JP4777809B2 - Microbial carrier manufacturing method, microbial carrier compression mold and microbial carrier manufacturing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a microbial carrier that is used, for example, in a septic tank to treat sewage by microorganisms. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for producing a microbial carrier, a molding die for compressing a microbial carrier, and a production apparatus, in which the compression is released by being introduced into a septic tank.

  Conventionally, as this type of microbial carrier, for example, a soft polyurethane foam formed into a cubic chip shape having a predetermined size is known. However, the soft polyurethane foam is not good in hydrophilicity and has a large number of bubbles, so that the conventional configuration has poor water absorption. For this reason, the conventional microbial carrier floats on the surface of the water to be treated, and it takes time for the microbial carrier to get wet, soak, settle and disperse in the water to be treated, and a predetermined sewage treatment effect is exhibited. It took time until

  Therefore, a microbial carrier in which the surface of the flexible polyurethane foam has been subjected to a treatment for enhancing water absorption or hydrophilicity has been conventionally proposed. However, since the microbial carrier is often formed in a small size in order to increase the contact efficiency with the water to be treated, it is difficult to perform a treatment for increasing the water absorption on the surface, and the processing work is troublesome. It was a thing.

  Further, usually, the septic tank is outdoors, and there are many cases where there is nothing equivalent to a roof or a wall at the inlet. Therefore, the specific gravity of a conventional microbial carrier comprising soft polyurethane foam chips may be small, and even if the microbial carrier is put into a septic tank, it floats on the surface of the water to be treated and is scattered around when strong wind blows. There was a thing. Furthermore, since this conventional microbial carrier is a foam, there is a problem that the whole is bulky when packed, the packing volume becomes large, and a large space is required for transportation and storage.

In order to cope with such a problem, for example, a configuration as disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been proposed. That is, in this conventional configuration, a microbial carrier made of a soft polyurethane foam chip is compressed and stored in a storage bag using a part or all of a water-soluble synthetic resin, and is stored in the storage bag. In this state, the microbial carrier is put into a septic tank or the like.
JP 2004-89803 A

  However, in the conventional configuration described in Patent Document 1, since the soft polyurethane foam constituting the microbial carrier is poor in water absorption and hydrophilicity as described above, a septic tank or the like in a state where the microbial carrier is contained in a water-soluble accommodation bag. However, it took time for the microorganism carrier to float on the surface of the water to be treated as described above and to absorb water sufficiently. Therefore, there is a problem that it takes time to obtain a required sewage treatment effect. In addition, although the microbial carrier is in a compressed state before being put into the septic tank, it is only in a state of being accommodated in a storage bag, so that it is bulky and inconvenient in transportation and storage. When the input port is small, it is difficult to input.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems existing in the prior art. Its purpose is to easily produce a microbial carrier in a compressed state that is excellent in handling during transportation and storage, workability at the time of introduction into a septic tank, etc., and sewage treatment effect at the time of use. An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for producing a microbial carrier.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a mold for compressing a microbial carrier capable of easily forming a carrier assembly having a break-up line that can be used after being broken into an arbitrary size. There is.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an invention relating to a method for producing a microbial carrier includes a permeation step of infiltrating an aqueous binder into a microbial carrier comprising a soft synthetic resin foam, and drying the aqueous binder on the surface of the microbial carrier. A first drying step as a semi-dry carrier, a compression step of compressing the semi-dry carrier so that an undried aqueous binder moves to the surface of the microbial carrier, and an aqueous solution of the compressed microbial carrier And a second drying step of solidifying the compressed state by drying the binder.

  Therefore, according to this production method, a microbial carrier in a compressed state can be easily produced by a simple process of compressing and drying the microbial carrier. In this microbial carrier, since the microbial carrier is in a compressed state, the packing volume can be reduced, and transportation and storage can be conveniently performed without requiring a large space. In addition, since the microbial carrier is solidified in a compressed state, it can be prevented from being scattered even if strong winds are blown into the septic tank or the like, and can be inserted without any trouble even if the inlet of the septic tank is small. Furthermore, when charged into a septic tank or the like, the microorganism carrier has a high specific gravity in a compressed state, and since the water-absorbent resin water binder absorbs water, it can be quickly submerged in the water to be treated. It is possible to exert a high sewage treatment effect by supporting microorganisms.

  Furthermore, in the manufacturing method, in the compression step, a plurality of semi-dried carriers may be integrally compression-molded in a mold to form a plate-like carrier aggregate. In such a case, a plurality of microbial carriers can be made into a single plate-like carrier assembly, and handling during transportation and storage, and operations at the time of charging into a septic tank, etc. are further facilitated. be able to.

