JP2003181338A - Hypochlorous acid forming sprayer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hypochlorous acid forming sprayer capable of spraying a solution of hypochlorous acid or a salt thereof on a spray object as a solution with liquidity having high sterilizing effect corresponding to the spray object, dispensing with the storage of the solution of hypochlorous acid or the salt thereof in the liquid container of the sprayer and enhanced in safety from a handling aspect. <P>SOLUTION: The hypochlorous acid forming sprayer 1 comprises the liquid container 3 housing the solution S of the chlorine compound and a sprayer (trigger sprayer 4) for sucking the solution S from the liquid container 3 to spray the same. The trigger sprayer has an electrode 16 for electrolyzing the solution S provided therein and sprays the solution S' of hypochlorous acid or the salt thereof formed by electrolysis. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hypochlorous acid-producing atomizer in which a solution of a chlorine compound is electrolyzed and a solution of hypochlorous acid or a salt thereof produced can be immediately sprayed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a hypochlorous acid solution atomizer has been used for deodorizing, sterilizing and bleaching indoors, around water, dishes, clothes and the like. Generally, in this atomizer, hypochlorous acid is prepared as a strong alkaline solution because of its storage stability, and contained in a liquid container as a solution of sodium salt.

On the other hand, it has also been proposed to electrolyze a saline solution in a predetermined container to obtain a hypochlorous acid solution, and attach a trigger sprayer to the container to prepare a hypochlorous acid solution atomizer. (JP-A-10-328666).

[0004]

However, a conventional hypochlorous acid atomizer in which a solution of hypochlorous acid or a salt thereof is contained in a liquid container is inadvertently leaked when the atomizer is transported or stored. If it occurs, it is dangerous.

Although hypochlorous acid is alkaline and has improved storage stability, the bactericidal effect is often acidic and higher than alkaline, depending on the object. Therefore, from the viewpoint of bactericidal effect, it is desired that hypochlorous acid can be used as an acidic solution.

In order to solve such problems, the present invention solves the problem of storage stability and enables the hypochlorous acid solution to be sprayed as a liquid solution having a high bactericidal effect depending on the object to be sprayed. In addition, it is another object of the present invention to provide a new hypochlorous acid solution atomizer which is not dangerous even if the liquid leaks accidentally during transportation, storage, or the like.

[0007]

The inventor of the present invention electrolyzes a solution of a chlorine compound to produce hypochlorous acid or a salt thereof,
When spraying a solution of hypochlorous acid or its salt with a spraying device, hypochlorous acid or its salt is generated in the spraying device, and the generated solution of hypochlorous acid or its salt is sprayed on the spot. By doing so, it is not necessary to store the solution of hypochlorous acid or its salt in the liquid container of the atomizer, and it is sufficient to store the solution of the chlorine compound used for its production, so carelessly from the liquid container. There is no danger in the event of liquid leakage, and the solution of hypochlorous acid or its salt that is produced is immediately sprayed, so the storage stability of the solution of hypochlorous acid or its salt in a sprayer. Therefore, it has been found that the solution to be sprayed can be appropriately adjusted to a liquid property that exhibits a high bactericidal effect depending on the object to be sprayed.

That is, the present invention is a sprayer comprising a liquid container for containing a solution of a chlorine compound and a spraying device for spraying the solution sucked from the liquid container, wherein the spraying device sprays the solution in the spraying device. Provided is a hypochlorous acid-producing atomizer which has an electrode for electrolysis and sprays a solution of hypochlorous acid or a salt thereof produced by electrolysis.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same reference numerals represent the same or equivalent constituent elements.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hypochlorous acid generating atomizer 1 of one embodiment of the present invention in which a trigger sprayer is provided as a spraying device, and FIG. 2 shows the action of the plunger portion of the trigger sprayer. FIG.

The hypochlorous acid producing atomizer 1 comprises a liquid container 3 and a trigger sprayer 4.

The liquid container 3 has an inner bag 2 inside, and contains a solution S of a chlorine compound therein.

