JP2002084887A - Biodegradable water retainer for cut flower - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water retainer which is used for cut flowers, has biodegradability or biodisintegrability, can be recycled in a natural circulation type and is friendly for the natural environments. SOLUTION: This water retainer for cut flowers, characterized by heating and liquidizing a plant body in the presence of an acid and a polyhydric alcohol and then foaming and hardening the obtained product, such as the liquidized lignocellulose substance. When the lower end portion of the stem of a cut flower is obliquely thrust into the water retainer, the stem of the cut flower is immediately shrunk and tightly attached to the water retainer. The cut flower can be supported in the inclined state without falling, and a plurality of cut flowers can beautifully be arranged. After used, the water retainer can biologically degraded or disintegrated in the natural world.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water retention device for cut flowers having a biodegradable property, and more particularly, to a water retention device used for displaying or transporting the cut flowers, which is used to prevent cut flowers from drying out and withering due to running out of water. The present invention relates to a water retention device for cut flowers having a decomposition property.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when conveying cut flowers, generally, the cut flowers are wrapped in newspaper and the newspaper is conveyed as it is in order to prevent the cut flowers from drying out and withering or wilting. .

[0003] On the other hand, when the cut flowers are transported or displayed for a long period of time, thermoplastic plastics such as polyurethane and polystyrene are foamed in order to prevent the cut flowers from drying out and withering or wilting. A sponge-shaped thing is proposed and marketed under the registered trademark "Oasis", and while supporting a plurality of cut flower stems in a beautifully designed state by piercing each cut stem, the cut water retainer is sufficiently hydrated to supply cut flowers. It is supposed to.

[0004]

However, most of the conventional plastic water retention devices (Oasis) made of plastic are discarded as garbage after use, and themselves are extremely stable and are almost completely decomposed in nature. From the viewpoint of bulkiness and bulkiness, it has been a factor causing environmental pollution. Incineration in the disposal process is also a problem, and polystyrene foam and polyethylene foam are not always easy to incinerate, and the heat of combustion of polystyrene and polyethylene foam has a considerably high heat of combustion,
This caused abnormally high temperatures in the incinerator and caused damage to the furnace.

On the other hand, if we look at the amount of air required for combustion,
In the case of a polystyrene foam or the like, five times the amount of air is required as compared with ordinary refuse, and conventional refuse incinerators cannot cope with it, causing troubles such as soot generation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention for a cut flower having biodegradability or biodegradability, which can be recycled in a natural circulation type and which is friendly to the natural environment. We will not provide water retention equipment.

[0007]

Means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above-mentioned object are as follows. The present invention relates to a method for heating a carbohydrate in the presence of an acid catalyst and a polyhydric alcohol,
The gist of the present invention is a biodegradable cut flower water retainer obtained by foaming and hardening a liquefied liquid carbohydrate.

[0008] The invention of claim 2 is the gist of the invention of claim 1, wherein the liquid carbohydrate is a liquid lignocellulosic substance or a liquid starch for a cut flower.

A third aspect of the present invention is the method according to the first or second aspect, wherein the polyhydric alcohol is at least one of an aliphatic polyhydric alcohol, a polyether polyol and a polyester polyol, and the heating temperature is 100 to 100%.
The gist of the present invention is a water retainer for cut flowers having a temperature of less than 200 ° C.

[0010] According to the water retention device for cut flowers according to the inventions of the respective claims constructed as described above, since the raw material is a sponge containing natural liquefied carbohydrates and polyhydric alcohol as main components, it contains a large amount of water. The stalk of the cut flower can be pierced to support the entire cut flower, and can be biodegraded or biodegraded in nature and recycled into a natural circulation type.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail, but various design changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. The lignocellulosic substance used as a starting material is not particularly limited, but wood flour, wood fiber, wood chips and crushed wood such as veneer,
And plant fibrous materials such as straw and peach, GP, TMP
(Thermomechanical pulp), paper such as waste paper, pulp,
Various types such as beer waste, rice bran and bran can be used. The type of wood is also not particularly limited, for example, birch, sitka spruce, cedar, red pine,
Poplar and Lauan can be exemplified. The particle size of the pulverized product may be such that it can be sufficiently liquefied and dissolved.

