JP6381360B2 - Water absorption treatment material and method for producing the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a water-absorbing treatment material that absorbs human or animal excrement and other liquids and a method for producing the same.

  Patent Document 1 describes an excrement treatment material which is a kind of water absorption treatment material. In this excrement disposal material, a core layer containing fibers and a skin layer covering the core layer are provided. The skin layer includes a pregelatinized starch and fibers. The document states that as an advantage of the excrement disposal material, it can be safely poured into a flush toilet.

JP 2010-104383 A

  However, in order to dispose of the used water-absorbing treatment material in a flush toilet, the water-absorbing treatment material has sufficient water decomposability (bonded fibers and particles are quickly separated by contact with water and dispersed in water. It is necessary to have a property of Insufficient water disintegration property of the water-absorbing treatment material may cause clogging of the toilet. In this regard, the conventional water-absorbing treatment material has room for improvement in terms of water decomposability.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, and it aims at providing the water absorption processing material excellent in water decomposability, and its manufacturing method.

  The water-absorbing treatment material according to the present invention is a water-absorbing treatment material that absorbs liquid, and includes papermaking sludge (pulp sludge, which is mainly made of okara and pulverized with a water content of 40% by weight or more. .)) As a secondary material.

  In this water-absorbing treatment material, okara is used as the main material of the granulated product. Since Okara is a material with high water decomposability, a water-absorbing material excellent in water decomposability can be obtained. Furthermore, the papermaking sludge, which is a secondary material of the granulated product, is pulverized with a moisture content of 40% by weight or more. The use of the papermaking sludge pulverized in such a high water content state is advantageous for improving the water disintegration property of the water-absorbing treatment material, as will be described later.

  The water-absorbing treatment material manufacturing method according to the present invention includes a pulverization step of pulverizing paper sludge having a water content of 40% by weight or more, and the papermaking pulverized in the pulverization step, using okara as a main material. And a granulating step of granulating a granulated material having sludge as a sub-material to form a granulated product.

  In this manufacturing method, okara is used as the main material of the granulated material. Since Okara is a material with high water decomposability, a water-absorbing material excellent in water decomposability can be obtained. Furthermore, after the papermaking sludge having a moisture content of 40% by weight or more is pulverized, the papermaking sludge is used as an auxiliary material of the granulated material. The use of the papermaking sludge pulverized in such a high water content state is advantageous for improving the water disintegration property of the water-absorbing treatment material, as will be described later.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the water absorption processing material excellent in water decomposability and its manufacturing method are realizable.

It is a schematic diagram which shows one Embodiment of the water absorption processing material by this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same elements, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a water-absorbing treatment material according to the present invention. The water-absorbing treatment material 1 is a granular water-absorbing treatment material that absorbs liquid, and includes a granular core portion 10 (granulated product) and a coating layer portion 20. The water absorption treatment material 1 is, for example, an excrement treatment material for pets such as cats and dogs.

  The granular core part 10 has a function of absorbing and retaining a liquid such as urine. The granular core part 10 is formed into a granular shape. Examples of the shape of the granular core 10 include a sphere, an ellipsoid, and a cylinder. The granular core portion 10 is mainly made of okara. The okara is preferably dry okara. Here, the fact that okara is the main material of the granular core portion 10 means that the weight ratio occupied by okara is the largest in the entire material constituting the granular core portion 10. Okara is also the main material of the water-absorbing treatment material 1.

  Further, the granular core portion 10 uses papermaking sludge (hereinafter referred to as “water-containing ground sludge”) pulverized with a water content of 40% by weight or more as a secondary material. Here, the water-containing pulverized sludge is a secondary material of the granular core part 10 means that the weight ratio of the water-containing pulverized sludge in the entire material constituting the granular core part 10 is the second largest after Okara. is there. The hydrous ground sludge is also a secondary material of the water-absorbing treatment material 1. The water-containing pulverized sludge is preferably pulverized with a water content (40% by weight or more) of 80% by weight or less.

  The water-containing ground sludge is ground to a particle size (fiber length) of 1 mm or less. That is, the water-containing pulverized sludge is pulverized using a pulverizer having a screen opening of 1 mm or less. The particle size of the hydrous ground sludge is preferably 0.5 mm or less, more preferably 0.3 mm or less.

  Furthermore, the granular core part 10 contains an adhesive material (first adhesive material). Examples of the first adhesive material include starch, CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose), PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), dextrin, and a water-absorbing polymer. In the present embodiment, a water-absorbing polymer is particularly used as the first adhesive material. The average particle diameter of the water-absorbing polymer is preferably 50 μm or less, more preferably 20 μm or less. Here, the average particle diameter means a minimum opening through which particles of 50% by weight or more can pass when a water-absorbing polymer that is an aggregate of a large number of particles is passed through a sieve. Therefore, an average particle size of 50 μm or less means that particles of 50% by weight or more can pass when the water-absorbing polymer is passed through a sieve having an opening of 50 μm. The weight ratio of the first adhesive material in the granular core 10 is preferably 5% or more and 30% or less.

