JP4064969B2 - Indoor mounting type developing waste liquid processing apparatus and indoor type developing waste liquid processing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for treating a waste solution of a developer used for photographic development.

The development waste liquid is a waste liquid discharged from each step of the photographic development processing. The developing waste liquid contains, for example, components such as gelatin and photosensitive dye eluted from the photosensitive material during processing, reaction products generated during processing, and constituent chemicals that are included in the processing liquid formulation and are not consumed.
Accordingly, the developing waste liquid mainly comprises a developing agent and its oxidation product, an alkali compound and a buffer, a preservative selected from sulfites and hydroxylamine derivatives, an alkali halide and the like. Therefore, in the development waste liquid, silicate, carbonate, phosphate, borate, tetraborate, hydroxybenzoate, color developing agent, sulfite, hydroxylamine salt, carbonate, hard water softener, Alkylene glycols, benzyl alcohols, alkyl phosphonic acids, aryl phosphonic acids, fatty acid carboxylic acids, aromatic carboxylic acids, EDTA complex salts of iron (III), 1,3-diamino-propane tetracomplex acid complex salts, alkali bromides, odors It contains a wide variety of chemical components such as ammonium chloride, sodium salt, ammonium salt, and acetate. This makes it difficult to find effective waste liquid treatment means.

At present, an incineration process is generally performed as a method for processing a developing waste liquid. That is, this is a method in which a developer waste developer collects developer waste, transports it to an incineration facility, and performs incineration at the incineration facility.
In order to perform incineration without discharging environmental harmful substances into the air environment and water environment, the incineration temperature needs to be extremely high. Since a small or medium-sized incineration facility is difficult to incinerate by continuous operation at a high temperature, a large-scale incineration facility must be used to incinerate the development waste liquid. Therefore, the processing cost is very high, and it is necessary to install a scientific desalination process in order to avoid clogging of pipes and exhaustion of the incinerator due to high melting point inorganic salts such as iron oxide generated during incineration. Therefore, there is a problem that processing steps and processing operations become extremely complicated.

Other methods include those using the activated sludge method. According to this method, a developer waste solution diluted 10 to 50 times is treated with a biochemical oxygen demand (hereinafter referred to as BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (hereinafter referred to as COD) in a processing period of 15 to 50 days. ) Can be decomposed and removed by about 50 to 80%.
However, this method takes a long processing time and is difficult to apply to actual developing waste liquid processing.

  In addition to the above biological treatment, chemical treatment can also be mentioned. Examples of the chemical treatment include an ozone oxidation method, a hydrogen peroxide-ferrous salt method (Fenton method), a persulfuric acid oxidation method, a halogen acid oxidation method, and an electrolytic oxidation method. The ozone oxidation method is effective for decomposing and removing the inorganic COD component and decomposing the benzene ring of the aromatic compound as the developing agent, but has almost no effect of removing the organic BOD component. Generally, the removal rate of COD by the chemical treatment as described above is about 50%.

  Examples of methods other than the biological treatment and the chemical treatment include physical treatment. Examples of the physical treatment include high pressure heating methods, spray incineration methods, and evaporation drying methods. In such physical processing, corrosion of the reaction apparatus due to halide ions in the development waste liquid becomes a problem. In addition, there is a problem in the processing of heat exchanger size, residue, exhaust gas, etc. for heat recovery.

In the developing waste liquid, in addition to the problem of reducing COD and BOD, there is also a problem of removing ammonia nitrogen components.
Patent Document 1 discloses a method of removing an ammoniacal nitrogen component by stripping treatment. This method is a method for heating and evaporating the developing waste liquid, capturing the ammonia nitrogen component from the vapor phase, and removing the ammonia nitrogen component. According to this method, COD and BOD can be reduced and ammonia nitrogen components can be removed.
However, in such a method, a gas containing a large amount of chemical substances is generated as a result of heating and evaporating the developing waste liquid. Therefore, it is necessary to attach a large-scale protection facility in order to ensure the safety of workers engaged in the processing of developing waste liquid from this gas.

