JP2001276757A - Cleaning method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning method by which a remarkably outstanding cleaning performance compared to a conventional method is displayed and also provide a cleaning device used in the method, in view of the fact that the conventional cleaning method for foodstuffs uses cleaning species such as hydrogen peroxide or ozone and also the satisfactory cleaning results are often not obtained on account of the insufficient concentration of the cleaning species anti the insufficient contact between the cleaning species and the foodstuffs. SOLUTION: A cleaning fluid generated by the cleaning species through electrolysis is pressurized using a pressurizing means 15 and the pressurized cleaning fluid is injected from a nozzle 20 to an object 17 top be cleaned in a cleaning vessel 16. The cleaning fluid shows the constant concentration of the cleaning species as a result of the prevention of the generated cleaning species from being scattered by pressurizing. The cleaning fluid is accelerated into contact with the object 17 by injecting the cleaning fluid from the nozzle 20 and thus the high cleaning efficiency is obtained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning method and apparatus using a cleaning liquid having a cleaning species, and more particularly, to a cleaning object or a pressure cleaning liquid having a cleaning species generated by electrolysis. The present invention relates to an apparatus for efficiently cleaning an object to be cleaned by injecting the cleaning object into a cleaning container having the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, attempts have been made to wash various products such as foods and clothes to remove dirt and fungi. A cleaning liquid containing a cleaning species such as hydrogen peroxide or ozone is used as the cleaning liquid used in this cleaning operation, and a certain cleaning effect is obtained. Washing of foods such as vegetables with a washing liquid having this kind of washing is a method of spraying the washing liquid onto the food or dipping the food in the washing liquid, and does not necessarily provide a satisfactory washing effect.

[0003]

That is, there are few types of cleaning species that can be dissolved in a cleaning solution at a high concentration, and many cleaning species often cannot be dissolved to an optimum level for cleaning an object to be cleaned. Although a desired cleaning effect may be obtained with a cleaning species with this level of solubility, depending on the type of the object to be cleaned, a single cleaning operation is not sufficient and the cleaning operation may be repeated, or the product may be produced with insufficient cleaning. Or shipping. In view of the drawbacks of the related art, an object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for efficiently washing fresh foods such as vegetables and other products by using washing species efficiently. I do.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a method of cleaning a cleaning object containing a cleaning species by pressing the cleaning solution containing the cleaning species and spraying the pressurized cleaning solution onto the cleaning object. A method for cleaning an object to be cleaned, an electrolytic tank for electrolyzing an electrolytic solution containing an electrolyte to generate a cleaning solution having a cleaning species, a pressurizing device for pressurizing the electrolytic solution containing the cleaning species, and an object to be cleaned And a jetting means for jetting a pressurized electrolytic solution to the cleaning container.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail. The present invention
When cleaning foods, clothes, etc., the cleaning solution containing the cleaning species is pressurized to ensure that the cleaning species is incorporated into the cleaning solution, and that the cleaning solution is securely retained in the cleaning solution. By injecting a cleaning liquid in a pressure state onto the object to be cleaned or the water to be cleaned in which the object to be cleaned is immersed, the cleaning species is accelerated and brought into contact with the object to be cleaned, thereby effectively performing the cleaning. is there. The cleaning species, especially radicals, in the present invention are in a very unstable dissolved state, and easily disperse from the dissolved state under normal pressure to lower the concentration and reduce the cleaning efficiency. This tendency is not limited to radicals, but is more likely to occur with respect to hypochlorite ions and ozone.

[0006] However, when the cleaning liquid containing the cleaning species is maintained in a pressurized state as in the present invention, the cleaning species remains in the cleaning liquid while keeping its concentration substantially. Therefore,
For example, even if the distance from the pressurized point to the object to be cleaned is long (for example, 300 meters), there is no decrease in the concentration of the cleaning species,
That is, there is no decrease in the cleaning ability of the cleaning liquid, and efficient cleaning can be performed. The cleaning species in the present invention may be separately prepared and added to the cleaning solution, or may be prepared by electrolyzing an electrolytic solution containing the raw material species. Considering the reduction in the number of operation steps and efficiency, the latter is more preferable. In the case of preparation of cleaning species by electrolysis, radicals are electrolyzed with dilute hydrochloric acid, hypochlorous acid is electrolyzed with a diaphragm without saline, chlorine is electrolyzed with a diaphragm, and ozone is electrolyzed with a small amount of dissolved electrolyte. Generated by The cleaning species other than hypochlorous acid do not decompose or scatter and remain in the cleaning solution after cleaning the object to be cleaned.

