JP2000000570A - Covered electrode type electrolytic system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an electrolytic method capable of dealing with a problem of explosion or toxity by forming a layer of activated carbon to the peripheries of electrodes to cover the electrodes and performing electrolysis by using the covered electrodes to make it possible to form only objective strong acidic electrolyte water and suppressing the generation of hydrogen gas or chlorine gas. SOLUTION: An aq. soln. to which salt or the like is added is injected into an electrolytic cell 2 from an injection port 16 to prepare an electrolyte 14. A power supply apparatus 4 is connected to an anode 6 and cathode 8 comprising copper, etc., by connections 20, 22. Further, the peripheries of both of anodes 6 and cathodes 8 are covered with covering layers 10, 12 of activated carbon comprising fine mesh silk fabrics 24, 26 having antibacterial properties. A current is supplied across the anode 6 and the cathode 8 to perform electrolysis. By this constitution, the generation of hydrogen gas and chlorine gas can be suppressed and the hydrogen ion concn. in the aq. soln. can be enhanced and, in spite of a one tank type structure, pH becomes 2.7 or less especially and strong acid electrolytic water can be formed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the electrolysis of an aqueous solution, and to the production of a sterilizing aqueous solution.

[0002]

BACKGROUND ART Sterilization (killing microorganisms) and disinfection (killing microorganisms that are pathogenic to humans)
Has been a challenge for humankind, which has been hit by epidemics caused by pathogenic bacteria, since its history. In ancient times, sickness was thought to be caused by demons or dirty air or water. At that time, pitch, tar and pine tar were used for embalming corpses, and honey was also used to disinfect wounds. Hebrew Moses wrote about cleansing with fire. It is the beginning of the sterilization process (killing or removing all microorganisms in a substance).

[0003] In the nineteenth century, chlorine compounds and carboxylate were used as disinfectants, while the wounds of patients were found to be at risk of infection by the hands of surgeons and tools handled, resulting in surgical wounds. Touching instruments and bandages have become boiled or steam sterilized, and infectious disease control has greatly advanced.

[0004] In the late 19th century, Pasteur demonstrated that microorganisms did not form in boiled water and that microorganisms in the air fermented in nutrient-containing solutions.
By establishing methods such as staining, culturing, and sterilizing bacteria, they discovered M. tuberculosis, and drastically advanced countermeasures against infectious diseases.

[0005] In the 1940's, it seemed that infectious pathogens were suppressed by the discovery of antibiotics such as penicillin, but five years later, the resistance between penicillinase-producing resistant bacteria and the antibiotics was followed. Subsequently, MRSA methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria, which are now widely resistant to penicillin-based, cephem-based, and amino acid-sugar-based antibiotics, have emerged, and there is concern about the possibility of a pandemic in hospitals.

On the other hand, in the case of foodstuffs, additives such as preservatives made of chemically synthesized products, including raw foods, have been used.
We have taken anti-corruption measures. However, some of these additives have carcinogenic properties, and recently, there are also endocrine disruptors (environmental hormones) that disturb the hormones that regulate the functions of the body's organs in very small amounts. Is required.

[0007] Under such circumstances, strongly acidic electrolyzed water has been attracting attention as an aqueous solution having a strong bactericidal activity formed on the anode side by adding salt or potassium chloride to water and electrolyzing. Regarding the antibacterial activity of strongly acidic electrolyzed water (residual chlorine concentration around 50 ppm)
Contact time 5 for various bacteria and viruses including MRSA
In seconds and fungi, the growth of microorganisms could be stopped in 5 seconds to 1 minute. This strongly acidic electrolyzed water (residual chlorine concentration 50 ppm
Before and after) is 0.1% of sodium hypochlorite, an existing disinfectant.
Comparing the bactericidal activity with the 1% solution (residual chlorine concentration of 1000 pp), there was no difference between bacteria and viruses, and strongly acidic electrolyzed water was superior to acid-fast bacteria.