As a method for processing the developing waste liquid without heating, a method disclosed in Patent Document 2 has been proposed. In the method disclosed in Patent Document 2, a coagulant and an anionic polyacrylamide compound are sequentially added to coagulate and precipitate specific components in the developing waste liquid, and the precipitate is filtered.
According to this method, since it is not necessary to heat-treat the developing waste liquid, a large incidental facility is not required, but it is necessary to pump the precipitate out of the settling tank during processing. There was a problem that the developing waste liquid contaminated the room.

JP 2005-21743 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-136663

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional circumstances, and can reliably reduce COD, BOD, and ammonia nitrogen components, and does not require a large-scale incidental facility, and the development waste liquid in the room. It is an object of the present invention to provide an indoor mounting type developing waste liquid processing apparatus and a indoor type developing waste liquid processing method that are not contaminated by the above.

The invention according to claim 1 is a supply port for supplying a developing waste liquid after development processing, a stirring tank for containing the developing waste liquid supplied from the supply port and stirring inside, and agglomeration / medium in the stirring tank A charging device for charging a summing agent, a first pump connected to the bottom of the agitation tank, a filtering device connected to the downstream side of the first pump and filtering the waste developer sent from the first pump ; A perimeter that comprises a second pump connected to the agitation tank , at least the agitation tank and the filtration device are housed in one housing, and measures the light transmittance of the developer wastewater downstream of the second pump. An indoor-mounted developer waste liquid treatment apparatus that is disposed and that controls the opening and closing of a drain valve provided in the drain port in accordance with the value of permeability measured by the permeometer .
The invention according to claim 2 is composed of a plurality of filters in which the filtration devices are arranged in parallel, and the flow path of the development waste liquid sent from the first pump selectively selects one of the plurality of filters. The indoor mounting type developing waste liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1, which is connectable.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a switching valve is disposed on the downstream side of the second pump, and a downstream line of the second pump has a line toward the permeation meter and an activated carbon storage chamber for storing activated carbon. The switching valve on the downstream side of the second pump is capable of switching the flow of the developing waste liquid to the pipe line to the permeation meter and the pipe line to the activated carbon storage chamber containing activated carbon. The indoor-mounted developing waste liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1 .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the indoor mounted developing waste liquid processing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the aggregating / neutralizing agent precipitates at least a silicate and a dye component in the developing waste liquid.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the aggregating / neutralizing agent is selected from the group consisting of citric acid, polyaluminum chloride, a copolymer of polyacrylate and polyacrylamide, and a mixture thereof. 5. The indoor mounting type developing waste liquid processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the apparatus is selected.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the agitation tank includes a pH sensor that measures the pH of the development waste liquid in the agitation tank, and the aggregation / neutralization is performed according to the pH value of the development waste liquid measured by the pH sensor. 2. The indoor-mounted developer waste liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the amount of the agent charged is controlled.
The invention according to claim 7 further includes a timer, and during the time set in the timer, the developer waste liquid is circulated around the stirring tank by the second pump, and after the time set in the timer elapses, 2. The indoor-mounted developer waste liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the developer waste liquid is sent to the filtration device by one pump.

The invention according to claim 8 further includes a timer that operates after the transmission meter detects a predetermined value of transmittance, and the developer waste liquid sent from the second pump during the time set in the timer. 4. The indoor-mounted developer waste liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the apparatus passes through the activated carbon storage chamber.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the agitation tank includes a liquid level meter for measuring a liquid level of the developing waste liquid in the agitation tank, and an electromagnetic valve provided at the supply port has a value of the liquid level gauge. 2. The indoor-mounted developer waste liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is opened and closed accordingly.
The invention according to claim 10 further includes an electromagnetic valve provided at the supply port, the electromagnetic valve is connected to a water supply source, and the development waste liquid after processing discharged from the discharge port is supplied to the water supply source. The indoor-mounted developing waste liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is supplied.

