JP2008150423A - Water-absorbing phenolic resin foam - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a water-absorbing phenolic resin foam that prolongs the life of a natural flower arranged, prevents a flower arrangement from suffering from growth of mold or the like for long terms to keep it clean and can suppress development of harmful microorganism even when used as culture soil. <P>SOLUTION: In the manufacturing process of the water-absorbing phenolic resin foam, an organic and/or inorganic antibacterial agent, which exhibits antibacterial actions against microorganism such as a bacterium harmful against a plant (particularly a flowering plant) and human, is incorporated beforehand with the resin composition before expanded. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a water-absorbing phenolic resin foam (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “foam”), and particularly suitable for flower arrangement (hereinafter referred to as “arrangement”) of fresh flowers and plant cultivation. It is about the body.

  Conventionally, a water-absorbing phenolic resin foam is foam-cured at a temperature of 30 to 80 ° C. by rapidly stirring a resin composition comprising a resol-type liquid phenolic resin, a surfactant, a wetting agent, a foaming agent, and a curing agent. It is manufactured by. This foam is used as a sword mountain for arranging and holding and supplying fresh flowers such as cut flowers in the arrangement, and when cultivating various plants, it is cut into a predetermined size (for example, 0.5 to 4 cm square) and cultured soil. Used as.

  In the foam, water absorption and water retention after water absorption are regarded as important functions, and in the case of arrangement, in addition to this, a function of retaining fresh flowers is required. Conventionally, foams are often used for business purposes and are mainly used for parties, bridals, funerals and the like. In these business applications, the continuous use period of the foam is short, and is usually discarded with fresh flowers in 1 to 3 days.

  However, in recent years, foams are increasingly used in original florists for original arrangement products that replace traditional so-called bouquets. These arrangements are purchased by individual customers and viewed at private homes. It will be. The functions required for such an ornamental arrangement product may be that the arranged fresh flowers last for a long time, that the arrangement itself is kept clean, and that the disposal is easy.

  In addition, when foam is used as culture soil for plant cultivation, it will be used for a long time, and it has long been necessary to minimize the generation of microorganisms that are harmful to plants including mold in the culture soil. It has been recognized.

However, in the prior art of foams, emphasis is placed on water absorption, water retention and fresh flower retention, and no technical development focusing on the life of flowers and plants in which the foam is used has been found. One end of the prior art is shown in the following document.
JP-A-7-207058 JP-A-10-139916 JP 2001-26649 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a foam that extends the life of the arranged fresh flowers, is clean with no generation of mold or the like for a long time, and suppresses generation of harmful microorganisms when used as culture soil. is there.

  The present inventors solve these matters required for the arrangement and culture soil by achieving as much as possible the generation of harmful microorganisms in the foam, which is a common problem regarding the use of the foam. Focused on that.

The present invention has solved the conventional problems with the following basic configuration.
(1) A water-absorbing phenol resin foam comprising an antibacterial agent.
(2) As an antibacterial agent, any one of aluminum sulfate, 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate, 8-hydroxyquinoline enoate, thiazoline antibacterial agent, isothiazoline antibacterial agent or a combination of two or more of these is used. The water-absorbing phenol resin foam as described in (1) above, wherein
(3) As the antibacterial agent, in the presence of water, any one of organic or inorganic compounds that generate silver ions or copper ions, or a combination of two or more thereof is used, (1) The water-absorbing phenol resin foam described.
(4) As an antibacterial agent, at least one of aluminum sulfate, 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate, 8-hydroxyquinoline enoate, thiazoline antibacterial agent, isothiazoline antibacterial agent, silver ion or copper in the presence of water The water-absorbing phenolic resin foam according to (1) above, which is used in combination with at least one of organic or inorganic compounds that generate ions.
(5) As an additional component, any one of ethylene inhibitors, sugars, plant hormones, or two or more thereof are contained, as described in any one of (1) to (4) above Phenolic resin foam.
(6) The water absorption according to any one of (1) to (5) above, which is formed by foam-curing a composition for a phenol resin foam to which an antibacterial agent has been added in advance. Phenolic resin foam.
(7) Any of (1) to (6) above, wherein the phenol resin foam composition comprises a resol type phenol resin, a surfactant, a wetting agent, a foaming agent and a curing agent. The water-absorbing phenolic resin foam according to one.
(8) The water-absorbing phenolic resin foam according to any one of (1) to (7) above, wherein the content of the antibacterial agent is 0.0002% by mass or more.