When the pressurized cleaning liquid is sprayed onto the object to be cleaned or the water to be cleaned in which the object to be cleaned is immersed, the cleaning species is accelerated and comes into contact with the object to be cleaned, so that the cleaning efficiency is further improved. Further, when the pressurized cleaning liquid is sprayed into the water to be cleaned, the gases become bubbles and the contact efficiency with the object to be cleaned is further improved. The method and apparatus of the present invention can be used, for example, for cleaning foods and fresh fruits and the like as described above, such as fresh vegetables and fresh fruits as a measure against microbial contamination such as infection with pathogens, and for cleaning items that require disinfection and sterilization in addition to washing clothes. Applicable.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention for cleaning an object to be cleaned using a cleaning liquid will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of the cleaning device according to the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a storage tank for raw water 2 in which an electrolyte such as salt is dissolved. The raw water 2 is pumped out of the storage tank 1 by a pump 3, and an anode 5 and a cathode 6 are installed through a raw water supply line 4. The electrolyte is supplied to the non-diaphragm type electrolytic cell 7.

The electrolytic solution 8 supplied into the electrolytic cell 7 is electrolyzed to generate cleaning species such as radicals, hypochlorous acid, chlorine gas and ozone depending on the contained electrolyte. Dissolves in the electrolyte. On the other hand, a tap faucet 9 is provided at a location remote from the electrolytic cell 7, and tap water from the tap is supplied to a circulation pump 11 via a cock 10. Circulation pump
The water supplied to 11 further circulates through a loop returning to the circulation pump 11 through a three-way valve 12 provided at the outlet of the electrolytic cell 7.

In the three-way valve 12, water from the circulation pump 11 always circulates in the loop, and if necessary, the electrolyte in the electrolytic cell 7 is supplied to and mixed with the water circulating from the three-way valve 12. Position. The electrolytic solution containing the cleaning species that has entered the circulation loop from the three-way valve 12 circulates in the circulation loop as a cleaning solution when no cleaning operation is required, and branches off from the circulation loop when cleaning is required. The cleaning species which is guided to the branch pipe 13 and is introduced into the pressurizing means 15 by the supply pump 14 installed in the branch pipe 13 to be pressurized and easily decomposed or scattered is maintained in a stable dissolved state.

On the other hand, a washing container 16 is filled with washing water 18 in which an object 17 to be washed such as fruits and vegetables is immersed.
It is placed on a perforated plate or housed in a basket (both not shown). The cleaning liquid pressurized by the pressurizing means 15 passes through the cock 19 and is jetted into the water 18 to be washed by the jetting means, three nozzles 20 in the illustrated example. By this injection, cleaning species such as radicals dissolved in the cleaning liquid in a pressurized state are released into the cleaning water 18 and come into contact with the cleaning target 17.

At this time, since the cleaning species comes in contact with the cleaning target 17 at high speed and as bubbles, dirt and microorganisms existing on the surface of the cleaning target 17 are removed or sterilized, and the cleaning of the cleaning target 17 is performed efficiently. Can be done Further, for example, when the distance between the pressurizing means 15 and the nozzle 20 is long, if the cleaning liquid is not pressurized, the dissolved cleaning species may scatter, but if the cleaning liquid is pressurized as in this embodiment, the cleaning liquid Is not scattered, the cleaning solution in which the high-concentration cleaning species is dissolved is maintained, and efficient cleaning can be performed using the cleaning solution.

In the cleaning liquid in the cleaning container 16, the cleaning species is dissolved even after the object 17 to be cleaned is cleaned. The cleaning liquid after cleaning is the overflow plate installed near the inner wall in the cleaning vessel 16.
Most of the water overflows from 21 and is returned from the lower surface of the washing container 16 to the line between the faucet 9 and the circulation pump 11 for recycling. A part of the cleaning liquid overflowing from the overflow plate 21 is discharged from the side wall of the cleaning vessel 16 to a discharge line.
Removed to 22 and discarded. Reference numeral 23 denotes a pressure release valve provided between the pressure means 15 and the circulation line. In the present embodiment, a description has been given of a case in which the object to be cleaned is immersed in the water to be cleaned in the cleaning container.However, the present invention is not limited to this. You may make it eject. The object to be cleaned does not need to be stored in the container.

An embodiment relating to the cleaning of food by the cleaning apparatus of the present invention will be described, but the embodiment does not limit the present invention. Example 1 An electrolytic cell was a cylindrical non-diaphragm electrolytic cell having a height of 30 cm and a diameter of 150 cm.
A platinum electrode coated with a thickness of m was placed 1 cm apart. A 1000 g / liter saline solution is supplied to this electrolytic cell,
Electrolysis was performed while applying a voltage of 38V. The concentration of the aqueous solution of hypochlorous acid obtained in the electrolytic cell was 30 ppm.

