JP2015112573A - Ion exchanger group, method for producing ion exchanger group, method for producing soft water and washing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ion exchanger group or the like where, even if vibration or the like are applied, a cation exchanger and an anion exchanger are hard to be separated.SOLUTION: Provided is an ion exchanger group in which hard water is passed through so as to be soft water, being the aggregate of the ion exchangers having a structure in which a cation exchanger C and an anion exchanger A having different specific gravities each other are integrated so as to be a granular shape. The ion exchangers composing the aggregate take a plurality of shapes.

Description

  The present invention relates to an ion exchanger group and the like, and more specifically, to an ion exchanger group and the like used to make hard water soft water, for example.

Conventionally, a technique for removing ions from an aqueous solution containing ions using an ion exchange phenomenon by an ion exchanger is known. The method of producing water called "soft water" from which these ions are removed from water called "hard water" containing a lot of calcium ions (Ca ²⁺ ) and magnesium ions (Mg ²⁺ ) is called "softening water". It is. For softening water, there is, for example, a method in which hard water is passed through a strongly acidic cation exchanger to remove calcium ions and magnesium ions.

In Patent Document 1, a porous cation exchange membrane and an anion exchange membrane having different thicknesses in a water-splitting ion exchange membrane are bonded together by heat treatment to obtain a water-splitting ion exchange membrane, and the porous cation exchange membrane is A regenerative water softening device is disclosed that increases the adsorption capacity of hardness component ions per volume of the membrane by making it thicker than the ion exchange membrane.
In Patent Document 2, raw water containing about 10 to 100 ppm of hardness is adsorbed and removed by passing water through a resin cylinder filled with a heat-regenerative ion exchange resin, and hot water is added to the resin cylinder. A water treatment method using a heat regenerative ion exchange resin that regenerates the heat regenerative ion exchange resin by passing water is disclosed.

JP 2012-236172 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-80454

  However, in the method in which hard water is passed through a strongly acidic cation exchanger to remove calcium ions and magnesium ions, when the strongly acidic cation exchanger is regenerated, these ions are eluted at a high concentration. It is necessary to pass a lot of saline solution or acid solution. Therefore, there is a problem that drainage tends to increase.

  In order to avoid this, for example, there is a method of electrically regenerating the ion exchanger. In this method, a voltage is applied to the ion exchanger, whereby calcium ions and magnesium ions are eluted to regenerate the ion exchanger. In this case, when softening the hard water, a cation exchanger and an anion exchanger are used as the ion exchanger, and the hard water is allowed to flow in the state of an ion exchanger group in which these are mixed. According to this method, the problem that a lot of drainage occurs is less likely to occur, but the following problem may occur.

  That is, when soft water is used in an apparatus that generates vibrations, such as a washing apparatus, if the specific gravity of the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger is different, the vibration causes the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger to be separated vertically. It becomes easy to do. When separation occurs, there is a problem that the efficiency of electric regeneration tends to decrease.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of conventional techniques.
That is, an object of the present invention is to provide an ion exchanger group or the like in which a cation exchanger and an anion exchanger are hardly separated even when subjected to vibration or the like.

  Thus, according to the present invention, a group of ion exchangers used for passing hard water to make soft water, the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger having different specific gravities from each other have an integrated structure and a granular shape. An ion exchanger group is provided that is an aggregate of ion exchangers formed, and the ion exchangers constituting the aggregate take a plurality of shapes.

Here, the structure is preferably a structure in which an anion exchanger is sandwiched between cation exchangers, and the cation exchanger is preferably a weakly acidic cation exchanger.
The mixing ratio of the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger is preferably in the range of 1: 1 to 10: 1 as the ion exchange capacity.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is provided a method for producing an ion exchanger group used for passing hard water into soft water, the step of subdividing a cation exchanger and an anion exchanger having different specific gravities from each other, A step of mixing the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger in the resin solution, a step of solidifying the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger by evaporating the solvent in the resin solution, and a solidified cation exchanger, There is provided a method for producing an ion exchanger group, comprising a step of joining an anion exchanger, and a step of fragmenting the joined cation exchanger and anion exchanger.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is provided a soft water production method for producing soft water by passing hard water through an ion exchanger group, wherein ions are formed in a space of an outer portion having a space filled therein with the ion exchanger group. The step of introducing the exchanger group and the step of passing hard water through the ion exchanger group, and the step of introducing the ion exchanger group, the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger having different specific gravities from each other are integrated. Provided is a method for producing soft water, which is an aggregate of ion exchangers having a granular structure and a granular shape, wherein the ion exchanger constituting the aggregate introduces an ion exchanger group having a plurality of shapes Is done.