As the solution S, an aqueous solution of a salt which produces hypochlorous acid by electrolysis is used. Examples of such a salt include one or more selected from sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, ammonium chloride and the like.
Among them, sodium chloride, potassium chloride or magnesium chloride is preferable from the viewpoint of toxicity. Further, the concentration of the salt in the solution S is preferably 0.1 to 10% by weight.

When the solution S is acidic, a larger amount of hypochlorous acid exists than the hypochlorite due to electrolysis of the solution S, and when the solution S is alkaline, the hypochlorous acid is larger than the hypochlorous acid. There is a lot of salt. In addition, the bactericidal power varies depending on the liquidity of the solution S, and in general, an acidic solution has a higher bactericidal power than an alkaline solution in many cases. However, the bactericidal activity against mold is higher in alkaline solution than in acidic solution. Therefore, in order to improve the sterilizing power according to the object to be sprayed, it is preferable to appropriately adjust the liquidity of the solution S to be acidic or alkaline.

When the solution S is adjusted to be acidic, if strong acid is added to the solution S to make the acid excessively strong, all of the strong acid dissociates to generate chlorine gas, and the oxidizing power responsible for the bactericidal power of hypochlorous acid is generated. Is damaged. In order to increase the sterilizing power while maintaining the oxidizing power of hypochlorous acid, the solution S is preferably adjusted to have a weak acidity of pH 3-5. Moreover, the solution S is adjusted to such a pH.
In order to adjust pH, it is preferable to use a water-soluble organic acid of a weak acid having a low dissociation degree from the viewpoint of easy pH control of the solution S. Here, examples of the water-soluble organic acid include succinic acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, and the like.

On the other hand, when the solution S is adjusted to be alkaline, it is preferable to use a water-soluble organic alkali from the viewpoint of easy pH control. Examples of the water-soluble organic alkali include amine compounds such as methylamine and aniline.

A surfactant may be added to the solution S in order to further improve the bactericidal activity. The surfactant has a bactericidal effect because it causes oxygen deficiency in the living body due to its wettability, but when the surfactant is added to the solution S, the wettability of the solution S after electrolysis with respect to the object to be sprayed is also improved. The bactericidal effect is further improved.

Examples of the surfactant include anionic surfactants such as fatty acid soap and alkylbenzene sulfonate, cationic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants and nonionic surfactants such as polyoxyethylene nonylphenyl ether. Can be used. The concentration of the surfactant in the solution S is preferably 0.01 to 0.5% by weight.

In addition to the above, alcohol may be added to the solution S for the purpose of improving sterilizing power and refreshing feeling, and a fragrance or the like may be added if necessary.

The trigger sprayer 4 includes a trigger 6 hanging down from the upper portion of the trigger sprayer body 5, a first cylinder 7 reciprocating by a pivoting operation of the trigger 6 as indicated by arrows A and B, and a trigger sprayer body. 5
A plunger 9 that reciprocates in the second cylinder 8 according to the reciprocating motion of the second cylinder 8 and the first cylinder 7 fixed to the first cylinder 7, and the plunger 9 is provided between the first cylinder 7 and the plunger 9, and the inside of the plunger 9 has a predetermined pressure. In the above case, the room partition stopper 10 that connects the plunger 9 and the first cylinder 7 to each other is provided between the end surface 9a of the plunger 9 on the first cylinder 7 side and the inner center wall 8a of the second cylinder 8, and the plunger 9 is provided. It has a spring 11 that biases the first cylinder 7 side. Further, at the opening of the second cylinder 8 on the liquid container 3 side, a check valve 13 composed of a ball-shaped stopper 12 is provided in order to prevent the backflow of the solution S. The extending liquid passage 14 is connected. On the other hand, a discharge port 15 is formed at the tip of the first cylinder 7.

A pair of electrodes 16 for electrolyzing the solution S is provided on the inner wall of the plunger 9. Also,
A battery case 1 accommodating a battery 17 along the liquid passage pipe 14.
8 is provided and the discharge port 1 of the trigger sprayer body 5
A circuit portion 19 is provided in the space on the side opposite to 5. The circuit section 19 boosts the voltage of the battery 17 and applies it to the electrode 16.