The starch used as a starting material is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include raw starch, processed starch, and a mixture thereof. Examples of the raw starch include corn starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, wheat starch, rice starch, cassava starch, sago starch, tapioca starch, kuzu starch, and bean starch. As processed starch, α
-Starch, fractionated amylose, physically modified starch such as wet heat-treated starch, chemically degraded starch such as acid-treated starch, esterified starch,
Examples include etherified starch, cationized starch, and cross-linked starch.

The polyhydric alcohol used in the present invention is a dihydric or higher alcohol, including aliphatic polyhydric alcohol (alkylene polyol), polyether type polyol and polyester type polyol. Butanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, glycerin, trimethylolpropane,
1,2,6-hexanetriol, pentaerythritol, ethylenediamine, diethylenetriamine, sorbitol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, epoxide-added polyether polyol,
Modified polyether polyols (graft polyols; polyurea-dispersed polyols; amine-modified polyols), polytetramethylene ether glycols, general-purpose polyester polyols, polycaprolactone polyols, aromatic polyester polyols, polycarbonate polyols, and many others are included, particularly polyethylene glycol. ,
Glycerin, ethylene glycol, epoxide-added polyether polyol, polycaprolactone polyol and the like are preferred.

In the liquefaction and dissolution, the above-mentioned polyhydric alcohols can be used singly or as a mixture of two or more of them. However, if they are used in combination, the residue ratio decreases and the liquefaction time is shortened. Because it is possible, it is desirable. In particular, when a polyhydric alcohol is used in combination, a combination of a high molecular weight compound and a low molecular weight compound can suppress an increase in the residue ratio due to recondensation and can even improve the strength properties of the foam. The high molecular weight and low molecular weight of the polyhydric alcohol are classified by molecular weight 200, and high molecular weight / low molecular weight = 9.
It is about 5 to 6.0 / 0.5 to 4.0, preferably about 9/1.

For the purpose of lowering the viscosity of the solution or promoting liquefaction and dissolution, water or monohydric alcohol (eg, methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, n-butyl alcohol), acetone, One or more organic solvents such as ethyl acetate can be added and coexisted. These organic solvents are generally added at a ratio of about 1 to 1,000, preferably about 5 to 600 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the polyhydric alcohol.

In the present invention, it is usually preferable to add a lignocellulosic substance such as wood or starch in an amount of 10 to 1000 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the polyhydric alcohol. Although it is possible to obtain a liquefied product with less than 10 parts by weight, it is not preferable from the viewpoints of adding functions such as combustibility and biodegradability, resinification, and effective use of waste wood. Also, when added in an amount of 1000 parts by weight or more, liquefaction and dissolution tend to be insufficient.

The liquefaction and dissolution reaction according to the present invention means that at least 80% of the liquefaction dissolves from the solid phase to the liquid phase. This is because a lignocellulose substance such as wood or starch may react with a polyhydric alcohol and become insoluble.

In the present invention, this reaction is carried out under normal pressure in the presence of an acid catalyst. The acid catalyst may be an inorganic acid, an organic acid, or a Lewis acid, such as sulfuric acid,
Hydrochloric acid, toluenesulfonic acid, phenolsulfonic acid, aluminum chloride, zinc chloride, boron trifluoride and the like are exemplified as preferable ones. The amount of the acid catalyst added is 1 to 20% by weight. The reaction temperature is 100 to less than 200 ° C., and is appropriately selected from them. During the liquefaction dissolution reaction, it is preferable to appropriately perform stirring. By this stirring, torque can be added to the suspension, and the efficiency of liquefaction and dissolution can be increased. Liquefaction dissolution is achieved in 15 minutes to several hours. The concentration of the lignocellulosic substance or starch in the liquefied lignocellulosic substance or starch obtained in this way varies depending on the purpose of use of the solution, but ranges up to about 90% by weight.