  Here, it is preferable to further include a step of applying a voltage to the ion exchanger to regenerate the ion exchanger.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, water softening means for treating hard water to soften it, and washing means for washing the object to be cleaned using the soft water, and for vibrating the water softening means when washing the object to be cleaned The water softening means is an aggregate of ion exchangers having a structure in which a cation exchanger and an anion exchanger having different specific gravities are integrated and in a granular shape, and the ion exchange constituting the aggregate There is provided a cleaning device characterized by passing hard water into soft water by passing through a group of ion exchangers having a plurality of shapes.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the ion exchanger group etc. which are hard to isolate | separate a cation exchanger and an anion exchanger even if it receives a vibration etc. can be provided.

It is the block diagram explaining the outline | summary of the washing | cleaning apparatus to which this Embodiment is applied. It is a figure explaining the water softening means of this Embodiment. (A)-(f) is the conceptual diagram which showed the example of the ion exchanger of the structure where the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger were integrated. (A)-(c) is the conceptual diagram which showed the other example of the ion exchanger of the structure where the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger were integrated. It is the flowchart explaining the manufacturing method of the ion exchanger group. It is the flowchart explaining operation | movement of the water softening means. It is the figure put together about the evaluation result of the ion exchanger. It is the figure which showed the vibration experiment apparatus used in the present Example.

  Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention) will be described in detail. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention. The drawings used are for explaining the present embodiment and do not represent the actual size.

(Hard water, soft water)
Whether it is hard water or soft water can be defined by “hardness”. The hardness is obtained by converting the weight (mg) of calcium ions (Ca ²⁺ ) and magnesium ions (Mg ²⁺ ) dissolved in 1 L (liter) of water into the concentration of calcium carbonate (CaCO ₃ ). In this case, the unit of hardness is (mg / L) or (ppm).

  The definition of hard water and soft water may differ depending on the application. For example, when the hardness is 357 or more, it may be defined as hard water, and when it is less than 178, it may be defined as soft water. In this case, when the hardness is 178 or more and less than 357, it may be called intermediate water. Moreover, in the use of drinking water, when the hardness is 300 or more, it is hard water, when it is less than 100, it may be soft water, and when it is 100 or more and less than 300, it may be medium hard water. In the present embodiment, the hardness is adjusted in accordance with the use of the soft water, and the hard water is softened.

  Hard water is combined with a detergent or the like, particularly when used in a cleaning device, and as a result, the detergent or the like becomes insoluble or the cleaning power is reduced. On the other hand, soft water is less likely to cause such a phenomenon and is suitable for use in a cleaning apparatus. Further, when tableware or the like is washed with hard water, calcium ions and magnesium ions become compounds when dried, and deposits called watermarks adhere to the tableware and the like. Therefore, it is preferable to use soft water at least in the rinsing stage. In addition, when hard water is used for beverages, for example, it has a poor mouthfeel and is therefore suitable for soft drinks.

(Cation exchanger, anion exchanger)
In the present embodiment, the cation exchanger is a unit having a cation exchange function, and is, for example, a cation exchange resin (cation exchange resin). However, it is not necessarily a resin, and may be an inorganic material, for example.