  The covering layer portion 20 covers the granular core portion 10. The covering layer part 20 may cover the entire surface of the granular core part 10 or may cover only a part of the surface of the granular core part 10. The covering layer portion 20 has a function (blocking function) for adhering the water-absorbing treatment materials 1 that have absorbed liquids such as urine during use to make them solid.

  In the present embodiment, the covering layer portion 20 is also mainly made of okara. That is, the weight ratio occupied by okara is the largest among all the materials constituting the coating layer portion 20. Thus, in the water-absorbing treatment material 1, okara is contained in both the granular core portion 10 and the coating layer portion 20.

  Further, the coating layer portion 20 uses water-containing pulverized sludge as a secondary material. That is, the weight ratio of the water-containing pulverized sludge is the second largest after Okara among all the materials constituting the coating layer portion 20. Thus, in the water-absorbing treatment material 1, the water-containing pulverized sludge is also contained in both the granular core portion 10 and the coating layer portion 20.

  Furthermore, the coating layer portion 20 contains an adhesive material (second adhesive material). The second adhesive material may be the same material as the first adhesive material, or may be a different material. In the present embodiment, a water-absorbing polymer is also used as the second adhesive material. However, it is preferable that the average particle diameter of the water-absorbing polymer used as the second adhesive material is smaller than the average particle diameter of the water-absorbing polymer used as the first adhesive material.

  Then, an example of the manufacturing method of the water absorption processing material 1 is demonstrated as one Embodiment of the manufacturing method of the water absorption processing material by this invention. This manufacturing method includes a pulverization process, a granulation process, a coating process, a sizing process, and a drying process.

  The pulverization step is a step of pulverizing papermaking sludge having a moisture content of 40% by weight or more. The papermaking sludge preferably has a moisture content of 80% by weight or less. In this step, the papermaking sludge is pulverized to a particle size of 1 mm or less. Specifically, the papermaking sludge is pulverized using a pulverizer having a screen opening of 1 mm or less (preferably 0.5 mm or less, more preferably 0.3 mm or less). Thereby, a hydrous ground sludge is obtained.

  The granulation step is a step of forming the granular core part 10. In this step, a granulating material is granulated using an okara as a main material and water-containing pulverized sludge as an auxiliary material using a granulator. At this time, no water is added to the granulated material. The granulated material includes a first adhesive material. The weight ratio of the first adhesive material to the granulated material is preferably 5% or more and 30% or less. Such a granulated material can be obtained by mixing okara, hydrous ground sludge and first adhesive material at a predetermined ratio using a mixer.

  The covering step is a step of forming the covering layer portion 20. In this process, the material (coating material) which comprises the coating layer part 20 is made to adhere to the surface of the granular core part 10 using a coating apparatus etc. At this time, no water is added to the granular core 10. The coating material contains okara and hydrous ground sludge as a main material and a sub-material, respectively. Moreover, the coating material contains a second adhesive material. The coating material can be applied, for example, by spraying or spraying. Thereby, the coating layer part 20 is obtained.

  In the sizing step, the water-absorbing material produced in the previous step is passed through a sieve having a sieve with a predetermined size. Thereby, only the water absorption processing material which satisfy | fills a predetermined specification is extracted.

  In the drying step, the water-absorbing treatment material extracted in the previous step is dried with a dryer. The moisture content of the granular core part 10 is appropriately adjusted by drying. Thereby, while preventing the water | moisture content of the granular core part 10 from changing to the coating layer part 20 and a water absorption capability falling, it can prevent that mold | fungi etc. generate | occur | produce at the time of preservation | save of the water absorption processing material 1. FIG.

  The effect of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, okara is used as the main material of the granulated material. Thereby, in the water-absorbing treatment material 1, okara is the main material of the granular core portion 10. Since Okara is a material with high water decomposability, the water-absorbing treatment material 1 excellent in water decomposability can be obtained.

  Furthermore, after the papermaking sludge having a moisture content of 40% by weight or more is pulverized, the papermaking sludge (hydrous pulverized sludge) is used as an auxiliary material of the granulated material. Thereby, in the water-absorbing treatment material 1, the water-containing pulverized sludge is an auxiliary material of the granular core part 10. When the papermaking sludge is pulverized in such a high moisture content state, it is not necessary to dry the papermaking sludge prior to pulverization. In fact, in the above-described manufacturing method, the drying process for the papermaking sludge is not performed prior to the pulverization of the papermaking sludge.