The invention according to claim 11 is a supply step of supplying the development waste liquid after the development process to a stirring tank disposed in one casing, and aggregating / neutralizing agent is introduced into the stirring tank, A precipitation step for precipitating at least a silicate and a pigment component, and a filtration for supplying the developer waste solution from the stirring tank to a filtration device disposed in the casing and filtering the developer waste solution sent to the filtration device And a discharge step for discharging the development waste liquid filtered in the filtration step, and the discharge step is started in accordance with the light transmittance value of the development waste liquid after the precipitation step. This is an indoor type developing waste liquid processing method.
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the step of filtering the developer waste liquid component detects the clogging of one filter, and the flow path of the developer waste liquid to another filter according to the detected filter clogging. The indoor developing waste liquid treatment method according to claim 11, further comprising a step of switching between.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the filtration step stops according to the value of the permeability, and the flow path from the stirring tank to the filtration device is circulated from the bottom of the stirring tank to the top of the stirring tank. 12. The indoor developing waste liquid processing method according to claim 11, wherein the processing is switched to a circuit.
The invention according to claim 14 is the indoor developing waste liquid treatment method according to claim 13 , characterized in that activated carbon is disposed in the circulation circuit.
The invention according to claim 15 is characterized in that the aggregating / neutralizing agent is selected from the group consisting of citric acid, polyaluminum chloride, a copolymer of polyacrylate and polyacrylamide, and a mixture thereof. The indoor developing waste liquid treatment method according to claim 11 .
The invention of claim 16, wherein, the adding step is provided with a step of measuring the pH value of the stirred vessel, in response to the pH value, according to claim 11, wherein said adding step, characterized in that the stop This is an indoor developing waste liquid treatment method.
A seventeenth aspect of the invention is the indoor type developing waste liquid processing method according to the thirteenth aspect, wherein the development waste liquid is circulated in the circulation circuit for a predetermined time after the charging step.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the precipitate is collected by the filtration device, the precipitate in the developing waste liquid can be easily collected from the filtration device. Therefore, it is not necessary to pump out the precipitate from the stirring tank when collecting the precipitate, and it becomes possible to perform the developing waste liquid treatment without contaminating the room with the developing waste liquid. Furthermore, since at least the agitation tank and the filtration device are disposed in one housing, a compact developer waste treatment apparatus can be constructed. In addition, it is possible to confirm the removal status of the dye component by measuring the transmittance, and it is possible to reliably discharge the development waste liquid from which the dye component has been removed.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, when one filter is clogged, another filter can be used, and the one filter can be cleaned while the other filter is being used. Continuous operation is possible regardless of clogging.

According to invention of Claim 3 and 8 , phenols can be removed with activated carbon and it becomes possible to further improve the quality of the developing waste liquid discharged | emitted from a discharge port.
According to invention of Claim 4 and 5, it becomes possible to precipitate a silicate and a pigment | dye component efficiently.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the pH of the discharged developer waste liquid can be adjusted.
According to the seventh aspect of the invention, since the developing waste liquid is supplied to the filtration device in a state where the reaction between the aggregating / neutralizing agent and the developing waste liquid is sufficiently advanced in the stirring tank, efficient developing waste liquid treatment can be performed. Can be done.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, cavitation of the first pump and the second pump can be prevented.
According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reuse the development waste water after processing.

