JP2011206697A - Reactive oxygen species generation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reactive oxygen species generation device capable of continuously generating a reactive oxygen species of a high concentration employing a simple configuration.SOLUTION: The reactive oxygen species generation device is for generating the reactive oxygen species by means of an electrode reaction, including a first cathode 2, a second cathode 3, an anode 4, a voltage application means 8 for passing a current between the cathodes 2, 3 and the anode 4 with the presence of a liquid such as water among these electrodes, and a liquid inlet 9 and a liquid outlet 10. The anode 4 is disposed parallel with and between the two cathodes 2, 3. The device further includes a structure 5 as a pressure loss unit between the first cathode 2 and the anode 4.

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus for generating reactive oxygen species having an effect on antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and deodorization. The active oxygen species include superoxide (O ₂ .−), hydroxy radical (.OH), hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ), singlet oxygen ( ¹ O ₂ ), ozone (O ₃ ), etc. It is a generic term for oxygen activated by triplet oxygen ( ³ O ₂ ), which is molecular oxygen, and related molecules.

  Conventionally, in a sterilizing water generator having a diaphragm between a cathode and an anode, sterilizing water mainly composed of hypozinc acid or sodium hypochlorite is generated on the anode side and mixed with water on the cathode side. Has been proposed (see Patent Document 1, for example).

Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-8768

  In the conventional method, although the high concentration sterilizing water is generated by diaphragm electrolysis, the flow path configuration mixes with the generated water in the opposite electrode chamber across the diaphragm, so the concentration of the sterilizing component is diluted. There is a problem of being done. In addition, since the water flowing through the electrode chamber on the opposite side depends on the pH adjustment degree of the sterilizing water, the water hardly flows depending on the degree, and the concentration of the product generated by the electrode reaction on the opposite side increases. There is a problem in that the reaction efficiency of the electrode decreases due to a decrease in the diffusion rate of the product on the surface, and the generation efficiency of the target sterilizing component decreases with time.

  In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to obtain an active oxygen species generating apparatus that can continuously generate high concentration active oxygen species with a simple configuration.

The active oxygen species generating apparatus according to the present invention includes a first cathode, a second cathode, an anode, and a voltage applying means for interposing a liquid such as water between the electrodes and energizing the cathode and the anode, An apparatus for generating active oxygen species by an electrode reaction, comprising a supply port and a discharge port for the liquid;
The anode is sandwiched between two cathodes and arranged in parallel with the cathode, and a structure serving as a pressure loss body is arranged between the first cathode and the anode.

In the present invention, since the structure serving as a pressure loss body that partitions the flow of liquid such as water is provided between the first cathode and the anode for generating the active oxygen species, the active oxygen species generated at the first cathode is provided. Prevents the active oxygen species from disappearing on the anode side.
Further, since the second cathode is arranged on the anode side, the product concentration of the anode can be suppressed to a certain concentration or less. This is because the anode product causes the disappearance reaction of the anode product. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the ability to generate active oxygen species generated at the first cathode due to a decrease in the anode reaction.
Therefore, there is an effect that a high concentration of active oxygen species can be continuously generated with a simple configuration.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an active oxygen species generation device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is the figure which showed the structural change of the polyaniline by oxidation-reduction reaction. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the other example of the active oxygen species production | generation apparatus of this invention.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of an active oxygen species generating apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
In the figure, an active oxygen species generating tank 1 includes a first cathode 2, a second cathode 3, and an anode 4, and a liquid such as water (hereinafter referred to as “treated water”) between these electrodes. The structure 5 is disposed between the first cathode 2 and the anode 4 to be interposed between the first cathode 2 and the anode 4. The anode 4 is located between the first cathode 2 and the second cathode 3 and is arranged in parallel to these cathodes 2 and 3.
Here, the side on which the first cathode 2 is disposed with respect to the structure 5 serving as a pressure loss body is referred to as a cathode portion 6, and the side on which the anode 4 and the second cathode 3 are disposed is referred to as an anode portion 7. To do. And the supply port 9 and the discharge port 10 of to-be-processed water are provided in the cathode part 6 side. Further, voltage application means 8 for energizing the cathodes 2 and 3 and the anode 4 is provided to generate active oxygen species by an electrode reaction.

The structure 5 serving as a pressure loss body for partitioning the flow of water to be treated is divided into an active oxygen species generation tank 1 into a cathode portion 6 and an anode portion 7, and an ion exchange membrane or a porous body that does not inhibit the electrode reaction between the cathode and the anode. It is a structure.
In FIG. 1, the structure 5 serving as a pressure loss body is disposed in a state in which the cathode portion 6 and the anode portion 7 are completely partitioned, but it is not always necessary to dispose them so as to completely separate them. The purpose of installing the structure 5 serving as a pressure loss body was to reduce the flow rate of the water to be treated flowing down the anode part 7 side relative to the flow rate of the water to be treated flowing down the cathode part 6 side. Because it is a thing.

