JP2022033491A - Air cleaner and air cleaning method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an air cleaner and an air cleaning method that can rapidly and universally remove fungus and virus by efficient irradiation.SOLUTION: An air cleaner 1 is mainly composed of a blower 2, a pipe 3, an activated carbon storage tank 4, and a microwave irradiation machine 5, and performs air intake downward from the blower 2 to the tank 4 through the pipe 3, and adsorbs fine particles in air from above to an activated carbon AC contained in the tank 4, and irradiates microwave from a microwave irradiation unit 5 toward the inside of the tank 4. As a result, since the activated carbon AC is heated and the fine particles absorbed by this are baked, when the fungus or virus is absorbed thereto, these are simultaneously removed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an air purifying device and an air purifying method for removing fungi and viruses by irradiating activated carbon on which fine particles in the air are adsorbed with microwaves.

Currently, the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is widespread all over the world and poses a great threat. It is feared that infectious diseases caused by new pathogens for which such treatment methods have not been established will continue to occur with the progress of globalization in recent years.

In order to converge this threat, it is hoped that vaccines will be developed as soon as possible. However, not only is it time-consuming to develop a vaccine, but vaccines are manufactured targeting specific types, and the virus is susceptible to mutation, as is the case with various mutant strains of the new coronavirus. Vaccines developed may not always produce the desired effect.

Here, ultraviolet irradiation is widely known as a sterilizing means. However, since ultraviolet rays are harmful to the skin, the irradiation direction is restricted so as not to hit humans. In addition, ultraviolet rays have a narrow irradiation range, and it takes a considerable amount of time to actually inactivate the virus.

Therefore, a quicker and more universal coping method is desired. In this regard, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 propose that the activated carbon is regenerated by discharging a pulse current to the activated carbon. Then, for example, Patent Document 3 proposes to apply this to sterilize activated carbon adsorbed with ozone by discharging a pulse current.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 51-12146 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 51-221497 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-87393

By the way, since the pulse current flows instantaneously, it is difficult to control the magnitude of the current, and the irradiation area tends to be large. In addition, a device for stirring the activated carbon is required to uniformly irradiate the activated carbon, which is troublesome to set. There is a concern that it will take.

Further, Patent Document 3 which has the above-mentioned disclosure regarding sterilization merely describes that sterilization by a pulse current can be performed as a secondary effect in the process of removing contaminants such as dust, and particularly removes a virus. Is not disclosed at all.

Therefore, considering the removal of the virus, it is preferable that the irradiation is an efficient means capable of pinpoint control.

An object of the present invention is to provide an air purifying device and an air purifying method capable of rapidly and universally removing fungi and viruses by efficient irradiation.

<1> A blower, a tank that is sucked downward by the blower, and also contains activated carbon so that the activated carbon adsorbs fine particles that may contain bacteria and viruses in the air by the intake from the blower, and the above. The air purifier is provided with an irradiator that irradiates the activated carbon in the tank with microwaves to remove bacteria and viruses that may be contained in the fine particles adsorbed on the activated carbon.

<2> The air purifier according to <1>, wherein the tank is at least partially made of a glass plate or pottery.

<3> The air purifier according to <1> or <2>, which is accompanied by sparks when the activated carbon is irradiated with microwaves by the irradiator.

<4> The air purifier according to any one of <1> to <3>, which is used in an inpatient facility, a long-term care facility, or a place where ventilation is difficult and people are crowded and droplets easily adhere to it. ..

<5> After sucking downward into the tank containing the activated carbon to adsorb the activated carbon with fine particles that can contain bacteria and viruses in the air, the activated carbon is irradiated with microwaves to contain the fungi and the like. It is an air cleaning method characterized by removing a virus.

In the present invention, the term "fine particles" does not mean to distinguish by a specific size, but means dust having a particle size of about 20 μm or less, which is difficult to see, and includes droplets and droplets. It shall include the nucleus.

Further, in the present invention, the term "fungus" includes not only bacteria and fungi, but also, strictly speaking, microorganisms having a size that cannot be visually recognized even if they are not contained in any of these.

Further, in the present invention, "removal" of fungi and viruses generally means sterilization for fungi and inactivation for viruses, but the point is that there is no concern about human infection. It will be enough if it becomes.

