CN110108892B - Automatic micro-plastic analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses an automatic microplastic analyzer, which belongs to the field of microplastic technology, and includes a flotation mechanism, a primary vacuum filtration mechanism, a secondary vacuum filtration mechanism, and a display mechanism. The flotation mechanism is connected to the primary vacuum filtration mechanism, the primary vacuum filtration mechanism is connected to the secondary vacuum filtration mechanism, and a display mechanism is installed on the upper part of the secondary vacuum filtration mechanism. The present invention is convenient for flotation due to the provision of a flotation mechanism; a primary vacuum filtration mechanism, a secondary vacuum filtration mechanism, and a display mechanism are provided, the sample is automatically floated by the flotation mechanism, and then filtered and backwashed by the primary vacuum filtration mechanism, enters the secondary vacuum filtration mechanism, and again passes through filtration and backwashing, and finally the display mechanism reads and displays the relative abundance of counted microplastics. Therefore, the present invention can automatically float, improve the efficiency of microplastic counting, and save manpower.

Description

An automatic analyzer for microplastics

Technical Field

The invention belongs to the technical field of microplastics, and in particular relates to an automatic microplastic analyzer.

Background Art

Microplastics refer to very small plastic particles and plastic fibers, which are usually formed when plastic enters the ocean and is decomposed by waves. There is no general consensus in the academic community on the size of microplastics, and plastic particles with a diameter of less than 5 mm are generally considered microplastics. Microplastics are relatively stable in nature, with small particle size, low density, large specific surface area, and strong hydrophobicity. They can exist in the environment for a long time and can migrate with external forces. They are ideal carriers of many hydrophobic organic pollutants and heavy metals.

Some microplastics are colored, while others are transparent. At present, the commonly used method for research on microplastics at home and abroad is flotation. The relative abundance of microplastics can be obtained by counting the number of microplastics with the naked eye. This is the most commonly used method at home and abroad.

However, existing instruments for analyzing microplastics are inconvenient for flotation, and manual visual observation and counting are inefficient, time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Summary of the invention

In order to overcome the shortcomings of the above-mentioned prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an automatic microplastic analyzer that can automatically float, improve the efficiency of microplastic counting and save manpower.

This technical solution is proposed as follows:

A microplastic automatic analyzer comprises a flotation mechanism, a primary vacuum filtration mechanism, a secondary vacuum filtration mechanism and a display mechanism, wherein the flotation mechanism is connected to the primary vacuum filtration mechanism, the primary vacuum filtration mechanism is connected to the secondary vacuum filtration mechanism, and a display mechanism is installed on the upper part of the secondary vacuum filtration mechanism.

The flotation mechanism includes a water adder, a scrubber outer cylinder, and a scrubber inner cylinder arranged in the scrubber outer cylinder. The water adder is arranged at the upper end of the scrubber outer cylinder, and the water adder is connected to the first peristaltic pump and the pure water tank in sequence through a water pipe. An air disc stone is arranged on the bottom surface of the inner part of the scrubber outer cylinder, and the air disc stone is connected to the check valve and the air pump in sequence through an air pipe. An outlet pipe is arranged on the upper part of the side wall of the scrubber outer cylinder, and the outlet pipe is connected to the booster pump, the first electromagnetic tee, and the precipitator in sequence through a water pipe.

The water adder is a circular ring water adder, which includes a fixed part, a circular tube part, and a circular ring part. One end of the circular tube part is connected to the fixed part, and the other end of the circular tube part is connected to the circular ring part. The circular tube part is provided with a water inlet. The inner side wall of the circular ring part is connected to the air. The bottom of the circular ring of the circular ring part is provided with five water flow holes at an interval of 60°, which are respectively water flow holes No. 1C2 to No. 1C6.

The inner drum of the scrubber includes a fixing rod matched with a water adder, a first barrel body with upper and lower openings, and a connecting rod connected to the first barrel body. The connecting rod has a hole, and the fixing rod is arranged on the connecting rod through the hole. The side of the upper end of the first barrel body away from the connecting rod adopts a rounded corner design.