  By using the foam containing the antibacterial agent obtained in the present invention for arrangement, the lifespan of cut flowers such as roses, gerberas and carnations is at least twice as long as when using normal foams. It turns out to last longer. In addition, the foam used in the arrangement was free of mold and the like and could be viewed cleanly.

  In addition, when the foam according to the present invention is cut into a predetermined size and used as culture soil such as tulips, the size is 1.5 times or more compared with the case of using normal soil, and the flowering time is generally One week earlier, growth was promoted. Moreover, when normal soil was used, mold was generated in a part of the pot, but no mold was generated in the pot using the foam of the present invention as culture soil.

  When using fresh flowers in the arrangement, they are generally used as cut flowers. The life span of cut flowers is considered to be sufficient landing and sugar supplementation. Also, depending on the type of flower, the presence of ethylene gas may shorten the life. Inhibitors of landing include clogging of the conduit by air bubbles and clogging of the conduit by microorganisms. In particular, when sugar is replenished to prolong life, the growth of microorganisms cannot be avoided under normal conditions.

  In the present invention, by adding an antibacterial agent to the foam beforehand, it is possible to prevent the generation of microorganisms harmful to plants (particularly flowers) and humans without adding the antibacterial agent, and the life of the arranged cut flowers Can be extended.

  Antibacterial agents used in the present invention are limited to those having no hindrance to the production of foam, not harmful to plants such as flowers, and having the ability to suppress the growth of microorganisms. For this purpose, the antibacterial agent needs to be water-soluble and has a proven record in agricultural products.

  Examples of antibacterial agents that meet these conditions include Dow AgroScience Daisen Stainless (Ambum), Hokuko Chemical Co., Ltd. (Imbenconazole), Syngenta Japan Alto (Cyproconazole), Bayer Crop Science Prebicool N solution (propamocarb hydrochloride), aluminum sulfate, 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate (8-HQS), 8-hydroxyquinoline enoate (8-HQC), thiazoline antibacterial agent, isothiazoline antibacterial agent And organic or inorganic compounds that produce silver ions or copper ions in the presence of water, but are not limited thereto.

  Examples of organic or inorganic compounds that produce silver or copper ions in the presence of water include silver nitrate, silver acetate, silver salicylate, silver methanesulfonate, and other organic sulfonates, silver sulfate, silver gluconate, Organic sulfonic acid copper such as silver acid, silver lactate, copper methanesulfonate, copper sulfate, copper chloride, copper bromide, copper iodide, copper phosphate, copper pyrophosphate, copper acetate, copper citrate, copper gluconate, Examples include, but are not limited to, copper tartrate, copper lactate, copper succinate, copper sulfamate, copper borofluoride, copper formate, and copper fluorosilicate.

  Since the phenol resin has many hydroxyl groups as a molecular structure, it is considered that the phenol resin easily takes a chelate structure with silver ions and copper ions to hold the ions. Therefore, since these metal ions do not elute easily from the foam, the antibacterial effect is sustained. Therefore, it can be said that these ions having antibacterial properties are particularly suitable antibacterial agents for foams.

  A typical example of a thiazoline fungicide is 2- (4-thiacyanomethylthio) benzthiazole (TCMTB). Examples of isothiazoline fungicides include 2-n octyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (OIT), 5-chloro-2-methyl-isothiazolin-3-one (CMI), 2-methyl-4- Examples thereof include, but are not limited to, isothiazoline-3-one (MI).

