and in close contact with the base member, wherein the upper member is provided with the micro It may include an inlet through which an object containing a plastic sample flows in, and the base member may include an outlet through which an object from which at least most of the microplastic sample is collected is discharged.

Additionally, the microplastic sample collection and size distribution device may be equipped to arrange a plurality of the cassettes in order to collect the samples by size.

In addition, the microplastic sample collection and size distribution device may further include a height adjustment device for adhesion and fixation according to the number and height of the cassette when the cassette is interposed between the base member and the upper member. there is.

Additionally, at least one of the plurality of cassettes includes a cross member or an internal donut member, and the cassette including the cross member or the internal donut member reduces the flow of the filter more than a cassette without the cross member or the internal donut member. It can be equipped to reduce it.

Additionally, the cassette and the housing may be made of a material other than plastic.

Additionally, the object may include air or liquid in which microplastics exist.

The above-described means of solving the problem are merely illustrative and should not be construed as intended to limit the present application. In addition to the exemplary embodiments described above, additional embodiments may be present in the drawings and detailed description of the invention.

According to the above-described means of solving the problem of the present application, the microplastic sample collection and size distribution device according to an embodiment of the present application includes a filter, thereby enabling the collection of microplastic samples present in the object to the size desired by the user. of microplastic samples can be provided.

In addition, according to the means for solving the problem of the present application described above, the cassette includes a cross member in the middle position, thereby preventing the filter from collapsing due to the flow of the object and minimizing the flow of the filter due to the flow of the object. You can.

In addition, according to the above-described means of solving the problem of the present application, the cassette includes an internal donut member, thereby expanding the effective area and allowing a larger amount of sample to be collected, and lowering the resistance of the filter to the fluid through the internal circle. The phenomenon of crumpling can be minimized.

In addition, according to the means for solving the problem of the present application described above, the microplastic sample collection and size distribution device according to an embodiment of the present application includes a height adjustment device, so that the cassette can be interposed in multiple stages between the upper member and the base member of the housing. By applying various filters with different pore sizes on the cassette, microplastic samples can be collected by size.

In addition, according to the above-described means of solving the problem of the present application, the cassette and the housing are made of a material other than plastic, thereby minimizing interference in microplastic sample collection and minimizing the impact on microplastic sample analysis.

Figure 1 is a schematic conceptual diagram (front view) of a microplastic sample collection and size distribution device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Figure 2 is a schematic conceptual diagram (plan view) of a cassette of a microplastic sample collection and size distribution device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Figure 3 is a schematic conceptual diagram of a cassette including an internal donut member of a microplastic sample collection and size distribution device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Figure 4 is a schematic conceptual diagram (front view) of the housing of a microplastic sample collection and size distribution device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Figures 5 and 6 are diagrams for explaining an implementation example of a microplastic sample collection and size distribution device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Below, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present application will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement them. However, the present application may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In order to clearly explain the present application in the drawings, parts that are not related to the description are omitted, and similar reference numerals are assigned to similar parts throughout the specification.

Throughout this specification, when a part is said to be “connected” to another part, this includes not only the case where it is “directly connected,” but also the case where it is “electrically connected” with another element in between. do.

Throughout this specification, when a member is said to be located “on”, “above”, “at the top”, “below”, “at the bottom”, or “at the bottom” of another member, this means that a member is located on another member. This includes not only cases where they are in contact, but also cases where another member exists between two members.

Throughout the specification of the present application, when a part is said to “include” a certain element, this means that it may further include other elements rather than excluding other elements, unless specifically stated to the contrary.

Hereinafter, a microplastic sample collection and size distribution device (hereinafter referred to as 'this device') according to an embodiment of the present application will be described.

Figure 1 is a schematic conceptual diagram (front view) of a microplastic sample collection and size distribution device according to an embodiment of the present application, and Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a cassette of a microplastic sample collection and size distribution device according to an embodiment of the present application. is a conceptual diagram (top view), and Figure 3 is a schematic conceptual diagram (front view) of a cassette of a microplastic sample collection and size distribution device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Referring to FIG. 1, the device 1000 includes a housing 100, a cassette 200, and a filter. This device 1000 can be used to collect and analyze samples of microplastics present in an object, but is not limited to this. The filter of this device 1000 may be equipped to enable collection of microplastic samples present in the object. The object may be a fluid containing gas (atmosphere) or liquid (water) in which microplastics exist. However, it is not limited to this, and the object may include soil and sediment.