According to the eleventh aspect of the invention, since the precipitate is recovered by the filtration device, the precipitate in the developing waste liquid can be easily recovered from the filtration device. Therefore, it is not necessary to pump out the precipitate from the stirring tank when collecting the precipitate, and it becomes possible to perform the developing waste liquid treatment without contaminating the room with the developing waste liquid. Furthermore, since at least the agitation tank and the filtration device are disposed in one housing, a compact developer waste treatment apparatus can be constructed. In addition, since the discharge process is started according to the transmittance, it is possible to automatically perform the development waste liquid treatment.
According to the invention of claim 12 , when one filter is clogged, it becomes possible to use another filter, and it becomes possible to perform the cleaning operation of the one filter while using the other filter. Continuous operation is possible regardless of clogging.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the development waste liquid after the completion of processing is prevented from flowing to the filtration device capturing the precipitate. Therefore, it is possible to perform an efficient development waste liquid treatment.
According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the phenols can be removed by activated carbon, and the quality of the discharged developer wastewater can be further enhanced.
According to the invention described in claim 15 , the silicate and the pigment component can be efficiently precipitated.
According to the invention of the sixteenth aspect , it is possible to adjust the pH of the discharged developing waste liquid.
According to the invention described in claim 17 , since the developing waste liquid is supplied to the filtration device in a state where the reaction between the aggregating / neutralizing agent and the developing waste liquid is sufficiently advanced in the agitation tank, an efficient developing waste liquid treatment is performed. Can be done.

Hereinafter, an indoor-mounted developer waste liquid treatment apparatus and a indoor developer waste liquid treatment method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic system diagram of a developing waste liquid processing apparatus according to the present invention.
The development waste liquid discharged from each development processing step of the development processor (P) is temporarily stored in the development waste liquid storage tank (T). Developer waste liquid is silicate, carbonate, phosphate, borate, tetraborate, hydroxybenzoate, color developing agent, sulfite, hydroxylamine salt, carbonate, hard water softener, alkylene glycols Benzyl alcohols, alkyl phosphonic acids, aryl phosphonic acids, fatty acid carboxylic acids, aromatic carboxylic acids, EDTA complex salts of iron (III), 1,3-diamino-propane tetracomplex acid complex salts, alkali bromides, ammonium bromides, It contains a wide variety of chemical components such as sodium salt, ammonium salt, acetate salt. A general developing waste liquid contains a large amount of potassium silicate.

The development waste liquid treatment device (1) includes a supply port (2) to which the development waste liquid is supplied, a stirring tank (3) connected to the supply port (2), and a filtration device (4) connected to the stirring tank (3). ), And a discharge port (5) for discharging the development waste liquid after processing from the stirring tank (3) to the outside.
The developing waste liquid stored in the storage tank (T) is sent to the stirring tank (3) through the supply port (2). An electromagnetic valve (21) is arranged in the middle of the flow path leading from the supply port (2) to the stirring tank (3). The electromagnetic valve (21) is connected to a water supply source (W) for supplying water in addition to a flow path connected to the storage tank (T). The opening / closing operation of the electromagnetic valve (21) is operated according to the chemical substance concentration of the developing waste liquid, and the chemical substance concentration of the developing waste liquid in the stirring tank (3) can be adjusted as appropriate.
The developing waste solution supplied into the stirring tank (3) is stirred in the stirring tank (3).

A liquid level gauge (31) is disposed in the stirring tank (3). The developer waste liquid is supplied from the supply port (2) until it is detected by the liquid level meter (31) that the developer waste liquid of a predetermined liquid level has been supplied into the stirring tank (3). The liquid level is preferably set to such a level that does not cause cavitation of a pump disposed in the development waste liquid processing path described later.
Above the agitation tank (3), an aggregating / neutralizing agent charging device (6) for supplying the aggregating / neutralizing agent is disposed. The aggregating / neutralizing agent charging device (6) inputs the aggregating / neutralizing agent into the stirring tank (3). The aggregating / neutralizing agent reduces the pH of the developing waste liquid. By adding the aggregating / neutralizing agent, potassium silicate which is the main component of the developing waste liquid becomes a silicate, and is agglomerated by the aggregating reaction of the aggregating / neutralizing agent and precipitates at the bottom of the stirring tank (3).
The stirring tank (3) is provided with a pH sensor (32). Aggregation from the aggregation / neutralization charging device (6) until it is detected by the pH sensor (32) that the pH of the developing waste liquid in the agitation tank (3) reaches a pH level (6-8) that can be discharged.・ Neutralizing agent continues to be introduced.