The outer drum of the scrubber includes a fixed part and a second barrel body with an opening on the top. The part of the water outlet pipe of the outer drum of the scrubber close to the inner wall of the outer drum of the scrubber adopts a rounded corner. The fixed part of the outer drum of the scrubber is two fixed blocks that cooperate with the fixed rod of the inner drum of the scrubber. The central opening of the fixed block is used in conjunction with the size of the fixed rod of the inner drum of the scrubber. The outer side of the fixed block is provided with a screw adjustment port and is equipped with screws.

The primary vacuum filtration part includes a first filtration head and a first filtration tank. The first filtration head is arranged at the upper end of the first filtration tank. The first filtration head is provided with a water inlet, a feed port, and a water outlet. The precipitator is connected to the water inlet of the first filtration head through a water pipe. The feed port of the first filtration head is connected to the second peristaltic pump and the microplastic dye storage tank in sequence through a water pipe. The water outlet of the first filtration head is connected to solenoid valve No. 1 through a water pipe. One end of the first filtration tank is connected to solenoid valve No. 2 and the wastewater storage tank in sequence through a water pipe. The other end of the first filtration tank is connected to the second electromagnetic tee and the vacuum pump in sequence through an air pipe.

The first suction filter head is a spherical suction filter head, provided with a dye feed inlet, a water inlet inclined upward at forty-five degrees, an extended pipeline, a water outlet horizontally attached to the lower end of the first suction filter head, and a bottom ring of the first suction filter head engaged with the first suction filter tank.

The secondary vacuum filtration part includes a second filtration head and a second filtration tank. The second filtration head is arranged at the upper end of the second filtration tank. Solenoid valve No. 1 is connected to the second filtration head through a water pipe. A display mechanism is provided on the second filtration head. One end of the second filtration tank is connected to solenoid valve No. 3 and a wastewater storage device in sequence through a water pipe. The other end of the second filtration tank is connected to a second electromagnetic tee and a vacuum pump in sequence through an air pipe.

The gas disk stone is a nano gas disk stone.

The second suction filter head is covered with a transparent mirror.

The display mechanism comprises a microscope lens and a CCD. The microscope lens is arranged at the upper end of the second extraction filter head, and the CCD is arranged at the upper end of the microscope lens.

The present invention is convenient for flotation because it is provided with a flotation mechanism; a primary vacuum filtration mechanism, a secondary vacuum filtration mechanism and a display mechanism are provided, and the sample is automatically floated by the flotation mechanism, and then filtered and backwashed by the primary vacuum filtration mechanism, and then enters the secondary vacuum filtration mechanism, and is filtered and backwashed again, and finally the display mechanism reads and displays the relative abundance of counted microplastics. Therefore, the present invention can automatically float, improve the efficiency of microplastic counting, and save manpower.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the connection of an automatic microplastic analyzer of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a circular water feeder;

FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the inner drum of the scrubber;

FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the outer drum of the scrubber;

FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a first suction filter head;

Fig. 6 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a first extraction filter head;

FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a second suction filter head;

In the figure: A, flotation mechanism B, primary vacuum filtration mechanism C, secondary vacuum filtration mechanism D, display mechanism 1, water adder 1A, fixed part 1B, round tube part 1C, ring part 1C2~1C6, water flow hole 2, inner cylinder of scrubber 2A, fixed rod 2B, first barrel 2B1, the side of the upper end of the first barrel away from the fixed rod 2C, connecting rod 3, outer cylinder of scrubber 3A, fixed part 3A1, screw adjustment port 3B, second barrel with upper opening 31, air plate stone 32, water outlet pipe 4, first peristaltic pump 5, pure water tank 6, check valve 7, air pump 8, booster pump 9, first electromagnetic tee 10, precipitator 11, first suction filter head 111, water inlet 112, feed inlet 113, water outlet 114, bottom ring 12, first suction filter tank 13, second peristaltic pump 14. Microplastic dye storage tank 15. Solenoid valve No. 1 16. Second suction filter head 17. Second suction filter tank 18. Microscope lens 19. CCD 20. Second electromagnetic tee 21. Vacuum pump 22. Solenoid valve No. 2 23. Solenoid valve No. 3 24. Wastewater storage tank 25. Transparent mirror.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is described below based on embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. In the detailed description of the present invention below, some specific details are described in detail. For those skilled in the art, the present invention can be fully understood without the description of these details.

