JP2007289838A - Electrolytic water generator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrolytic water generator which can inhibit generation of chlorine and hypochlorite ions at an anode, and generate electrolytic water which keeps the dissolved hydrogen concentration increased without increasing pH by electrolysis of water. <P>SOLUTION: In the electrolytic water generator, raw water supplied from a water supply pipe 16 is flowed into a mixing chamber 15, and then electrolyzed at an anode 12 and a cathode 13. In the mixing chamber 15, anode water, which is acidic ion water, is generated on the side of the anode 12 consisting of a carbon-based electrode, and cathode water, which is alkaline ion water, is generated on the cathode 13 side. These generated anode water and cathode water are mixed in the mixing chamber 15 to be neutralized. The mixed water obtained in the mixing chamber 15, that is, electrolytic water, is discharged outside through a discharge pipe 17. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrolyzed water generating apparatus that electrolyzes source water such as tap water (hereinafter referred to as “electrolysis”) and continuously generates high electrolyzed water having a dissolved hydrogen concentration.

  At present, as an electrolyzed water generating device that generates electrolyzed water by electrolysis of water, an alkali ion water conditioner and the like are widely used. In such an electrolyzed water generating apparatus, a cathode chamber and an anode chamber separated by a diaphragm are provided, and water is electrolyzed by a cathode and an anode disposed in each chamber. In general, an ion exchange membrane is used for the diaphragm, and a titanium material or the like subjected to platinum plating for both the cathode and the anode is used for the electrode.

  In water electrolysis, raw water such as tap water is usually purified through an adsorbing part such as activated carbon and a filtration part composed of a hollow fiber membrane, and then electrolyzed by adding an electrolyte such as calcium lactate or calcium glycerophosphate. ing. In the cathode chamber, hydroxide ions and hydrogen are generated by electrolysis of water, and alkaline water in which hydrogen is dissolved is generated as cathode water. On the other hand, hydrogen ions and oxygen are generated by electrolysis of water in the anode chamber, and acidic water in which oxygen is dissolved is generated as anode water. Usually, an alkaline ionized water device has alkaline ion water up to pH 10 on the cathode side, but has a structure in which acidic water up to pH 4 can be obtained at the anode.

  Moreover, such an electrolyzed water generating apparatus is recognized as a domestic medical device in the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law. In this case, the cathode water (commonly known as alkaline ionized water) obtained from the cathode side is "effective for chronic diarrhea, gastrointestinal abnormal fermentation, acid production, excessive gastric acid", and anode water (commonly known as acidic water). Has been approved as an effective indication for being used as a mildly acidic astringent in cosmetics. In addition, other effects and effects are being revealed by many researchers. Until now, although the factor of the effect efficacy of the said alkaline ionized water was not clarified, it is estimated by the various research in recent years that the dissolved hydrogen which exists in cathode water is related. For this reason, it is important to raise the dissolved hydrogen concentration of the cathode water obtained by these electrolyzed water generating apparatuses.

  In the electrolyzed water generating apparatus as described above, it is necessary to perform electrolysis with a large current in order to increase the dissolved hydrogen concentration of the cathode water. However, electrolysis with a large current is difficult to drink and use because the concentration of dissolved hydrogen in the cathode water increases and hydroxide ions increase, causing an excessive pH increase. Up to pH 10 is usually suitable for drinking.

  As a solution to this, it is conceivable to neutralize the cathode water and the anode water by mixing them. In the cathode chamber, hydroxide ions and hydrogen are generated by electrolysis of water, but by mixing this with anode water, neutralization is performed by hydrogen ions generated in the anode chamber, and the pH is neutral or near neutral. can do.

  As a mixing method, a method of performing electrolysis with a diaphragm and mixing in an electrolytic cell, or a method of performing electrolysis with a diaphragm and mixing separately obtained cathode water and anode water outside the electrolytic cell can be considered. Thereby, it can be set as pH suitable for drinking by mixing anode water and cathode water, maintaining the dissolved hydrogen concentration contained in cathode water.