  On the other hand, in the conventional water-absorbing treatment material using papermaking sludge, the papermaking sludge is dried prior to pulverization. This is because the papermaking sludge originally contains a large amount of water, and it was necessary to adjust the amount of water. However, if the papermaking sludge is dried too much, the fibers will shrink. If it becomes so, the porosity (volume ratio of the space | gap which occupies for a granulated material) inside a granulated material will become small, and it will lead to the fall of the hydrolytic property of papermaking sludge and by extension, a water absorption processing material.

  In this respect, in the present embodiment, since it is not necessary to dry the papermaking sludge prior to pulverization, it is possible to avoid a decrease in water disintegrability of the papermaking sludge due to excessive drying. Thus, the use of the hydrous pulverized sludge is advantageous for improving the water disintegration property of the water-absorbing treatment material 1.

  Therefore, according to this embodiment, the water-absorbing treatment material 1 excellent in water decomposability and its manufacturing method are realized. Such a water-absorbing treatment material 1 is suitable for disposal after flowing into a flush toilet.

  Further, when the fibers of the papermaking sludge contract due to drying, the papermaking sludge and consequently the water absorption (water absorption amount, water absorption speed) of the water-absorbing treatment material is also reduced. Therefore, in this embodiment, not drying the papermaking sludge more than necessary before granulation is advantageous in increasing the water absorption of the water-absorbing treatment material 1.

  Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the process of drying the papermaking sludge before pulverization can be omitted, the amount of carbon dioxide emission can be reduced. Moreover, since the moisture necessary for granulation can be covered by the abundant moisture in the hydrous ground sludge, it is not necessary to add water to the granulated material. In fact, in the manufacturing method described above, the granulated material is granulated without adding water to the granulated material. This contributes to water saving in addition to simplification of the manufacturing process of the water-absorbing treatment material 1.

  By using the hydrous ground sludge as described above, it is possible to improve the water disintegration property and water absorption property of the water-absorbing treatment material 1 and to reduce the environmental load. However, if the water content of the water-containing ground sludge is too high, the granulation in the granulation step may be hindered. From this point of view, it is preferable that the water-containing ground sludge is ground in a state where the water content is 80% by weight or less.

  When the okara which is the main material of the granular core 10 is a dry okara, an appropriate amount of moisture in the granulated material (granulation is obtained by combining dry okara containing almost no moisture with water-containing pulverized sludge. Can be adjusted to a suitable amount). For example, even when the water content of the water-containing pulverized sludge is too high, the moisture content of the granulated material can be adjusted to an appropriate amount by increasing the weight ratio of dry okara in the granulated material.

  The hydrous ground sludge is ground to a particle size of 1 mm or less. Thus, the water disintegration property of the water-absorbing treatment material 1 can be further improved by finely grinding the water-containing ground sludge. From this viewpoint, the water-containing crushed sludge is preferably pulverized to a particle size of 0.5 mm or less, and more preferably pulverized to a particle size of 0.3 mm or less. On the other hand, if the particle size of the hydrous ground sludge is too small, the granulation of the granulated material may be hindered. From this point of view, it is preferable that the particle size of the water-containing crushed sludge, which is an auxiliary material of the granular core portion 10, is 0.1 mm or more.

  Papermaking sludge is waste generated in the papermaking process. Therefore, by using papermaking sludge as the material of the water-absorbing treatment material 1, it is possible to effectively use waste and reduce material procurement costs.

  The granular core part 10 contains the 1st adhesive material. This facilitates granulation of the granulated material. In the present embodiment, a water-absorbing polymer is particularly used as the adhesive material. The water-absorbing polymer is finely pulverized to increase the adhesion (viscosity). Therefore, sufficient adhesiveness can be exhibited even with a small amount of water-absorbing polymer. From this viewpoint, the average particle diameter of the water-absorbing polymer is preferably 50 μm or less, and more preferably 20 μm or less. In addition to the water-absorbing polymer, starch, CMC, PVA and dextrin can also be suitably used as the first adhesive material.

  Thus, from the viewpoint of facilitating the granulation of the granulated material, the weight ratio of the first adhesive material in the granular core portion 10 is preferably 5% or more. On the other hand, when there are too many adhesive materials, in addition to the increase in material procurement cost, the water disintegration property of the water absorption processing material 1 will fall. From this point of view, the weight ratio of the first adhesive material in the granular core 10 is preferably 30% or less.

  Okara is used not only as the granular core part 10 but also as a material for the covering layer part 20. Thereby, the water disintegration property of the water-absorbing treatment material 1 can be further improved.

  The hydrous pulverized sludge is used not only as the granular core part 10 but also as a material for the coating layer part 20. Thereby, the material procurement cost of the water absorption processing material 1 can further be reduced.

