JP4661000B2 - Regenerative deodorizing filter - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a regenerative deodorizing filter over, particularly, for example, that the air contaminated with odorous gas, air which is particularly contaminated with water-soluble odor gas deodorization, reproduces the deodorized odorous gases by washing with water Accordingly, it relates to a regenerative deodorizing filter over to allow re-used over a long period of time.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, contamination of indoor air has become a problem as heat insulation and airtightness of living spaces progress in order to enhance the cooling and heating effect. Examples of indoor air pollution sources include odorous gases such as tobacco odor, harmful gases such as formaldehyde, and airborne microorganisms such as mold and bacteria. As a means to remove odorous gas, it is common to deodorize while circulating indoor polluted air using an air purifier, and activated carbon method, ozone deodorization method, photocatalyst method are used as practical deodorization methods. Etc.
[0003]
For example, since a deodorizing filter made of activated carbon is installed in an air passage, it can quickly adsorb odors in an air stream and has a high deodorizing effect. However, when the odor gas molecules are adsorbed on the pore surfaces of the activated carbon and the entire pore surfaces are covered with these molecules, the deodorizing effect is lost and the lifetime is reached. The activated carbon method is excellent in deodorizing performance, but it is not preferable from the standpoint of economic efficiency and global environmental conservation because it is disposable.
[0004]
Ozone is generated from an ozone generator installed in the air passage and deodorized by oxidative decomposition of odors in the air stream, and active molecules are generated by irradiating ultraviolet rays to the particulate titanium oxide to generate active molecules. In the photocatalyst method in which deodorization is caused by causing a chemical reaction with the odor, the chemical reaction rate is slower than the adsorption rate, so the deodorizing effect is not fast.
[0005]
In order to use such a deodorizing filter for a long period of time, means for desorbing adsorbed odor molecules with an electric heater and regenerating them is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-63-127759, JP-A-2-78418, No. 3/233237 and JP-A-9-187624. A means for regenerating the adsorbed odor molecules by photolysis with a photocatalyst is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-227469.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the conventional method of regenerating the deodorizing filter as described above with an electric heater, the adsorbed odor molecules can be desorbed and regenerated with an electric heater, so a deodorizing filter with a high deodorizing effect is used for a long period of time. Has the advantage of being able to. However, in the conventional method of regenerating this deodorizing filter with an electric heater, it is necessary to install a duct pipe for releasing the odor removed from the deodorizing filter to the outside, or fire countermeasures are taken because an electric heater is used. There was a problem in that it was necessary or cost increased.
[0007]
Further, in the conventional system in which the adsorbed odor molecules are photodegraded with a photocatalyst and regenerated, this also has the advantage that a deodorizing filter having a high deodorizing effect can be used over a long period of time. However, the conventional method of photodegrading and regenerating with this photocatalyst requires the use of an expensive and short-lived UV lamp, and since the deodorizing material is porous, it is difficult to irradiate the entire surface with UV light. The problem was that it was difficult to reproduce.
[0008]
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, immediate deodorizing effect is high, yet provides a safe and can be re-used for a long period of time an inexpensive regenerative deodorizing filter over For the purpose.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As a result of intensive studies, the present inventor has focused on the fact that a water film condensed on the surface of the hygroscopic material exists even when the high performance hygroscopic material is at room temperature and low humidity. The water-soluble odor gas, which is the main component, is dissolved and removed when it comes into contact with the water film, and the water-soluble odor gas dissolved by washing the hygroscopic material with water is washed away with the water film and can be regenerated.
[0010]
A unique odor gas `` Ammonia '' that instantly dissolves in moisture even in a minute amount, water-soluble `` acetaldehyde '' and `` acetic acid '' which are the main components of cigarette odor and residual cooking odor, in a honeycomb shape When the molded hygroscopic material is passed, it is dissolved and removed with high efficiency. And when the hygroscopic material was washed with water, it discovered that the said water-soluble odor gas which melt | dissolved was wash | cleaned and can reproduce | regenerate, and came to complete this invention.
[0011]
Regenerative deodorizing filter to regenerate by washing with water according to the invention, hygroscopic material crushed is affixed to the surface, in which the surface of condensable water film of hygroscopic material is formed.
[0012]
In the regenerative deodorizing filter, the hygroscopic material is made of hygroscopic ceramics.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(Example)
Typical examples of indoor air pollution by odorous gas include cigarette odor, toilet odor, pet odor, rot odor, residual cooking odor, etc., but such odor is a composite of several component gases, The component gas which comprises it changes with kinds of odor gas.