As a material for forming the electrode 16, it is preferable to use a platinum plate or a platinum-plated plate from the viewpoint of corrosion resistance against hypochlorous acid.

The magnitude of the voltage applied to the electrode 16 depends on the concentration of hypochlorous acid and the concentration of the solution S suitable for obtaining a predetermined sterilizing power depending on the object to be sprayed, the purpose of spraying such as deodorization or sterilization. , The volume of the solution S electrolyzed in the trigger sprayer 4 and the like. For example, an aqueous solution of 0.1N sodium chloride is used as the solution S, and 1 ppm to 80 ppm of hypochlorous acid solution is added to 0.1 by one trigger operation.
When spraying mL to 1 mL, 2 to 10 V is applied to the electrode 16. The magnitude of the voltage applied to the electrode 16 can be changed depending on the application of the hypochlorous acid generating sprayer 1, the required sterilizing power, and the like, and the concentration of hypochlorous acid or its salt in the sprayed solution. As described above, it may be variable.

The switch for turning on and off the voltage application to the electrode 16 is automatically turned on when the trigger 6 is pulled so that the voltage is applied to the electrode 16 only when the hypochlorous acid generating sprayer 1 is used. The trigger sprayer body 5 is provided so that the switch is turned off when the trigger 6 is released.

The hypochlorous acid generating atomizer 1 operates as follows by operating the trigger 6. That is, first, by pulling the trigger 6 toward the liquid container 3 as shown by the arrow A, the first cylinder 7 and the plunger 9 move from the state of FIG. 2A to the state of FIG. 2B. At this time, the first cylinder 7 and the plunger 9 are separated by the room partition stopper 10. Next, by releasing the pulling of the trigger 6, the first cylinder 7 and the plunger 9 return to the initial position by the elastic force of the spring 11, and the trigger 6 also returns to the initial position. At this time, since the internal space 20 formed by the plunger 9 and the second cylinder 8 has a negative pressure, the solution S flows from the liquid container 3 through the check valve 13 (FIG. 2).
(C)).

Next, when the trigger 6 is pulled in the direction of arrow A,
The solution S flowing into the internal space 20 is electrolyzed by the electrode 16, and the generated hypochlorous acid or its salt is dissolved in the solution S. Further, the pulling of the trigger 6 causes the first cylinder 7 and the plunger 9 to move to the second cylinder 8 side again. At this time, since the check valve 13 remains closed, the solution of hypochlorous acid or its salt produced by electrolysis does not flow into the liquid container 3, and the pressure in the internal space 20 increases. When this pressure exceeds a predetermined pressure, the room partition stopper 10 separates from the end of the plunger 9 and the first partition
The cylinder 7 and the plunger 9 communicate with each other, and the solution S ′ of hypochlorous acid or its salt is discharged from the discharge port 15 (FIG. 2).
(D)).

After that, when the pulling of the trigger 6 is released,
Similarly to the above, the first cylinder 7 and the plunger 9 are connected to the spring 11
The elastic force of returns to the initial position, and the chlorine compound solution S flows into the internal space 20 (FIG. 2C). In the state where the trigger 6 is released, no voltage is applied to the electrode 16 and the solution S is not electrolyzed.

After that, by repeating such a trigger operation, the solution of hypochlorous acid or its salt is stored in the trigger sprayer 4 at the time of the trigger operation for spraying by the amount sprayed by the trigger sprayer 4. Generate,
The spraying can be repeated.

The replenishment of the solution S of the chlorine compound into the liquid container 3 can be easily performed from the mouth of the liquid container 3 by removing the trigger sprayer 4 from the liquid container 3.

When the use of the hypochlorous acid generating atomizer 1 is stopped after spraying the solution S'of hypochlorous acid or its salt, some hypochlorous acid may be present in the internal space 20 in the trigger sprayer 4. Although the solution S ′ of the acid or its salt remains, hypochlorous acid or its salt decomposes easily,
Even if the solution of hypochlorous acid or its salt remains in the internal space 20, there is almost no danger due to it.

