JP3128903B2 - Faucet direct connection type membrane filter unit - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a faucet direct connection type membrane filter unit which is used for filtering and sterilizing tap water or tap water in a hospital or a laboratory.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In hospitals and the like, tap water or tap water is filtered and sterilized for various uses such as bladder washing, hospital humidifier water, and the like, in addition to washing of liquid medicine preparations, hand washing, utensils, and the like. Usually, in tap water or tap water, about tens of bacteria are detected in 100 ml of the tap water or tap water, and foreign substances such as iron rust, garbage, and lint are generally mixed. For various uses in hospitals, it is necessary to remove bacteria and remove particles to make safe water before use.

[0003] Therefore, in hospitals or laboratories with similar needs, special facilities for disinfecting and removing particles from tap water or clean water are provided, or complicated processing such as distillation is performed. Generally. However, the apparatus has problems in terms of space and cost, and there is also a problem that simplicity of tap water and tap water is impaired. It has been desired to develop a technology for disinfecting and removing particles from hospital tap water or clean water that is economical.

On the other hand, the decline in the quality of tap water, which is often seen in urban areas, and the desire for good drinking water accompanying the improvement of living standards have been synergized, and the development of household water purifiers has become extremely popular. Various simple water purifiers are commercially available. Therefore, it is conceivable to use these household water purifiers for disinfecting and removing particles of tap water in the hospital, but it is difficult to adopt them for the following reasons.

That is, the structure of these water purifiers is composed of a combination of activated carbon and follow fibers, so that chlorine in tap water is adsorbed by the activated carbon portion, while dirt, iron rust and the like are removed by the follow fiber portion. ing. As a result, chlorine, which is effective in preventing the growth of bacteria, is removed (it is natural for a household water purifier to take off the smell and taste of chlorine). This is because it becomes prosperous and cannot be used as hospital sanitized water.

[0006]

Therefore, it is a simple and economical filter which can be easily attached to a water tap like a simple home water purifier, and which can be used for each of the above-mentioned hospital applications. The development of a filter unit capable of completely removing bacteria and removing particles is strongly desired in hospitals and the like, and the present invention is to provide a high-performance, simple, faucet direct-connection membrane filter unit that meets this demand. It is an issue.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have studied the use of a high-performance membrane filter (also called a membrane filter) developed earlier by the present applicant. As a result, 0.45 μm or less,
Polyvinyl fluoride having a display pore size of preferably 0.22 μm
The present inventors have found that the problem can be solved by using a filter unit in which a stacked disk having a membrane made of den is mounted in a transparent housing to which a faucet can be attached, and arrived at the present invention.

That is, the present invention provides a display hole diameter of 0.05 to 0.4.
Diameter 50 formed by sealing a 5 μm hydrophilic plastic membrane on the upper and lower surfaces of a plastic support (support) having a plurality of ribs and having a thickness of 1 to 5 mm.
A stacked disc in which one or a plurality of discs of about 80 mm are stacked and fixed in a cylindrical transparent plastic housing provided with a faucet joint, an inlet conduit, and an air vent at an upper portion and an outlet conduit at a lower portion. And a faucet direct connection type membrane filter unit.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail. In the present invention, selection of a filtration membrane (membrane) to be used is extremely important. The membrane used in the present invention has a display pore size of 0.05 to
It is a 0.45 μm hydrophilic plastic membrane, among which a display pore diameter of 0.1 to 0.22 μm and a thickness of 50.
Membrane made of hydrophilic polyvinylidene fluoride of ~ 300 [mu] m is preferred.

In particular, a hydrophilic PVDF membrane (Hydrophilic Durapore (registered trademark)) having a uniform display pore diameter of 0.22 μm and a thickness of about 100 to 150 μm manufactured by Nippon Millipore Co., Ltd. has a 100% sterilization and removal of particles. It is the most preferred membrane because it has many features such as high chemical resistance, heat resistance, and sterility, as well as toughness and low adsorption of proteins and nucleic acids.

All bacteria including Pseudomonas, which are said to be particularly small among bacteria widely existing in nature, can be removed by the membrane filter used in the present invention. Also, particles such as iron rust, dust, lint, and the like having a size larger than the above-described display hole diameter are all removed.