As the cation exchanger, any cation exchanger can be used. However, as will be described in detail later, when the cation exchanger is electrically regenerated, it is preferably a weakly acidic cation exchanger rather than a strongly acidic cation exchanger having an exchange group such as a sulfonic acid group (—SO ₃ H). In the case of a strongly acidic cation exchanger, calcium ions and magnesium ions are difficult to elute at the time of electric regeneration, and the efficiency of electric regeneration is likely to decrease. Examples of the weakly acidic cation exchanger include those having a carboxyl group (—COOH) as an exchange group. Moreover, it may be a cation such as a metal ion or an ammonium ion (NH ₄ ⁺ ) instead of the hydrogen ion (H ⁺ ) which is a counter ion of the carboxyl group. More specifically, weakly acidic cation exchange resins (weakly acidic cation exchange resins) such as IRC76 and FPC3500 manufactured by Dow Chemical Company can be exemplified.

  In the present embodiment, the anion exchanger is a unit having an anion exchange function, for example, an anion exchange resin (anion exchange resin). However, like the cation exchanger, it is not necessarily a resin, and may be, for example, an inorganic material.

  In the case of an anion exchanger, any anion exchanger can be used. However, when the anion exchanger is electrically regenerated like the cation, it is preferably a weakly basic anion exchanger. Examples of the weakly basic anion exchanger include those having a tertiary amino group as a functional group. More specifically, weakly basic anion exchange resins (weakly basic anion exchange resins) such as IRA98 and IRA67 manufactured by Dow Chemical Company can be exemplified.

  Next, a cleaning apparatus to which the exemplary embodiment is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Overview of cleaning device>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of a cleaning apparatus 1 to which the present embodiment is applied.
The cleaning device 1 shown in the figure is a water softening means 2 that is an example of a water softening device that processes hard water to soften it, and uses soft water to clean the object to be cleaned, and to soften the object when the object to be cleaned is cleaned. And a cleaning means 3 that exerts vibration on the means.

  The cleaning device 1 is not particularly limited as long as it is a device for cleaning an object to be cleaned. However, the water softening means 2 of the present embodiment can be suitably used when the apparatus generates vibration when cleaning the object to be cleaned. More specifically, the washing apparatus 1 is, for example, a washing apparatus (washing machine) or a dish washing apparatus (tableware washing machine, dishwasher). In this case, the objects to be cleaned are clothes and tableware, respectively. Note that the cleaning apparatus 1 is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a high-pressure cleaning machine, a car washing machine, a vehicle cleaning apparatus, or the like.

Although the water softening means 2 will be described in detail later, the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger are integrated, and an ion exchanger group consisting of ion exchangers having a plurality of granular shapes is filled therein, and this ion exchanger Pass hard water through the group. Then, cations containing calcium ions and magnesium ions in hard water are removed by exchanging with counter ions of the cation exchanger. Moreover, the anion in hard water is removed by exchanging with the counter ion of the anion exchanger. In this case, examples of the anion include chlorine ion (Cl ⁻ ), hypochlorite ion (ClO ⁻ ), carbonate ion (CO ₃ ²⁻ ), and sulfate ion (SO ₄ ²⁻ ). Therefore, hard water can be made into soft water by this. The water softening means 2 can electrically regenerate the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger as will be described in detail later.

  The cleaning unit 3 is a functional unit that actually cleans an object to be cleaned in the cleaning apparatus 1. As the cleaning means 3, a known structure can be used.

  For example, when the washing means 3 is a washing apparatus, clothes to be washed are put into the washing tub together with soft water and detergent, and the propeller (pulsator) is rotated by a driving source such as a motor. And the washing | cleaning is performed with the water flow which arises by this, and the stain | pollution | contamination adhering to clothes etc. can be removed.

  When the cleaning means 3 is a dishwashing apparatus, the tableware or the like to be cleaned is arranged in the cleaning tank and the detergent is put in. Then, soft water is sent out by a pump while being heated by a heater or the like, and sprayed from a cleaning nozzle. And the washing | cleaning is performed with the water flow which arises by this, and the stain | pollution | contamination adhering to tableware etc. can be removed.

<Description of water softening means>
Next, the water softening means 2 will be described in more detail.
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the water softening means 2 of the present embodiment.
The illustrated water softening means 2 includes an outer shell portion 21 constituting an outer shell of the water softening means 2 and an electrode portion 24 for applying a voltage to the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger. Further, although not constituting the water softening means 2 of the present embodiment, the ion exchanger group consisting of ion exchangers in which the cation exchanger C and the anion exchanger A are integrated and take a plurality of granular shapes is denoted as M. It is shown.