The hypochlorous acid generating sprayer 1 can be widely used for deodorizing, sterilizing, bleaching, etc. for household or commercial purposes such as indoors, around water, tableware, clothes and the like.

The hypochlorous acid generating atomizer of the present invention, which is provided with a trigger sprayer as an atomizing device, can take various modes other than that shown in the drawings. For example, as long as the solution of hypochlorous acid or its salt generated by electrolysis is prevented from entering the liquid container 3, the position of the electrode 16 is not limited to the position inside the plunger 9, but the position where the electrode 16 is disposed inside the liquid passage pipe 14. May be.

Further, the voltage of the battery 17 is boosted and applied to the electrode 16 by the boosting circuit, or the battery voltage may be applied as it is or after being divided.

The battery 17 may be housed in the trigger sprayer 4 in addition to being housed along the liquid passage tube 14.

Furthermore, there are various types of trigger sprayers, and the liquid flow path in the trigger sprayer and the position of the fulcrum of the trigger are different depending on the mechanism.
The hypochlorous acid generating atomizer of the present invention can be applied to any trigger sprayer.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of still another embodiment of the hypochlorous acid generating atomizer of the present invention. The hypochlorous acid generating sprayer 30 comprises a liquid container 31 containing a solution S of a chlorine compound and a spraying device 32 mounted thereon. The spraying device 32 sprays the solution S from the spray nozzle 33 and the liquid container 31. Electric pump 34 that sucks and pressure-feeds to the spray nozzle 33
It consists of A hose 35 connects the spray nozzle 33 and the electric pump 34.

Inside the spray nozzle 33, an electrode 36 is provided as shown in FIG. This electrode 36 is shown in FIG.
Similarly to the electrode 16 of the hypochlorous acid generating atomizer 1 shown in FIG.
The solution S is electrolyzed to produce hypochlorous acid or a salt thereof,
A solution of hypochlorous acid or its salt is generated inside the spray nozzle 33. The electrode area and arrangement of the electrode 36 can be appropriately set according to the required production amount of hypochlorous acid or a salt thereof, and can be freely designed as compared with the electrode 16 in the trigger sprayer 4 described above. The degree is high. Therefore, for example, when a large current is required to generate a large amount of hypochlorous acid or a salt thereof, the electrode area of the electrode 36 can be increased accordingly.

ON / OFF of voltage application to the electrode 36
In addition, a concentration adjuster 38 that controls the voltage applied to the electrode 36 by a variable resistance is provided in the main body of the spraying device 32.

The spray nozzle 33 has a discharge port 37 at the tip thereof, and is provided with a spray switch 39 for discharging or blocking the solution S ′ of hypochlorous acid or its salt from the discharge port 37.

As the electric pump 34, for example, one having a liquid feeding capacity of 50 to 500 mL / min is used. A dry battery or a storage battery may be used as the power source of the electric pump 34 so that it can be used cordlessly, or an external power source can be used.

Further, the spraying device 32 has an opening with a cap 40, from which the liquid S of the chlorine compound can be replenished to the liquid container 31.

As a method of using the hypochlorous acid generating atomizer 30, first, a solution S of a chlorine compound is placed in a liquid container 31.
Is filled, the pump switch 41 is turned on when S ′ of the solution of hypochlorous acid or its salt is sprayed, and the solution S is pressure-fed from the liquid container 31 into the spray nozzle 33 by the electric pump 34. Next, by adjusting the concentration adjuster 38, a predetermined applied voltage is applied to the electrode 36 according to the object to be sprayed, the purpose of spraying such as deodorization or sterilization, and the solution S is electrolyzed in the spray nozzle 33. , A solution S ′ of hypochlorous acid or its salt having a concentration according to the object to be sprayed, the purpose of spraying, etc. After that, the spray switch 39 is turned on, and the solution S ′ is sprayed from the discharge port 37 of the spray nozzle 33.

