JP2001104929A - Method and apparatus for treating paper diaper - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for treating paper diapers which can reduce the volume of used paper diapers and treat them simply without generating harmful substances. SOLUTION: An apparatus is fitted with a rotary drum 7 for housing used paper diapers, a water supply pipe 33 for supplying water into the drum 7, a motor 16 for rotating the drum 7, drain pipes 35, 37 for discharging water-soluble substances and insoluble substances which are separated/disintegrated in the drum 7 with sewage into a water treatment apparatus, and an on-off valve 36.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper diaper processing apparatus and a paper diaper processing method for separating and dissolving a used paper diaper into a water-soluble substance and an insoluble substance and disposing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, demand for disposable diapers is increasing as a substitute for conventional cloth diapers due to the convenience of being disposable. In addition, disposable diapers are widely used not only for infants but also as nursing care products for adults, and the demand for diapers is increasing with the arrival of an aging society.

[0003] This disposable diaper has, for example, a synthetic fiber non-woven fabric as a surface material and a plastic material, and a water-absorbing material composed of cotton-like pulp or water-absorbing paper, a polymer adsorbent or the like. As described above, the disposable diaper contains plastic as a constituent material, and thus disposal becomes a problem. Particularly in hospitals and nursing homes, a large amount of used disposable diapers is generated, and at present it is difficult to treat them.

Conventionally, used disposable diapers are generally discarded at home as general waste, but since they can be a source of infection in hospitals and nursing homes, they are sterilized in treatment facilities and then discarded as general waste. ing. In addition, in facilities that have a dedicated small incinerator, used paper diapers are incinerated to reduce the amount of combustion ash, and the ash is discarded as general waste.

[0005]

However, the conventional method for treating used paper diapers has the following problems. When a used disposable diaper is discarded in its original amount as general waste, the disposal capacity and weight are large, and there is a problem that the odor increases if left unused until the waste collection date. In the case of incineration, it is necessary to incinerate at a high temperature in order to prevent the generation of harmful substances such as dioxins, and the equipment cost of such incinerators is extremely high, and the processing time is too long. In addition, the installation location also needs to be considered with respect to local residents and the surrounding environment, which is greatly limited. In facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes, nurses must transport or store used disposable diapers to a designated place or incinerator in the meantime, which puts a heavy burden on post-processing and management efforts. I was

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and can reduce the weight and volume of a used disposable diaper, and can sanitize a used disposable diaper without generating harmful substances. An object of the present invention is to provide a simple disposable diaper processing apparatus and a simple disposable diaper processing method that can perform processing and can relatively freely select an installation location.

[0007]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed to achieve the above object, and the present invention is directed to a rotating drum for storing used paper diapers and a rotating drum for the rotating drum. A water tank for storing at least a lower end portion and storing water therein, a water supply means for supplying water into the water tank, and a disposable diaper disassembled into a water-soluble substance and an insoluble substance by rotating a rotary drum and immersing the paper diaper in water. A disposable diaper processing apparatus, comprising: a driving means for discharging wastewater separated into water and wastewater together with wastewater to a sewage treatment facility.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the rotary drum includes an inner body having a plurality of through holes formed in a peripheral wall and connected to the driving means, and an outer body having a hermetic seal outside the inner body. The disposable diaper processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the water tank is formed at a lower end portion of the outer shell.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the paper diaper processing apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the through-hole formed in the inner body has an opening diameter of 4 to 10 mmφ.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the agitating projection for agitating a used disposable diaper is provided on the inner peripheral wall of the rotary drum during the rotation. Is a disposable diaper processing apparatus.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the disposable diaper processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, further comprising heating means for heating water for immersing the used disposable diaper. .

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the paper diaper processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the discharge means is provided with a swing door type on-off valve.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the disposable diaper processing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, further comprising an additive input device, wherein the disposable diaper is separated and dismantled together with the added additive. is there.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a used paper diaper is accommodated in a rotating drum, and the drum is rotated to stir the used paper diaper in a state of being immersed in water to separate it into a water-soluble substance and an insoluble substance. A disposable diaper treatment method characterized by dismantling, draining water-soluble matter together with wastewater to a sewage treatment facility, and collecting insoluble matter remaining after the drainage.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the disposable diaper treatment method according to the eighth aspect, wherein the water for immersing the used disposable diaper is heated and sterilized.