However, chlorine dissolved in water is not removed. Dissolved chlorine has a disinfecting and preserving action of water, and if it is removed, the filtered water stored in the container or tank will be contaminated again by bacteria and will also be contaminated inside the faucet filter. It is preferable not to do so.

Depending on the purpose, it may be better to dissolve biopolymers such as proteins and enzymes as they are, but even in such a case, the hydrophilic PVDF membrane hardly adsorbs them. It has the feature of. Furthermore, since it is hydrophilic, it has the advantage that it is not necessary to treat it with a surfactant or alcohol before use to impart hydrophilicity.

The membrane 8 has a central opening 10 and a plurality of ribs 11 as shown in FIG. 2 and a support made of thin plastic (preferably polysulfone) having a thickness of 1 to 5 mm, preferably 2 to 3 mm. 9. One to a plurality (preferably 2 to 10) of disks having a diameter of 50 to 80 mm, preferably 60 to 65 mm formed by sealing the upper surface and the lower surface of the disk 9 are stacked (this type is called a stacked disk type). Use). Its effective filtration area is preferably between 100 and 300 cm ² .

The flow path of the stacked disk type of the present invention is as shown in FIG. The stacked disk type of the present invention has excellent pressure resistance, and can withstand a considerable amount of filtration per unit time as in the case of hand washing.
In addition to the advantage of being able to withstand the water pressure of tap water (1-5 kg / cm ³ ), the filter does not flutter like a pleated type, so that accurate and reliable filtration can be performed, and the filtration area can be increased. It is characterized by its compact size and little residual liquid.

The stacked disk used in the present invention is housed in a housing made entirely of transparent plastic, preferably polycarbonate. Since the housing is transparent, the filter can be easily contaminated by iron rust, dust, etc., so it is easy to replace it. It is preferable that the joint 3 for the faucet such as water supply provided at the upper part of the housing is a screw-in type or the like which is easily detachable.
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the faucet direct connection type membrane filter unit useful in a hospital or the like of the present invention described above.

In FIG. 1, 1 is the aforementioned desk, 2 is a transparent housing, 3 is a faucet joint,
4 is an inlet conduit, 5 is an air vent (consisting of an opening and a cap provided to release air in the housing before starting use), 6 is an outlet conduit of filtered water, and 7 is a falling trash. This is a bell-shaped guard provided to prevent the falling bacteria and the like from being mixed in and prevent the filtered water from touching the hand and other parts. The bell-shaped guard is preferably made of a transparent plastic, for example, polyethylene because the degree of removal of iron rust and the like can be visually observed.

[0018]

The present invention will be described below with reference to examples. Example 1 A faucet direct connection type membrane filter unit shown in FIG. 1 was produced. That is, a polysulfone support 9 having a diameter of 64 mm and a thickness of 2 mm provided with a large number of concentric supporting ribs 11 having a central opening 10 (the top of the stacked disk is closed) serving as a water channel. 0.22μm pore size on the upper surface and lower surface, effective filtration area 200cm ² ,
A disc filter 1 was manufactured by bonding a hydrophilic polyvinylidene fluoride film 8 having a thickness of 100 to 150 μm.

Four disc filters 1 are stacked to form a stacked type disc filter, and the whole is provided with an inlet conduit 4 having a threaded joint 3 to a water tap and an air vent 5 with a cap on the whole. A faucet direct connection type membrane filter unit of the present invention was manufactured by being housed and fixed in a polycarbonate transparent housing 2 of 760 mm in diameter provided with an outlet conduit 6 and a bell guard 7 made of polyethylene at the lower part.

The filter unit was tested for its ability to capture bacteria according to JIS K3835 using a Pseudomonas deminita, and passed the challenge test (10 ⁷ cells / cm ² ). Further, in the pressure resistance test, it was confirmed that it withstands a water pressure of 5.3 kg / cm ² (25 ° C.), and in the heat resistance test, there was no problem at 123 ° C. for 90 minutes. Therefore, high-pressure steam sterilization (123 ° C.) can be performed. At the time of shipment, ethylene oxide gas (EOG) sterilization is performed.

The filter of the present invention, which has been sterilized by high-pressure steam, is flushed with 200 ml of distilled water for injection.
The test was successful in the SP potassium permanganate reducing substance test. The exothermic substance was measured by the LAL test in IEU /
ml, and the toxicity passed the USP Class VI plastic test.