  Furthermore, in the above manufacturing method, the carrier aggregate may be compression molded so that a break-off line is formed on at least one side surface of the carrier aggregate. In this case, the carrier assembly can be easily folded into an arbitrary size along the break-off line when it is put into the septic tank or the like, even if the septic tank inlet is small, Easy to insert.

  Furthermore, in the manufacturing method, in the second drying step, it is preferable to supply hot air from one side surface to the carrier aggregate in the mold and to suck air from the other side surface. In such a case, the carrier aggregate in the mold can be efficiently dried in a short time.

  The invention relating to a mold for compressing a microbial carrier includes a line forming part for forming a break-off line on a carrier assembly on the inner surface of the mold used in the method for producing a microbial carrier as described above. It is characterized by providing.

Therefore, the carrier assembly provided with a folding line for folding into an arbitrary size can be easily molded by a molding die having a simple configuration.
Furthermore, the invention relating to the microbial carrier manufacturing apparatus is an apparatus used in the microbial carrier manufacturing method as described above, and can accommodate the molding die for compressing the microbial carrier having a large number of small holes, and the molding die. A drying chamber; and means for supplying warm air to the mold housed in the drying chamber, and for sucking the warm air from the drying chamber, the means comprising warm air sucked from the drying chamber It is characterized by being configured to dehumidify and reuse .

  Therefore, at least the hot air used in the second drying step can be repeatedly reused, and the running cost of the manufacturing apparatus can be reduced.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a microbial carrier in a compressed state having excellent handling properties during transportation and storage, workability when put into a septic tank, etc., and sewage treatment effect during use, etc. can be easily obtained. It can be easily manufactured in the process.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the method for producing a microbial carrier of this embodiment, the microbial carrier 11 (illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 is shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. The carrier 11 is in a compressed state and does not appear as shown in the figure. The permeation step P1 in which an aqueous binder (not shown) is infiltrated, and the aqueous binder on the surface portion of the microorganism carrier 11 is dried to form a semi-dry carrier. 13 and the 1st drying process P2 (refer FIG. 2) which obtains 13 is provided. Further, a compression step P3 (see FIG. 4) for compressing the carrier 13 in a semi-dried state, and drying the aqueous binder in the compressed microbial carrier 11 to solidify the compressed state, and a plate-like carrier as the microbial carrier 11 A second drying step P4 (see FIG. 5) for forming the aggregate 14 is provided. Furthermore, a demolding step P5 (see FIG. 3) for demolding the carrier aggregate 14 and a packing step P6 for packaging the carrier aggregate 14 are provided.

  As the microbial carrier 11, a soft synthetic resin foam having an open cell structure such as a soft polyurethane foam formed into a cubic chip shape having a predetermined dimension (for example, a side length of 3 to 50 mm) is used. Yes.

  As the aqueous binder, a water-absorbing resin such as carboxymethyl cellulose is used. Since this carboxymethyl cellulose is biodegraded, when the carboxymethyl cellulose remains in the cell of the microorganism carrier 11, the carboxymethyl cellulose in which the microorganisms that decompose sewage remain is also decomposed.

  A known kneader can be used for the infiltration step P1. There are defoaming and kneading equipment (non-bubbling kneader), decomposition type kneader and so on. The microbial carrier 11 is put into a kneader mixer, and the aqueous binder is applied onto the surface of the microbial carrier 11 by appropriately dropping the aqueous binder. Thereby, the microbial carrier 11 and the aqueous binder are uniformly dispersed, and the aqueous binder penetrates into the microbial carrier 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the first drying step P <b> 2, the drying chamber 28, a drum 29 made of a mesh body rotatably disposed in the drying chamber 28, and the drum 29 are rotated. A motor 30 is provided, and a hot air fan 31 provided on the side wall of the drying chamber 28 is provided. Then, in a state where the microbial carrier 11 infiltrated with the aqueous binder in the infiltration step P <b> 1 is accommodated in the drum 29, the drum 29 is rotated and the microbial carrier 11 is stirred while rising in the drum 29. In this state, warm air is blown against the microorganism carrier 11 by the warm air fan 31 through the mesh of the drum 29. As a result, the aqueous binder at the surface of the microbial carrier 11 is dried while the aqueous binder at the center of the microbial carrier 11 is maintained in an undried state, and the carrier 13 in a semi-dried state is produced.