A tenth aspect of the present invention is the disposable diaper processing method according to the eighth or ninth aspect, wherein the sterilization by heating is performed in parallel with the separation and dismantling.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a disposable diaper processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes an outer case 6 provided on a base 4 inside a housing 3 having an opening / closing lid 2 on the front surface. A rotary drum 7 rotatably provided in the body 6 for storing used paper diapers, a driving unit for driving the rotary drum 7 to rotate, and a water supply unit 5 for supplying water to the rotary drum 7
And a discharge means for discharging the water-soluble matter of the disposable diaper separated and disassembled in the rotary drum 7 to the sewage treatment facility together with the wastewater.

The rotary drum 7 serves as an inner body with respect to the outer body 6, and has a shape in which a bottomed cylindrical body having a circular input port 10 opened on the front side is placed horizontally. It is molded by. The rotary drum 7 has a large number of through-holes 11 having a diameter of, for example, 4 to 10 mm on its peripheral wall. The opening diameter of the through hole 11 is 4
The reason for setting to ｍｍ10 mmφ is that when an experiment was actually conducted with a disposable diaper, if it was less than 4 mmφ, it would not be possible to pass through even a turbid aqueous solution that had been separated and disassembled. This is because insoluble matter such as vinyl to be passed also passes through the through hole 11. The optimum opening diameter of the through hole 11 was 6 to 8 mmφ in the experiment.

Further, on the inner peripheral wall of the rotating drum 7, an agitating projection 12 for hooking and agitating a used paper diaper during rotation is formed in the axial direction. This stirring protrusion 12
Are plural at equal angles along the inner circumferential direction of the inner trunk, for example, 3 to
It is arranged in six places. Since the agitating projections 12 are formed on the inner peripheral wall of the inner cylinder in this manner, it is possible to accelerate the disassembly and separation of the used paper diaper. The stirring protrusion 12 may have any configuration as long as it facilitates disassembly and separation by stirring the disposable diaper. For example, a hat having a rectangular cross section, a plate-like stirring blade, a paddle, a rod, or the like may be used. It is preferred that the paper diaper be easily caught.

The rotating drum 7 having the above-described structure is supported in the outer shell 6 by passing a shaft 13 projecting rearward from the rear end face through a bearing 14 provided on the back of the outer shell 6. A pulley 15 is fixed to the tip of a shaft protruding from the bearing 14, and a belt 19 is attached to the pulley 15 and a pulley 17 of a motor 16.
The rotating drum 7 is reciprocated by the operation of the motor 16 to perform a dismantling process, or a high-speed rotation in one direction to perform a dehydrating process. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the motor 16, the pulleys 15, 17 and the like function as driving means. If the motor 16 is made variable by inverter control or the like, separation and disassembly can be performed efficiently.

The outer shell 6 provided outside the rotary drum 7 is a hermetically sealed substantially cylindrical body having a box-shaped deep bottom 20 formed at the lower end, and a lower half including the deep bottom 20 is a water tank for storing water. Part 2
1, and a heating means is provided in the deep bottom portion 20 in the present embodiment. The heating means is provided with, for example, an electric heater 22 which is waterproofed with a sealed glass or the like, and is activated when water is contained in the rotating drum 7. The heating temperature of the heating means is 40 to 1 degree Celsius.
The temperature is appropriately set to 00 degrees, and the sewage containing filth contained in the rotating drum 7 is heated and sterilized. A temperature sensor (not shown) is provided in the outer body 6. Therefore, the temperature of the water for immersing the disposable diaper can be controlled to the temperature set on the operation panel or the like based on the signal from the temperature sensor.

An opening communicating with the charging port 10 of the rotary drum 7 is provided on the front surface of the outer body 6, and a sealing material 23 is provided so as to cover and seal the opening when the opening / closing lid 2 is closed. It is provided on both or one of the opening and the opening / closing lid 2. The opening / closing lid 2 has a disk-shaped window 24 made of pressure-resistant glass or reinforced plastic from which the inside of the rotary drum 7 can be visually recognized.

Further, the outer shell 6 of the present embodiment has, at its upper end, a deodorant charging device 25 for charging a deodorant into the outer shell 6 and a chemical for charging a chemical such as a bactericide or an antibacterial agent. A charging device 26 and a ventilation mechanism are provided. Each of the deodorant charging device 25 and the chemical charging device 26 functions as an additive charging device, and stirs and separates the disposable diaper together with the charged additives. The ventilation mechanism includes a ventilation pipe 30 extended to the outside, and a deodorizing filter 31 provided at an upper end of the ventilation pipe 30. An opening / closing valve 32 is provided in the ventilation pipe 30 as needed. This ventilation mechanism
In a draining process described below, the inside of the outer shell 6 is opened to the atmosphere so that drainage can be performed smoothly. During the disassembling process of the disposable diaper, the on-off valve 32 is closed so that the internal odor is discharged to the outside. Prevent leaks.