Next, the operation will be described.
In the active oxygen species generating tank 1 configured as described above, water to be treated enters the cathode portion 6 side from the supply port 9. Most of the water to be treated flows down the cathode part 6 in which the first cathode 2 is disposed with respect to the structure 5 that becomes the pressure loss body, thereby generating reactive oxygen species by reacting with the first cathode 2, It flows out from the discharge port 10 as active oxygen species-containing water.

The treated water that has flowed into the anode portion 7 side where the anode 4 and the second cathode 3 are disposed with respect to the structure 5 that becomes the pressure-loss body is the structure 5 that becomes the pressure-loss body is the first cathode 2 and the anode 4. The flow velocity is slower than that of the water to be treated flowing through the cathode portion 6. For this reason, there is a state where the product of the electrode reaction tends to accumulate on the surface of the anode 4. If the concentration of the substance generated at the anode 4 at the anode portion 7 becomes too high, the diffusion rate of the substance in the solution decreases, and the efficiency of the electrode reaction decreases. As a result, since the production efficiency of active oxygen species at the first cathode 2 is also reduced, it is necessary to keep the product of the anodic reaction below a certain concentration.
Therefore, the second cathode 3 is disposed on the anode portion 7 in order to cause the disappearance reaction of the product due to the anode reaction in the anode portion 7. That is, the first cathode 2 is an electrode arranged for the purpose of continuously generating active oxygen species, and the second cathode 3 suppresses an excessive increase in the product concentration in the anode side tank. The first cathode 2 and the anode 4 are arranged for the purpose of preventing the electrode reaction efficiency from being lowered.

  Since the water to be treated passes through the active oxygen species generating tank 1 configured as described above, the active oxygen species-containing water is obtained at the discharge port 10, so that a water flow needs to be formed. Since the formed water stream promotes the diffusion of the substance generated on the electrode surface, the generation efficiency of the active oxygen species is improved.

  It is the first cathode 2 that mainly contributes to the generation of active oxygen species. As means for improving the concentration of active oxygen species at the discharge port 10, the following three may be mentioned.

The first is to arrange each electrode such that the distance between the first cathode 2 and the anode 4 is shorter than the distance between the second cathode 3 and the anode 4.
Since the electric field strength increases as the distance between the electrodes is shorter, the active oxygen species generating ability is improved. Therefore, there is an effect of improving the concentration of active oxygen species generated per unit time.

Secondly, each electrode is formed so that the area on the side where the first cathode 2 and the anode 4 face each other is larger than the area on the side where the second cathode 3 and the anode 4 face each other. That is. For example, in FIG. 1, a method of forming a taper on the end face of the anode 4 such that the area of the anode 4 facing the second cathode 3 becomes smaller can be mentioned.
As the area of the first cathode 2 on the side facing the anode 4 is larger, the active oxygen species generating ability is improved, so that the concentration of active oxygen species generated per unit time is improved.

The third is to support a redox polymer on the cathode. Examples of redox polymers include polyaniline, polythiophene, polypyrrole, polyacene, and the like, and a configuration in which polyaniline is supported on the cathode is particularly preferable.
A redox polymer refers to a substance that is produced regardless of chemical polymerization, electrical polymerization, and polymerization method, and that reversibly changes its oxidation state or reduction state by the transfer of electrons. As shown in FIG. 2, in the case of polyaniline, when the structure changes from the reduced form to the oxidized form, the catalytic action of polyaniline causes the reaction of oxygen with oxygen in the water, thereby changing the active oxygen species such as superoxide (O ₂ ⁻ ). (Formula [1]). This reaction occurs mainly on the cathode surface.
O ₂ + PAn (red) → O ₂ ⁻ + PAn (ox) Formula [1]

Hereinafter, polyaniline will be described as an example of the redox polymer.
Polyaniline usually has a surface resistance value of 10 ³ Ω / □ or more when applied on an insulating substrate, and the voltage input value must be increased in order to use it as an electrode substrate. However, hydrogen and oxygen generated by electrolysis of water inhibit generation of reactive oxygen species.
The surface resistance value of the electrode base material may be about 10 ⁻³ to 10 ³ Ω / □ by supporting polyaniline on a conductive base material that is conductive or dispersed and added with a current-carrying auxiliary material such as carbon or metal. it can. As a result, active oxygen species can be generated even in a low voltage region where hydrogen or oxygen by-products are not generated.