The size of the pores of the filter mesh network may be set to a standard that allows collection of microplastic samples, and the size of the pores of the filter mesh network may be set to a standard that is obvious to a person skilled in the art.

Additionally, the cassette 200 of the device 1000 can hold a filter. For example, the filter may be positioned on the upper surface of the cassette 200 (12 o'clock direction, based on FIG. 1) so that the filter can be fixed to the device 1000, but the filter is not limited to this. As another example, a gap may be formed along the inner circumferential direction of the upper surface of the cassette 200 into which the filter may be inserted and fixed. As another example, a filter may be located on the top of the cassette 200, and a circular silicone seal may be placed on top of the filter. Due to this, the filter can be naturally fixed due to the structure of the upper side of the cassette 200 and the lower side of the cassette 200 on which the filter is raised.

Additionally, referring to FIG. 2, the cassette 200 may have a circular plan view shape, but is not limited thereto.

The cassette 200 may be formed as a donut-shaped plate to allow an object to pass through an internal hole. In addition, referring to (a) of FIG. 2, at least one of the plurality of cassettes 200 of the device 1000 may include a cross member 210, and the cross member 210 is the cross member of the cassette 200. It may be provided in a position corresponding to the central part of the inner hall. The cassette 200 including the cross member 210 may be provided to reduce the flow of the filter compared to the cassette 200 without the cross member 210. Additionally, referring to (b) of FIG. 2, the device 1000 may include a cassette 200 without a cross member 210.

Figure 3 is a schematic conceptual diagram including an internal donut member of a microplastic sample collection and size distribution device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Additionally, referring to FIG. 3 , at least one of the plurality of cassettes 200 may include an internal donut member 220. For example, as the diameter of the filter increases, the effective area of the device 1000 increases and the clogging cycle of the filter decreases. Accordingly, the filter replacement frequency can be lowered to prevent loss or contamination that may occur during the filter replacement process, and the amount of sample per single filter can be increased. However, as the diameter of the filter increases, the pressure on the filter increases and the range widens, causing the filter to become crumpled and causing the sample to pass through the crumpled gap. To solve this problem, an internal donut member 220 is included. can do. For example, the cassette 200 including the inner donut member 220 has a double circular structure, has a large effective area, and can collect a larger amount of sample, and filters the fluid through the middle circle (inner circle). By lowering the resistance, the phenomenon of filter crumpling can be minimized.

In addition, the cassette 200 including the internal donut member 220 can be advantageous during analysis because it can allow the microplastic samples to be collected as close to the center as possible when separating microplastic samples.

For example, the cassette 200, which is provided with a general donut-shaped plate that does not include the cross member 210 and the internal donut member 220, can be used when the sampling speed is slow and constant, such as air samples, and the cross member 220 is not included. For example, the cassette 200 containing (210) can be applied to a filter with a diameter of 47 mm and used for size separation for analysis of environmental samples with little contamination. In addition, for example, the cassette 200 including the internal donut member 220 can be applied to, for example, a 90 mm diameter filter and used for size separation for analysis of highly polluted environmental samples, but is limited to this. It is not guaranteed and can be applied in various ways depending on need.

Additionally, the cassette 200 may be made of a material other than plastic. For example, the cassette 200 may be made of a metal material such as aluminum or stainless steel, but is not limited to this. As another example, the cassette 200 may be made of various materials known to those skilled in the art, rather than plastic. You can. Accordingly, the problem of existing commercial cassettes being unsuitable for collecting microplastic samples as they are made of acetal (polyoxymethylene; POM), a type of plastic, can be solved. In addition, the cassette 200 containing a metal material can minimize its impact on the analysis of microplastic samples through this manufacturing process.