In the air purifying device and the air purifying method of the present invention, the activated carbon is irradiated with microwaves to remove bacteria and viruses that may be contained in the fine particles adsorbed on the activated carbon, so that the irradiation can be controlled pinpointly. Therefore, efficient irradiation makes it possible to remove fungi and viruses quickly and universally.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the air purifier of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a photograph showing an example of the air purifier of the present invention. 3 (a) to 3 (c) are photographs of sparks generated during microwave irradiation of activated carbon.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, the air purifying device of the present invention will be described, and the air purifying method of the present invention will also be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the air purifier of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the air purifier 1 of the present invention mainly includes a blower 2, a pipe 3, an activated carbon accommodating tank (hereinafter, simply referred to as “tank”) 4, and a microwave irradiator 5. , And a mounting base 6.

In the mounting table 6, the tank 4 and the microwave irradiator 5 are mounted on the upper stage, and the blower 2 is mounted on the lower stage, respectively, and the blower 2 and the tank 4 are connected by a pipe 3. Although not visible in the figure, in the tank 4, the pipe 3 is connected to the lower side of the side surface. Further, the blower 2 is adapted to obtain a driving force by a power source (not shown). The air purifier 1 may be provided with a cover or an operation panel, if necessary.

With this configuration, when the blower 2 is driven, the tank 4 is sucked downward through the pipe 3, and the fine particles in the air from above are adsorbed on the activated carbon AC housed in the tank 4. The air sucked by the blower 2 is exhausted from an exhaust port (not shown).

Next, when the microwave is irradiated from the microwave irradiator 5 toward the inside of the tank 4, it is immediately absorbed by the activated carbon AC and heated to about 1200 to 1600 ° C., and the fine particles adsorbed on the microwave are burned. And if there is a virus attached, they will be removed at the same time. That is, when a microwave arrives between the activated carbons, the activated carbon located on one side of the reached microwaves is irradiated with the microwaves and the fine particles adsorbed are burnt and detached to the activated carbon located on the other side. Be adsorbed.

Then, if the blower 2 is continuously driven, air is sucked during that time and the fine particles continue to be adsorbed on the activated carbon AC. Therefore, by irradiating the activated carbon AC with microwaves from the microwave irradiator 5, the fine particles are sequentially processed. To.

For each element constituting the air purifier 1, a commercially available product having the corresponding function may be appropriately selected according to the size of the facility in which the device is used, but the pipe 3 may be adjusted in position with the tank 4. It is preferable to use a flexible pipe such as a bellows pipe for ease of use.

Further, the tank 4 is preferably made of a metal plate or a glass plate in consideration of being irradiated with microwaves, and if a glass plate or pottery is used for at least a part of the tank 4, the efficiency of irradiating the activated carbon AC with microwaves is high. Therefore, it is more preferable.

When the tank 4 uses a metal plate, if the microwave from the microwave irradiator 5 is irradiated from the side surface, a dot-shaped hole is formed in the irradiated portion so that the microwave hits the activated carbon AC. It is necessary to form a void.

Further, when the entire tank 4 is made of a glass plate or pottery, for example, when the tank 4 is placed on a rotary table and rotated while the apparatus is operating, the microwave irradiation to the activated carbon AC becomes more uniform. It will be easier.

Furthermore, when it is formed of pottery, it costs less than glass and exhibits microwave transparency comparable to that of glass, so it is particularly suitable for small-scale applications such as home use. ..

The irradiation direction of the microwave from the microwave irradiator 5 may be from above the tank 4. In this case, there is an advantage that the microwave irradiation direction is along the air flow direction and easily hits the activated carbon AC. At this time, if the tank 4 is covered with a lid and at least a glass plate or pottery is used for the lid, microwaves pass through the glass plate and selectively irradiate the activated carbon AC, so that the fungi in the fine particles are efficiently irradiated. And it becomes easier to remove the virus. The glass plate and the pottery may be used alone or in combination.

The frequency of the microwave emitted from the microwave irradiator 5 is an ISM frequency that can normally be used without taking measures against radio wave leakage because the irradiation target is heated. Considering the cost of the oscillation tube, it is 2450 MHz. It is preferably a band.

Microwave irradiation by the microwave irradiator 5 may be temporary, continuous, or irregular, but the size of the device or facility used, for example, every 10 minutes. If it is performed at regular intervals according to the purpose of the pod, the fine particles adsorbed on the activated carbon can be reliably treated.

