JP2005253717A - Liquid deodorant for waste disposal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a deodorant especially useful for steam sterilization of medical wastes. <P>SOLUTION: A liquid deodorant is provided which comprises at least one alkali metal or alkali earth metal, such as calcium chloride or the like, a cationic and/or amphoteric surfactant, such as benzalkonium chloride or the like, and a deodorizing component, such as glyoxal or the like. When sterilizing medical wastes including disposable diapers or the like by heating the wastes at 121°C or higher for twenty minutes or longer with saturated steam, the liquid deodorant exerts an excellent deodorizing effect by spraying the deodorant to the medical wastes in advance. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid deodorant for removing malodor generated during waste treatment, and particularly to a liquid deodorant effective for deodorization during steam sterilization treatment of medical waste.

  Medical waste contains various substances such as human secretions, excrement, body fluids as well as chemicals and molten plastic, and the unpleasant odor generated during storage and sterilization is a major problem. ing. In particular, medical waste needs to be autoclaved according to the guidelines established by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, but the bad odor when the pressure vessel is opened after autoclaving has a great impact not only on workers but also the surrounding environment.

  Conventionally, various deodorizers for substances that generate malodor including medical waste are commercially available. Known deodorants include aldehyde compounds such as glyoxal and organic acid compounds that are deodorizers for amine-based odors. In addition to those that decompose such malodorous substances themselves, there are also fragrances that mask and deodorize malodorous components. However, it is difficult to increase the deodorizing effect by masking deodorization alone for the treatment of those that require a large amount of treatment such as medical waste and have a bad odor. It is used together. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a deodorant composed of a flavonoid-based deodorant, a fragrance, and a surfactant as a liquid deodorant for removing malodor caused by human urine generated from paper diapers. In addition, as a defecation treatment agent for nursing, a treatment agent that contains a deodorizing agent such as a water-absorbing agent and glyoxal and a solidifying agent such as a water-absorbing polymer and that can be incinerated is described.

However, the conventional deodorant or treatment agent is intended for deodorization during storage and deodorization of malodorous substances to be incinerated, and it should have sufficient effect when steam sterilizing while supplying a large amount of steam. I can't.
JP 7-148233 A JP-A-10-66866

  An object of the present invention is to provide a deodorant that is particularly effective in steam sterilization of medical waste.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have intensively studied the reaction with various deodorants during the steam sterilization of medical waste, and as a result, the combination of the deodorant and the surfactant with respect to the medical waste. Is particularly effective, and the presence of substances that hinder the expansion of the network due to ionic dissociation of superabsorbent polymers, which are abundant in medical waste, allows the deodorant to penetrate into the waste and has a high deodorizing effect. It has been found out that it can be obtained, and the present invention has been achieved.

  That is, the liquid deodorant of the present invention contains at least one alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt, a cationic and / or amphoteric surfactant, and a deodorizing component. The preferred liquid deodorant of the present invention includes calcium chloride as an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt, benzalkonium chloride as a surfactant, and glyoxal as a deodorant component. An excellent deodorizing effect can be obtained.

Hereinafter, each component of the liquid deodorant of this invention is explained in full detail.
Alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt is added to prevent the spread of the network due to ionic dissociation and gelation of the superabsorbent polymer, and to allow the deodorizing component to penetrate into the treated material and to react easily with malodorous substances. . In general, a highly water-absorbing polymer such as a polyacrylic acid-based polymer absorbs water and gels when a network structure formed by crosslinking of hydrophilic groups spreads by ionic dissociation. High water retention is maintained even under pressure by gelation. The property of such a superabsorbent polymer is why it is used as a paper diaper. On the other hand, under steam sterilization, malodorous substances are incorporated into the gelled superabsorbent polymer and hinder reaction with deodorant components. It is done. Therefore, in the present invention, by adding a salt that prevents ion dissociation, the water absorption is lowered and gelation is prevented to increase the reactivity between the malodorous substance and the deodorant component. Specific examples of such salts include sodium chloride, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate, magnesium sulfate, and the like. Is preferred.

  The amount of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt added depends on the amount of superabsorbent polymer contained in the target waste, but in the case of medical waste with a paper diaper content of about 10 to 40%, The liquid deodorant of the present invention is 5% by weight or more, preferably 10% by weight or more, and more preferably 30% by weight or more. However, if the amount of salt added exceeds 50% by weight, the deodorant component and the surfactant, which are other components, become difficult to dissolve. Therefore, it is preferably less than 50% by weight, more preferably less than 45% by weight. And

  The deodorant component used in the present invention decomposes malodorous components, particularly nitrogen and ionic malodorous substances, and does not bromide. Specifically, aldehydes such as glyoxal and glutaraldehyde, oxalic acid, acetic acid, A known deodorant such as an organic acid compound such as glutaric acid can be used. According to the studies by the present inventors, malodor causing substances during steam sterilization of medical waste include hydrogen sulfide, acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, isovaleraldehyde, normal butyric acid, normal valeric acid, and the like. It has been confirmed that the content of valeraldehyde is high. Glyoxal is particularly suitable for such causative substances because of its excellent deodorizing effect.