  In this process, the coagulation / neutralizing agent coagulates and precipitates at least the silicate and the dye component of the development waste liquid. The aggregating / neutralizing agent can be selected from the group consisting of citric acid, polyaluminum chloride, a copolymer of polyacrylate and polyacrylamide, and a mixture thereof. By using an aggregating / neutralizing agent composed of such a material, the silicate and the dye component in the developing waste liquid are efficiently aggregated. The mixing ratio or type of these aggregating / neutralizing agents may be determined as appropriate according to the type of developing waste liquid to be processed.

Since the developing waste liquid is added to the aggregating / neutralizing agent while being stirred in the stirring tank (3), the developing waste liquid is uniformly neutralized in the stirring tank (3).
The bottom of the stirring tank (3) is tapered so as to narrow downward. Therefore, the silicate and the pigment component precipitated by the aggregating action of the aggregating / neutralizing agent are concentrated on the tip of the tapered shape at the lower center of the stirring tank (3).

From the bottom of the agitation tank (3), the development waste liquid is sent to the filtration device (4) by the first pump (7).
The precipitate and the developing waste liquid that have settled at the bottom of the stirring tank (3) are sent toward the filtration device (4) by the first pump (7).
The filtration device (4) includes a plurality of filters (41). The filters (41) are arranged in parallel. Precipitates in the development waste liquid sent from the stirring tank (3), that is, silicates, dye components, and the like are removed by the filter (41). In addition, it is preferable that the mesh size of the filter is 10 μm or more and 50 μm or less. If the filter size is 10 μm or less, clogging frequently occurs and continuous operation becomes difficult, and if it exceeds 50 μm, a sufficient filtering action cannot be exhibited.
A switching valve (42) is disposed between the first pump (7) and the filtration device (4), so that the filter (41) to be used can be selected. Thereby, when the filter (41) currently used among the filters (41) of the filtration device (4) is clogged, another filter (41) can be used. While the other filter (41) is used, the clogged filter (41) can be cleaned, and continuous operation is possible.
The developing waste liquid that has passed through the filtering device (4) is returned to the upper part of the stirring tank (3), and the developing waste liquid returned to the stirring tank (3) is supplied again to the filtering device (4), and further filtered. The

During the circulation filtration process by the first pump (7), the second pump (70) is operated simultaneously. The second pump (70) is connected to a pipe line extending from the bottom of the stirring tank (3). On the downstream side of the second pump (70), a switching valve (43) is arranged. The switching valve (43) is used as a branch point, the pipe branches, and one branch pipe is provided with a permeation meter (8). The other branch pipe is provided with an activated carbon storage chamber (9). Both the pipe extending to the downstream side of the permeation meter (8) and the pipe extending to the downstream side of the activated carbon storage chamber (9) are connected to the upper part of the stirring tank (3).
Switching between the flow of the developing waste liquid to the permeation meter (8) and the flow of the developing waste liquid to the activated carbon storage chamber (9) is appropriately performed by a switching valve (43).

A perimeter (8) disposed downstream of the second pump (70) monitors the amount of light irradiated to the developing waste solution sent from the stirring tank (3) to the perimeter (8).
The transmission meter (8) consists of a transparent line, a semiconductor laser, and a light receiver that receives the laser light. The removal rate of silicate and dye components in the development waste liquid is monitored by the amount of light that passes through the transparent line. To do.
When the transmission meter (8) detects an amount of light received above a predetermined level, the electromagnetic valve (51) provided in the pipe connecting the bottom of the stirring tank (3) and the discharge port (5) opens, and the stirring tank (3) The developing waste liquid is discharged from the discharge port (5). The discharge port (5) is supplied to a tank (not shown) for storing processed developer waste. Therefore, in the development waste liquid treatment apparatus (1) of the present invention, since the precipitate is concentrated on the filtration device (4), it is not necessary to pump the precipitate from the stirring tank (3), and the precipitate can be easily recovered. It becomes possible. Since the collection of the precipitate can be performed only by replacing the filter (41), the chamber is not contaminated with the developing waste liquid when collecting the precipitate.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a development waste liquid treatment process using the development waste liquid treatment apparatus (1).
Electric power is supplied from the power source (S), and the control panel (C) and the developing waste liquid treatment apparatus (1) are started up.
In the supplying step, the development waste liquid is supplied from the storage tank (T) into the stirring tank (3) through the supply port (2). At this time, the electromagnetic valve (21) is operated according to the chemical substance concentration in the developing waste liquid, and the developing waste liquid is appropriately diluted to adjust the chemical substance concentration. When the liquid level gauge (31) detects that the developing waste liquid in the agitation tank (3) has reached a predetermined liquid level, this detection signal is sent to the control panel (C) and the control panel (C). Closes the solenoid valve (21) and stops the supply of the developing waste liquid from the storage tank (T). Then, the control panel (C) rotates the stirring blade in the stirring tank (3), for example, and stirs the developing waste liquid in the stirring tank (3).