Referring to FIG. 4, the housing 100 may be provided to enable fixation and close contact with the cassette 200. Housing 100 may include a base member 120 and an upper member 110. Additionally, the housing 100 may be made of a material other than plastic. For example, the housing 100 may be made of a metal material such as aluminum or stainless steel, but is not limited thereto. As another example, the housing 100 may be made of a material other than plastic, which is obvious to those skilled in the art.

Additionally, for example, the cassette 200 may be manufactured in a structure compatible with the cassette of an existing low-capacity air sampling device, but is not limited thereto. As another example, the cassette 200 may be manufactured in a structure that is interchangeable with a cassette of a fluid sampling device, such as water quality.

Additionally, referring to (a) of FIG. 4 , the upper member 110 may be provided to enable the cassette 200 to be fixed and adhered to the base member 120. Cassette 200 may be interposed between the upper member 110 and the base member 120. The cassette 200 may be placed on the upper surface of the base member 120, and the upper member 110 may be placed on the upper side of the cassette 200 disposed on the upper surface of the base member 120. Accordingly, the cassette 200 can be fixed and adhered to the housing 100.

For example, the base member 120 may include a silicone seal, and accordingly, the cassette 200 is fixed to the upper side of the base member 120, and the base member ( 120), the cassette 200, and the upper member 110 are tightened, adhered and fixed, and the silicone seal is compressed to maintain watertightness of the overall structure. However, it is not limited to this.

Additionally, referring to (a) of FIG. 4 , the upper member 110 may include an inlet 111 through which an object containing a microplastic sample flows. For example, the inlet 111 may be provided on the upper side of the upper member 110, and may extend and penetrate to the lower surface of the upper member 110 to introduce an object containing a microplastic sample. Additionally, the upper member 110 may allow the object introduced through the inlet 111 to flow to the filter and cassette 200 located below the upper member 111.

Referring to (b) of FIG. 4, the base member 120 may be disposed on the floor and the cassette 200 may be disposed on the upper side. Here, the floor may be the ground in the dictionary sense, but is not limited to this, and as another example, rather than the dictionary meaning, it may be the top surface of a table (desk). In other words, it is preferable to interpret the floor as a space in which the base member 120 of the housing 100 can be placed widely encompassing the space. Additionally, the base member 120 may include a support portion that is supported while being spaced apart from the floor, and the support portion may be provided on the lower side of the base member 120.

The base member 120 may include an outlet 121 through which the object from which at least most of the microplastic samples are collected is discharged. For example, the outlet 121 may be an outlet.

Also, for example, the discharge port 121 may be provided on the lower side of the base member 120, and may extend and penetrate to the upper surface of the base member 120 to discharge the object from which at least most of the microplastic sample has been collected.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the apparatus 1000 may be equipped with a plurality of cassettes 200 to collect microplastic samples by size. For example, the device 1000 may be equipped with a filter according to a desired standard in order to collect microplastic samples by size. For example, the device 1000 can be selectively equipped with filters with different filter pore sizes to collect microplastic samples by size.

For example, in this device 1000, where a plurality of cassettes 200 are arranged, in order to collect microplastic samples included in an object by size, the uppermost cassette 200 is used to measure the size of the pores of the mesh network. It is equipped with the largest filter, and the cassette 200 disposed at the bottom can be equipped with a filter with the smallest mesh pore size. Accordingly, the apparatus 1000 can arrange the pores of the filter mesh network in a plurality of cassettes 200 with different sizes, allowing microplastic samples to be collected by size in the order of filtration. For example, in detail, the filter may be provided so that the pores of the mesh network have sizes of 100μm, 20μm, 5μm, and 1μm, and the arrangement order accordingly may be arranged in the order of 100μm, 20μm, 5μm, and 1μm from the top. However, it is not limited to this.

In addition, the device 1000 includes at least one cassette 200 including a cross member 210 when the plurality of cassettes 200 are interposed between the base member 120 and the upper member 110. Alternatively, as another example, at least one cassette 200 including an internal donut member 220 may be provided. Accordingly, when the object flows through the inlet 111 of the device 1000 and a flow is generated, the cassette 200 including the cross member 210 and the cassette 200 including the inner donut member 220 ) can minimize the flow due to the flow of the object and prevent the filter from collapsing.