  Surfactants are added to facilitate the dissolution of malodorous substances to facilitate removal as effluent, to prevent rot caused by microorganisms by their own antibacterial and bactericidal action, and to suppress the generation of odors. In the liquid deodorant of the present invention, known surfactants can be used, but cationic or amphoteric surfactants are used particularly from the viewpoint of antibacterial and bactericidal action. Specifically, examples of the cationic surfactant include benzalkonium chloride and benzethonium chloride, and examples of the amphoteric surfactant include alkyldiaminoethylglycine hydrochloride, and benzalkonium chloride is particularly preferable.

  As the deodorant component and the surfactant, commercially available solutions can be used. For example, a 40% aqueous solution is available for glyoxal and a 10% aqueous solution is available for benzalkonium chloride. These addition amounts vary depending on the amount of malodorous substances contained in the waste, but as an example, when the alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt is 100 parts by weight, the deodorant component is 0.5 to 10 weights. Parts, preferably 1 to 5 parts by weight, and 2 to 30 parts by weight, preferably 4 to 20 parts by weight of the surfactant.

  The liquid deodorant of the present invention can be prepared by mixing an aqueous solution of the above-mentioned alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt with a deodorant component and a surfactant, but in addition, other than that in the range that does not inhibit these functions It is also possible to appropriately add a deodorant and a surfactant. However, it is preferable that a masking deodorant such as a fragrance is substantially not included because it causes an increase in discomfort after steam sterilization.

  The liquid deodorant of the present invention can be made non-brominated by spraying, for example, sprays on waste containing malodorous substances, particularly medical wastes, but is effective particularly when used during steam sterilization treatment. Bad odor can be removed.

  Next, a deodorizing method during steam sterilization of medical waste using the liquid deodorant of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of an apparatus used for steam sterilization. This apparatus mainly includes a sterilization chamber 100 and a pressure-feed tank 200 for pumping liquid deodorant into the sterilization chamber 100. The sterilization chamber 100 includes a heat panel 10 for heating at the bottom and takes in and out a processed product 30. An openable / closable door (door) 11 is provided. Further, the sterilization chamber 100 is provided with a stirring mechanism including a motor 18 and a stirring arm 19, and the processing object inside can be stirred as the stirring arm 19 rotates. A steam inlet 12, a deodorant inlet 13, and a steam outlet 14 are provided at the top of the sterilization chamber 100, and a condensed water outlet 15 is provided at the bottom. The discharge port 15 is connected to the condensed water tank 16. A condensed water discharge port 17 is provided at the bottom of the condensed water tank 16. Valves 24, 25, and 26 are connected to the steam inlet 12, the deodorant inlet 13, and the steam outlet 14, respectively, and a valve 27 is connected to the outlet 17, and the sterilization chamber 100 is defined by these valves. Can be adjusted to any pressure. The piping from the valve 26 and the valve 27 merges and is connected to the drain outlet.

The pressure tank 200 stores the liquid deodorant of the present invention or a solution 20 diluted with the liquid deodorizer as appropriate. Compressed air is fed from above through a compressor 21 and an air supply valve 22. It is maintained at about ~3kg / cm ^2. The lower part of the pressure tank 200 is connected to a spraying valve 23 by piping, and the piping from the valve 23 is connected to a valve 25 connected to the deodorant inlet 13 of the sterilization chamber 100.

In such a configuration, first, the valve 23 and the valve 22 of the pressure feed tank 200 are closed, the liquid deodorant 20 is filled in the pressure feed tank 200 and sealed, the door 11 of the sterilization chamber 100 is opened, and the processed product 30 is placed in the sterilization chamber. And close the door 11. Next, stirring and introduction of steam into the heat panel 10 are started, and after the bag or box containing the processed material is roughly crushed, stirring and introduction of steam are stopped. Next, after adjusting the air pressure inside the pressure feed tank 200 to ² to 3 kg / cm ² , the valve 23 and the valve 25 are opened while stirring the processed material, and liquid deodorant is sprayed. The amount of the liquid deodorant sprayed is about 30 to 100 ml per 1 kg of the processed product. When the predetermined amount of deodorant has been charged, the valve 23 and the valve 25 are closed, steam is injected into the sterilization chamber 100 and the heat panel 10, and a prescribed steam sterilization process is performed. In other words, high-temperature steam at 121 ° C or higher is added and sterilization / drying treatment is performed for 20 minutes or more under high pressure (approximately 0.45 MPa), followed by drying treatment. Thereafter, the door 11 is opened, the processed product is taken out, the processed product is selected as necessary, and post-processing such as crushing processing and incineration processing is performed.