The amount of the antibacterial agent is generally 0.1 to 600 ppm relative to the amount of absorbed water. The density of the foam is usually changed in the range of 10 to 50 kg / m ³ . When producing a foam of 50 kg / m ³ , the content of the antibacterial agent in the foam needs to be 0.0002% by mass in order to make the content of the antibacterial agent in the water after water absorption 0.1 ppm. is there. Similarly, when considering a foam of 10 kg / m ³ , the content of the antibacterial agent in the foam can be increased up to 6% by mass.

  The foam containing the antibacterial agent according to the present invention does not prevent the combined use with other agents that extend the life of cut flowers and plants in addition to the antibacterial agent, but rather encourages the combined use.

  Representative of such agents are ethylene inhibitors. It is especially used for the purpose of preventing cut flower aging promoted by ethylene. Cut flowers that are particularly effective include carnation, sweet pea, delphinium, gypsophila, snapdragon, stock and eustoma, and are said to be useful for preventing fallen flowers such as african spinach, beconia, geranium and cactus cactus.

  As a typical ethylene inhibitor, silver thiosulfate complex salt (STS) has been used for a long time. In addition, aminooxyacetic acid (AOA), aminoethoxyvinylglycine, α-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) , (+)-(1R, 2S) -Allocoronaminic acid, 1-aminocyclobutanecarboxylic acid, 1,1-diphenyl-4-phenylsulfonyl semicarbazide and the like are said to be effective.

  It is known that cut flowers are usually deficient in carbon sources because they are appreciated in environments that are not suitable for photosynthesis such as indoors. As effective means, sucrose and saccharides such as glucose are considered to be effective.

  As plant hormones, gibberellin (GA), abscisic acid (ABA), benzylaminopurine (BA) and the like are said to be effective in yellowing flowers.

  Usually, a foam is obtained by foaming a composition comprising a resol type phenol resin, a surfactant, a wetting agent, a foaming agent, and a curing agent.

  The resol type phenolic resin is produced by phenols and aldehydes in the presence of an alkali catalyst with an aldehyde in an equimolar ratio or more. Although it does not restrict | limit especially as phenols, For example, phenol, cresol, bisphenol A etc. are mentioned, These may be individual or may be used together. Although it does not restrict | limit especially as aldehydes, For example, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, a furfural etc. are mentioned, These may be individual or used together. Examples of the alkaline catalyst include alkali metal hydroxides such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide and barium hydroxide, alkali oxides such as calcium oxide and magnesium oxide, amines such as ammonia, triethylamine and diethylamine. These may be used alone or in combination.

  As the blowing agent, hydrocarbon type and fluorine type are usually used. Examples of hydrocarbons include isopentane, normal pentane, cyclopentane, isohexane, normal hexane, and petroleum ether. As fluorine-based compounds, conventional fluorine compounds, for example, fluorine compounds containing chlorine such as HCFC-141b and HCFC-22, are currently limited in use as ozone depleting substances. HFC-245fa and HFC-365mfc are recommended. These compounds may be used alone or in combination of two or more. As for the usage-amount, 3-30 mass parts is preferable with respect to 100 mass parts of resol type phenol resin.

  The surfactant used varies depending on the type of the foaming agent, but the anionic surfactant and the nonionic surfactant are used in combination or each of them is used alone. These surfactants are not only hydrocarbon type but also silicone type. As for the usage-amount, 0.1-10 mass parts is preferable with respect to 100 mass parts of resol type phenol resin.

  When the foaming agent is a hydrocarbon-based one, nonionic surfactants composed of oil ethoxylates and / or long chain fatty acid ethoxylates, sulfate esters of oil ethoxylates and / or long chain fatty acid ethoxylates (alkaline One or more selected from anionic surfactants (metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts, ammonium salts, aliphatic amine salts, etc.) and modified silicone oils (usually referred to as silicone foaming agents). When the foaming agent is fluorine-based, one or more types are selected from modified silicone oils (usually referred to as silicone foaming agents).