  However, in the conventional electrolyzed water generating apparatus, when the above mixing method is applied, the anode is made of a platinum-plated titanium material, so that chlorine or hypochlorous acid from chlorine ions in the raw water at the anode. Acid ions are generated. When trace amounts of organic substances in the anode water and raw water containing chlorine and hypochlorite ions flow into the cathode chamber and the water on the cathode chamber side becomes basic, a haloform reaction occurs, and an organic chlorine compound such as chloroform is formed. There is a concern to generate.

  From the above, in the conventional electrolyzed water generator, in order to increase the dissolved hydrogen concentration in the cathode water without causing an excessive increase in pH, electrolysis is performed with a large current and the cathode water and the anode water are mixed. However, it was not possible to suppress the generation of chlorine at the anode for use in drinking.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems existing in the prior art, and provides an electrolyzed water generating device capable of suppressing generation of chlorine at the anode in order to use electrolyzed water for drinking. There is to do.

  Another object of the present invention is to generate electrolyzed water that can suppress the generation of chlorine and hypochlorite ions at the anode and increase the dissolved hydrogen concentration without increasing the pH by electrolysis of water. An object of the present invention is to provide an electrolyzed water generating apparatus capable of performing the above.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is directed to an electrolyzed water generating apparatus in which a cathode and an anode are disposed in an electrolytic cell, and raw water is electrolyzed by both the cathode and the anode. The gist of the electrolyzed water generating apparatus is characterized in that at least the anode of the anodes is composed of a carbon-based electrode.

According to the invention of claim 1, on the cathode surface,
2H ₂ O + 2e ⁻ → H ₂ + 2OH ⁻
The reaction produces hydrogen and hydroxide ions.

  Further, according to the invention of claim 1, since the carbon-based electrode is used for the anode, it is possible to suppress chlorine generation at the anode, which is a concern when using a platinum-plated titanium material or the like for the anode. .

That is, in the anode surface of the present invention,
C + 2H ₂ O → CO ₂ + 4H ⁺ + 4e ⁻
By this reaction, carbon dioxide and hydrogen ions are generated and chlorine and hypochlorite ions are not generated. Therefore, generation of organic chlorine compounds such as trihalomethane due to generation of chlorine can be suppressed.

  After discharging the anode water in which the generation of organochlorine compounds such as trihalomethane and the cathode water are discharged from the electrolytic cell, and mixing them, electrolysis is performed with a large current to increase the dissolved hydrogen concentration in the cathode water. Even when it is performed, mixed water in which an excessive increase in pH is suppressed can be obtained.

The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that in claim 1, a mixing section is provided for mixing the cathode water produced on the cathode side by electrolysis of raw water and the anode water produced on the anode side.
According to the invention of claim 2, since the cathode water generated on the cathode side and the anode water generated on the anode side are neutralized in the mixing section and the mixed water is discharged, the dissolution of the cathode water Even when electrolysis is performed with a large current in order to increase the hydrogen concentration, an excessive increase in pH can be suppressed. That is, electrolysis is performed with a large current to increase the dissolved hydrogen concentration of the cathode water, and even when the hydroxide ion concentration of the cathode water increases, it is generated in the anode water by mixing with the cathode water and the anode water. Since it can be neutralized with hydrogen ions, excessive pH increase can be suppressed while maintaining the dissolved hydrogen concentration, which can be used for drinking.

  The mixed water contains free carbonic acid generated at the anode. Water containing free carbonic acid is said to “provide a refreshing taste to water”, and can provide delicious water that is not found in alkaline ionized water produced by conventional electrolyzed water generators.

The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that the mixing section is provided in the electrolytic cell.
According to invention of Claim 3, the mixed water which neutralized the anode water and the cathode water in the mixing part before water discharge from an electrolytic cell is manufactured, and electrolyzed water with the high dissolved hydrogen concentration which can be drunk at the time of water discharge is obtained.