The OH value of the lignocellulosic substance or starch dissolved in the polyol or the entire liquefied solution thus prepared is measured by a phthalic esterification method. Then, a predetermined amount of a foam stabilizer, a urethane-forming catalyst and a foaming agent are added to a predetermined amount of the lignocellulose substance or the polyol solution of starch, and the mixture is mixed well.
A predetermined amount of a polyvalent isocyanate compound is added in consideration of the value, and the mixture is vigorously stirred for a certain period of time, followed by foaming and resinification.

The foam stabilizer is appropriately selected from linear and branched polyether / siloxane types and the like. For example, polydimethylsiloxane, a water-soluble polyether siloxane from an ethylene oxide / propylene oxide copolymer, a mixture of a sodium salt of sulfonated ricinoleic acid and a polysiloxane polyoxyalkylene copolymer are used. Is appropriately selected according to a conventional method for producing a urethane resin foam.

Examples of the urethanization catalyst include monoamines such as N, N-dimethylcyclohexylamine, N, N-dicyclohexylmethylamine, cyclic amines such as pyridine and N-methylmorpholine, N, N,
N ', N'-tetramethylethylenediamine, N, N,
N ', N'-tetramethyl, diamines such as 1,3-propanediamine, bis-2-dimethylaminoethyl ether, ether diamines such as 4,4'-oxydiethylenedimorpholine, N, N, N', N ' , Triamines such as Nn-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine, N, N,
Hexamines such as N ', N'-tetra (3-dimethylaminopropyl) methanediamine, triethylenediamine, N, N'-dimethylpiperazine, 1,2-dimethylimidazole, 1,8-diazabicyclo (5,4,0)
Cyclic polyamines such as undecene-7 (DBU), hydroxyl-containing amines such as N, N-dimethylaminoethanol, other amines such as morpholine, organic metals such as dibutyltin diacetate, dimethyltin mercaptide, potassium acetate, calcium carbonate Chlorine substances such as compounds and salts of weak acids can be mentioned.

Fluorocarbons such as chlorofluorocarbons 11 and 12, alkylene chlorides such as methylene chloride and ethylene chloride, and isopentane, which can use water as a foaming agent, can also be used.

Examples of the polyvalent isocyanate compound include toluene diisocyanate (TDI), diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), 2, 2, 4 (2, 4, 4).
-Trimethylhexamethylene diisocyanate, (TM
DI), p-phenylene diisocyanate (PPDI)
Polyfunctional isocyanates such as diisocyanate, dimethylenetriphenylmethanetetraisocyanate, triphenylmethanetriisocyanate, tri (isocyanatephenyl) -thiophosphate; urethane-modified T
DI, allophanate-modified TDI, biuret-modified TD
I, Modified TDI such as isocyanurate-modified TDI; Modified MDI such as urethane-modified MDI, carbodiimide-modified MDI, and urtonimine-modified MDI; TDI / MDI mixture;
Other modified isocyanates such as HDI modified products can be used.

In the foam molding, a reactive monomolecule called a chain extender or a cross-linking agent may be added in order to strengthen polymerization or intermolecular bond. These include diols such as ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol, triols such as glycerin and trimethylolpropane, tetraols such as pentaerythritol, diamines such as hexamethylenediamine and 4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane, and amino alcohols such as diethanolamine and triethanolamine. No.

In order to further improve the performance of the resin foam obtained in the present invention, various additives can be added before foaming and curing. For example, in order to improve the physical properties of solutions such as liquefied polyols and solutions of lignocellulosic substances such as wood and viscosity, and the workability, addition of low molecular compounds or emulsifiers, emulsifiers for improving the mixing state between components used, and isocyanates Reaction blocking agent for improving the reactivity of the compound (solvent that does not dissolve in polyol), coloring agent for coloring the foam molding material, filler for increasing the amount of the foam molding material or improving the physical properties (Filler), a flame retardant or the like for making the foam molding material flame retardant can be added.