  The outer shell 21 has a space K for filling the ion exchanger group M therein. The outer shell 21 is a processing tower (processing tank, reaction tank) for removing calcium ions and magnesium ions contained in hard water by the ion exchanger group M. The outer shell portion 21 is made of, for example, stainless steel as a material, but is not limited thereto, and may be a resin or the like. Further, the shape of the outer shell portion 21 is not particularly limited, but in the present embodiment, for example, a substantially cylindrical shape is used.

  An inlet 21a for introducing hard water is provided at the lower part of the outer shell part 21, and an outlet 21b for discharging the soft water generated after the hard water is processed is provided at the upper part of the outer shell part 21. According to the present embodiment, the hard water is introduced from the lower part of the outer shell part 21 into the outer shell part 21 through the inlet 21a, and circulates in the outer shell part 21 from the lower part to the upper part. And it contacts the ion exchanger group M in the process of distribution. At that time, cations and anions containing calcium ions and magnesium ions contained in the hard water are removed and softened. And the produced | generated soft water is discharged | emitted from the upper part of the outer shell part 21 to the exterior of the outer shell part 21 through the discharge port 21b.

The electrode portion 24 applies a voltage to regenerate the cation exchanger C and the anion exchanger A. In the present embodiment, the electrode portion 24 is composed of a plate-like anode 24a and a cathode 24b, and can apply a DC voltage from a DC power source (not shown). At this time, the cation exchanger C, the anion exchanger A, and water exist between the anode 24a and the cathode 24b, and a DC voltage acts on them. At this time, water is decomposed at the place where the cation exchanger C and the anion exchanger A are in contact with each other, and the generated hydrogen ions (H ⁺ ) elute calcium ions and magnesium ions adsorbed on the cation exchanger C. Similarly generated hydroxide ions (OH ⁻ ) elute the anions adsorbed on the anion exchanger A. Thereby, electric regeneration of the cation exchanger C and the anion exchanger A can be performed.

  The electrode part 24 is not particularly limited as long as it is made of a conductive and chemically stable material. For example, a noble metal such as carbon or platinum can be used.

  In the case of the cleaning device 1 described above, the cleaning unit 3 generates vibrations when a propeller or a pump is operated. This vibration propagates to the water softening means 2. At this time, if the specific gravity of the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger are different from each other, the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger may be separated due to the difference in specific gravity. That is, one of the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger having a higher specific gravity moves downward, and the other moves upward. As a result, the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger are vertically separated. In the present embodiment, “the specific gravity is different” means that the weight per unit volume is different between the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger in the water-containing state, and the specific gravity of the both has a difference of 1% or more. It can be determined that the specific gravity is different.

When separation of the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger occurs, hydrogen ions (H ⁺ ) for eluting calcium ions and magnesium ions adsorbed on the cation exchanger are less likely to be generated during electric regeneration. As a result, the efficiency of electrical regeneration tends to decrease.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger are configured as follows to suppress this phenomenon.

<Description of ion exchanger group>
In the present embodiment, a cation exchanger and an anion exchanger having a specific gravity different from each other form an integrated structure of an ion exchanger having a granular shape, and a plurality of ion exchangers constituting the aggregate are a plurality of ion exchangers. Hard water is softened using a group of ion exchangers having a shape.
Here, the “structure in which the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger are integrated” refers to a state in which the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger have a contact point and are difficult to separate. The “ion exchanger” refers to each of the structures having a structure in which a cation exchanger and an anion exchanger are integrated. The “ion exchanger group” means a group constituted by a large number of these ion exchangers gathered one by one.

FIGS. 3A to 3F are conceptual diagrams illustrating an example of an ion exchanger having a structure in which a cation exchanger and an anion exchanger are integrated.
Among these, FIG. 3A shows a case where the rectangular parallelepiped cation exchanger C and the rectangular parallelepiped anion exchanger A have a flat joint surface Z as a contact and are integrated.