[0008] Strongly acidic electrolyzed water capable of producing a bactericidal effect with a slight chlorine concentration is 5 ppm for staphylococci and Pseudomonas aeruginosa at a pH (hydrogen ion concentration) of 2.6 to 2.8 and 5 to 5 ppm. There is also a research report that No. 6 requires 50 ppm of residual chlorine, and it has been found that when the PH value is low, the chlorine concentration is even lower and has a bactericidal effect.

The strong sterilizing power of the strongly acidic electrolyzed water is provided by a combined action with hypochlorous acid, provided that the pH is 2.7 or less and the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) is 1000 mv or more. I know it will be. For this reason, it is possible to have a high sterilizing power even with a slight chlorine concentration, and it can be expected to have a different effect from the conventional sterilization and disinfection.

Incidentally, in order to produce such strongly acidic electrolyzed water having a pH of 2.7 or less, a two-tank type apparatus using a diaphragm that separates a cathode chamber and an anode chamber has been used as an electrolysis apparatus. is necessary. In a one-tank type device having no diaphragm, only weakly acidic electrolyzed water could be produced. However, in the case of a two-tank type, alkaline water is generated in the other tank, and when the intended use is not determined, for example, when a large amount of strongly acidic electrolyzed water is used, the alkaline ionized water is used. The wastewater itself was wasted, and there was a problem in the treatment of wastewater. In addition, deposits were attached to the diaphragm, and the removal treatment and replacement of the diaphragm were also difficult in terms of cost and operation management.

Further, a large amount of hydrogen gas generated on the cathode side in the course of the electrolysis has an explosive property, and chlorine gas generated on the anode side has a problem of inhalation toxicity.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the present invention,
We thought of an electrolysis method that can make only a target strong acidic electrolyzed water with a tank structure, suppress generation of hydrogen gas and chlorine gas, and deal with explosion and toxicity problems.

[0013]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention forms a layer of activated carbon around an electrode,
Thus, the electrode portion was covered, and electrolysis was performed.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The figure shows an apparatus according to the electrode coating type electrolysis method according to the present invention. (2) is an electrolysis tank, (4) is a power supply device, (6) is a positive electrode, (8) is a negative electrode, and (10) and (1).
2) is a coating tank of activated carbon, (14) is an electrolytic solution, (16) is an inlet, and (18) is an outlet.

An aqueous solution to which 0.1% to 0.3% of sodium chloride (NaCl) is added is injected into the electrolysis tank through the injection port (16),
Electrolyte (14). A DC power supply is produced by the power supply device (4), and the wires (20) and (22) are connected to the positive electrode (6) and the negative electrode (8) each having a copper axis of φ20 mm. Activated carbon coating tanks (10, 12) have antibacterial properties, do not hurt water, and use fine silk cloth (24, 26) to apply activated carbon to electrodes (6, 12).
8), wrapped in layers with a size of φ40 mm.

The actual electrolysis is, for example, 25 V
The electrolysis was performed at a voltage of 1 A and a current of 1 A. In about 30 minutes, it was confirmed that the electrolytic solution (14) of the electrolysis tank (2) formed in one tank was a strongly acidic electrolyzed water having a pH of 2.2.

In ordinary electrolysis, the temperature of the electrolyte rises to 50 to 60 ° C. under similar voltage and current conditions. However, in this example, the temperature rose only to 30 to 40 ° C. Water (H ₂ O) is converted into hydrogen (H ⁺ ) ions and hydroxyl group (OH ⁻ ) ions, and the hydrogen ions are attracted to the cathode and electrons are supplied to generate hydrogen gas.

Further, salt (NaCl) is also divided into sodium (Na ⁺ ) ions and chlorine (Cl ⁻ ) ions, and the chlorine ions are attracted to the anode to supply electrons and generate chlorine gas.

However, in the present embodiment, the generation of hydrogen gas and chlorine gas was suppressed to about 1/10 compared to the electrolysis under the same conditions. as a result,
The concentration of hydrogen ions in the aqueous solution was increased, and the pH became 2.7 or less despite the one-tank structure, so that strongly acidic electrolyzed water could be produced.

On the other hand, the following reaction takes place at the anode. Water becomes hydrogen ions and dissolved oxygen, and the generated chlorine reacts with water to produce hydrochloric acid and hypochlorous acid.