  According to the steam sterilization method using the liquid deodorant of the present invention, the superabsorbent polymer such as a paper diaper is gelled by spraying the liquid deodorant prior to the prescribed steam sterilization treatment. The deodorant component and the surfactant penetrate into the treated product. As a result, not only the malodorous substance on the surface of the treated product but also the malodorous substance contained in the fiber is easily dissolved in water by the surfactant and discharged as condensed water, and at the same time, a deodorizing component is easily eliminated. Thereby, the malodorous substance residual amount in the processed material after sterilization can be made very small, and the outstanding bromide-free effect is acquired.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below.

Example 1
A 40% aqueous solution of calcium chloride (C), a 40% aqueous solution of glyoxal (G), and a 10% aqueous solution of benzalkonium chloride (B) were mixed in the volumes shown in Table 1 to prepare a liquid deodorant. . The liquid deodorant was sprayed on about 20 kg of medical waste, and then stirred for 30 minutes. Next, the medical waste was sterilized at 121 ° C. or higher with a steam sterilizer as shown in FIG. The door was opened after a predetermined sterilization time, and the odor at that time was evaluated by a sensory test. The results are also shown in Table 1. In the sensory test, odorless was set to 0, intense odor was set to 5, and the evaluation was divided into four stages. The evaluation was 0 for non-comfortable and uncomfortable, and -4 for extremely unpleasant. Pleasure / discomfort was evaluated in stages. The numerical values in the table are average values of the evaluation results of five people.

Example 2
After the sterilization treatment in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the volume of 40% aqueous solution of calcium chloride (C), 40% aqueous solution of glyoxal (G), and 10% aqueous solution of benzalkonium chloride (B) was changed. The odor was evaluated by a sensory test.

Example 3
Magnesium chloride (M) was used instead of calcium chloride, and the odor after sterilization was evaluated by a sensory test in the same manner as in Example 1.

Comparative Example 1
The medical waste similar to Example 1 was sterilized similarly to Example 1 without using a deodorant, and the odor after the treatment was evaluated by a sensory test. The results are shown in Table 1.

Comparative Example 2
The same liquid deodorant as in Example 1 was sprayed on the medical waste and then put into the sterilization chamber without stirring, and sterilized in the same manner as in Example 1. The odor after the treatment was evaluated by a sensory test. The results are shown in Table 1.
In Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, the gas discharged from the steam exhaust port of the sterilization chamber was analyzed by gas chromatography (Type 6890/5973 manufactured by AGILENT), and the amount of isovaleraldehyde, which is a malodorous component, was analyzed. The result is shown in FIG.

  As can be seen from the results shown in Table 1, by using the liquid deodorant of the present invention, the odor after steam sterilization could be greatly reduced. Further, as can be seen from the comparison with Comparative Example 2, a higher bromide-free effect was obtained when stirring after spraying than when spraying the liquid deodorant.

The conceptual diagram which shows an example of the apparatus for implementing the steam sterilization method of this invention The graph which shows the result of the gas chromatography analysis of the exhaust_gas | exhaustion at the time of the sterilization process in Example 1 and Comparative Example 2. FIG.

Claims (7)

  A liquid deodorant comprising at least one alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt, a cationic and / or amphoteric surfactant, and a deodorizing component.   The liquid deodorant according to claim 1, wherein the alkaline earth metal salt is calcium chloride.   The liquid deodorant according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cationic surfactant is benzalkonium chloride.   The liquid deodorant according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein glyoxal is included as the deodorant component.   Contains 5 to 50% by weight of one alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt, 2 to 30 parts by weight of a cationic and / or amphoteric surfactant, and 0.5 to 0.5 parts of deodorant component per 100 parts by weight of the salt. The liquid deodorant according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by containing 10 parts by weight.   A steam sterilization method including a step of heating medical waste with saturated steam at 121 ° C or higher for 20 minutes or longer, and prior to the step, the liquid deodorant according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is used as the medical treatment A steam sterilization method comprising a step of spraying on waste. The steam sterilization method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of stirring the medical waste and the liquid deodorant after the step of spraying the liquid deodorant.

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