Referring to FIG. 1 , an embodiment of an automatic microplastic analyzer of the present invention is shown:

A microplastic automatic analyzer comprises a flotation mechanism A, a primary vacuum filtration mechanism B, a secondary vacuum filtration mechanism C, and a display mechanism D. The flotation mechanism A is connected to the primary vacuum filtration mechanism B, the primary vacuum filtration mechanism B is connected to the secondary vacuum filtration mechanism C, and the secondary vacuum filtration mechanism C is provided with a display mechanism D on its upper part. The sample is floated by the flotation mechanism A, and then filtered and backwashed by the primary vacuum filtration mechanism B, and then enters the secondary vacuum filtration mechanism C. After filtering and backwashing again, the relative abundance of counted microplastics is finally read and displayed by the display mechanism. Therefore, the present invention can automatically float, improve the efficiency of microplastic counting, and save manpower.

In one embodiment, the flotation mechanism A includes a water adder 1, a scrubber outer cylinder 3, and a scrubber inner cylinder 2 arranged in the scrubber outer cylinder 3. The water adder 1 is arranged at the upper end of the scrubber outer cylinder 3, and the water adder 1 is connected to the first peristaltic pump 4 and the pure water tank 5 in sequence through a water pipe. An air disk stone 31 is provided on the bottom surface of the inner part of the scrubber outer cylinder 3, and the air disk stone 31 is connected to the check valve 6 and the air pump 7 in sequence through an air pipe. An outlet pipe 32 is provided on the upper part of the side wall of the scrubber outer cylinder 3, and the outlet pipe 32 is connected to the booster pump 8, the first electromagnetic tee 9, and the precipitator 10 in sequence through a water pipe.

The gas disc stone 31 is a nano gas disc stone, and the bubbles are more uniform and fine, which is more conducive to stirring the sample and adhering to the microplastics in the sample so that the microplastics float to the surface.

As shown in FIG2 , the water adder 1 is a circular ring water adder, which includes a fixed part 1A, a circular tube part 1B, and a circular ring part 1C. One end of the circular tube part 1B is connected to the fixed part 1A, and the other end of the circular tube part 1B is connected to the circular ring part 1C. The circular tube part 1B is provided with a water inlet 1B1, and the inner side wall of the circular ring part 1C is connected to the air to facilitate the flow of water; the bottom of the circular ring of the circular ring part 1C is spaced 60° apart to distribute five water flow holes, namely, No. 1C2 to No. 1C6 water flow holes, and the water flow rate is 1C2>1C3=1C6>1C4=1C5 from high to low. At this time, the combined force of each water flow pushes the water flow to flow away from the fixed part 1A, that is, the direction shown by the arrow in FIG2, so as to facilitate the water flow to push the microplastics to flow in the direction of the outlet pipe 32. In this embodiment, a hole is opened on the fixed part 1A for fixing on the inner drum 2 of the scrubber.

Furthermore, the inner drum 2 of the scrubber includes a fixed rod 2A matched with the water adder 1, a first barrel body 2B with upper and lower openings, and a connecting rod 2C, wherein the connecting rod 2C is connected to the first barrel body 2B. In this embodiment, the connecting rod 2C and the first barrel body 2B are integrally formed, and a hole is formed on the connecting rod 2C. The fixed rod 2A is arranged on the connecting rod 2C through the hole. The side 2B1 of the upper end of the first barrel body 2B away from the connecting rod 2C adopts a rounded corner design, as shown in FIG3. By adopting a rounded corner design, the water flows along the outer wall of the inner drum 2 of the scrubber to avoid the generation of water splashes that cause microplastics to splash out and adhere to the container wall to affect the accuracy. In this embodiment, the size of the hole opened on the fixed part 1A of the water adder 1 is just large enough to allow it to be inserted into the fixed rod 2A of the inner drum 2 of the scrubber.