Dissolved oxygen produces hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) under a constant (1100 mv) oxidation-reduction potential, and this hydrogen peroxide is converted to a hydroxyl radical (.OH) by the presence of hypochlorous acid. Generate The hydroxyl radical oxidizes and damages the lipid membrane of cells with the help of oxygen, denatures proteins, cuts DNA, and loses the activity of enzymes, thereby killing bacteria and viruses. This is the mechanism of the sterilizing action of the strongly acidic electrolyzed water. ("Basic knowledge of strongly acidic electrolyzed water"<Water Study Group>)

This mechanism is similar to that of reactive oxygen species in living organisms. When blood neutrophils prey on pathogens that have entered the body, on the other hand, from the enzyme NADPH oxidase, the superoxide anion is removed. Radicals (.O ₂ ⁻ ) are generated and converted into hydrogen peroxide. On the other hand, hypochlorous acid is produced from another enzyme called myeloperoxidase using chlorine ions and water peroxide as substrates. It is the same as killing. ("Basic knowledge of strongly acidic electrolyzed water")

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing fresh fish (in this case, taro) in FIG.
Treated with strongly acidic electrolyzed water produced by the electrolyzer of
It is a table | surface which shows the number of residual bacteria by sample when the bacteriostatic effect is observed. In this experiment, the experiment was performed according to a culture experiment program as shown in FIG.

First, about 1 day (19 hours) in the refrigerator
The cells were allowed to stand as they were and a certain degree of growth of the bacteria was measured. After that, "AC culture" (48 hours in a general viable cell culture dish),
Divided into "CC culture" (24 hours in a culture dish for coliforms), 30 seconds in "30S" and "30
M "for 30 minutes. This was designated as “UAW immersion”. The pH of strongly acidic electrolyzed water is "PH2"
The acidic water of H2.16 and the acidic water of PH 3.69 were used for “PH4”.

FIG. 2 shows the result, which is originally zero for Escherichia coli, which is excluded from the experimental consideration. As for general viable bacteria, those treated with strongly acidic electrolyzed water have a smaller number of germs than untreated ones. In the experimental results, there was no difference between the PH and the immersion time, and from these results, it was found that the bacteriostatic effect was obtained only by immersing PH4 for 30 seconds.

This experiment also confirmed that the strongly acidic electrolyzed water produced by the electrolyzer of FIG. 1 according to the present invention has a sterilizing effect on bacteria.

[0027]

As described above, when the method of coating an electrode with a porous conductive material such as activated carbon according to the present invention and performing electrolysis is used, the generation of hydrogen gas and chlorine gas is drastically suppressed as compared with the conventional method. And removes the effects of explosions and toxic gases to produce strongly acidic electrolyzed water. Also, 1
Since strongly acidic electrolyzed water can be produced in the tank, an apparatus can be made without considering the treatment of alkaline water, and the treatment is not bothered.

The embodiment shown in the drawings of the present application is just one embodiment, and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the activated carbon is wrapped in a silk cloth, but the activated carbon may be covered or fixed in a layered manner and fixed separately. In that case, no silk cloth is needed. Although copper is used for the electrode this time, platinum or graphite used for normal electrolysis may be used as the electrode. Although salt was used as a solvent for electrolysis, other chlorides such as potassium chloride may be used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an electrolyzer according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a table showing the number of residual bacteria as a result of an experiment for examining the bacteriostatic effect on fresh fish using strongly acidic electrolyzed water produced by the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a program such as a culture method in an experiment for deriving the results of FIG. 2.

Continued on the front page F term (reference) 4D061 AA03 AB07 AB10 BA02 BB02 BB04 BB14 BB29 BB30 BB31 BB35 BD12 BD13 4K011 AA12 AA16 DA01

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An electrode-coated electrolysis method comprising coating an electrode with a porous conductive material such as activated carbon. 2. A one-layer structure without providing a diaphragm between the positive and negative electrodes, and the solution in the layer is made of strongly acidic water (P).
H2.7 or less), the electrode-coated electrolysis method according to claim 1 made possible.