  Fatty oil ethoxylates and long chain fatty acid ethoxylates include soybean oil, coconut oil, linseed oil, rapeseed oil, drill oil, castor oil, hydrogenated castor oil, ethoxylates of fats and oils such as beef tallow, lauric acid, myristic acid, and palmitine Examples thereof include ethoxylated fatty acids such as acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, behenic acid, sorbitan fatty acid ester, and glycerin fatty acid ester. In particular, use of castor oil ethoxylate is preferable in terms of water absorption and water retention. You may use these individually or in mixture of 2 or more types.

  Examples of the modified silicone oil include silicone foaming agents such as polyoxyethylene-polyalkylsiloxane and polyoxypropylene-polyalkylsiloxane, such as SH-193 and SRX295 manufactured by Toray Dow Corning Co., Ltd., but are limited. Not a translation.

  As the wetting agent, a compound usually used as “soap” can be used. Examples of such compounds include fatty acid salts, alpha sulfo fatty acid ester salts (α-SFE), alkyl benzene sulfonates (ABS), linear alkyl benzene sulfonates (LAS), alkyl sulfates (AS), and alkyl ether sulfates. (AES), alkyl sulfate triethanolamine, nonionic fatty acid diethanolamide, polyoxyethylene alkyl ether (AE), polyoxyethylene alkylphenyl ether (APE) and the like.

  Among these compounds, the salt compounds are specifically alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts, ammonium salts, aliphatic amine salts and the like.

  Of these compounds, linear alkyl benzene sulfonate (LAS) and alkyl ether sulfate (AES) are desirable for environmental measures. Examples of the alkyl group include hexyl, octyl, decyl, dodecyl, hexadecyl, octadecyl and the like. Among these, a dodecylbenzenesulfonate whose alkyl group is a dodecyl group is preferable in terms of water absorption and water retention. As for the usage-amount, 0.2-10 mass parts is preferable with respect to 100 mass parts of resol type phenol resin.

  As the curing agent, known ones can be used, and examples include organic acids such as paratoluenesulfonic acid, phenolsulfonic acid, and xylenesulfonic acid, and inorganic acids such as sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid. The amount used is preferably 3 to 20 parts by mass of the active ingredient with respect to 100 parts by mass of the resol type phenol resin.

  When the amount of the surfactant added is less than the above range, the cell tends to be large and non-uniform, and foaming failure such as crushing is likely to occur, and when the amount of the wetting agent added is less than the above range, the water absorption Since the time becomes extremely long and the water absorption performance is inferior, the use in the above range is preferable.

  The resol type phenol resin, various surfactants, wetting agents, antibacterial agents, ethylene inhibitors, saccharides, plant hormones, etc. are mixed at a predetermined ratio to prepare a resol type phenol resin premixed solution, A foamed phenol resin foam can be obtained by simultaneously mixing and stirring the foaming agent and the curing agent at 30 to 80 ° C. The method of foaming is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include continuous slab foaming, mold foaming, and spray foaming.

  The obtained phenolic resin foam has excellent water absorption and water retention, has a homogeneous cell structure, and can be used for applications such as sword mountain for fresh flowers and plant cultivation.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to examples and comparative examples. In the examples, all parts and% are based on mass.