Further, the outer cylinder 3 of the scrubber includes a fixed part 3A and a second barrel body 3B with an opening on the top, the fixed part 3A is arranged on the outer wall of the second barrel body 3B away from the water outlet pipe 32, the water outlet pipe 32 of the outer cylinder 3 of the scrubber is close to the inner wall of the outer cylinder 3 of the scrubber. The part 321 of the inner cylinder 3 of the scrubber adopts a rounded corner to prevent microplastics from adhering to the outer cylinder 3 of the scrubber, and the fixed part 3A of the outer cylinder 3 of the scrubber is two fixed blocks that cooperate with the fixed rod 2A of the inner cylinder 2 of the scrubber. The central opening of the fixed block is used in conjunction with the size of the fixed rod 2 of the inner cylinder 2 of the scrubber. The outer side of the fixed block is provided with a screw adjustment port 3A1 and is equipped with screws. In other embodiments, the fixed block can also be in other shapes, such as a cuboid, a cylinder, etc. Through the screw adjustment port 3A1, the screw is hand-tightened to adjust the height of the inner cylinder 2 of the scrubber in the outer cylinder 3 of the scrubber, so as to adapt to the height of the gas plate stone 31 installed at the bottom of the outer cylinder 3 of the scrubber.

In other embodiments, the flotation mechanism may also be in other forms.

Furthermore, the primary vacuum filtration part B includes a first filtration head 11 and a first filtration tank 12. The first filtration head 11 is arranged at the upper end of the first filtration tank 12. The first filtration head 11 is provided with a water inlet 111, a feed port 112, and a water outlet 113. The precipitator 10 is connected to the water inlet 111 of the first filtration head 11 through a water pipe. The feed port 112 of the first filtration head 11 is connected to the second peristaltic pump 13 and the microplastic dye storage tank 14 in sequence through a water pipe. The water outlet 113 of the first filtration head 11 is connected to the No. 1 solenoid valve 15 through a water pipe. One end of the first filtration tank 12 is connected to the No. 2 solenoid valve 22 and the wastewater storage tank 24 in sequence through a water pipe. The other end of the first filtration tank 12 is connected to the second electromagnetic tee 20 and the vacuum pump 21 in sequence through an air pipe.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the first suction filter head 11 is a spherical suction filter head, provided with a dye feed port 112. In the present embodiment, the dye feed port 112 is arranged at the upper end of the first suction filter head 11, and the water inlet 111 is inclined upward at forty-five degrees, and the pipe is extended so that the microplastics are concentrated in the center of the filter membrane as much as possible to facilitate centralized dyeing; the water outlet 113 is horizontally attached to the lower end of the first suction filter head 11 to facilitate water outlet, and the bottom ring 114 of the first suction filter head 11 is engaged with the first suction filter tank 12.

Furthermore, the secondary vacuum filtration part C includes a second filtration head 16 and a second filtration tank 17, the second filtration head 16 is arranged at the upper end of the second filtration tank 17, the No. 1 solenoid valve 15 is connected to the second filtration head 16 through a water pipe, the second filtration head 16 is provided with a display mechanism D, one end of the second filtration tank 17 is connected to the No. 3 solenoid valve 23 and the wastewater storage device 24 in sequence through a water pipe, and the other end of the second filtration tank 17 is connected to the second electromagnetic tee 20 and the vacuum pump 21 in sequence through an air pipe.

Furthermore, the second suction filter head 16 is covered with a transparent mirror 25 to isolate the liquid and protect the microscope lens.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7 , the second filter head 16 has an embedded hollow pattern 161 to balance the air pressure.

Furthermore, the inner walls of the first suction filtration tank 12 and the second suction filtration tank 17 are thickened to improve the pressure resistance.

Furthermore, the display mechanism D includes a microscope lens 18 and a CCD 19 . The microscope lens 18 is disposed at the upper end of the second suction filter head 16 , and the CCD 19 is disposed at the upper end of the microscope lens 18 .