The foaming ratio produced in this manner is 2 to 2.
When the sponge-like foamed mass of about 60 times, preferably 5 to 35 times is cut into a desired predetermined size and shape, the water retention tool for cut flowers according to the present invention can be manufactured. If the expansion ratio is less than 2 times, the cut flowers are too hard to insert the cut flowers.

[0027]

Example: Sugi wood flour (20-80 mesh) dried matter 20
g was placed in a 150 ° C. oil bath with 60 g of polyethylene glycol (PEG400) in which sulfuric acid was uniformly mixed at 3% by weight, and reacted with stirring for 60 minutes. A liquefied product is obtained by this reaction.

Next, 20 g of the resulting solution was neutralized (0.4 ml of a 48% aqueous sodium hydroxide solution), a catalyst (0.05 ml of triethylenediamine (TEDA)), and a foam stabilizer (silicone oil manufactured by Toray Silicon Co., Ltd.) SH193 ”0.6m
l) was added and mixed, and then a polyvalent isocyanate compound ("Millionate MR" manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.)
-100 "(NCO index = 96) was added, and the mixture was stirred and mixed at 6000 to 8000 rpm for 5 to 10 seconds, and then allowed to stand and foam. In this case, water in the neutralizing agent functions as a foaming agent. The obtained foam had a specific gravity of 0.028 g / cm3 and a compressive strength of 0.18 kgf / cm2,
A cut flower water retainer was prepared by cutting into a rectangle having a length of 7 cm, a width of 12 cm, and a thickness of 5 cm.

[0029] The water retainer for cut flowers has elasticity. When the lower end of the cut flowers is stabbed obliquely, it immediately contracts and adheres to the stems and can support the cut flowers without falling even if they are tilted.
Several cut flowers could be arranged neatly.

Further, it was found that the present water retainer for cut flowers can hold 1 g / cm 3 of water and can prevent dryness and withering due to running out of water.

[0031]

As described above, according to the water retention device for cut flowers according to the present invention, the material is mainly composed of natural carbohydrates and polyhydric alcohols. Since it is formed so as to be biodegradable or biodegradable, it can be biodegraded or biodegraded in nature and can be recycled into a natural circulation type. No cause.

Further, the water retention device for cut flowers of the present invention has a relatively low calorific value of about 5000 kcal / kg, so that it does not damage the combustion furnace, generates little soot, and has no odor. Can be completely burned and incinerated. Furthermore, since the water retention device for cut flowers according to the present invention is formed as a so-called urethane-type sponge-like foam, it can retain a large amount of water and supports the entire cut flower by piercing the stem of the cut flower. When these are combined, for example, in the case of display or transport of cut flowers, it is possible to prevent drying and wilting due to drainage of water, and to achieve an extremely effective action effect such as improved convenience.

Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Yoshio Misaki 15th address of Shimogamo Morihoncho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture (72) Inventor Eiji Kageyama 648-1, Jindo, Mino-shi, Gifu Tokai Kaseinai F term (reference) 4J034 BA02 BA03 CA04 CA05 CB03 CC03 DB04 DB05 DF01 DF03 DF14 DG01 DG02 EA04 EA09 HA07 HA08 HA09 HC03 HC12 HC64 HC67 HC71 JA14 KA01 KB05 NA02 NA03 NA05 NA08 RA01 RA06 RA19

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A cut flower water retainer obtained by heating a carbohydrate in the presence of an acid catalyst and a polyhydric alcohol to foam and harden the liquefied liquid carbohydrate. 2. The water retention device for cut flowers according to claim 1, wherein said liquid carbohydrate is a liquid lignocellulose substance or liquid starch. 3. The polyhydric alcohol is at least one of aliphatic polyhydric alcohol, polyether polyol and polyester polyol, and has a heating temperature of 100.
The water retention device for cut flowers according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the temperature is lower than 200C.