[0014]
The main components of tobacco odor are acetaldehyde, ammonia and acetic acid, and the main components of toilet odor, pet odor and rot odor are hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan and ammonia. The main components of the residual cooking odor are lower aldehydes and lower fatty acids. Among the above component gases, acetaldehyde, ammonia, acetic acid, lower aldehyde, and lower fatty acid are water-soluble odor gases, and it can be seen that most of the main components of tobacco odor and residual cooking odor are water-soluble odor gases.
[0015]
Hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan are not water-soluble odor gases. In the water-soluble odor gas, it is known that ammonia dissolves instantaneously when moisture is present, and even a trace amount of moisture dissolves ammonia that is 3000 times or more of water in volume by volume. Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, which are lower aldehydes, are also water-soluble and dissolve if water is present. In addition, formic acid and acetic acid, which are lower fatty acids, are also water-soluble and dissolve if water is present.
[0016]
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the principle of a regenerative deodorizing filter according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a hygroscopic material, and 2 is a water film formed of moisture condensed on the surface of the hygroscopic material 1. 3 shows water-soluble odor gas in the air, and shows how the water-soluble odor gas 3 is dissolved in the water film 2 formed on the surface of the hygroscopic material 1.
[0017]
The hygroscopic material 1 shown in this figure is preferably formed of hygroscopic ceramics or hygroscopic fibers, which are hygroscopic porous materials, so as to increase the surface area in order to dissolve many water-soluble odorous gases 3. Examples of the hygroscopic ceramics include materials based on silica gel or zeolite, and these materials are preferably used in terms of high moisture absorption.
[0018]
Examples of zeolite include porous aluminum and calcium silicate. In a regenerative deodorizing filter, if the hygroscopic material 1 is made of hygroscopic ceramics, it is excellent in water resistance, can remove and regenerate odor gas components dissolved by washing with water, and extend the life. This is preferable.
[0019]
As the hygroscopic fibers, hygroscopic organic polymer fibers such as cellulose fibers and nylon fibers are used. In the regenerative type deodorizing filter, it is preferable that the hygroscopic material 1 is composed of hygroscopic fibers, because the hygroscopic material 1 is hygroscopic fibers, so that it becomes a flexible deodorizing filter and can be easily processed. . The regenerative deodorizing filter shown in FIG. 1 is configured to have a hygroscopic material 1 and a condensed water film 2 formed on the surface of the hygroscopic material 1.
[0020]
For this reason, deodorizing can be performed by passing contaminated air mainly composed of water-soluble odor gas through a deodorization filter and dissolving the water-soluble odor gas 3 in the water film 2 condensed on the surface of the hygroscopic material 1. it can. Moreover, since the deodorized filter can be regenerated by washing the dissolved water-soluble odor gas 3 together with the water film 2, the deodorized filter can be reused over a long period of time. It can also be advantageous from the standpoint of environmental conservation.
[0021]
Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of the regenerative deodorizing filter according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 2, 4 is a hygroscopic material formed in a lattice shape. As this hygroscopic material 4, for example, hygroscopic ceramics are used. Examples of the hygroscopic ceramics include silica gel and zeolite suitable for high moisture absorption.
[0022]
In the present embodiment, silica gel is used as the hygroscopic material 4, and a honeycomb structure as shown in FIG. 2 is obtained through a normal ceramic manufacturing process. Specifically, a regenerative deodorizing filter for a honeycomb structure was obtained by forming a raw material in a lattice shape using cordierite as a binder and firing it in a firing furnace. Although the regenerative deodorizing filter can be used as it is in FIG. 2, it can be reinforced by incorporating it into the filter frame.
[0023]
In the present embodiment, since the hygroscopic material 4 is composed of hygroscopic ceramics, it is excellent in water resistance, can remove and regenerate odor gas components dissolved by washing with water, and can prolong the service life. it can. In addition, since the hygroscopic material 4 is formed in a honeycomb shape, the air passage can have a low pressure loss, and the deodorizing effect can be made extremely fast.
[0024]
Note that the regenerative deodorizing filter only needs to be strong against impact and washable with water, and therefore, it is not necessary to manufacture all of the filters with the above-described materials. For example, even if the surface of the filter is coated with a hygroscopic material, it can be adsorbed by moisture adhering to the surface, and even if a finely crushed hygroscopic material is attached to the surface, the surface area is large. Since it increases, the characteristic close | similar to a porous material is acquired.