Because some microplastics are colored and some are transparent. Conventional technology microplastics are directly observed under a stereo microscope, but due to the limitation of the stereo microscope magnification and the difficulty of observing transparent microplastic particles when the particle size is extremely small. Generally, when counting microplastics, microplastics and fibers are counted separately. Fibers are easy to observe, while small particles of transparent microplastics are difficult to observe. Therefore, in order to improve the counting accuracy of microplastics, the microplastics are dyed in this embodiment. In order to effectively separate microplastics, flotation is usually performed. In this embodiment, nano gas disc stone 31 is used to generate tiny bubbles that adhere to the surface of microplastics, float them out of the solution surface, and then precipitate the sediment for standby use. The flotation liquid used for flotation can also be sodium chloride, sodium iodide, zinc chloride, etc., to increase the flotation rate of microplastics.

The method of using the present invention is as follows: operate the first peristaltic pump 4, add water from the water adder 1 to about one-third of the outer cylinder 3 of the scrubber, place the sample in the inner cylinder 2 of the scrubber, and at this time, operate the air pump 7 to make uniform bubbles emerge in the nano gas disc stone 31, thereby stirring the sample and adhering to the microplastics in the sample so as to make it float to the surface. When the microplastics float to the surface, operate the booster pump 8, open the first electromagnetic three-way, and separate from the sediment after a period of sedimentation (or using an inclined plate sedimentator), and then add water from the water adder 1 to make the microplastics enter the first suction filter head 11 from the water outlet pipe 32, and the microplastics are filtered in the first suction filter head 11 so that the microplastics remain on the filter membrane, and operate the second peristaltic pump 13 to make the dye in the microplastic dye storage tank 14 enter the feed port 112 of the first suction filter head 11, and then the microplastics are dyed by the dye. Then, through filtration and backwashing (starting the vacuum pump 21, controlled by the second electromagnetic three-way 20 and the No. 2 electromagnetic valve 22), the dyed microplastics enter the second filtration head 16, and the dyed microplastics are filtered again and remain on the clean filter membrane (starting the vacuum pump 21, controlled by the second electromagnetic three-way 20 and the No. 3 electromagnetic valve 23). Finally, the microscope lens 18 displays and the CCD 19 takes pictures, and the computer counts the number of microplastics and calculates the relative abundance of microplastics.

In addition, persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the drawings provided herein are for illustration purposes and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention can be modified and varied in various ways. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims (8)