The invention of claim 4 is characterized in that the mixing section is provided on the downstream side of the electrolytic cell.
According to the invention of claim 4, the anode water and the cathode water discharged from the electrolytic cell are mixed in the mixing unit provided on the downstream side of the electrolytic cell to be mixed water, and the mixture discharged from the mixing unit Water is obtained as electrolyzed water having a high concentration of dissolved hydrogen that can be consumed.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the carbon-based electrode according to any one of the first to fourth aspects is selected from at least one of graphite, powdered activated carbon, granular activated carbon, and fibrous activated carbon. It is characterized by.

  According to the invention of claim 5, the carbon-based electrode can be molded by selecting at least one of graphite, powdered activated carbon, granular activated carbon, and fibrous activated carbon.

According to the invention of claim 1, since electrolytic water is used for drinking, the production of chlorine and hypochlorite ions can be suppressed at the anode.
According to the invention of claim 2, the generation of chlorine and hypochlorite ions can be suppressed at the anode, and electrolyzed water having an increased dissolved hydrogen concentration is generated without increasing the pH by electrolysis of water. be able to.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electrolyzed water generating apparatus. The electrolyzed water generating device includes an electrolyzer 10. As shown in the figure, the main body case 11 of the electrolytic cell 10 is formed in a bottomed and covered cylinder and its cross section is formed in a cylindrical shape, for example. In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the electrolytic cell 10 is not limited to a circle, but may be a square, an ellipse, or other shapes. An anode 12 and a cathode 13 which are paired with each other are provided in a main body case 11 of the electrolytic cell 10.

  The anode 12 is composed of a carbon-based electrode. The carbon electrode can be selected from, for example, graphite, powdered activated carbon, granular activated carbon, and fibrous activated carbon, and these materials may be used. Of course, these materials may be combined. The anode 12 is formed in a shape necessary to be mounted on the electrolytic cell 10 using at least one of these materials as an inorganic binder or at least one of an organic binder. As the anode 12, for example, powdered activated carbon may be mixed with an inorganic binder such as alumina or silica and molded, and this may be sintered to form a molded body.

  On the other hand, the cathode 13 is made of the carbon-based electrode, stainless steel, platinum-titanium or the like. A positive terminal and a negative terminal of a DC power source 14 are electrically connected to the anode 12 and the cathode 13, respectively.

  Here, the voltage applied to the anode 12 and the cathode 13 is, for example, 1.5V to 120V, preferably 5V to 80V, and more preferably 15V to 60V. If the voltage to be applied is less than 1.5V, water cannot be electrolyzed. Further, the applied voltage of 120V is preferable because it is a voltage that can be covered by a general household voltage, and a special booster circuit is not required for the electrolyzed water generating device, and the cost is not increased.

  The current flowing between the anode 12 and the cathode 13 is, for example, 0.1A to 10A, preferably 0.4A to 7A, and more preferably 1A to 5A, but is limited to this value. is not.

  A mixing chamber 15 serving as a mixing unit is formed between the anode 12 and the cathode 13. In the mixing chamber 15, anode water that is acidic ionized water is generated on the anode 12 side. Moreover, in the mixing chamber 15, the cathode water which is alkali ion water is produced | generated by the cathode 13 side. A water supply pipe 16 is connected to one end of the main body case 11 so that raw water can be supplied into the mixing chamber 15. As raw water, tap water etc. are used, for example. In the main body case 11, a discharge pipe 17 is connected to the other end opposite to the water supply pipe 16, and the water supply pipe 16 can discharge electrolytic water from the mixing chamber 15 as drinking water.

Now, the operation of the electrolyzed water generating apparatus configured as described above will be described.
In this electrolyzed water generating apparatus, raw water supplied from the water supply pipe 16 flows into the mixing chamber 15, and electrolysis is performed at the anode 12 and the cathode 13. That is, in the mixing chamber 15, anode water that is acidic ion water is generated on the anode 12 side, and in the mixing chamber 15, cathode water that is alkaline ion water is generated on the cathode 13 side. The generated anode water and cathode water are mixed in the mixing chamber 15 and neutralized. The mixed water obtained in the mixing chamber 15, that is, electrolyzed water is discharged to the outside through the discharge pipe 17.