After the above filter unit of the present invention was attached to a tap of a tap, tap water was flowed to measure residual chlorine, iron rust / foreign matter, and bacteria. Residual chlorine: Published by the Japan Water Works Association, 1985 edition, Clean Water Test Method, measured by the “diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine method” on page 314, 0.3 to 0.5 pp before filtration.
m and remained unchanged at 0.3 to 0.5 ppm after filtration.

Iron rust / foreign matter: When 100 liters of tap water was filtered, a trapped substance of 0.15 mg / liter was found.
Analysis of the content with an X-ray microanalyzer of Horiba, Ltd. revealed that the iron content was 0.105 mg and the silicon content was 0.023 mg.
mg and 0.022 mg. On the other hand, the filtrate is a particle counter (Model KL-) manufactured by Rion Co., Ltd.
01, using a sensor KS-58).

Bacteria: 100 ml of tap water was collected, 1 ml of each was taken out, 5 plates were cultivated, and a general bacterial test was conducted on the 1985 version of the Water Supply Test Method, 605, published by the Japan Water Works Association. Bacteria / ml were detected.

On the other hand, 100 liters of the same tap water was filtered by the above-described filter unit of the present invention, and then 100 ml of the tap water was filtered and subjected to the same general bacterial test as above. Was not done. The above-mentioned filter of the present invention has a weight of 2.5 to 3.5 kg /
After filtering a total of 300 liters (approximately 32 hours) of tap water in the range of cm ² , the color of the membrane seen from the outside of the transparent housing changed to iron rust, and the flow rate was conspicuous, and the flow rate was conspicuous. I replaced it because it was 3 or less.

[0026]

According to the membrane filter unit of the present invention, 100% of bacteria and particles in tap water or tap water can be removed. Since the dissolved chlorine in the tap water or the tap water is not removed, it is possible to prevent the growth of bacteria in the filtered water. It is excellent in pressure resistance and heat resistance, and can be easily sterilized, so it is highly safe. It is compact, easy to replace and other handling, and the replacement guide can be determined at a glance. Since about 300 liters can be filtered with ordinary tap water, sterile purified water can be obtained very economically. It has the effect of dispensing potions, hand washing, cleaning equipment,
Bactericidal and deionized water used for bladder irrigation, hospital humidifier water, etc.
There is an effect that it can be obtained economically.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a faucet direct connection type membrane filter unit of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a membrane disk.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a stacked disk type.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Disc 2 Transparent housing 3 Faucet joint part 4 Inlet conduit 5 Air vent 6 Outlet conduit 7 Bell guard 8 Membrane 9 Support 10 Central opening 11 Rib

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) C02F 1/44 B01D 35/04

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A hydrophilic plastic membrane having a display hole diameter of 0.05 to 0.45 μm and a thickness of 1 having a plurality of ribs.
A stacked disc formed by stacking one or more discs having a diameter of 50 to 80 mm formed by sealing the upper and lower surfaces of a plastic support (support) of about 5 mm, with a faucet joint, an inlet conduit, and air A faucet direct connection type membrane filter unit housed and fixed in a cylindrical transparent plastic housing provided with a vent and an outlet conduit at the bottom. 2. The membrane filter unit according to claim 1, wherein a bell-shaped guard is provided below the cylindrical transparent plastic housing. 3. The faucet direct connection type membrane filter unit according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophilic plastic membrane is a hydrophilic polyvinylidene fluoride membrane having a display pore size of 0.1 to 0.22 μm and a thickness of 50 to 300 mm. 4. The stacked disk has two to six disks.
Faucet type membrane filter unit according to claim 1 wherein the ply effective filtration area 100～300Cm ² of the stacked disks. 5. The membrane filter unit according to claim 1, wherein the support is made of polysulfone and the transparent plastic housing is made of polycarbonate. 6. The membrane is a hydrophilic polyvinylidene fluoride membrane having a display pore size of 0.22 μm, an effective filtration area of 200 cm ² and a thickness of 100 to 150 μm, and a support made of a polysulfone support having a thickness of 2 mm and a diameter of 64 mm. 3. The membrane filter unit according to claim 2, wherein the housing is a cylindrical polycarbonate housing having a diameter of 760 mm, and the bell guard is made of polyethylene.