  FIG. 3B shows a case where the hemispherical cation exchanger C and the hemispherical anion exchanger A have a planar joining surface Z as a contact point and are integrated.

  Further, FIG. 3C shows a case where the cone-shaped cation exchanger C and the cone-shaped anion exchanger A are integrated with a flat junction surface Z as a contact.

  Further, FIG. 3 (d) shows that the chamfered rectangular parallelepiped cation exchanger C and the chamfered rectangular parallelepiped anion exchanger A are integrated with a flat joint surface Z as a contact point. Shows the case.

  Moreover, FIG.3 (e) has shown the case where the joining surface Z of the cation exchanger C and the anion exchanger A is changed with respect to the case of Fig.3 (a).

  Furthermore, FIG.3 (f) has shown the case where the joining surface Z of the cation exchanger C and the anion exchanger A is changed into the curved surface with respect to the case of Fig.3 (a).

  Thus, the shape of the cation exchanger C and the anion exchanger A constituting the ion exchanger is not limited to a spherical shape, a rectangular parallelepiped shape, a cone shape (conical shape, quadrangular pyramid shape, etc.), and cation exchange is not limited. The body C and the anion exchanger A do not have to have the same shape. Furthermore, the contact point between the cation exchanger C and the anion exchanger A is preferably planar from the viewpoint of the strength of bonding between them, and in this case, it may be planar or curved.

  In addition, the “granular shape” is a surface in which the sum of the areas of the two joint surfaces Z that are the contact points of the cation exchanger C and the anion exchanger A is exposed to the outside in the structure illustrated in FIG. In other words, it is smaller than the sum of the areas. According to this, it can be said that the “granular shape” is a form excluding a film form, a sheet form, and a film form.

  Further, “the ion exchanger constituting the aggregate takes a plurality of shapes” means that the ion exchanger has at least two types of shapes.

  In the example of FIG. 3, one cation exchanger and one anion exchanger are joined and integrated, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  4A to 4C are conceptual diagrams showing other examples of an ion exchanger having a structure in which a cation exchanger and an anion exchanger are integrated.

  In FIG. 4 (a), one rectangular parallelepiped anion exchanger A is sandwiched by two rectangular parallelepiped cation exchangers C, and they are integrated with planar joining surfaces Z1 and Z2 as contacts. Shows the case.

  FIG. 4B shows that one anion exchanger A having a shape of a part of a sphere is sandwiched by two hemispherical cation exchangers C, and have planar joining surfaces Z1 and Z2 as contact points. The case where it unites is shown.

  Further, FIG. 4 (c) shows a case where one cone-shaped cation exchanger C and two cone-shaped anion exchangers A have contact surfaces Z1 and Z2 on a plane as a contact and are integrated. ing.

  The shapes of the cation exchanger C and the anion exchanger A constituting the ion exchanger are not limited as in the case of FIG. 3, and the cation exchanger C and the anion exchanger A are the same. It does not have to be a shape. Further, the contact point between the cation exchanger C and the anion exchanger A is preferably a planar shape such as a planar shape or a curved surface shape as in the case of FIG.

  The cation exchanger C and the anion exchanger A preferably have a mixing ratio in the range of 1: 1 to 10: 1 as an ion exchange capacity. By mixing both exchangers within this range, good electric regeneration can be achieved.

  As described above, the cation exchanger C and the anion exchanger A are integrated as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, so that the cation exchanger and the water softening means 2 are not affected by vibration from the cleaning device 1. Since the anion exchanger moves integrally, the cation exchanger C and the anion exchanger A are difficult to separate. As a result, the efficiency of electrical regeneration is unlikely to decrease.