Further, a cylindrical washing container having a diameter of 480 cm and a depth of 700 cm was filled with tap water, and a cabbage was set as an object to be washed. On average, about 10 ⁵ microorganisms / cm ² adhered to the cabbage leaves. Three nozzles were installed on the bottom surface of the washing container, and each nozzle was connected to an introduction tube having a cock penetrating the bottom surface of the washing container, and the introduction tubes were integrated and connected to a pressurizing means. After the aqueous hypochlorous acid solution is pressurized at a pressure of about 37 kg / cm ² by the pressurizing means, it is passed through a cock, and is sprayed for 1 minute from a nozzle hole to a cabbage to be cleaned in a cleaning vessel through a nozzle. Was.

After completion of the spraying, the cabbage was taken out of the washing container, and the number of microorganisms on the surface of the cabbage leaf was measured.
It decreased below the detection limit. In addition, when the washing container was not filled with tap water and the aqueous solution of hypochlorous acid was directly sprayed from the nozzle onto the object to be washed for the same one minute, the number of microorganisms was reduced below the detection limit. From this, it is understood that the cleaning liquid may not only be sprayed on the object to be cleaned in the cleaning container filled with water, but may also be directly sprayed on the object to be cleaned in the cleaning container not filled with water.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1 Cleaning was performed under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the aqueous solution of hypochlorous acid was supplied from a nozzle at normal pressure into a cleaning vessel filled with water to be cleaned and immersed in cabbage without pressurizing. Was done. Although the number of microorganisms after washing was reduced to 10 ³ cells / cm ² , the sterilization efficiency was lower than in Example 1, and a satisfactory washing effect was not obtained.

[0018]

The method of the present invention is characterized in that a cleaning solution containing a cleaning species is pressurized, and the pressurized cleaning solution is sprayed on the object to be cleaned to wash the object to be cleaned with the cleaning species. A method for cleaning an object to be cleaned (claim 1). By pressurizing the cleaning liquid, the cleaning species dissolved in the cleaning liquid is not scattered and the concentration of the cleaning species is maintained substantially constant, and the cleaning liquid having the constant concentration of the cleaning species is jetted to the object to be cleaned. Thereby, the cleaning liquid is brought into contact with the object to be cleaned in an accelerated state, and improvement in cleaning efficiency can be expected.

Further, in the method of the present invention, the object to be cleaned may be present in water, and the pressurized cleaning liquid may be injected into water in which part or all of the object to be cleaned is immersed. When the pressurized cleaning liquid is sprayed into water, the cleaning species tends to become bubbles,
The generated bubbles come into contact with the object to be cleaned with a high surface area, and the cleaning effect becomes more remarkable. The apparatus of the present invention comprises: an electrolytic tank for electrolyzing an electrolyte containing an electrolyte to generate a cleaning solution having a cleaning species; a pressurizing means for pressurizing the electrolyte containing the cleaning species; a cleaning container having an object to be cleaned; A cleaning device comprising an injection means for injecting the electrolyte solution into a cleaning container (claim 3). In this cleaning apparatus, the electrolysis is used for generation of the cleaning species, so that a cleaning solution containing the cleaning species can be easily prepared, and the concentration of the cleaning species is maintained almost constant as in the above-described method of the present invention, and the cleaning efficiency is improved. The effect that the improvement of can be expected is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view showing one embodiment of cleaning an object to be cleaned using a cleaning liquid by the apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 5 Anode 6 Cathode 7 Electrolyzer 8 Electrolyte 11 Circulation pump 14 Supply pump 15 Pressurizing means 16 Cleaning container 17 Object to be washed 18 Water to be washed 20 Nozzle

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A cleaning method for cleaning an object to be cleaned, wherein a cleaning liquid containing a cleaning seed is pressurized, and the pressurized cleaning liquid is sprayed on the object to be cleaned to wash the object to be cleaned with the cleaning seed. Method. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the object to be cleaned is in water, and a pressurized cleaning liquid is sprayed on the water having the object to be cleaned. 3. An electrolytic cell for electrolyzing an electrolytic solution containing an electrolyte to generate a cleaning solution having a cleaning species, a pressurizing means for pressurizing the electrolytic solution containing the cleaning species, a cleaning container having an object to be cleaned, and a heating vessel. A cleaning apparatus comprising: an injection unit configured to inject a pressurized electrolyte solution into a cleaning container.