  With the passage of time due to energization, the structure of the polyaniline on the cathode changes to a reduced form by a reduction reaction. When energization is continued, the polyaniline on the cathode becomes a complete reduction type as shown in FIG. 2 and loses the ability to generate active oxygen species. Therefore, the voltage application means 8 can be configured to include the voltage polarity switching means 11 as shown in FIG. 3, for example. The voltage polarity switching means 11 reverses the polarity of the polyaniline supported on the cathode before the structure is changed to the fully reduced type, or the base material having a higher redox potential than the cathode base material supporting the polyaniline is connected. Thus, it is preferable to restore the polyaniline structure when the voltage applying means 8 is not operating. The voltage polarity switching means 11 reverses the previous cathode to the anode and the anode to the cathode. This is a measure for restoring the function of polyaniline, and the operation time for restoring the function is normal. It is very short compared to the operation time for generating reactive oxygen species.

  As described above, the first cathode 2, the second cathode 3, and the anode 4, the voltage application means 8 for energizing the cathodes 2, 3 and the anode 4 by interposing the water to be treated between these electrodes, An active oxygen species generating apparatus having a treated water supply port 9 and a discharge port 10, wherein an anode 4 is disposed between two cathodes in parallel, and between the first cathode 2 and the anode 4. In order to prevent the active oxygen species generated in the first cathode 2 from disappearing in contact with the anode 4 by disposing the structure 5 that is sandwiched between the cathode portion 6 and the anode, the cathode portion 6 and the anode In order to suppress the reduction of the active oxygen species generating ability of the first cathode 2 due to the action of the second cathode 3 arranged to eliminate the anode reaction product staying on the anode surface due to the difference in the flow velocity of the part 7, The concentration of active oxygen species at the outlet 10 can be improved, and the concentration of active oxygen is continuously high. There is an effect that it is possible to discharge the water containing.

  The definitions of other main terms used in this specification are as follows.

  Water to be treated includes tap water, ground water, industrial water, and the like, and is water used for drinking water, pools, baths, seawater, various industrial facilities, and the like.

  Antibacterial includes sterilization, disinfection, sterilization, sterilization, and antibacterial, and refers to inhibiting or killing the generation, growth, and proliferation of microorganisms and certain substances.

  Anti-virus means suppression of virus activity.

  Antifungal means to suppress the occurrence, growth and proliferation of fungi.

  Deodorization means removing chemical substances that generate odors from space by adsorption, washing, and scientific decomposition.

  In the present invention, a plurality of electrodes may be arranged in the active oxygen species generation tank 1.

  The voltage polarity switching means 11 is means for instantaneously reversing the polarity of the voltage applied to the electrode or reversing the voltage after increasing or decreasing in stages. The voltage polarity reversing method can be a push button type, a slide type, or a rotary type. Regardless of the formula.

  In the present invention, if the arrangement of the first cathode, the second cathode, the anode, and the pressure loss structure is the same, not only the structure shown in FIG. 1 but also the redox polymer is supported on the inner wall of the pipe, for example. If the first cathode is used, it is possible not only to sterilize water flowing down the pipe, but also to prevent bacterial growth from adhering to the inner wall of the pipe. . Also, the cathode part 6 in which the first cathode 2 is disposed is a first tank, and the anode part 7 in which the second cathode 3 and the anode 4 are disposed is a second tank. Body 5 may be provided.

  As examples of use of the present invention, air conditioners such as air conditioners, humidifiers, air cleaners, dehumidifiers, humidifier air cleaners, sewage and sewage water treatment equipment, pipes and water storage units for bath water heaters, and moisture contents are retained. It is possible to use antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and deodorizing by using a watering device that adsorbs or contains chemical substances that generate odors and that propagates microorganisms including molds and viruses. is there.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Active oxygen seed production | generation tank, 2 1st cathode, 2nd cathode, 4 anode, 5 Structure used as a pressure-loss body, 6 cathode part, 7 anode part, 8 voltage application means, 9 supply port, 10 discharge port 11 Voltage polarity switching means.

Claims (7)

A first cathode, a second cathode, and an anode; a voltage applying means for interposing a liquid such as water between the electrodes and energizing the cathode and the anode; and a supply port and a discharge port for the liquid. And an apparatus for generating reactive oxygen species by electrode reaction,
Reactive oxygen species generation characterized in that the anode is sandwiched between two cathodes and arranged in parallel with the cathode, and a structure serving as a pressure loss body is disposed between the first cathode and the anode. apparatus.   2. The active oxygen species generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a liquid flow is formed between the first cathode and the pressure loss body.   3. The active oxygen species generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first cathode is disposed in a portion having a high flow rate, and the second cathode and the anode are disposed in a portion having a slow flow rate.   4. The active oxygen according to claim 1, wherein an interelectrode distance between the first cathode and the anode is shorter than an interelectrode distance between the second cathode and the anode. Seed generator.   The area on the side where the first cathode and the anode face each other is larger than the area on the side where the second cathode and the anode face each other. The active oxygen species generator described.   The active oxygen species generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a redox polymer is supported on the first cathode.   The active oxygen species generating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the voltage applying unit includes a voltage polarity switching unit.

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