  Further, the ion exchanger of the present embodiment has a granular shape. Therefore, the surface area per unit weight is larger than the case where the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger are integrated as a film, a sheet, or a film. For this reason, high-speed ion exchange is possible during adsorption of cations and anions by cation exchangers and anion exchangers or during electrical regeneration, and electrical conductivity is easily improved during electrical regeneration, further improving the efficiency of electrical regeneration. It becomes easy to do.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the anion exchanger A has a structure in which the cation exchanger C is sandwiched, so that the area of the joint surface is doubled. Since the efficiency at the time of electric regeneration increases as the size of the joint surface increases, according to the embodiment of FIG. 4, the efficiency of electric regeneration becomes easier to improve.

<Description of production method of ion exchanger group>
Next, the manufacturing method of an ion exchanger is demonstrated.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing the ion exchanger group.
First, cation exchangers and anion exchangers having different specific gravities are subdivided (step 101). As the subdivision, for example, a method of pulverization can be adopted, but the method is not limited to this, and cutting may be performed with a cutter or the like.

  Next, the fragmented cation exchanger and anion exchanger are mixed in separate resin solutions (step 102). In the present embodiment, for example, an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer polymer can be used as the resin, and dimethylacetamide can be used as a solvent for dissolving the resin. Then, both are mixed to obtain a resin solution.

  Then, the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger are solidified by evaporating the solvent in the resin solution, respectively (step 103). In the present embodiment, the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger are each formed into a film by solidifying.

  Next, the solidified cation exchanger and anion exchanger are joined (step 104). In the present embodiment, the respective cation exchangers and anion exchangers that are formed into a film are superposed and bonded by, for example, pressure bonding or thermocompression bonding. In order to manufacture the ion exchanger illustrated in FIG. 3, a film-like cation exchanger and an anion exchanger may be joined one by one. In order to manufacture the ion exchanger illustrated in FIG. 4, the anion exchanger formed in a film shape may be sandwiched between two cation exchangers formed in a film shape and joined.

  Further, the joined cation exchanger and anion exchanger are subdivided (step 105). As the subdivision, a method by crushing or cutting with a cutter or the like can be employed as in step 101.

  Through the steps as described above, the ion exchanger group of the present embodiment can be manufactured.

<Description of operation of water softening means>
Next, the operation of the water softening means 2 will be described.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the water softening means 2.
Hereinafter, the operation of the water softening means 2 (method for producing soft water) will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 6.

  First, an ion exchanger group is introduced into the space K inside the outer shell portion 21 (step 201).

  Next, hard water is introduced from the inlet 21a of the outer shell portion 21, and the hard water is passed through the ion exchanger group (step 202). Thereby, the hard water is softened, and the generated soft water is discharged from the discharge port 21b.

  Next, it is determined whether or not to end the processing (step 203). And when a process is complete | finished (it is Yes at step 203), a process is complete | finished by stopping water flow of hard water.

  On the other hand, when the process is not terminated (No in step 203), it is determined whether or not the ion exchanger needs to be regenerated periodically (step 204). This can be determined, for example, by measuring the concentration of calcium ions or magnesium ions contained in the soft water discharged from the discharge port 21b or by measuring the electrical conductivity.

  If it is not necessary to regenerate the ion exchanger (No in step 204), the process returns to step 202 again.

  On the other hand, when it is necessary to regenerate the ion exchanger (Yes in Step 204), the introduction of hard water into the outer shell portion 21 is stopped (Step 205).

  Then, by applying a DC voltage to the electrode part 24, a voltage is applied to the ion exchanger, and the ion exchanger is regenerated (step 206). At this time, the water in the outer shell portion 21 is discharged from a drain or the like (not shown) and discarded. It is preferable to clean the ion exchanger.

  After regeneration of the ion exchanger, the process returns to step 202 and the operation of the water softening means 2 is resumed.

In addition, although the water softening means 2 explained in full detail above was incorporated in the washing | cleaning apparatus 1, you may install in the exterior of the washing | cleaning apparatus 1. FIG.
In addition, the combination of the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger in the ion exchanger described in detail above is not limited to those illustrated in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, but two or more cation exchangers and two or more anion exchanges. The body may be joined.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although this invention is demonstrated in detail using an Example, this invention is not limited by these Examples, unless the summary is exceeded.

