JPH0221990A - Treating device for waste photographic processing liquid - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the decomposition of a concentrate by overheating and to remarkably inhibit the generation of offensive odor by independently providing heating means and a separating means to separate steam from a waste photographic processing liquid in the waste soln. circulating system. CONSTITUTION:A waste photographic processing liquid is circulated in a circulating system 1 and heated by heating means 2. Vapor contg. gas generated by the heating is separated from the remaining waste photographic processing liquid by a separating means 3 and the waste liquid is evaporated and concentrated. The resulting concentrate is not heated by the heating means 2, the decomposition of the concentrate by overheating can be prevented and the generation of offensive odor due to gaseous ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, etc., can be remarkably inhibited.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is a method for evaporating waste liquid (hereinafter referred to as photographic processing waste liquid or waste liquid) generated during the processing of photographic light-sensitive materials using an automatic photographic processor. The present invention relates to a processing device, and particularly to a processing device for photographic processing waste liquid suitable for processing by being disposed in or near an automatic processor.

[Prior Art] In general, photographic processing of silver helochloride photographic materials includes development, fixing, washing, etc. in the case of thick white materials, and color development, bleach-fixing (or bleaching, etc.) in the case of color photographic materials. (fixing), washing with water, stabilization, etc., using a processing liquid that has one or more of the following functions.

In photographic processing in which a large amount of light-sensitive material is processed, it is important to consider how to replenish components consumed during processing, and components that are eluted into the processing solution or concentrated by evaporation during processing (for example, bromide ions in the developer, bromide ions in the fixer, etc.). A method is used to maintain the performance of the processing solution at a constant level by removing substances (such as silver complex salts) and keeping the processing solution components constant. A portion of the processing solution is discarded to remove concentrated components during processing.

In recent years, systems have been changing to systems in which the amount of replenishment fluid, including washing water, which is used as a replenishment fluid for washing, has been significantly reduced due to pollution and economic reasons, but photographic processing waste fluid is removed from the processing tank of automatic processors. It is led through a waste liquid pipe, diluted with waste liquid from washing water, cooling water from automatic processors, etc., and then disposed of in a sewer or the like.

However, due to the tightening of pollution regulations in recent years, it is now possible to dispose of washing water and cooling water into sewers and rivers. Fixing solution (or bleaching solution, fixing solution), stabilizer, etc.]
It has become virtually impossible to dispose of. For this reason, each photo processing company pays a collection fee to a specialized waste liquid processing company to collect the waste liquid, or installs pollution treatment equipment. However, the method of outsourcing to a waste liquid treatment company requires a considerable amount of space to store the waste liquid and is also extremely expensive. Furthermore, the pollution-filtering equipment has drawbacks such as the initial investment (initial cost) being extremely large and the need for a fairly large area for maintenance. Therefore, waste liquid is generally collected by a waste liquid collection company and rendered harmless through secondary and tertiary processing, but due to rising collection costs, the price of waste liquid collection is increasing year by year, and collection efficiency is low in minilabs, etc., so it is difficult to do so. No one can come to collect the liquid, causing problems such as waste liquid filling the store.

In order to solve these problems, research has been conducted to heat the photographic processing waste liquid to evaporate the water to dryness or solidify it, with the aim of making it easier to process the photographic processing waste liquid even in minilabs. This is shown in Utility Model Application Publication No. 60-70841.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] By the way, when photographic processing waste liquid is evaporated in this manner, harmful or extremely malodorous gases such as sulfur dioxide gas, hydrogen sulfide, and ammonia gas are generated. This is due to the decomposition of specific sulfur-based compounds, such as diosulfate and sulfite, which are often used as fixers and bleach-fixers contained in photographic processing waste solutions.

For this reason, various studies and experiments have been conducted to remove odor components, and it has been found that the photographic processing waste liquid is evaporated and concentrated by the heating of the heating means, but the resulting concentrate is inside the evaporation means.
If the concentrate remains near the heating means for a long time and continues to be heated, the concentrate will be overheated and decomposed, generating hydrogen sulfide, ammonia gas, etc.

Further, since the evaporation means stored in the evaporation means is heated to evaporate and concentrate the photographic processing waste liquid, the evaporation area is large and the apparatus is large in size.Moreover, the evaporation means must be made of a heat-resistant member, which increases costs.

Therefore, if the photographic processing waste liquid is circulated and heated, the concentrate produced by evaporation concentration will not be heated, and overheating decomposition of the concentrated concentrate can be prevented, resulting in the generation of odors such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia gas. It has been found that the evaporation efficiency can be significantly suppressed, the device can be made smaller, and the number of heat-resistant parts can be reduced, reducing costs.

This invention was made in view of the conventional problems,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing device for photographic processing waste liquid that prevents thermal decomposition of a concentrate produced by evaporative concentration of photographic processing waste liquid, reduces the generation of bad odor, and is compact and durable.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a processing apparatus for photographic processing waste liquid that heats the photographic processing waste liquid with a heating means to evaporate and concentrate the photographic processing waste liquid, in which the photographic processing waste liquid is circulated through a circulation system. It is characterized in that the circulation system is independently equipped with the heating means and a separation means for separating the photographic processing waste liquid from the steam containing the gas generated by heating.