After the feeding process, the precipitation process is started.
In the precipitation step, the flocculant / neutralizing agent is charged into the agitation tank (3) from the flocculant / neutralizer input device (6). The pH sensor (32) monitors the pH value of the developing waste liquid in the stirring tank (3). When the pH sensor (32) detects that the pH value of the developing waste liquid in the stirring tank (3) has reached a level (6-8) that can be discharged, the detection signal is sent to the control panel (C). Thereafter, the control panel (C) stops the operation of the aggregating / neutralizing agent charging device (6).
During this time, since the developing waste liquid in the stirring tank (3) is stirred, the agglomeration / neutralizing agent is uniformly mixed without local concentration, so the pH value of the developing waste liquid is uniformly reduced, It is possible to prevent the pH sensor (32) from malfunctioning. In addition, the coagulation / neutralization action by the coagulation / neutralizing agent is uniformly generated in the stirring tank (3).

  A timer incorporated in the control panel (C) may be operated in conjunction with the stop of the operation of the aggregating / neutralizing agent charging device (6). During the operation of the timer, the control pump (C) controls the switching valve (4) so that the second pump (70) is operated and the developing waste liquid sent from the second pump (70) passes through the permeation meter (8). Make it work. In this way, by circulating from the bottom of the stirring tank (3) to the top of the stirring tank (3), the stirring in the axial direction at the top and bottom of the stirring tank (3) can be forced. Thus, the coagulation / neutralizing action of the coagulation / neutralizing agent can be more uniformly produced in the stirring tank (3).

After the timer is stopped, the control panel (C) operates the first pump (7) to start the filtration process.
In the filtration step, it is preferable that any of the filters (41) constituting the filtration device (4) is selectively used. The selection of the filter (41) can be performed by the switching valve (42).
When a flow meter is arranged on the downstream side of each filter (41) (not shown) and the flow rate value measured by the flow meter is less than a predetermined value, the detection signal is controlled from the flow meter. The control panel (C) operates the switching valve (42) so that the developing waste liquid flows into the other filter (41). The filter (41) in which the flow rate is reduced and clogging is detected is replaced or cleaned while the other filter (41) is being used. When the other filter (41) is clogged, the flow path of the developing waste liquid is switched to the side of the filter (41) that has been replaced or cleaned.
In this way, continuous operation is possible.

The development waste liquid supplied from the first pump (7) to the filtration device (4) is returned to the stirring tank (3).
In the circulation of the developer waste liquid in such a filtration step, the permeation meter (8) measures the permeability to the developer waste liquid being circulated. A transparent conduit is disposed between the semiconductor laser and a light receiver that receives the laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser. The developing waste liquid sent out from the second pump (70) passes through the transparent pipe and flows to the filtration device (4).
When the precipitate of the silicate and the pigment component is removed by the filtering device (4), the amount of laser light passing through the developing waste liquid increases. When it is detected that the amount of light received by the light receiver has exceeded a predetermined value, the light receiver sends a detection signal to the control panel (C). Although the discharge process may be performed based on this detection signal, the final filtration process is performed here.

