JP2001010850A - Inorganic filling admixture - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide sufficient antimicrobial effects with a small amount of an antimicrobial agent and avoid the discoloration and an increase in cost based on the antimicrobial agent by mixing calcium carbonate with a specific amount of lithium carbonate, granulating or fixing the resultant mixture and adding the antimicrobial agent to the mixture. SOLUTION: A resin comprising an antimicrobial agent prepared by supporting a substance having antimicrobial properties such as silver or zinc on a zeolite-based, a molten glass-based, calcium phosphate-based material, etc., and added thereto is compounded with about 50 wt.% of an inorganic filler. This inorganic filling admixture obtained by mixing calcium carbonate with >=1 wt.% of lithium carbonate is used as the inorganic filler. The filling admixture is preferably obtained by granulating or fixing either one of the calcium carbonate and the lithium carbonate as base grains through a binder and uniformly mixing both. The resultant inorganic filling admixture is compounded with the resin to thereby provide sufficient antimicrobial effects with a small amount of the antimicrobial agent such as about 0.1 wt.%. The effects are especially remarkable on the artificial marble as the resin.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a resin containing an antibacterial agent, particularly to an inorganic filler mixture used for artificial marble.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various attempts have been made to impart antibacterial properties to resin molded products. For example, calcium carbonate is one of the fillers used for artificial marble, etc. The effect has not been sufficiently exhibited, and it has been responded by increasing the amount of the antibacterial agent added. However, in that case, there is a fear of discoloration due to the antibacterial agent, the cost is large, and it has not spread widely.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and by using the inorganic filler mixture of the present invention, a small amount of an antibacterial agent can provide a sufficient antibacterial effect. Therefore, discoloration and cost increase can be avoided.

[0004]

The inorganic filler mixture of the present invention made to solve the above problem is an inorganic filler used for a resin to which an antibacterial agent is added, and comprises lithium carbonate and calcium carbonate. It is characterized by mixing. The effect is particularly remarkable when the resin is artificial marble. Further, the mixing ratio of calcium carbonate and lithium carbonate is such that the weight ratio of lithium carbonate to calcium carbonate is 1%.
% Or more is preferable. It is desirable to granulate or immobilize the two substances.

[0005]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail. An inorganic filler used for a resin to which an antimicrobial agent has been added, wherein lithium carbonate is uniformly mixed with calcium carbonate. In this case, it is better to granulate or immobilize two kinds of substances. As shown in FIG. 1, the base particles at the time of granulation and immobilization may be calcium carbonate or lithium carbonate, and the child particles may be lithium carbonate or calcium carbonate. The mixed filler of calcium carbonate and lithium carbonate may be used at the same concentration, or a high-concentration lithium carbonate product may be diluted and used. The effect is remarkable when the resin is artificial marble. Further, the mixing ratio of calcium carbonate and lithium carbonate is 1% or more by weight ratio of lithium carbonate to calcium carbonate. At this time,
If it is 1% or less, the amount of lithium carbonate contained in the final product is small, and a sufficient antibacterial effect cannot be obtained. On the other hand, as the antibacterial agent, at least one selected from a zeolite-based, a molten glass-based, a calcium phosphate-based, and the like each containing silver, zinc, and the like is used.

[0006]

Examples are shown below. An example is shown about an antibacterial test of artificial marble using an inorganic filler obtained by mixing lithium carbonate with calcium carbonate. As shown in Table 1, Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 were prepared respectively.

[0007]

[Table 1]

More specifically, Example 1 used an inorganic filler mixture in which calcium carbonate and lithium carbonate were simply mixed. The use ratio of the filling mixture is 100% (lithium carbonate / calcium carbonate = 2% product used). Example 2 uses a filler granulated and immobilized using lithium carbonate as base particles and calcium carbonate as child particles. The use ratio of the filler mixture is 8% (lithium carbonate / calcium carbonate = 30% product used). Example 3 uses a filler granulated and fixed using calcium carbonate as mother particles and lithium carbonate as child particles.
Filling mixture usage ratio 10% (lithium carbonate / calcium carbonate = 25% product used). Example 4 uses a lithium carbonate high concentration filler. The use ratio of the mixed filler is 3% (lithium carbonate / calcium carbonate = 90% product used). Comparative example. 1,
Filler 2 used only calcium carbonate. The test method is to prepare a test piece of artificial marble according to the preparation of the example, drop a bacterial solution containing Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus on the sample, leave it at 35 ° C. for 24 hours, and wash out the bacterial solution. After further culturing the solution at 35 ° C. for 24 hours, the number of viable bacteria was measured. The results are shown in Table 2 for E. coli and Table 3 for Staphylococcus aureus.

[0009]

[Table 2]

[0010]

[Table 3]

[0011]

As described above, even with the addition amount of the antibacterial agent which is ineffective with the conventional filler, a sufficient antibacterial effect can be obtained by using the present inorganic filler mixture. Further, the form can be properly used depending on each step. In addition, each component can be uniformly dispersed, and the effect can be maintained for a long time. Therefore, the present invention has a high value as an inorganic filler mixture which has eliminated the conventional problems, and there is a great contribution to the industry.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An inorganic filler used in a resin to which an antimicrobial agent is added, wherein lithium carbonate is mixed with calcium carbonate. 2. The inorganic filler mixture according to claim 1, wherein the resin is artificial marble. 3. The inorganic filling mixture according to claim 1, wherein the mixing ratio of calcium carbonate and lithium carbonate is such that lithium carbonate is mixed with calcium carbonate in a weight ratio of 1% or more. Agent. 4. The mechanical filler mixture according to claim 1, wherein the mixture is granulated or immobilized with two kinds of substances.