[0025]
Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the structure of a regenerative deodorizing filter according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In FIG. 3, 5 is a hygroscopic material formed into a flat plate shape, and 6 is a hygroscopic material formed into a corrugated plate shape. For example, hygroscopic ceramics are used as the hygroscopic materials 5 and 6. Examples of the hygroscopic ceramics include silica gel and zeolite suitable for high moisture absorption.
[0026]
Although the case where silica gel is used as the hygroscopic material 4 has been described in the first embodiment, zeolite is used as the hygroscopic materials 5 and 6 in the present embodiment. Next, the mixed aqueous solution of zeolite and pulp was subjected to wet paper making to produce a zeolite mixed paper.
[0027]
Next, by corrugating this zeolite mixed paper, the hygroscopic material 5 formed into a flat plate and the hygroscopic material 6 formed into a corrugated plate are alternately laminated in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. Such a honeycomb structure was obtained. And a regenerative deodorizing filter was obtained by incorporating this into a filter frame.
[0028]
In the present embodiment, since the hygroscopic materials 5 and 6 are made of hygroscopic ceramics, they are excellent in water resistance, can remove and regenerate odor gas components dissolved by washing with water, and extend the life. be able to. In addition, since the hygroscopic materials 5 and 6 are formed in a honeycomb shape, the air passage can have a low pressure loss, and the deodorizing effect can be made extremely fast.
[0029]
Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the structure of a regenerative deodorizing filter according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In FIG. 4, 7 is a hygroscopic fiber, and 8 is a filter frame for housing the hygroscopic fiber 7. As the hygroscopic material, hygroscopic fibers 7 are used. Examples of the hygroscopic fibers 7 include hygroscopic organic polymer fibers such as cellulose fibers and nylon fibers.
[0030]
These cellulose fibers and nylon fibers used as the hygroscopic fibers 7 are passed through a nonwoven fabric production machine to produce a breathable nonwoven fabric. Then, a regenerative deodorizing filter as shown in FIG. 4 is obtained by sandwiching the hygroscopic fibers 7 of the nonwoven fabric in a filter frame 8 having a thickness of about 5 to 50 mm.
[0031]
According to this regenerative deodorizing filter, water vapor in the air is adsorbed / condensed on the surface to form a water film so that water-soluble odorous gas can be quickly dissolved / removed. In addition, since the regenerated deodorizing filter made of nonwoven fabric can be easily washed away by washing the adsorbed water-soluble odor gas with water, it can be used repeatedly, and since it is a nonwoven fabric, it can be easily processed according to the shape of the filter.
[0032]
In the present embodiment, since the hygroscopic material is composed of the hygroscopic fibers 7, since the hygroscopic material is the hygroscopic fibers 7, a flexible deodorizing filter can be obtained and processing can be facilitated.
[0033]
Here, the results of evaluating the pressure loss of the filter and the removal efficiency of the water-soluble odor gas using the regenerative deodorizing filter produced in the first to third embodiments will be described. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the measurement results of the pressure loss of the regenerative deodorizing filters of Embodiments 1 to 3 at a wind speed of 0.2 to 1.0 m / s, because the pressure loss of the filter depends on the wind speed.
[0034]
As can be seen from FIG. 5, the higher the wind speed, the greater the pressure loss of the filters in the first to third embodiments. For the same wind speed, the pressure loss increases in the order of Embodiment 1 <Embodiment 2 <Embodiment 3. Conversely, in the order of Embodiment 3> Embodiment 2> Embodiment 1. It is getting smaller.
[0035]
Pressure loss, Ruhodo preferably a small, but may be zero. On the other hand, if the pressure loss becomes too large, a powerful fan must be used correspondingly, which is not preferable for commercialization. From the result of FIG. 5, the pressure loss with respect to the wind speed can be reduced in the order of Embodiment 3> Embodiment 2> Embodiment 1.
[0036]
The honeycomb structure filter in the first embodiment can minimize the pressure loss with respect to the wind speed, and the honeycomb structure in the second embodiment can reduce the pressure loss next. The thing using the hygroscopic fiber of Embodiment 3 was inferior in terms of pressure loss as compared with Embodiments 1 and 2. In addition, from the result of FIG. 5, Embodiments 1-3 confirmed that all have the pressure loss of the range which can be used as a deodorizing filter.