  In this case, it is preferable to dry the aqueous binder so that the water content is in the range of 65 to 70% by weight with respect to the microorganism carrier 11. When the water content of the aqueous binder is less than 65% by weight, it becomes difficult to compress and solidify the microorganism carrier 11 in the subsequent compression step P3 using the dry solidification of the aqueous binder, and the water content of the aqueous binder is 70. When it exceeds more than% by weight, the amount of the aqueous binder is too large, and it takes time to dry the microorganism carrier 11 in the second drying step P4. The semi-dried carrier 13 that has been dried in the first drying step P2 is accommodated in a container 25 different from the above, and an amount corresponding to one sheet of the carrier assembly 14 is measured by the measuring instrument 32. Measured to be

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the compression step P <b> 3 is equipped with a forming die 35 for compressing the semi-dried carrier 13 to form a plate-like carrier assembly 14. . The mold 35 includes a square frame-shaped mold frame 36 having an edge frame 36 a at the lower edge, a bottom plate 37 that is detachably installed at the bottom of the mold frame 36, and the mold frame 36 above the bottom plate 37. It is comprised from the cover plate 38 accommodated in the inside so that raising / lowering is possible. The mold 36, the bottom plate 37, and the cover plate 38 of the mold 35 are formed of a punching board in which a large number of small holes 39 are formed in a metal plate such as stainless steel, and the surface has good releasability. A coating such as a fluororesin is applied. On the upper surface of the bottom plate 37 and the lower surface of the lid plate 38 of the mold 35, a line forming portion 40 made of a planar cross-shaped protrusion is formed.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the semi-dried carrier 13 is pressed while a predetermined amount of the semi-dried carrier 13 is filled on the bottom plate 37 placed on the edge frame 36 a of the mold 35. When the cover plate 38 is pressed by the cylinder 41 for use, the carrier 13 in a semi-dry state is compressed. By this compression, the undried aqueous binder in the central portion of the microbial carrier 11 that was the semi-dried carrier 13 oozes out to the outer periphery of the microbial carrier 11 and spreads over the entire microbial carrier 11 in the compressed state. In this case, it is preferable that the microbial carrier 11 is compressed within a range of one half to one ninth of the original volume. Even if the compression of the microbial carrier 11 is made smaller than 1/9 of the original volume, a strong compressive force is required, which is actually difficult, and the compression of the microbial carrier 11 is less than 1/2. In the case of increasing the size, the aqueous binder does not reach the entire microbial carrier 11, and it becomes difficult to compress and solidify the microbial carrier 11 in the second drying step P4 in the subsequent stage using the dry solidification of the aqueous binder.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4, a toggle clamp 42 is attached to the upper end opening edge of the mold 36 of the molding die 35, and the lid plate 38 is clamped and fixed in the pressing position, whereby the microbial carrier 11 is supported by the carrier assembly. The plate-like carrier assembly 14 is integrally molded while being held in the compressed state described above as 14. At the time of molding, a plane cross-shaped break line 14 a made up of concave portions having a V-shaped cross section is formed on both the front and back surfaces of the carrier assembly 14 by the line forming portions 40 provided on the bottom plate 37 and the lid plate 38 of the mold 35. It is formed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 5, and 6, the second drying step P <b> 4 includes a drying chamber 45 that can accommodate a plurality of molds 35 in a compression-molded state of the carrier assembly 14, and the inside of the drying chamber 45. A plurality of hot air supply fans 46 arranged corresponding to the lower surface side of each mold 35 and a plurality of intake fans 47 arranged corresponding to the upper surface side of each mold 35 are provided. Then, hot air is supplied to the carrier assembly 14 from the lower surface side of each mold 35 by each hot air supply fan 46, and intake air is supplied from the upper surface side of each mold 35 by each intake fan 47. As a result, the aqueous binder in the compressed carrier aggregate 14 is dried and solidified, and the carrier aggregate 14 is solidified into a compressed state. In this case, it is preferable to dry the carrier aggregate 14 so that the water content in the carrier aggregate 14 is in the range of 3 to 8% by weight. Note that if the moisture content of the carrier aggregate 14 is less than 3% by weight, drying takes time, and in the state where the moisture content of the carrier aggregate 14 is greater than 8% by weight, the aqueous binder is dried and solidified. Since it is not sufficient, solidification of the carrier aggregate 14 in a compressed state becomes uncertain.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the drying chamber 45 is provided with an exhaust port 48 and an intake port 49, and a hot air circulation passage 50 is connected between the exhaust port 48 and the intake port 49. A pair of parallel dehumidifying filter circuits 51 as dehumidifying means including a dehumidifying filter material such as silica gel are connected to the hot air circulation passage 50 via a switching valve 52 so that they can be switched alternately. The hot air discharged from the drying chamber 45 through the exhaust port 48 is dehumidified by the dehumidifying filter circuit 51 and heated by the heater 53 and then introduced into the drying chamber 45 from the intake port 49. Reused.