(Example 1)
[Production of ion exchanger group]
As a cation exchanger, IRC76 manufactured by Dow Chemical Company, which is a weakly acidic cation exchange resin, was prepared and pulverized so as to have a size of about 150 μm to 250 μm. The pulverized weakly acidic cation exchange resin was mixed with the ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer polymer as a resin so that the weight ratio was 3: 1. Next, this mixture was dissolved in dimethylacetamide as a solvent so as to have a solid content concentration of 10 wt% to prepare a resin solution. The resin solution was spread on a glass plate and then dried to form a film having a thickness of 200 μm. Hereinafter, this is referred to as film C.

  As an anion exchanger, IRA 98 manufactured by Dow Chemical Company, which is a weakly basic anion exchange resin, was prepared and pulverized to a size of about 150 μm to 250 μm. The pulverized weakly basic anion exchange resin was mixed with the ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer polymer as a resin so that the weight ratio was 3: 1. Next, this mixture was dissolved in dimethylacetamide as a solvent so as to have a solid content concentration of 10 wt% to prepare a resin solution. The resin solution was spread on a glass plate and then dried to form a film having a thickness of 200 μm. Hereinafter, this is referred to as film A.

  After superimposing film A and film C, they were bonded by thermocompression bonding at 80 ° C. to obtain an ion exchanger sheet having a thickness of 300 μm. This is a sheet AC. In addition, two sheets C were overlapped on one sheet A and joined together by thermocompression bonding at 80 ° C. to obtain an ion exchanger sheet having a thickness of 450 μm. This is a sheet CAC.

The obtained sheet AC and sheet CAC were chopped with a cutter so that each side had a square shape of about 1 mm to 2 mm. These are respectively referred to as an ion exchanger group AC and an ion exchanger group CAC. Assume that the ion exchangers of the ion exchanger group AC and the ion exchanger group CAC are rectangular parallelepipeds having dimensions of 1.5 mm × 1.5 mm × 0.3 mm and 1.5 mm × 1.5 mm × 0.45 mm. Then, these surface area becomes 6.3 mm ^2, and 7.2 mm ^2, respectively.

[Water softening test by ion exchanger group]
The ion exchanger group AC and the ion exchanger group CAC were separately put into the water softening means 2 shown in FIG. 2, and 251 ppm of standard hard water was passed through at room temperature. When the hardness of the water discharged from the discharge port 21b was measured, it was 87 ppm and 32 ppm, respectively, in the case of the ion exchanger group AC and the ion exchanger group CAC, and the hardness removal rates were 65.5% and 87 respectively. 3%. FIG. 7 shows the result. Therefore, it was judged that water softening was performed satisfactorily.

[Regeneration test of ion exchanger]
The ion exchanger group AC and the ion exchanger group CAC are separately put into the water softening means 2 shown in FIG. 2, and a voltage is applied between the anode 24a and the cathode 24b while flowing standard hard water of 250 ppm. Then, a current of 0.5 A was passed. When the hardness of the water discharged from the discharge port 21b was measured, the initial hardness was 300 ppm to 400 ppm. In the case of the ion exchanger group AC, about 30 minutes later, in the case of the ion exchanger group CAC, After about 20 minutes, the hardness was almost constant at 250 ppm. Therefore, it was determined that elution of calcium ions and magnesium ions, which are the hardness components adsorbed at this time, was completed.

[Ion exchanger adsorption rate test]
4 g of ion exchanger group AC was put into 200 mL of 250 ppm standard hard water. And when the hardness after 10 minutes was measured, it was 87 ppm. Therefore, it was judged that this resulted in good adsorption.

[Ion exchanger group separation test]
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the vibration experiment apparatus 50 used in the present embodiment.
The illustrated vibration experiment apparatus 50 simulates the structure of the water softening means 2 shown in FIG. That is, a 100 mL vial 51 was used as the one corresponding to the outer shell 21, and the vial 51 was filled with the ion exchanger group AC and the ion exchanger group CAC.
Then, ion exchange water W was added, and the vial 51 was sealed with a vial lid 56.