When the detection signal from the light receiver is sent to the control panel (C) to perform the final filtration step, the control panel (C) stops the operation of the first pump (7) and switches the switching valve (43). , And the flow path of the developing waste liquid is a circulation path that flows to the second pump (70), the activated carbon storage chamber (9), and the agitation tank (3).
The development waste liquid sent from the second pump (70) is removed from phenols present in the development waste liquid in the activated carbon storage chamber (9) for storing activated carbon.

With the stop of the timer, the solenoid valve (51) connected to the discharge port (5) is actuated to start the discharge process. Since the discharged developer wastewater is after the filtration step, the silicate, the dye component and the phenols are sufficiently removed.
When the final filtration process is not performed, the electromagnetic valve (51) may be operated by a detection signal from the light receiver.

The test results when the development waste liquid is processed using the development waste liquid treatment apparatus and the development waste liquid treatment method are shown below.
The transmission meter used in this test was equipped with a semiconductor laser that irradiates light having a wavelength of 650 nm, and the filtration process was performed until the transmittance of the developing waste liquid was equivalent to that of purified water. In this test, the time from the supply process to the discharge process is 180 minutes, and the amount of processed developer waste is 0.5 L.

(Table 1)
(ppm)

As shown in Table 1, most of the phenols present before the treatment were removed, and were not detected after the treatment. Moreover, both BOD and COD are reduced. The total amount of nitrogen and phosphorus has also been reduced. The iodine consumption is also reduced to 1/1000 or less.
As shown in Table 1, the processed developing waste liquid does not harm the environment even if it is discharged to the environment as it is.

Note that the processed developing waste liquid can be supplied to a water supply source (W) and used as water for dilution of the developing waste liquid, or can be used for cleaning the filter (41). The waste developer waste discharged and used for cleaning may be returned to the waste developer treatment step again.
In this way, it is possible to use the development waste liquid after processing in a further development waste liquid treatment step.

  A dotted line frame (10) shown in FIG. 1 represents a housing of the development waste liquid treatment apparatus (1). A stirring tank (3), an aggregating / neutralizing agent charging device (6), a filtration device (4), a permeation meter (8), an activated carbon storage chamber (9) and the like are accommodated in the housing. Thus, by accommodating the components constituting the present invention in the housing (10), a compact developer waste treatment apparatus (1) can be constructed. For example, in a small space such as an office, the developer waste liquid Processing steps can be performed.

  The present invention is suitably applied to a developing waste liquid processing apparatus and a developing waste liquid processing method for cleaning a developing waste liquid discharged from a photographic development processing step in a room.

It is the schematic of the image development waste liquid processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. 3 is a flowchart of a developing waste liquid processing method according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Development waste liquid processing apparatus 2 ... Supply port 21 ... Solenoid valve 3 ... Stirring tank 31 ... Liquid level meter 32 ... pH sensor 4 ... Filtration device 41 ... Filter 42 ... Switching Valve 43 ··· Switching valve 5 ··· Ejection port ··· Solenoid valve 6 ··· Coagulation / neutralizing agent feeding device 7 ··· First pump 70 · · · Second pump 8 ··· Permeation meter 9 ···・ Activated carbon storage chamber 10 ・ Case W ・ ・ ・ Water supply source

Claims (17)