  In the coating step, the coating material is adhered to the surface of the granular core 10 without adding water to the granular core 10. Thereby, since the water addition process with respect to the granular core part 10 becomes unnecessary, the simplification of the manufacturing process of the water-absorbing treatment material 1 and further water saving can be achieved. In this embodiment, even if the hydration process is omitted in this way, moisture necessary for adhesion of the coating material is obtained by the abundant moisture in the hydrous ground sludge contained in the granular core portion 10 and the coating layer portion 20. I can cover it.

  The covering layer portion 20 contains a second adhesive material. Thereby, the agglomeration function of the coating layer part 20 can be improved. In the present embodiment, a water-absorbing polymer is particularly used as the adhesive material. The water-absorbing polymer swells when it absorbs liquid. The swollen water-absorbing polymer blocks water from the outside (for example, water in a flush toilet) from reaching the granular core 10. For this reason, the swelling of the water-absorbing polymer in the coating layer portion 20 becomes a factor of reducing the water disintegration property of the water-absorbing treatment material 1. In this respect, the water-absorbing polymer is finely pulverized to suppress swelling during liquid absorption. Therefore, the average particle diameter of the water-absorbing polymer (second adhesive material) contained in the coating layer part 20 is contained in the granular core part 10 in order to suppress the swelling of the water-absorbing polymer in the coating layer part 20 as much as possible. It is preferably smaller than the average particle diameter of the water-absorbing polymer (first adhesive material).

  The water-absorbing treatment material and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention are not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. In the said embodiment, the coating layer part 20 showed the example which consists of okara, a hydrous grinding sludge, and an adhesive material. However, the composition of the coating layer portion 20 is arbitrary. For example, the coating layer portion 20 may be made of paper powder and an adhesive material other than the water-containing pulverized sludge.

  In the said embodiment, the water absorption processing material 1 of the multilayer structure which consists of the granular core part 10 and the coating layer part 20 was shown. However, it is not essential to provide the covering layer portion 20. That is, the water-absorbing treatment material 1 may have a single-layer structure including only the granular core portion 10.

1 Water-absorbing treatment material 10 Granular core (granulated product)
20 Coating layer

Claims (13)

A pulverizing step of pulverizing paper sludge having a moisture content of 40% by weight or more;
A granulation step of granulating a granulated material having the main material Okara and the paper sludge pulverized in the pulverization step as a secondary material, and forming a granulated product,
A coating step of forming a coating layer portion covering the granulated product by attaching a coating material to the surface of the granulated product formed in the granulation step,
In the coating step, the coating material is attached to the surface of the granulated product without adding water to the granulated product. In the manufacturing method of the water absorption processing material of Claim 1 ,
The papermaking sludge pulverized in the pulverization step is a method for producing a water-absorbing treatment material having a water content of 80% by weight or less. In the manufacturing method of the water absorption processing material of Claim 1 or 2 ,
In the pulverization step, a method for producing a water-absorbing treatment material, wherein the papermaking sludge is pulverized using a pulverizer having a screen opening of 1 mm or less. In the manufacturing method of the water absorption processing material of Claim 3 ,
The method for producing a water-absorbing treatment material, wherein the screen has an aperture of 0.5 mm or less. In the manufacturing method of the water absorption processing material of Claim 4 ,
The method for producing a water-absorbing treatment material, wherein the screen has an aperture of 0.3 mm or less. In the manufacturing method of the water absorption processing material in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5 ,
The said granulated material is a manufacturing method of the water absorption processing material containing an adhesive material. In the manufacturing method of the water absorption processing material of Claim 6 ,
The said adhesive material is a manufacturing method of the water absorption processing material which is starch, CMC, PVA, or dextrin. In the manufacturing method of the water absorption processing material of Claim 6 ,
The said adhesive material is a manufacturing method of the water absorption processing material which is a water absorbing polymer with an average particle diameter of 50 micrometers or less. In the manufacturing method of the water absorption processing material of Claim 8 ,
The water absorbent polymer has a mean particle size of 20 μm or less. In the manufacturing method of the water absorption processing material in any one of Claims 6 thru | or 9 ,
The method for producing a water-absorbing treatment material, wherein a weight ratio of the adhesive material in the granulated material is 5% or more and 30% or less. In the manufacturing method of the water absorption processing material in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 10 ,
The said coating material is a manufacturing method of the water absorption processing material containing the said okara. In the manufacturing method of the water absorption processing material in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 11 ,
The said coating material is a manufacturing method of the water absorption processing material containing the said papermaking sludge grind | pulverized in the said grinding | pulverization process. In the manufacturing method of the water absorption processing material in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 12 ,
In the granulation step, the water-absorbing treatment material is produced by granulating the granulated material without adding water to the granulated material.

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