The water supply means 5 comprises a water supply pipe 33 connected to the upper end of the outer shell 6 and an on-off valve 34 interposed in the water supply pipe 33. The water supply pipe 33 is connected to the water supply by a hose (not shown) or the like. In addition,
The water supplied from the water supply pipe 33 to the inside of the rotary drum 7 does not necessarily have to be clean water, and may be sewage reprocessed water.

The discharging means includes a U-shaped drain pipe 35 having one upper end connected to the bottom of the deep bottom 20 of the outer shell 6.
An open / close valve 36 provided at the other upper end of the drain pipe 35. The outlet of the on-off valve 36 is connected to a sewage pipe through a drain pipe 37, and is finally connected to a sewage treatment facility such as a septic tank through the sewage pipe. In addition, since the drain pipe 35 is bent in a U-shape and functions as a trap, the bad smell of the sewage treatment facility does not return to the inside of the disposable diaper processing apparatus 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, in order to prevent the drainage pipe 35 from being clogged, it is preferable to employ, for example, a swing door type open / close valve which is fully open, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the swing door type on-off valve is attached to an upper end of a drain pipe 35 formed of an elbow pipe provided downward, and is provided with a hinge part 40 that can rotate and a hinge part 40. An arm 41 to which a base end is connected, and an arm 4
1 and a disc-shaped valve element 42 to which the distal end is connected. A seal member 43 is attached to the inner surface of the peripheral portion of the valve element 42. Therefore, in the closed state shown by the solid line in FIG.
As shown by the chain line, when the valve element 42 is rotated and opened, water from the drain pipe 35 can flow down to the sewage treatment facility side via the drain pipe 37, and when the valve element 42 is opened, Since the opening of the drain pipe 35 is greatly opened to eliminate a member that obstructs the water flow, clogging can be prevented even if pulp or the like is mixed in the sewage.

The disposable diaper processing apparatus 1 of the present invention is configured as described above, and the operation of the disposable diaper processing apparatus 1 together with the disposable diaper processing method of the present invention will be described below. In the disposable diaper processing method of the present invention, first, the opening / closing lid 2 is opened,
A used paper diaper is stored in the inner drum of the rotating drum 7 (paper diaper loading step).

After the lid 2 is closed, the on-off valve 34 of the water supply means 5 is opened to supply water from the water supply pipe 33 into the outer shell 6, and a predetermined amount (rotary drum) When the lower portion 7 is immersed in water, for example, the water level shown in FIG. 2), the on-off valve 34 is closed to stop the water supply (water supply step). At this time, the on-off valve 36 of the discharging means is closed. The amount of water supplied into the outer shell 6 depends on the rotation drum 7
Water level meter (not shown) that divides the space between the center and the lower end into 10 equal parts
Is provided, and the scale of this water level meter (the lower end is zero and the center height of the rotating drum 7 is 10) is in the range of 2 to 7. When water is supplied beyond the scale 7, the disposable diaper floats even if the rotary drum 7 is reciprocated and the efficiency of disassembly and separation is reduced. When the water level is in the range of scales 3 to 5, the disassembly and separation can be performed most efficiently. Further, the water in the outer shell 6 is provided with the deodorant charging device 25 and the chemical charging device 2.
In step 6, a deodorant, a bactericide, or the like is added as necessary.
Further, in this embodiment, since the upper portion of the outer shell 6 and the outlet side of the drain valve are connected by the overflow pipe 44, if the water is excessively supplied, the overflow pipe 44
The surplus water can be drained through. The overflow pipe 44 is turned halfway to form an odor trap.

Next, the power supply of the heater 22 is turned on, and the water in which the used disposable diaper accommodated in the rotary drum 7 is immersed is heated and sterilized (sterilization step). The heating temperature in this sterilization process is set to, for example, 80 degrees Celsius, and the heating temperature is confirmed by a temperature sensor. Since the heating temperature of the heating means is 80 degrees Celsius or more, the sterilization of wastewater containing waste can be effectively performed. The rotating drum 7
When a bactericide is added to the water inside, the sterilization effect can be enhanced.