A supply port for supplying development waste after development processing;
An agitation tank for containing the developer waste liquid supplied from the supply port and stirring the liquid inside;
A charging device for charging the coagulation / neutralizing agent into the stirring tank;
A first pump connected to the bottom of the stirring tank;
A filtration device connected to the downstream side of the first pump and filtering the waste developer sent from the first pump ;
A second pump connected to the agitation tank,
At least the agitation tank and the filtration device are housed in one housing;
A transmission meter for measuring the light transmittance of the developing waste liquid is disposed downstream of the second pump,
An indoor-mounted developer waste liquid treatment apparatus, wherein opening and closing of a drain valve provided at the drain outlet is controlled according to a value of permeability measured by the permeation meter. The filtration device comprises a plurality of filters arranged in parallel,
2. The indoor-mounted developer waste liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a flow path of the developer waste liquid sent from the first pump can selectively connect any one of the plurality of filters.   A switching valve is disposed downstream of the second pump;
  The downstream pipe line of the second pump branches into a pipe line going to the permeometer and a pipe line going to the activated carbon containing chamber containing activated carbon,
  2. The switching valve on the downstream side of the second pump is capable of switching the flow of the developing waste liquid between a pipe line toward the permeation meter and a pipe line toward an activated carbon storage chamber containing activated carbon. Indoor-mounted developing waste liquid treatment equipment.   2. The indoor mounting type developing waste liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the aggregating / neutralizing agent precipitates at least a silicate and a dye component in the developing waste liquid.   The aggregating / neutralizing agent is selected from the group consisting of citric acid, polyaluminum chloride, a copolymer of polyacrylate and polyacrylamide, and a mixture thereof. The indoor-mounted developer waste liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 4.   The stirring tank includes a pH sensor that measures the pH of the developer waste solution in the stirring tank,
  2. The indoor mounting type developing waste liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the amount of the aggregating / neutralizing agent is controlled according to the pH value of the developing waste liquid measured by the pH sensor.   A timer,
  During the time set in the timer, the developer wastewater is circulated around the stirring tank by the second pump,
  2. The indoor mounted developing waste liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein after the time set in the timer elapses, the developing waste liquid is sent to the filtering device by the first pump.   A timer that operates after the transmission meter detects a predetermined degree of transmission;
  4. The indoor mounted developing waste liquid processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the developing waste liquid sent from the second pump passes through the activated carbon storage chamber for a time set in the timer.   The stirring tank is equipped with a liquid level meter for measuring the liquid level of the developing waste liquid in the stirring tank,
  2. The indoor-mounted developer waste liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an electromagnetic valve provided at the supply port opens and closes according to a value of the liquid level meter.   A solenoid valve provided at the supply port;
  The solenoid valve is connected to a water source;
  2. The indoor mounting type developing waste liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processed developing waste liquid discharged from the discharge port is supplied to the water supply source.   A supply step of supplying the development waste liquid after the development process to a stirring tank disposed in one housing;
  A precipitation step in which an aggregating / neutralizing agent is charged into the agitation tank to precipitate at least a silicate and a dye component in a developing waste solution;
  A filtration step of supplying the developer waste liquid from the stirring tank to a filtration device disposed in the housing, and filtering the developer waste liquid sent to the filtration device;
  It comprises a discharge step for discharging the developer waste solution that has been filtered in the filtration step,
  The indoor developing waste liquid treatment method, wherein the discharging step is started in accordance with a light transmittance value of the developing waste liquid after the precipitation step.   The step of filtering the developer waste liquid component,
  Detecting clogging of one filter,
  12. The indoor developing waste liquid treatment method according to claim 11, further comprising a step of switching the flow path of the developing waste liquid to another filter in accordance with the detected clogging of the filter.   The filtration step is stopped according to the value of the permeability, and the flow path from the stirring tank to the filtration device is switched to a circulation circuit from the bottom of the stirring tank to the top of the stirring tank. The indoor type developing waste liquid treatment method according to claim 11.   14. The indoor developing waste liquid processing method according to claim 13, wherein activated carbon is disposed in the circulation circuit.   12. The indoor development according to claim 11, wherein the aggregating / neutralizing agent is selected from the group consisting of citric acid, polyaluminum chloride, a copolymer of polyacrylate and polyacrylamide, and a mixture thereof. Waste liquid treatment method.   The charging step comprises a step of measuring a pH value in the stirring tank;
  12. The indoor developing waste liquid treatment method according to claim 11, wherein the charging step is stopped according to the pH value.   14. The indoor developing waste liquid treatment method according to claim 13, wherein the developing waste liquid is circulated in the circulation circuit for a predetermined time after the charging step.

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