Now, the electrolyzed water production | generation apparatus of 1st Embodiment has the following characteristics.
(1) In this embodiment, since a carbon-based electrode is used for the anode 12, it is possible to suppress chlorine generation at the anode, which is a concern when using a titanium material or the like subjected to platinum plating on the anode.

(2) In this embodiment, the mixing chamber 15 (mixing part) which mixes the cathode water produced | generated on the cathode 13 side by electrolysis of raw | natural water and the anode water produced | generated on the anode 12 side is provided.
As a result, in this embodiment, in order to increase the dissolved hydrogen concentration of the cathode water, even when electrolysis is performed with a large current, an excessive pH increase can be suppressed, and the dissolved hydrogen concentration is maintained while maintaining the dissolved hydrogen concentration. Water can be used for drinking.

  (3) In this embodiment, since the mixing chamber 15 is provided in the electrolytic cell 10, the mixed water which neutralized the anode water and the cathode water in the mixing chamber 15 can be manufactured before water is discharged from the electrolytic cell 10. It is possible to obtain a mixed water (electrolyzed water) having a high dissolved hydrogen concentration that can be drunk during water discharge.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, about the same structure as 1st Embodiment or an equivalent structure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected, the description is abbreviate | omitted, and it demonstrates centering on a different structure.

  In the second embodiment, instead of the mixing chamber 15, the main body case 11 of the electrolytic cell 10 is provided with an ion exchange membrane 18 as a diaphragm between the anode 12 and the cathode 13, and the ion exchange membrane 18 and the anode Between 12, an anodic water generation chamber 19 </ b> A is formed. A cathode water generation chamber 19B is formed between the ion exchange membrane 18 and the cathode 13.

A branch pipe 16a connected to the anode water generation chamber 19A and a branch pipe 16b connected to the cathode water generation chamber 19B are provided once on the water supply pipe 16 side.
Raw water made of tap water or the like is supplied from the water supply pipe 16 to the anode water generation chamber 19A and the cathode water generation chamber 19B through the branch pipes 16a and 16b, respectively. In the anode water generation chamber 19A, anode water is generated by electrolysis of the raw water by the anode 12, and in the cathode water generation chamber 19B, cathode water is generated by the electrolysis of raw water by the cathode 13.

  In the present embodiment, a pair of discharge pipes 17a and 17b are connected to the anodic water generation chamber 19A and the cathodic water generation chamber 19B, and the discharge pipes 17a and 17b are connected to a mixing tank 20 as a mixing unit. Yes. The anode water and cathode water generated in the anode water generation chamber 19A and the cathode water generation chamber 19B, respectively, are discharged to the mixing tank 20 on the downstream side of the electrolytic cell 10 via the discharge pipes 17a and 17b. 20 is mixed and discharged outside through a discharge pipe 21 provided in the mixing tank 20.

Now, the characteristics of the electrolyzed water generating apparatus configured as described above will be described below.
(1) In this embodiment, the mixing tank 20 (mixing part) is provided downstream from the electrolytic cell 10. As a result, in this embodiment, the anode water and cathode water discharged from the electrolytic cell 10 are mixed in the mixing tank 20 provided on the downstream side of the electrolytic cell 10 to be mixed water, and discharged from the mixing tank 20. The mixed water can be obtained as electrolyzed water having a high concentration of dissolved hydrogen that can be consumed.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The electrolyzed water generating apparatus of the third embodiment is different in the configuration of the second embodiment except that the mixing tank 20 and the discharge pipe 21 are omitted. Therefore, the same reference numerals are used for the same configurations as those of the second embodiment. A description thereof will be omitted.