Further, the irradiation time of each microwave wave is not particularly limited, but as described above, it is immediately absorbed by the activated carbon AC and heated at a high temperature, whereby the desired effect of removing fungi and viruses is achieved. In consideration of safety and cost, it is preferably less than 1 second.

As described above, in the present invention, since the activated carbon is irradiated with microwaves, pinpoint irradiation by waves becomes possible. Further, as described above, the microwave is instantly absorbed by the activated carbon and heated, so that the fine particles adsorbed on the activated carbon can be treated extremely quickly. Furthermore, when the activated carbon is exposed to microwaves, it may be accompanied by sparks, for example, as shown in FIGS. 3 (a) to 3 (c), due to instantaneous heating. Fine particles can be processed. Furthermore, the present invention removes fungi and viruses that may cause infectious diseases by physical treatment by irradiation with microwaves, so that these can be universally used without considering the specificity of each pathogen. Can be removed.

Since the present invention can efficiently, quickly and universally remove fungi and viruses by microwave irradiation in this way, it can be suitably used, for example, in a facility where an infected person due to a new type of coronavirus can occur. can. In other words, places where many people with illness stay and there is concern about the spread of infection, such as hospitals and nursing facilities, restaurants with entertainment such as cabaret clubs and host clubs, taverns, live houses, etc. It is a place called "three dense spaces", such as a small theater in Japan, where it is difficult to ventilate and people are crowded, and it is easy for splashes to occur. By using the present invention in these places, the new coronavirus that is likely to be contained in droplets or droplet nuclei is removed, and it is expected that users will be assured of peace of mind without worrying about the infectious disease. Will be done.

Further, as an air purifying method, for example, if the activated carbon contained in the filter of the septic tank is irradiated with microwaves from a microwave oven, the present invention can be suitably performed in small-scale applications such as household use. ..

[Example]
As shown in FIG. 2, the air purifier 1A of the present invention was actually prototyped. In this air purifier 1A, a pressure suction type machine was used as the blower 2. Further, as the tank 4, a container made of a metal plate and having dot-shaped voids 7 formed on the side surface on the microwave irradiation side from the microwave irradiator 5 was used. Then, a lid 8 having a glass plate partially was prepared in the tank 4. Further, as the microwave irradiator 5, the oscillator portion of the used microwave oven was utilized. As the pipe 3, a bellows type pipe was used.

In this air purifier 1A, the blower 2 was driven to start the downward intake to the tank 4, and then the micro-irradiator 5 irradiated the activated carbon inside from the side surface of the tank 4 with microwaves. As a result, the activated carbon is instantly heated, and the activated carbon is in contact with each other while often emitting sparks as shown in FIGS. 3 (a) to 3 (c), and the fine particles adhering to the activated carbon are efficiently and quickly treated. I saw. Further, when the upper surface of the tank 4 was covered with a lid 8 and similarly irradiated with microwaves from above, sparks as shown in FIGS. 3 (a) to 3 (c) were generated more frequently, which was more efficient. It can be seen that the fine particles have been treated.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the air purifying device and the air purifying method of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and include all technical ideas assumed within the scope of the embodiment. good.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be widely used for removing fungi and viruses in places where the spread of infectious diseases is likely to occur in a facility.

1,1A Air purifier 2 Blower 3 Pipe 4 Activated carbon storage tank (tank)
5 Microwave irradiator (irradiator)
6 Mounting base 7 Void 8 Lid AC activated carbon

Claims (5)

With a blower,
A tank that is sucked downward by this blower and contains activated carbon so that the activated carbon adsorbs fine particles that can contain fungi and viruses in the air by the intake from the blower.
An air purifier comprising an irradiator that irradiates the activated carbon in the tank with microwaves to remove fungi and viruses that may be contained in the fine particles adsorbed on the activated carbon. The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein the tank is at least partially made of a glass plate or pottery. The air purifier according to claim 1 or 2, which is accompanied by sparks when the activated carbon is irradiated with microwaves by the irradiator. The air purifier according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is used in an inpatient facility, a long-term care facility, or a place where ventilation is difficult and people are crowded and droplets are likely to adhere. After sucking downward into the tank containing the activated carbon to adsorb the activated carbon with fine particles that can contain fungi and viruses in the air, the activated carbon is irradiated with microwaves to remove the fungi and viruses that can be contained in the fine particles. An air cleaning method characterized by doing.

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