Next, the vibration experimental apparatus 50 was vibrated for 3 minutes by an automatic lab mixer HM-10H which is a shaker manufactured by AS ONE Corporation.
Then, the vibration experimental apparatus 50 was left still for 30 minutes, and the separation state of the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger was visually observed. As a result, the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger were not separated, and there was no change from the state before applying the vibration shown in FIG.

(Comparative Example 1)
[Ion exchanger adsorption rate test]
The sheet AC of Example 1 was used without chopping. In this state, the sheet AC has a sheet shape with a side of about 12 cm and a weight of about 4 g.
It was poured separately into 200 mL of 250 ppm standard hard water. When the hardness after 10 minutes was measured, it was 195 ppm and the hardness removal rate was 22.0%. FIG. 7 shows the result. From this result, it can be seen that the adsorption of the hardness component is slower when the sheet shape is used instead of the granular shape as compared with Example 1.

(Comparative Example 2)
[Separation test of cation exchanger and anion exchanger]
The cation exchanger and anion exchanger used in Example 1 were pulverized so as to have a size of about 150 μm to 250 μm, and mixed so as to have a weight ratio of 1: 1. That is, the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger are not integrated and are in a disjoint state. Then, this was filled in the vibration experimental apparatus 50 shown in FIG. 8, ion-exchanged water W was added, and the vial 51 was sealed with the vial lid 56.
And like Example 1, after adding vibration and leaving still, the separation state of a cation exchanger and an anion exchanger was observed visually. As a result, the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger were separated vertically. In this case, the cation exchanger having a higher specific gravity moved to the lower portion of the vial 51 and the anion exchanger having a lower specific gravity moved to the upper portion, resulting in a two-layer structure.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Cleaning apparatus, 2 ... Water softening means, 3 ... Cleaning means, 21 ... Outer shell part, 24 ... Electrode part, C ... Cation exchanger, A ... Anion exchanger, Z ... Joining surface

Claims (8)

A group of ion exchangers used to pass hard water into soft water,
A cation exchanger and an anion exchanger having a specific gravity different from each other are integrated into a granular shape and an aggregate of ion exchangers, and the ion exchanger constituting the aggregate has a plurality of shapes. An ion exchanger group characterized by the following.   The ion exchanger group according to claim 1, wherein the structure is a structure in which the anion exchanger is sandwiched between the cation exchangers.   The ion exchanger group according to claim 1, wherein the cation exchanger is a weakly acidic cation exchanger.   The ion according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a mixing ratio of the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger is within a range of 1: 1 to 10: 1 as an ion exchange capacity. Exchanger group. A method for producing an ion exchanger group used for passing hard water into soft water,
Subdividing a cation exchanger and an anion exchanger having different specific gravities from each other;
Mixing the fragmented cation exchanger and anion exchanger in a resin solution,
Solidifying the cation exchanger and the anion exchanger by evaporating the solvent in the resin solution, respectively;
Joining the solidified cation exchanger and the anion exchanger;
Subdividing the joined cation exchanger and anion exchanger;
A process for producing an ion exchanger group, comprising: A soft water production method for producing soft water by passing hard water through an ion exchanger group,
Introducing the ion exchanger group into the space of the outer portion having a space filled with the ion exchanger group inside;
Passing the hard water through the ion exchanger group;
Including
In the step of introducing the ion exchanger group, a cation exchanger and an anion exchanger having a specific gravity different from each other form an integrated structure of an ion exchanger having a granular shape and constitute the aggregate. A method for producing soft water, characterized in that an ion exchanger group in which the ion exchanger takes a plurality of shapes is introduced.   The method for producing soft water according to claim 6, further comprising a step of applying a voltage to the ion exchanger to regenerate the ion exchanger. Water softening means for treating and softening hard water;
Washing the object to be cleaned using the soft water, and cleaning means for vibrating the water softening means when cleaning the object to be cleaned,
With
The water softening means is an aggregate of ion exchangers having a structure in which a cation exchanger and an anion exchanger having different specific gravities are integrated and having a granular shape, and the ion exchanger constituting the aggregate is A cleaning apparatus characterized by passing hard water into soft ionized water through an ion exchanger group having a plurality of shapes.

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