  In the third embodiment, the electrolyzed water generating device does not have a mixing unit. However, in actual use, anode water and cathodic water discharged from the discharge pipes 17a and 17b on the user side using the electrolyzed water generating device are used as the mixing unit. Electrolyzed water in which the anode water and the cathode water are mixed is obtained in a corresponding mixing tank (not shown). In this way, the user can obtain drinkable electrolyzed water having a high dissolved hydrogen concentration.

Now, the characteristics of the electrolyzed water generating apparatus configured as described above will be described below.
(1) The electrolyzed water generating apparatus of the present embodiment uses the anode 12 as a carbon-based electrode. As a result, carbon dioxide and hydrogen ions are generated, and chlorine and hypochlorite ions are not generated. Therefore, generation of organic chlorine compounds such as trihalomethane due to generation of chlorine can be suppressed. In order to increase the dissolved hydrogen concentration in the cathode water by discharging the anode water in which the generation of organochlorine compounds such as trihalomethane and the cathode water are discharged from the electrolytic cell, respectively, the electrolysis is performed with a large current. Even if it performs, mixed water with which excessive pH rise was suppressed can be obtained.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and may be configured as follows.
In the first embodiment, the powdered activated carbon is mixed with an inorganic binder such as alumina or silica and molded, and this is sintered to form a molded body. Alternatively, the anode 12 may be configured as described below.

  As the anode 12, powdered activated carbon may be blended and molded with a powder such as polyethylene as an organic binder, and this may be heated and cooled to form a molded body. Further, without forming the anode 12, at least one kind of graphite, powdered activated carbon, granular activated carbon, fibrous activated carbon, etc. is filled in a container or a bag or wrapped in a film, so that An electrode may be formed. These configurations may be applied to the second embodiment or the third embodiment.

  In the configuration of each of the above embodiments, further, on the upstream side or downstream side of the electrolytic cell 10, a filter medium such as powdered activated carbon, granular activated carbon, fibrous activated carbon, block-like activated carbon, or hollow fiber membrane At least one selected filtering member may be provided to remove impurities in the raw water. In addition, it is preferable to provide the filtration member on the upstream side if possible.

  In each of the above embodiments, an electrolyte supply device may be provided on the upstream side of the electrolytic cell 10 to supply the electrolysis promoter to the raw water in the branch pipe 16a. Examples of the electrolysis promoter include calcium lactate and calcium glycerophosphate. By supplying these electrolysis promoters to the raw water, electrolysis of the raw water in the electrolytic cell 10 can be promoted.

  In addition, in the second embodiment and the third embodiment, at least one of the discharge pipes 17a and 17b so that the cathode water, the anode water, and the mixed water thereof do not flow back to the electrolytic tank 10 from the mixing tank 20. A check valve may be provided.

The schematic diagram of the electrolyzed water generating apparatus of 1st Embodiment. The schematic diagram of the electrolyzed water generating apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. The schematic diagram of the electrolyzed water generating apparatus of 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Electrolytic cell, 11 ... Main body case, 12 ... Anode, 13 ... Cathode,
15 ... mixing chamber (mixing section), 18 ... ion exchange membrane,
19A ... Anode water generation chamber, 19B ... Cathode water generation chamber, 20 ... Mixing tank (mixing section).

Claims (5)

In an electrolyzed water generating apparatus in which a cathode and an anode are disposed in an electrolytic cell, and electrolyzing raw water with both the cathode and the anode,
Of the cathode and the anode, at least the anode is composed of a carbon-based electrode.   The electrolyzed water generating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a mixing unit that mixes cathodic water produced on the cathode side by electrolysis of raw water and anodized water produced on the anode side.   The electrolyzed water generating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the mixing unit is provided in the electrolytic cell.   The electrolyzed water generating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the mixing unit is provided on the downstream side of the electrolytic cell.   The electrolyzed water according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the carbon-based electrode is selected from at least one of graphite, powdered activated carbon, granular activated carbon, and fibrous activated carbon. Generator.

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