1. A microplastic automatic analyzer, comprising a flotation mechanism (A), a primary vacuum filtration mechanism (B), a secondary vacuum filtration mechanism (C) and a display mechanism (D), wherein the flotation mechanism (A) is connected to the primary vacuum filtration mechanism (B), the primary vacuum filtration mechanism (B) is connected to the secondary vacuum filtration mechanism (C), and the secondary vacuum filtration mechanism (C) is provided with a display mechanism (D) on its upper part, wherein the flotation mechanism (A) comprises a water adder (1), a washer outer cylinder (3), and a washer inner cylinder (2) arranged in the washer outer cylinder (3), wherein the water adder (1) is arranged at the upper end of the washer outer cylinder (3), the water adder (1) is connected to a first peristaltic pump (4) and a pure water tank (5) in sequence through a water pipe, an air disc stone (31) is provided on the inner bottom surface of the washer outer cylinder (3), the air disc stone (31) is connected to a check valve (6) and an air pump (7) in sequence through an air pipe, and an outlet pipe is provided on the upper side wall of the washer outer cylinder (3) (32), the water outlet pipe (32) is connected to the booster pump (8), the first electromagnetic tee (9), and the sedimentation tank (10) in sequence through the water pipe, the water adder (1) is a circular ring water adder, and the circular ring water adder comprises a fixed part (1A), a circular pipe part (1B), and a circular ring part (1C), one end of the circular pipe part (1B) is connected to the fixed part (1A), the other end of the circular pipe part (1B) is connected to the circular ring part (1C), and the circular pipe part (1B) A water inlet (1B1) is provided on the top, the inner side wall of the annular portion (1C) is connected to the air, and five water flow holes are distributed at intervals of 60° at the bottom of the annular portion (1C), namely, water flow holes (1C2) to (1C6), and the water flow velocities are 1C2>1C3=1C6>1C4=1C5 from high to low. The combined force of each water flow pushes the water flow to flow away from the fixed portion 1A, and the water flow pushes the microplastics to flow toward the outlet pipe 32. 2. An automatic microplastic analyzer according to claim 1, characterized in that: the inner drum (2) of the scrubber includes a fixed rod (2A) matched with the water adder (1), a first barrel body (2B) with upper and lower openings, and a connecting rod (2C), the connecting rod (2C) is connected to the first barrel body (2B), and a hole is opened on the connecting rod (2C), the fixed rod (2A) is arranged on the connecting rod (2C) through the hole, and the side (2B1) of the upper end of the first barrel body (2B) away from the connecting rod (2C) adopts a rounded corner design. 3. An automatic microplastic analyzer according to claim 1, characterized in that: the outer cylinder (3) of the scrubber includes a fixed part (3A) and a second barrel body (3B) with an opening on the top, the part (321) of the outlet pipe (32) of the scrubber outer cylinder (3) close to the inner wall of the scrubber outer cylinder (3) adopts a rounded corner, the fixed part (3A) of the scrubber outer cylinder (3) is two fixed blocks that cooperate with the fixed rod (2A) of the scrubber inner cylinder (2), the central opening of the fixed block is used in conjunction with the size of the fixed rod (2A) of the scrubber inner cylinder (2), and a screw adjustment port (3A1) is provided on the outside of the fixed block and is equipped with screws. 4. A microplastic automatic analyzer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: the primary vacuum filtration part (B) includes a first suction filtration head (11) and a first suction filtration tank (12), the first suction filtration head (11) is arranged at the upper end of the first suction filtration tank (12), the first suction filtration head (11) is provided with a water inlet (111), a feed inlet (112), and a water outlet (113), the precipitator (10) is connected to the water inlet (111) of the first suction filtration head (11) through a water pipe, and the first suction filtration head (11) is connected to the water inlet (111) of the first suction filtration head (11) through a water pipe. The feed port (112) of the first suction filter head (11) is connected to the second peristaltic pump (13) and the microplastic dye storage tank (14) in sequence through a water pipe, the water outlet (113) of the first suction filter head (11) is connected to the No. 1 electromagnetic valve (15) through a water pipe, one end of the first suction filter tank (12) is connected to the No. 2 electromagnetic valve (22) and the wastewater storage tank (24) in sequence through a water pipe, and the other end of the first suction filter tank (12) is connected to the second electromagnetic tee (20) and the vacuum pump (21) in sequence through an air pipe. 5. A microplastic automatic analyzer according to claim 4, characterized in that: the first suction filter head (11) is a spherical suction filter head, provided with a dye feed port (112), the water inlet (111) is inclined upward at forty-five degrees, and a pipeline is extended, and the water outlet (113) is horizontally attached to the lower end of the first suction filter head (11), and the bottom ring (114) of the first suction filter head (11) is embedded with the first suction filter tank (12). 6. An automatic microplastic analyzer according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and 5, characterized in that: the secondary vacuum filtration part (C) includes a second filtration head (16) and a second filtration tank (17), the second filtration head (16) is arranged at the upper end of the second filtration tank (17), the No. 1 solenoid valve (15) is connected to the second filtration head (16) through a water pipe, the second filtration head (16) is provided with a display mechanism (D), one end of the second filtration tank (17) is connected to the No. 3 solenoid valve (23) and the wastewater storage device (24) in sequence through a water pipe, and the other end of the second filtration tank (17) is connected to the second electromagnetic tee (20) and the vacuum pump (21) in sequence through an air pipe. 7. An automatic microplastic analyzer according to claim 6, characterized in that the gas disk stone (31) is a nano gas disk stone, and the second suction filter head (16) is covered with a transparent mirror (25). 8. An automatic microplastic analyzer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 5, and 7, characterized in that the display mechanism (D) comprises a microscope lens (18) and a CCD (19), the microscope lens (18) being arranged at the upper end of the second suction filter head (16), and the CCD (19) being arranged at the upper end of the microscope lens (18).