Therefore, the photographic processing waste liquid is circulated in the circulation system, heated by the heating means, and the vapor containing gas produced by this heating is separated from the photographic processing waste liquid by the separation means and evaporated and concentrated. This eliminates the need to heat the concentrated concentrate using a heating means, thereby preventing the concentrate from being overheated and decomposing it, and greatly suppressing the generation of odors such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia gas.

In addition, since the circulating S system is equipped with a heating means and a separating means independently, the evaporation efficiency of photographic processing waste liquid is improved and the apparatus can be made more compact. The number of parts can be reduced, resulting in an inexpensive device.

Further, in the photographic processing waste liquid processing apparatus of the present invention, air can be mixed into the circulation system, and the amount of air is preferably 0.1 to 100 fL/kcan relative to the amount of heating.

By mixing this air, the bumping state of the photographic processing waste liquid is eliminated and the evaporation temperature is lowered, thereby suppressing the generation of odors such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia gas.

Further, if the separation means is provided with a take-out means for taking out the concentrate, the concentrate can be discharged, overheating of the concentrate can be reduced, and odor generation can be suppressed. This extraction means can be composed of a sludge filter arranged in the separation means, for example, a cylindrical filter, a filter bag, etc. with a filter hole size of 1 to 200 μm, and a valve arranged at the bottom of the separation means. It can be opened and closed and taken out into a bag or the like.

At least a part of the circulation system of the present invention is a pipe, and this pipe can be equipped with a heating means, and this heating means may heat the photographic processing waste liquid from the outside of the vibrator, or it may heat the photographic processing waste liquid from the inside. You can do it like this.

This heating means may be a nichrome wire, a heated heater such as a cartridge heater, a quartz heater, a Teflon heater, a bar heater, a panel heater, or a microwave. Alternatively, a conductive material may be brought into direct contact with the photographic processing waste liquid, and the conductive material may cause an electric current to flow through the photographic processing waste liquid and heat the photographic processing waste liquid.

The heating part of the circulation system can be made of any heat-resistant material, such as heat-resistant glass, titanium, stainless steel, carbon steel, heat-resistant plus deck, etc., from the standpoint of safety and corrosion resistance. Stainless steel (preferably 5US3
04 or 5US316, particularly preferably 5US316) or titanium. Further, the heating means may be installed at any position as long as it can heat the waste liquid of the evaporation means.

Typical examples of photographic processing waste liquids that can be processed according to the present invention include those described in Japanese Patent Application No. 1986-194615 previously filed by this applicant. In processing equipment, it is effective for photographic processing waste liquids containing large amounts of thiosulfates, sulfites, and ammonium salts, and is particularly effective when containing organic acid ferric complex salts and thiosulfates.

A preferred application of the present invention is to treat photographic processing waste liquid generated during the development of photographic light-sensitive materials using an automatic processor in or near the automatic processor.

[Example 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a processing apparatus for photographic processing waste liquid according to the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a circulation system for photographic processing waste liquid, and this circulation system 1 includes a heating means 2 for heating the photographic processing waste liquid, and a separation means 3 for separating the photographic processing waste liquid from steam containing gas generated by this heating. The heating means 2 is provided independently, and the heating means 2 is arranged at a lower position than the separating means 3.

The heating means 2 is provided around the outer periphery of the vibrator 4 of the circulation system, and is designed to heat the photographic processing waste liquid from the outside of the pipe 4, and by this heating, the photographic processing waste liquid automatically circulates through the circulation system 1 and is heated. be done. This heating means 2, as shown in FIG.
It may be placed inside the vibrator 4 to directly heat the photographic processing waste liquid.

Note that this heating means 2 can also be arranged at a higher position than the separating means 3, and in this case, a circulation pump is arranged in the circulation system 1 to force the circulation.

The portion of the circulation system 1 where the heating means 2 is provided may be formed of a heat-resistant member, and the device becomes inexpensive.

In addition, by providing the heating means 2 in the circulation system 1, the evaporation area of the photographic processing waste liquid can be reduced, and the concentrate is not overheated, so the odor gas caused by overheated decomposition of the concentrate is significantly reduced. Even if the concentration progresses, the generation of hydrogen sulfide and sulfur odors will be reduced.

The separating means 3 is composed of a container having a predetermined capacity, and this container is made of plastic, titanium, etc., and has a container body 3a.
and a lid body 3b.

Since this separation means 3 has the function of separating gas-containing steam and photographic processing waste liquid, the capacity can be reduced to the extent that it has this function, and it is also made of a material that does not have a high degree of heat resistance. This makes it possible to reduce manufacturing costs.