  Before and after each filter circuit 51, open valves 54 and 56 and a fan 55 capable of rotating in the forward and reverse directions are connected. Then, by switching the switching valve 52 and the opening valves 54 and 56 and switching the rotation direction of the fan 55, one of the dehumidifying filter circuits 51 is connected to the hot air circulation passage 50, and the hot air is dehumidified. When the other dehumidifying filter circuit 51 is open to the atmosphere via the opening valves 54 and 56 at both ends thereof, the atmosphere is introduced into the dehumidifying filter circuit 51 and released into the atmosphere. A filter material such as silica gel provided in the filter circuit 51 is dried and regenerated.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, in the demolding step P <b> 5, the carrier aggregate 14 dried and solidified in a compressed state is demolded from the mold 35. In this case, since the molding die 35 is configured to be separated into the mold 36, the bottom plate 37 and the lid plate 38, after removing the lid plate 38 from the mold 36, the bottom plate 37 is attached to the inner bottom portion of the mold 36. By separating the edge frame 36 a upward, the carrier assembly 14 can be easily released from the mold 36.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, in the packing step P6, a plurality of carrier assemblies 14 are stacked in a packing bag 57 made of vinyl or the like. In this case, since the microbial carrier 11 is solidified in a compressed state and integrally formed as a plate-like carrier aggregate 14, the whole can be easily packed with a small packing volume without being bulky. Further, in the packed state of the carrier assembly 14, the package can be transported and stored without requiring a large space.

  As described above, according to the method for producing the microbial carrier 11, the carrier assembly as the microbial carrier 11 in the compressed state is obtained by the steps including the infiltration step P1, the first drying step P2, the compression step P3, and the second drying step P4. The body 14 can be manufactured easily and stably.

  Furthermore, when the carrier aggregate 14 is used by being put into a septic tank or the like, since the microbial carrier 11 is solidified in a compressed state via an aqueous binder, the microbial carrier 11 is not scattered around, Therefore, it does not scatter around the septic tank. In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the carrier assembly 14 can be folded along the break-off line 14a at the time of introduction into the septic tank or the like. be able to. When the carrier aggregate 14 is put into the septic tank, the carrier aggregate 14 is solidified in a compressed state by an aqueous binder, so that the specific gravity is large and there are almost no bubbles inside. Accordingly, the carrier aggregate 14 is quickly immersed in the water to be treated in the septic tank, and then the aqueous binder absorbs and dissolves the water to be treated, so that the carrier aggregate 14 is restored as the cubic shaped microorganism carrier 11. The Then, by restoration, the microbial carrier 11 can be separated and separated and dispersed throughout the treated water. In this state, the microbial carrier 11 can carry the microorganism and exert a high sewage treatment effect.

The effects of the embodiment described above are listed as follows.
(1) The microorganism carrier 11 that is convenient for transportation and storage can be easily produced by a process in which an aqueous binder is infiltrated into the microorganism carrier 11 and compressed and dried.

  (2) Since the microbial carrier 11 is in a compressed state before being put into the septic tank, its packing volume can be reduced, and transportation and storage can be conveniently performed without requiring a large space. .

  (3) Since the microbial carrier 11 is solidified in a compressed state, it is possible to prevent the microbial carrier 11 from being scattered to the surroundings even if a strong wind blows upon introduction into the septic tank or the like.

  (4) Similarly, since the microbial carrier 11 is solidified in a compressed state, when the microbial carrier 11 is put into a septic tank or the like, the specific gravity is high, and the aqueous binder of the water absorbent resin absorbs water. The water can be quickly submerged in the water to be treated, and after the submersion, the aqueous binder is dissolved and restored, and the water to be treated is absorbed in the restoration process. Therefore, it is possible to exhibit a high sewage treatment effect by supporting microorganisms in the treated water.

  (5) Since the break-off line 14a is formed on at least one side surface of the carrier aggregate 14, the carrier aggregate 14 can be of any size along the break-off line 14a when the microorganism carrier 11 is put into a septic tank or the like. Even if the septic tank has a small opening, it can be easily fed.

  (6) In the method for manufacturing the carrier assembly 14, only the surface portion is dried in the first drying step. For this reason, in the compression step, the undried aqueous binder spreads over the entire microbial carrier 11, that is, over the entire carrier aggregate 14, and the carrier aggregate 14 with a uniform plate pressure can be obtained. On the other hand, if the aqueous binder is excessively dried in the first drying step, the microorganism carrier 11 does not have its own shape maintaining function, and cannot be made into a carrier assembly 14 having a uniform plate pressure. On the other hand, if the drying is insufficient and there is a lot of undried aqueous binder, not only will the time of the second drying step be prolonged, but also the stain of the aqueous binder accompanying the compression of the microorganism carrier 11 in the mold 35. As a result, the processing, that is, the processing of the exuded aqueous binder takes time.