(Example 1)
First, a four-neck 3 liter flask equipped with a stirrer, a condenser, a thermometer and a dropping funnel was prepared, and 940 parts of phenol, 1000 parts of 42% formalin, and 9.4 parts of 48% caustic soda as a catalyst were added to the flask. The mixture was reacted at 90 ° C. for 3 hours, then neutralized with formic acid, adjusted to pH 6-7, and dehydrated under reduced pressure to obtain a resol type phenol resin having a viscosity of 4000 cps and a nonvolatile content of 70%.
Next, 100 parts of a resole phenolic resin, 0.5 part of castor oil ethoxylated surfactant and 0.5 part of oleyl alcohol ethoxylated sulfonated substance, 3 parts of sodium salt of dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid as a wetting agent, and antibacterial agent Add 0.003 part of 5-chloro-2-methyl-isothiazolin-3-one (CMI) and 0.001 part of 2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (MI) and enclose air bubbles in advance. Mix well. Then, 9 parts of pentane is added as a foaming agent, and pentane is uniformly dispersed in the resol resin by high-speed stirring. Thereafter, 7.5 parts of 65% paratoluenesulfonic acid is added as a curing agent, and immediately mixed at high speed. The mixture was placed in a cardboard container and foamed and cured at 50 ° C. to obtain a foam having a uniform cell structure.

(Example 2)
10 parts of silver nitrate (solid) was added to 100 parts of water to prepare a silver nitrate solution. Then, as an antibacterial agent, a foam was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that 0.005 part of silver nitrate solution was added instead of 0.003 part of CMI and 0.001 part of MI.

(Example 3)
10 parts of copper sulfate (powder) was added to 100 parts of water to prepare a copper sulfate solution. And as an antibacterial agent, it replaced with CMI0.003 part and MI0.001 part, and it is the same method as Example 1 except adding 0.08 part of copper sulfate solutions and 0.05 part of 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate. A foam was prepared.

Example 4
Furthermore, a foam was prepared in the same manner as in Example 2 except that 0.6 parts of silver thiosulfate, 5 parts of sucrose and 0.25 parts of gibberellin were added as ethylene inhibitors.

(Comparative Example 1)
A foam was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the antibacterial agent was omitted.

  The foams of Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Example 1 were measured for density, water absorption time and water absorption. In addition, about the water absorption time and the water absorption amount, it is a thing when each foam cut | judged in width 230mm, depth 110mm, and height 80mm is floated in 20 degreeC water, and was sunk with its own weight. The measurement results are as shown in Table 1 below.

The foams of Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Example 1 were absorbed with tap water according to a conventional method, and these were used to arrange fresh flowers. For fresh flowers, roses, gerberas and carnations were used. These arrangements are set in a room at a temperature of 25 ° C. and a relative humidity of 50-70% using a fluorescent lamp so that the illuminance of the arrangement is 800 to 1200 lux. Observed. Meanwhile, the tap water was replenished so that the foam was immersed in the container containing the foam by about 1 cm from the bottom.
Observation points are petal sagging, discoloration / necrosis of tip, bent flower neck, large spots of mold (diameter 10 mm), and stem and leaf yellowing / necrosis of sepals, stem The flower lifespan was defined as any of yellowing / breaking / necrosis, dry / yellowing of leaves, large spots of fungi (diameter 10 mm) or complex symptoms. The results are shown in Table 1 below.

  About the foams of Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Example 1, a so-called “shake” established by the Society of Industrial-technology for Antimicrobial Articles (SIAA) was established for antibacterial tests using bacteria that affect people. The method prescribed in “Law” The test piece was previously dried at 50 ° C. for 16 hours to make it free of residual formaldehyde, soaked in ethyl alcohol once, then dried at 50 ° C. for 8 hours, and used as a sample. As shown in Table 1 below, the results of the test are shown as antibacterial activity values for Examples 1 to 4 with Comparative Example 1 as a control.

As shown in Table 1, regarding water absorption, no substantial difference was found between Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Example 1.
Next, the lifetimes of roses, gerberas, and carnations are all about 2 to 4 times longer in Examples 1 to 4 than in Comparative Example 1.
Moreover, about antibacterial activity value, in Examples 1-4, 2 or more used as a measure of antibacterial property is shown, and it turned out that the outstanding antibacterial effect is exhibited also to the microbe which affects a person .