Also, for example, the device 1000 can be selectively equipped with filters with diameters of 25 mm, 47 mm, or 90 mm depending on the state of the raw material, and depending on the selective installation of the diameter of these filters, the state of the sample. Depending on this, it can be made selectively available. For example, if the contamination of the environmental sample is not severe, a filter with a diameter of 47 mm may be used, and as another example, if the contamination of the environmental sample is severe, a filter with a diameter of 90 mm may be used.

In addition, referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, when the cassette 200 is interposed between the base member 120 and the upper member 110, the device 1000 adheres to the cassette 200 according to the number and height of the cassette 200. And may include a height adjustment device 300 for fixation. For example, the height adjustment device 300 may include a screw and a wing nut, but is not limited thereto, and may be provided with various height-adjustable members that will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

In addition, for example, referring to (b) of FIG. 5 and (b) of FIG. 6, the height adjustment device 300 adjusts the height according to the number and height of the cassettes 200 interposed in multiple stages to adjust the upper member. (110) can fix and adhere the plurality of cassettes (200) to the base member (120).

In this device 1000, when the cassette 200 is interposed between the base member 120 and the upper member 110, the cassette 200 is placed on the upper side of the base member 120 without a binding structure, and the height Through the adjusting device 300, the upper member 110 can fix and adhere the cassette 200 to the base member 120, allowing simple attachment and detachment without the attachment structure of the housing of the existing sample collection device. You can.

It may be desirable to use the device 1000 after washing it with acetone or ethanol. For example, acetone can be used to remove microplastics, and ethanol can be used to rinse them. However, acetone may not be able to remove some microplastics.

When using this device 1000, the cassette 200 can be prepared by setting the number and diameter according to the sample of the object (for example, a microplastic sample). The diameter can be set differently depending on the degree of contamination of the sample containing microplastics. For example, if the degree of contamination of the sample is high, the diameter can be set to be wide. Additionally, the number of stages can be set depending on the degree of separation of the sample.

Additionally, this device 1000 can be fixed using a height adjustment device 300 after coupling the cassette 200 to the housing 100. In addition, the device 1000 can be connected to a reduced pressure filtration set by connecting a silicone hose to the outlet (lower outlet) of the base member 120, and the inlet (upper inlet) of the upper member 110 of the device 1000. ) can be used by connecting a silicone hose for sample suction.

The description of the present application described above is for illustrative purposes, and those skilled in the art will understand that the present application can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing its technical idea or essential features. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. For example, each component described as unitary may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may also be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present application is indicated by the claims described below rather than the detailed description above, and all changes or modified forms derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be construed as being included in the scope of the present application.

Claims

In the microplastic sample collection and size distribution device,

A filter provided to enable collection of microplastic samples present in the object;

A cassette for fixing the filter; and

A microplastic sample collection and size distribution device including a housing provided to enable fixation and close contact with the cassette.
According to paragraph 1,

The housing is,

It includes a base member disposed on the floor and provided to enable the cassette to be placed on the upper side, and an upper member provided to enable the cassette to be fixed and adhered to the base member,

The upper member includes an inlet through which an object containing the microplastic sample flows,

The base member is a microplastic sample collection and size distribution device including an outlet through which the object from which at least most of the microplastic sample is discharged.
According to paragraph 1,

The microplastic sample collection and size distribution device is equipped with a plurality of cassettes to collect the sample by size.
According to paragraph 2,

The microplastic sample collection and size distribution device further includes a height adjustment device for adhesion and fixation according to the number and height of the cassette when the cassette is interposed between the base member and the upper member, Microplastic sampling and size distribution device.
According to paragraph 1,

At least one of the plurality of cassettes includes a cross member or an internal donut member,

A cassette including the cross member or the internal donut member is provided to reduce the flow of the filter compared to a cassette without the cross member or the internal donut member.
According to paragraph 1,

A microplastic sample collection and size distribution device, wherein the cassette and the housing are made of a material other than plastic.
According to paragraph 1,

A microplastic sample collection and size distribution device wherein the object includes air or liquid in which microplastics exist.