  (7) In the method for manufacturing the carrier assembly 14, in the second drying step, hot air is supplied from one side surface to the carrier assembly 14 in the mold, and air is sucked from the other side surface. Therefore, the hot air is effectively passed through the carrier assembly 14 and can be efficiently dried in a short time.

(Example of change)
In addition, this embodiment can also be changed and embodied as follows.
-Changing the microbial carrier 11 into various shapes such as a shape other than cubic, for example, a spherical shape, a pentahedron or more polyhedron, and a confetti shape having a plurality of protrusions.

In the infiltration step P1 of the above embodiment, for example, a different infiltration method such as immersing in the aqueous binder in a state where the microorganism carrier 11 is accommodated in the container is used.
In the first drying process P2 and the second drying process P4 of the embodiment, different drying methods such as high-frequency heating are used.

-In the compression process P3 of the said embodiment, the shaping | molding die 35 which consists of synthetic resin boards, such as a metal net | network body and a polypropylene, for example is used.
In the compression step P3 of the embodiment, the line forming portion 40 is provided on either the bottom plate 37 or the lid plate 38 of the mold 35, and the break-off line 14a is provided on either the front or back surface of the carrier assembly 14. To be formed.

Process drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the microorganism carrier of one Embodiment. The perspective view which expands and shows the 1st drying process in the manufacturing method. The disassembled perspective view which expands and shows the shaping | molding die similarly used for a compression process. Similarly sectional drawing which expands and shows a compression process. Sectional drawing which expands and shows the 2nd drying process in the manufacturing method. The principal part perspective view of a 2nd drying process similarly. The perspective view which shows the support | carrier assembly of the manufactured microbial support | carrier. The disassembled perspective view which shows a carrier assembly and a shaping | molding die. The perspective view which shows a package.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Microbe carrier, 13 ... Semi-dry carrier, 14 ... Carrier aggregate, 14a ... Folding line, 17 ... Infiltration conveyor, 18 ... Carrier supply conveyor, 20 ... Binder supply tank, 23 ... Supply pipeline, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 28 ... Drying chamber, 29 ... Drum, 31 ... Warm air fan, 35 ... Mold, 36 ... Formwork, 37 ... Bottom plate, 38 ... Cover plate, 40 ... Line formation part, 41 ... Cylinder for pressing, 45 ... Drying chamber 46 ... Warm air supply fan, 47 ... Intake fan, 50 ... Warm air circulation passage, 51 ... Filter device as dehumidifying means, P1 ... Penetration process, P2 ... First drying process, P3 ... Compression process, P4 ... Second Drying process.

Claims (6)

A permeation step of permeating an aqueous binder into a microbial carrier comprising a soft synthetic resin foam;
A first drying step of drying the aqueous binder on the surface of the microbial carrier to form a semi-dry carrier;
A compression step of compressing the semi-dried carrier;
A method for producing a microbial carrier, comprising: a second drying step of drying the aqueous binder of the microbial carrier in a compressed state to solidify the compressed state. 2. The microorganism carrier according to claim 1, wherein in the compression step, a plurality of semi-dry carriers are integrally compression-molded in a mold to form a plate-like solidified carrier aggregate. Production method. In the second drying step, the carrier aggregate in the mold is placed in the hot air passage, and hot air is supplied from one side of the carrier aggregate to the carrier aggregate, and intake air is sucked from the other side. The method for producing a microbial carrier according to claim 2 , wherein the method is carried out. The method for producing a microbial carrier according to claim 2 or 3 , wherein the carrier aggregate is compression-molded so that a folding line is formed on at least one side surface of the carrier aggregate. The mold for use in the method for producing a microbial carrier according to claim 4, wherein a line forming part for forming a break-off line in the carrier aggregate is provided on the inner surface thereof. Mold. In the apparatus used for the manufacturing method of the microorganism carrier as described in any one of Claims 1-4 ,
A mold for microbial carrier compression in which a large number of small holes are formed;
A drying chamber capable of accommodating the mold,
Supplying hot air to the mold housed in the drying chamber, and means for sucking the hot air from the drying chamber,
The device is configured to dehumidify and reuse the warm air sucked from the drying chamber, and the microorganism carrier manufacturing apparatus.

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