Thereafter, or simultaneously with the start of the sterilization step, the motor 16 is started to rotate the rotary drum 7 to generate a water flow in the rotary drum 7, thereby immersing the disposable diaper in the rotary drum 7 in water. Separated and disassembled in the state (disassembly step). The water flow is turned into a forward / reverse reversal water flow by driving the motor 16 forward / reverse, that is, by rotating the rotary drum 7 back and forth. The used water diaper stored in the rotating drum 7 is separated and disassembled into a water-soluble substance (paper, excrement, etc.) and an insoluble substance (plastic) by the inverted water flow. In this embodiment, the rotating drum 7 has the stirring protrusion 1.
2, the disposable diaper is hooked on the stirring projection 12 and stirred, so that the separation and disassembly is promoted. The rotation speed of the rotary drum 7 is such that the peripheral speed of the outer periphery of the drum is 60 to 120 m / mi.
When n is within the range, separation and disassembly can be performed efficiently. Further, the separation and disassembly can be performed by rotating the rotating drum 7 in one direction, but the reciprocating rotation is more efficient.

When the used disposable diaper is separated and disassembled, the water-soluble substance becomes a turbid substance which can pass through the through-hole 11 of the rotary drum 7, but the insoluble matter does not break in the reversed water flow, so that it passes through the through-hole 11. I can't get it. In addition, in order to shorten the whole processing time, this disassembly step is desirably performed in parallel with the sterilization step.

When the disassembling step is completed, the on-off valve 36 of the discharging means is opened, and the water-soluble matter is drained together with the sewage to the sewer pipe connected to the sewage treatment facility through the drain pipes 35 and 37 (drain step). In this drainage process, in order to prevent high-temperature drainage, the on-off valve of the water supply means 5 may be opened to add water from the water supply pipe 33 into the outer shell 6 to lower the temperature of the wastewater.

After the draining process is completed, the on-off valve 36 of the discharging means is closed, and the on-off valve 34 of the water supply means 5 is opened to supply water from the water supply pipe 33 into the outer shell 6 while the motor is running. 1
By driving the rotary drum 6, the rotary drum 7 is rotated, and a process of purifying insoluble matter remaining in the rotary drum 7 is performed (purification step).

When the purifying step is completed, the on / off valve 34 of the water supply means 5 is closed, the on / off valve 36 of the discharge means is opened, and water is drained to drains via drain pipes 35 and 37 (drainage). Process).

After the draining step is completed, the on-off valve 36 of the discharging means is closed, and the rotating drum 7 is rotated at a high speed by driving the motor 16 so that the insoluble matter remaining in the rotating drum 7 is dehydrated. Perform (dehydration step).

When the dewatering step is completed, the insoluble matter such as plastic is reduced to 1/4 to 1/1 with respect to the weight of the used disposable diaper.
Since the volume is reduced to about 15 and sterilized, the insoluble matter in the rotating drum 7 can be hygienically recovered by opening the opening / closing lid 2 (recovery step). This insoluble matter has almost no excrement and has no bad smell, and thereafter can be disposed of in the same manner as ordinary waste.

[0037]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. A simulation experiment was performed under the following conditions in order to confirm the effects of the disposable diaper processing apparatus 1 and the disposable diaper treatment method of the present invention. As a trial sample of used disposable diapers, disposable diapers 20 sets (800 g)
What adsorbed 200 cc / set of moisture and 100 g / set of miso was used. The total weight of this simulated sample is 60
00 g, which is 7.5 times the disposable diaper before use.

The processing conditions are as follows.
At 0 degree, the disassembly time was 15 minutes, the purification time was 8 minutes, and the dehydration time was 5 minutes, and the treatment was performed for 28 minutes in all process times. Under these processing conditions, when each of the above steps was sequentially performed, the deodorant was not used, so that some odor remained after the processing, but the weight of the insoluble matter (plastic) after the dehydration processing was 400 g, It was possible to reduce the weight by 1/2 for the disposable diaper before use and 1/15 for the used disposable diaper.