Thus, this hypochlorous acid generating atomizer 3
According to 0, the concentration of hypochlorous acid or its salt in the solution S ′ that is easily sprayed can be adjusted according to the object to be sprayed and the purpose of spraying. In addition, since the liquid container 31, the electric pump 34, the spray nozzle 33, and the electrode 36 can be easily increased in size, a large volume solution of hypochlorous acid or a salt thereof can be used for deodorization and sterilization in hospital facilities. It is particularly useful as a commercial sprayer when spraying.

[0044]

EXAMPLES Test Example 1 (1) Generation of Hypochlorous Acid Solution The hypochlorous acid atomizer 1 shown in FIG. 1 (spray amount 0.25 mL by one trigger operation, applied voltage 5 V at electrode 16) was prepared. did. On the other hand, as shown in Table 1, 0.1N solutions of various salts and 0.1% acetic acid added to each salt solution were prepared. Further, as the NaCl solution, a solution containing 0.1% of a surfactant (Emar 20CS, Kao Corporation) was prepared.

Each solution was placed in the liquid container 3, the solution was electrolyzed by the electrode 16 in the trigger sprayer 4, the produced solution was sprayed, and the pH and hypochlorous acid concentration of the spray solution immediately after spraying were measured. . Since the hypochlorous acid concentration of the spray liquid was high, the measurement of the hypochlorous acid concentration was carried out by diluting the spray liquid with ion-exchanged water and measuring with Toa DKK KK RC21-P. The results are shown in Table 1.

It can be seen from Table 1 that the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the spray solution hardly changes depending on whether or not 0.1% acetic acid is added.

[0047]

[Table 1] Solution pH Hypochlorous acid concentration (ppm) NaCl 8.2 20 NaCl + Acetic acid 3.5 20 NaCl + Surfactant 8.0 13 KCl 7.1 19 KCl + Acetic acid 3.5 20 MgCl ₂ 3.2 22

(2) Evaluation of bactericidal activity Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli was suspended in 2 mL of a hypochlorous acid solution produced from a 0.1 N solution of NaCl in (1),
When 0.0492 mL (10 ⁵ bacteria) was sprayed on the SCD agar medium (9 cm in diameter) and left at 37 ° C. for 24 hours, all the bacteria were killed.

In (1), the bactericidal power of the hypochlorous acid solution produced from the 0.1N solution of NaCl and the N added with the surfactant.
With respect to the bactericidal activity of a 0.1N solution of aCl, both solutions were diluted to 0.5 ppm and evaluated in the same manner. As a result, a bactericidal effect about 1.2 times that of the case where no surfactant was added was obtained. there were.

Test Example 2 A hypochlorous acid generating atomizer 30 (liquid container capacity 3 L, spray amount 240 mL / min) shown in FIG.
Put a 5% NaCl solution in the
Was adjusted so that 3 V or 5 V was applied, and the hypochlorous acid solution was sprayed from the spray nozzle 33, and the pH and hypochlorous acid concentration of the spray liquid immediately after spraying were measured. The results are shown in Table 2.

[0051]

[Table 2] Solution pH Electrode voltage (V) Hypochlorous acid concentration (ppm) NaCl 7.5 3 18 NaCl 9.4 6 103

It can be seen from Table 2 that the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the spray liquid can be easily changed by changing the voltage applied to the electrode 36.

Test Example 3 A hypochlorous acid generating sprayer 1 (a spraying amount of 0.25 mL by one trigger operation and an applied voltage of 5 V at the electrode 16) shown in FIG. 1 was prepared. A 0.1N NaCl solution is stored in the liquid container 3, the solution is electrolyzed by the electrode 16 in the trigger sprayer 4 for 1 second, and the generated solution is sprayed. When the chloric acid concentration was measured, the spray liquid had a pH of 9.5 and a hypochlorous acid concentration of 40 p.
It was pm. This spray solution was left at 25 ° C., and the change with time of the concentration of free residual chlorine in the spray solution was examined.

The results are shown in FIG. From FIG. 5, the free residual chlorine concentration in the spray liquid decreases to less than 10 ppm in about 1 day, and therefore, the free chlorine concentration of the hypochlorous acid solution remaining in the trigger sprayer is actually about 3 days. It can be seen that the concentration is reduced to a level without danger.