A take-out means 5 is disposed inside the separating means 3, and the take-out means 5 is comprised of a sludge filter 5a, and is detachably supported by the container body 3a via a mounting member 5b. The heated photographic processing waste liquid discharged from the vibrator 4 of the circulation system 1 is supplied to the separation means 3, where it is separated into gas-containing vapor and concentrated photographic processing waste liquid, and this photographic processing waste liquid is passed through the sludge filter 5a. is supplied to With this sludge filter 5a, it is possible to take out the filtered concentrate from which water has been removed.

The separation means 3 is provided with a liquid level detection sensor 6, and this liquid level detection sensor 6 monitors the amount of photographic processing waste liquid within the separation means 3. The vibrator 4 of the circulation system 1 is connected to a waste liquid supply tank 8 via a vibrator 7, and a bellows pump 9 provided on the vibrator 7 is driven to supply photographic processing waste liquid. This bellows pump 9 has a liquid level detection sensor 6
The photographic processing waste liquid in the circulation system 1 is always kept at a constant amount. A liquid level detection sensor 10 is provided in the waste liquid supply tank 8 to monitor the remaining amount of photographic processing waste liquid, and when a predetermined amount is reached, the waste liquid is automatically supplied or the operation is stopped. A discharge vibrator 11 is connected to the upper part of the separating means 3, and steam containing the separated gas is discharged from the discharge vibrator 11 and guided to an air chamber 13 via a cooling section 12. A baffle plate 11a is arranged near the opening of the discharge vibrator 11, and a baffle plate 11a is arranged near the opening of the discharge vibrator 11, and
This prevents the liquid supplied from scattering and being directly discharged.

A portion of the gas cooled in the cooling unit 12 is condensed in the air chamber 13 to become a condensate, which removes odor components via activated carbon 14 and is stored in a reservoir tank 15. This reservoir tank 15 communicates with the atmosphere via a deodorizer 16.

The remaining gas and air separated from the condensate in the air chamber 13 are connected to the vibe 7 via an air vibe 17, and the air is pumped into the circulation system 1 by the operation of the air pump 18 provided in the air vibe 17. It is designed to be mixed in. The amount of air mixed in is 0.1 to 100 IL/kCa relative to the amount of heating.
Il is preferred.

The mixture of air lowers the evaporation temperature of the photographic processing waste liquid and suppresses the generation of odors such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia gas.

In FIG. 3, a predetermined amount of photographic processing waste liquid is stored in the separation means 3 of the circulation system 1, and the vibrator 4 of the circulation system 1 is connected above the storage part of this photographic processing waste liquid. It is located below the storage section. A valve 20 serving as a take-out means is provided below the separating means 3, so that the concentrate accumulated in the separating means 3 can be taken out.

A water pump 21 is connected to the discharge vibrator 11, and the circulation system 1
The pressure is reduced to lower the boiling temperature of the photographic processing waste liquid to suppress the generation of odors, and the gas discharged from the discharge vibrator 11 is mixed with water supplied from the water tank 22 by the pump 23 to deodorize it. . Water is constantly supplied to this water tank 22 from a water supply 24, and an overflow vibe 25
is discharged from.

In FIG. 4, the circulation system shown in FIG. 3 is abolished and the circulation system shown in FIG. 1 is used, and the other configuration is the same as that shown in FIG. 3.

[Effects of the Invention] As mentioned above, the photographic processing waste liquid processing apparatus of the present invention has the following features:
The photographic processing waste liquid is circulated in a circulation system, and this circulation system is independently equipped with a heating means and a separation means for separating the photographic processing waste liquid from vapor containing gas generated by evaporation concentration.
The concentrate is not overheated by the heating means, the overheated decomposition of the concentrate can be prevented, and the generation of odors such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia gas can be significantly suppressed.

In addition, since the circulation system is equipped with a heating means and a separation means independently, each can be made smaller, and the equipment can be made smaller accordingly.Moreover, the heat-resistant part can be the part equipped with the heating means of the circulation system, and the heat-resistant The number of parts can be reduced, resulting in an inexpensive device.

Furthermore, if the separating means is provided with a take-out means for taking out the concentrate, the concentrate can be discharged, overheating of the concentrate can be prevented, and odor generation can be suppressed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a processing apparatus for photographic processing waste liquid according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing another installation state of the heating means, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are diagrams showing the processing apparatus for photographic processing waste liquid according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another embodiment of the device. In the drawings, 1 is a circulation system, 2 is a heating means, 3 is a separation means,
4 is a vibrator, and 5 is a take-out means. No. ↑ Medicine collection

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A processing apparatus for photographic processing waste liquid that heats the photographic processing waste liquid with a heating means to evaporate and concentrate the photographic processing waste liquid, in which the photographic processing waste liquid is circulated in a circulation system, and the heating means is included in the circulation system; A processing apparatus for photographic processing waste liquid, characterized in that it is independently equipped with a separating means for separating the photographic processing waste liquid from steam containing gas generated by heating. 2. The apparatus for processing a photographic processing waste liquid according to claim 1, wherein the separating means includes a taking-out means for taking out a concentrate produced by evaporation and concentration of the photographic processing waste liquid.