[0039]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following excellent effects can be obtained. According to the first and eighth aspects of the present invention, since the used disposable diaper can be separated and disassembled into a water-soluble substance and an insoluble substance by a water stream by driving a rotary drum, the water-soluble substance is transferred to a sewage treatment facility together with wastewater. The wastewater can be easily treated by draining, and the remaining insoluble matter can be reduced in volume and recovered by dehydration treatment, and can be treated as general waste. Therefore, a large amount of paper diapers can be processed in a short time as compared with a conventional processing apparatus for incinerating paper diapers. Further, since combustion is not required, there is no concern about generation of harmful substances such as dioxin.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the through-hole is formed in the peripheral wall of the rotary drum, the rotary drum can be rotated to efficiently dehydrate the water, and the disassembled water such as paper can be removed from the rotary drum. Can be discharged to the outside.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the through hole of the rotary drum has an opening diameter of 4 to 10 mmφ,
The separated and disassembled water can be turbid and pass through the through-hole, but the insoluble matter is not damaged and cannot pass through the through-hole. Therefore, the material constituting the disposable diaper can be reliably separated into a water-soluble substance and an insoluble substance.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the stirring protrusion is formed on the inner peripheral wall of the rotating drum, the used paper diaper can be hooked and stirred during the rotation. Therefore, the dismantling process of the used disposable diaper can be promoted.

According to the fifth and ninth aspects of the present invention,
Since the water in which the disposable diaper is immersed is heated, it is possible to sterilize wastewater containing waste by heating, which is sanitary. In the tenth aspect, sterilization by heating and separation and disassembly are performed in parallel, so that the processing time can be shortened.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the discharge means is provided with the swing door type opening / closing valve, the drainage pipe and the opening / closing valve are not clogged with a water-soluble substance such as paper.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since an additive introducing device is provided, the treatment can be carried out in a state where odor is suppressed by adding a deodorant as an additive. The sterilization effect can be further enhanced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a front view of a paper diaper processing apparatus, and FIG. 1B is a side view showing an internal configuration thereof.

FIG. 2A is an explanatory diagram showing an internal configuration of the disposable diaper processing apparatus from the front, and FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram showing an internal configuration of the disposable diaper from the side.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an on-off valve of a discharging unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Disposable diaper processing apparatus 2 Opening / closing lid 3 Housing 4 Base 5 Water supply means 6 Outer body 7 Rotating drum 10 Input port 11 Through hole 12 Stirring projection 13 Shaft 14 Bearing 15, 17 Pulley 19 Belt 20 Deep bottom 21 Water tank 22 Heater 23 Sealing material 24 Window 25 Deodorant injector 26 Chemical injector 30 Vent pipe 31 Deodorizing filter 32 Open / close valve 33 Water supply pipe 34 Open / close valve 35 Drain pipe 36 Open / close valve 37 Drain pipe 40 Hinge part 41 Arm part 42 Valve body 43 Seal Member 44 Overflow pipe

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A rotary drum for storing used paper diapers, a water tank for storing at least a lower end portion of the rotary drum and storing water therein, a water supply means for supplying water into the water tank, and a rotary drum. And a driving means for rotating and driving the disposable diaper soaked in water to separate and disassemble the water-soluble and insoluble materials; and a discharge means for discharging the separated and disassembled water-soluble material together with the sewage to the sewage treatment facility side. Disposable diaper processing equipment. 2. The rotating drum comprises a plurality of through-holes formed in a peripheral wall of the rotating drum, the inner drum connected to the driving means, an outer shell having a hermetic seal provided outside the inner drum, and a lower end of the outer drum. The disposable diaper processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the water tank section is formed in a portion. 3. A through hole formed in said inner body is 4 to 1
The disposable diaper processing apparatus according to claim 2, having an opening diameter of 0 mmφ. 4. The disposable diaper processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an agitating projection for agitating the used disposable diaper during rotation thereof is provided on an inner peripheral wall of the rotating drum. 5. The disposable diaper processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a heating means for heating water for immersing the used disposable diaper. 6. The disposable diaper processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge means is provided with a swing door open / close valve. 7. The disposable diaper processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an additive dispenser, wherein the disposable diaper is separated and dismantled together with the dispensed additive. 8. A used paper diaper is accommodated in a rotating drum, and the drum is rotated to stir the used paper diaper in a state of being immersed in water to separate and dissolve into a water-soluble substance and an insoluble substance. Wastewater to the sewage treatment facility, and collect insoluble matter remaining after the drainage. 9. The disposable diaper treatment method according to claim 8, wherein the water for immersing the used disposable diaper is sterilized by heating. 10. The disposable diaper processing method according to claim 8, wherein the sterilization by heating is performed in parallel with the separation and dismantling.