[0055]

According to the present invention, a solution of hypochlorous acid or a salt thereof is produced in a spraying device, and the solution is sprayed immediately after it is produced. Therefore, a chlorine compound before electrolysis is stored in a liquid container. It is only necessary to store the solution of, and it is not necessary to store the solution of hypochlorous acid or its salt. Therefore, the risk of accidental liquid leakage during transportation, storage, etc. can be eliminated and the handling safety of the sprayer can be improved.

Further, according to the present invention, since the solution of hypochlorous acid or its salt is sprayed immediately after formation, the liquidity of this solution is adjusted to be alkaline in order to improve the storage stability of the sprayed solution. Is unnecessary. Therefore, the solution can be appropriately adjusted to be acidic or alkaline depending on the object to be sprayed, the purpose of spraying, and the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a hypochlorous acid generating atomizer of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the action of the plunger portion of the trigger sprayer.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a hypochlorous acid generating atomizer according to a different embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an electrode portion of a spray nozzle.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the change over time in the concentration of free residual chlorine in the spray liquid.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Hypochlorous acid generator atomizer, 3 ... Liquid container, 4 ... Trigger sprayer, 6 ... Trigger, 7 ... 1st cylinder, 8 ... 2nd cylinder, 9 ... Plunger, 12 ... Ball stopper, 13 ... Check valve , 15 ... Discharge port, 1
6 ... Electrode, 17 ... Battery, 19 ... Circuit part, 20 ... Internal space, 30 ... Hypochlorous acid generation atomizer, 31 ... Liquid container, 3
2 ... Spraying device, 33 ... Spraying nozzle, 34 ... Electric pump,
36 ... Electrode, 37 ... Discharge port, 38 ... Concentration adjuster, 39 ...
Spray switch, 41 ... Pump switch, S ... Chlorine compound solution, S '... Hypochlorous acid or its salt solution

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI theme code (reference) C02F 1/46 C02F 1/46 Z (72) Inventor Kazuyuki Uehara 2-1 Fumihana Sumida-ku, Tokyo 3 Inside Kao Institute of Stock Companies (72) Inventor Takeshi Miyamura 2-1-3 Fumika, Sumida-ku, Tokyo F-term inside Institute of Kao Corporation (reference) 4C058 AA05 AA06 AA07 AA23 BB07 CC02 EE26 JJ07 JJ24 4D061 DA03 DB10 EA02 EB02 EB04 EB14 EB17 EB19 EB20 EB39 ED12 ED13 GC20

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A sprayer comprising a liquid container containing a solution of a chlorine compound and a spraying device for spraying the solution sucked from the liquid container, wherein the spraying device electrolyzes the solution in the spraying device. A hypochlorous acid-producing atomizer for spraying a solution of hypochlorous acid or a salt thereof produced by electrolysis. 2. The hypochlorous acid generating atomizer according to claim 1, wherein the atomizing device is a trigger sprayer having an electrode in a plunger. 3. The hypochlorous acid generating atomizer according to claim 1, wherein the atomizing device comprises an atomizing nozzle and an electric pump for pressure-feeding the solution to the atomizing nozzle, and an electrode is provided in the atomizing nozzle. 4. The hypochlorous acid generating atomizer according to claim 3, wherein the atomizing nozzle and the electric pump are connected by a hose. 5. The solution of chlorine compound is sodium chloride,
The hypochlorous acid generating atomizer according to claim 1, which is an acidic solution containing at least one of potassium chloride and magnesium chloride and a water-soluble organic acid. 6. The solution of chlorine compound is sodium chloride,
The hypochlorous acid generating atomizer according to claim 1, which is an alkaline solution containing at least one of potassium chloride and magnesium chloride and a water-soluble organic alkali. 7. The hypochlorous acid generating atomizer according to claim 5, wherein the solution of the chlorine compound contains a surfactant. 8. The hypochlorous acid generating atomizer according to claim 2, wherein the trigger sprayer is provided with a switch for turning on and off the application of voltage to the electrodes by a trigger operation.