[0037]
With regard to the deodorizing performance, the rate at which the odor gas is removed when the air containing the odor gas passes through the deodorization filter once can be expressed by “temporary removal efficiency”. Here, transient removal efficiency was measured for typical ammonia, acetaldehyde and acetic acid as water-soluble odor gases. FIG. 6 shows the measurement result of the transient removal efficiency of the regenerative deodorizing filters of Embodiments 1 to 3 at wind speeds of 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 m / s because the transient removal efficiency depends on the wind speed. FIG.
[0038]
From the measurement result of FIG. 6, Embodiments 1-3 confirmed that all have high transient removal efficiency. As can be seen from the results of FIG. 6, the ratio of removal of odor gas in any of the three types of odor gas and any wind speed is in the relationship of Embodiment 1> Embodiment 2> Embodiment 3. there were. From this, the odor gas removal efficiency is the best in the filter according to the first embodiment, the filter according to the second embodiment, and then the filter according to the third embodiment.
[0039]
In order to dissolve more odor gas, it is only necessary to have a structure capable of forming a larger amount of water film on the surface of the hygroscopic material. Therefore, a structure having a larger surface area of the hygroscopic material is preferable. The result of the odor gas removal efficiency in FIG. 6 is a result depending on the relationship of the surface area of the hygroscopic material.
[0040]
Next, a life test for ammonia, acetaldehyde, and acetic acid was performed using the regenerative deodorizing filters of Embodiments 1 to 3 above, and when the initial transient removal efficiency was reduced to 60%, regeneration by washing with water Treated. Acetaldehyde and acetic acid could be completely regenerated by immersing in tap water for 1 hour.
[0041]
However, ammonia was not completely regenerated unless immersed for 8 hours or more. Therefore, in order to regenerate ammonia in a short time, it was devised to use a weakly acidic aqueous solution, and when using tap water to which 1 to 5% of citric acid marketed as a food additive was added, it took 1 hour. It was confirmed that it was completely regenerated.
[0042]
The main components of the cigarette odor are acetaldehyde, ammonia and acetic acid. As a result of using it as a regenerative deodorizing filter exclusively for cigarette odor, it was confirmed that the cigarette odor was deodorized with high efficiency and had a lifetime of 2 to 6 months. Moreover, it was able to be completely regenerated by immersing in a weakly acidic aqueous solution for 1 hour at the end of its lifetime.
[0043]
The main components of the residual cooking odor are lower aldehyde and lower fatty acid, both of which are water-soluble odor gases. Therefore, as a result of using it as a regenerative deodorizing filter dedicated to the residual cooking odor, it was confirmed that the residual cooking odor was deodorized with relatively high efficiency and had a lifetime of 1 to 3 months. Moreover, it was able to be completely regenerated by immersing it in tap water for 1 hour at the end of its life.
[0044]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, by constituting a regenerative deodorizing filter that is regenerated by washing so that a crushed hygroscopic material is attached to the surface and a condensed water film is formed on the surface of the wet material, Deodorization can be performed by passing contaminated air containing odor gas as a main component through a deodorization filter and dissolving the water-soluble odor gas in a water film condensed on the surface of the hygroscopic material. In addition, the deodorized filter can be regenerated by washing the dissolved water-soluble odor gas together with the water film, so that the deodorized filter can be reused for a long period of time. From this standpoint, it can be advantageous.
[0045]
In the regenerative deodorizing filter, the hygroscopic material is composed of hygroscopic ceramics, so that the hygroscopic material is hygroscopic ceramics, so it has excellent water resistance and removes odorous gas components dissolved in water washing. It can be regenerated and the life can be extended.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the principle of a regenerative deodorizing filter according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a structure of a regenerative deodorizing filter according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the structure of a regenerative deodorizing filter according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the structure of a regenerative deodorizing filter according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing measurement results of pressure loss of regenerative deodorizing filters of Embodiments 1 to 3 at a wind speed of 0.2 to 1.0 m / s.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing measurement results of transient removal efficiency of regenerative deodorizing filters of Embodiments 1 to 3 at wind speeds of 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 m / s.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 hygroscopic material, 2 water film, 3 water-soluble odor gas, 4 hygroscopic material formed in a lattice shape, 5 hygroscopic material formed in a flat plate shape, 6 hygroscopic material formed in a corrugated plate shape, 7 Hygroscopic fiber, 8 filter frame.

Claims (2)

A regenerative deodorizing filter regenerated by washing with water,
Crushed hygroscopic material is stuck on the surface,
Regenerative deodorizing filter characterized in that water film condensed are formed on the surface of the hygroscopic material.   The regenerative deodorizing filter according to claim 1, wherein the hygroscopic material is a hygroscopic ceramic.

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