(Example 5)
The foam obtained in Example 1 was cut into cubes having sides of about 1 to 2 cm with a cutter, and used as culture soil. About 8 liters of the obtained culture soil is transferred to a No. 4 clay pot, and 3 “Gander” bulbs, which are varieties of Triumph tulips, are dispersed in this, and about 4-5 cm from the surface of the culture soil. The plant was planted at a depth of November 14 and the same culture soil was applied from above. Water was poured into the entire culture soil with rain dew, and water was sufficiently contained in the culture soil until water leaked from the bottom. I put the pot in a sunny place outdoors and waited for it to bloom. When the surface was dry without rain, water was replenished as needed. When replenishing water, it was stopped to the extent that water did not leak out from the bottom. No fertilizer was used.
Flowering in this example was on April 1st. Moreover, generation | occurrence | production of mold | fungi etc. was not able to be confirmed to culture soil.

(Example 6)
Tulips were cultivated in the same manner as in Example 5 except that the foam obtained in Example 2 was used.
Flowering in this example was on April 5th. Moreover, generation | occurrence | production of mold | fungi etc. was not able to be confirmed to culture soil.

(Comparative Example 2)
Instead of the culture soil of Example 5, tulips were prepared in the same manner as in Example 5 except that soil containing red spherical fine particles: humus fine particles: pumice fine particles was mixed at a volume ratio of 6: 3: 1. Cultivated. If the water was not replenished about twice as often as in Example 5, the surface dried immediately.
Flowering in this example was on April 16th. At this time, several spots that seemed to be mold were found on a part of the surface of the soil.

  When the length of the largest petal of the flowered tulip was compared for Examples 5 and 6 and Comparative Example 2, the tulip of Example 1 was about 1.5 times that of the tulip of Comparative Example 2. Moreover, the tulip of Example 6 was about 1.4 times compared with the tulip of Comparative Example 2.

  If the foam of the present invention is used, the life of the flowers of the arrangement will be significantly extended compared to conventional foams, so even if they are arranged at a florist's storefront, the flowers will be better and cannot be sold immediately. However, the product value does not fall. In addition, even if the arrangement is purchased by an individual, it can be enjoyed for a long time at home or the like, so that even if the price is slightly high, there is a sufficient effect. By these things, activation of flower distribution is aimed at and it leads to activation of flower production by extension.

Claims (8)

  A water-absorbing phenolic resin foam comprising an antibacterial agent.   As an antibacterial agent, any one of aluminum sulfate, 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate, 8-hydroxyquinoline enoate, thiazoline antibacterial agent, isothiazoline antibacterial agent or a combination of two or more thereof is used. The water-absorbing phenolic resin foam according to claim 1.   The water-absorbing property according to claim 1, wherein the antibacterial agent is an organic or inorganic compound that produces silver ions or copper ions in the presence of water, or a combination of two or more thereof. Phenolic resin foam.   As an antibacterial agent, at least one of aluminum sulfate, 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate, 8-hydroxyquinoline enoate, thiazoline antibacterial agent and isothiazoline antibacterial agent is produced, and silver ions or copper ions are generated in the presence of water. The water-absorbent phenol resin foam according to claim 1, wherein the foam is used in combination with at least one of organic and inorganic compounds.   5. The water-absorbing phenolic resin foam according to claim 1, wherein the foamed foam contains an ethylene inhibitor, a saccharide, or a plant hormone as an additional component, or two or more thereof. .   The water-absorbing phenolic resin foam according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is formed by foam-curing a composition for a phenolic resin foam to which an antibacterial agent has been added in advance.   The water-absorbing phenol resin foam according to claim 6, wherein the phenol resin foam composition contains a resol type phenol resin, a surfactant, a wetting agent, a foaming agent and a curing agent.   The water-absorbing phenolic resin foam according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the content of the antibacterial agent is 0.0002% by mass or more.