JPH04146761A - Solar cell-motive sterilizing/deodorizing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a sterilizing/deodorizing device stably operated for a long period without using a commercial power source or a dry cell by feeding the electric power to generate ozone and the electric power required for an air circulating means with a solar cell. CONSTITUTION:A solar cell plate 1 feeds the low-voltage DC current to a boosting circuit 2 and a motor 5, and it is provided at a place fully exposed to the sun light and other light. When a fan 6 is rotated, the outside air is fed into an air passage 8 as air streams 7, which pass an ozone generator 3 and a deodorizing catalyst 4 and are again discharged to the outside of the air passage 8. The sterilization and deodorization of air at the place where a commercial power source is difficult to utilize can be easily realized with high maintainability.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field 1] The present invention relates to a sterilizer/deodorizer that sterilizes air using ozone (0,) and decomposes malodor components in the air.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, deodorizers that utilize activated carbon have been widely used to remove malodorous components contained in the air at low temperatures of 200° C. or lower, typically at room temperature. This attempts to deodorize by adsorbing malodorous component molecules onto activated carbon, but there is a problem in that the activated carbon used as an adsorbent has a short lifespan and must be replaced frequently.

Therefore, a sterilizing/deodorizing device using an ozone generator and a deodorizing catalyst as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-269846 has been proposed. Ozone is generated by an ozone generator using high-voltage electricity, and air containing ozone and malodorous components is passed through the deodorizing catalyst.The ozone activates the deodorizing catalyst, and the catalyst is activated. It deodorizes by oxidizing and decomposing malodorous component molecules. Furthermore, due to the high-voltage electrical discharge occurring within the ozone generator, and due to the direct effect of ozone, bacteria in the air can also be killed.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The above-mentioned sterilizer/deodorizer using ozone needs to generate high-voltage electricity for the ozone generator, and generally operates using a commercial power source. Therefore, such things as the inside of a car, a garbage collection area, a building that is not used on a daily basis, etc.
There is a problem in that it is difficult to use in places where commercial power supply is difficult to use. Even if a dry cell battery is used instead of a commercial power source, there are problems in that the current consumption is large and the life of the dry cell battery is short.

An object of the present invention is to provide a sterilizer/deodorizer that operates stably over a long period of time without using a commercial power source or dry batteries.

[Means for Solving the Problems] A solar battery-powered sterilizer/deodorizer of the present invention to achieve the above object is a sterilizer/deodorizer that sterilizes and deodorizes air, which includes: a solar battery; and electricity from the solar battery. an ozone generator that generates ozone in the air by discharging the high-voltage electricity generated by the booster circuit; A deodorizing catalyst that becomes activated by the molecules and oxidizes and decomposes the molecules of malodorous components, and a deodorizing catalyst that is supplied with power from the solar cell, takes outside air into the ozone generator and passes it through it, and then passes it through the deodorizing catalyst to the outside air. It is characterized by having an air circulation means for discharging air.

[Function J] Since the power to generate ozone and the power required by the air circulation means are supplied by solar cells, there is no need for commercial power sources or dry batteries.

[Example 1] Next, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a solar cell activated sterilizer/deodorizer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The solar cell plate 1 supplies low-voltage direct current to the booster circuit 2 and the motor 5, and is provided at a position that is often exposed to sunlight or other light. The solar cell plate 1 is connected to a booster circuit 2 and a motor 5 at a predetermined voltage (for example, 1.5 to 15V).
The configuration is such that unit cells of solar cells are connected in series so that the value (degree) is input. The solar cells that make up the solar cell plate l include single crystal silicon (Si), polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, gallium arsenide (Ga
As), chalcopyrite (e.g. Cu-In-3
e), anything that can be used as a normal solar cell can be used. In consideration of cost, availability, etc., it is preferable to use single-crystal silicon or amorphous silicon solar cells.

The booster circuit 2 is a circuit for converting low-voltage direct current supplied from the solar cell plate 1 into high-voltage electricity used in the ozone generator 3, and has an output voltage of several kV to more than ten kV, for example.
The current capacity is about μA to several mA. As the booster circuit 2, a known one using a transistor can be used, for example.

The air flow path 8 is provided with an ozone generator 3, a deodorizing catalyst 4, and a fan 6 from the upstream side, and by rotating the fan 6, air outside the air flow path 8 is taken in as an air flow 7. The air passes through the ozone generator 3 and the deodorizing catalyst 4, and is discharged to the outside of the air flow path 8 again. The air flow path 8 may have any shape as long as it can efficiently form the air flow described above. Further, the fan 6 is connected to the rotating shaft of the motor 5, and is driven to rotate when electric power is supplied to the motor 5. That is, the motor 5, fan 6, and air flow path 8 constitute an air distribution means.

The ozone generator 3 is a creeping discharge eve made of ceramic, and when supplied with high-voltage electricity, discharge occurs inside and ozone is generated in the air passing through the ozone generator 3.

The deodorizing catalyst 4 is an oxidation catalyst that becomes activated by ozone and returns from the active state to the ground state by oxidizing and decomposing malodorous component molecules, for example, manganese oxide (
MnO□) and titanium oxide (TiOz) are combined with silica (SiO
□), alumina (8β203), and activated carbon (C). In this case, in order to widen the surface of the deodorizing catalyst 4 that comes into contact with the air as much as possible, the carrier is formed into a honeycomb shape or powdered. Effective volume (W) of deodorizing catalyst 4
There is an optimal value for the ratio V/W of the volume (V) of air passing through the deodorizing catalyst 4 per hour, and normally V/W is 100-
The V/W is preferably about 100,000 to 70,000, more preferably about 10,000 to 50,000.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

When solar cell plate 1 is irradiated with light, particularly sunlight, solar cell plate 1 generates an electromotive force and supplies low voltage direct current to booster circuit 2 and motor 5 . The motor 5 rotates the fan 6 by being supplied with this DC current, and as a result,
In the air flow path 8, an ozone generator 3,
An airflow 7 is generated that flows through the deodorizing catalyst 4 to the outside again, and air circulation begins.

On the other hand, the booster circuit 2 generates high-voltage electricity by being supplied with low-voltage direct current from the solar cell plate 1 and supplies it to the ozone generator 3 . In the ozone generator 3, ozone is generated by the high voltage electricity, and ozone is contained in the airflow that has passed through the ozone generator 3. At this time, high-voltage electricity continues to be discharged inside the ozone generator 3, so due to the action of this discharge or the direct action of ozone, the ozone contained in the air is taken into the air flow path 8 along with the air flow 7. The bacteria are killed when they pass through the ozone generator 3. In other words, the air has been sterilized.

The airflow 7 that has passed through the ozone generator 3 then passes through a deodorizing catalyst 4. At this time, the ozone contained in the air flow 7 reaches the surface of the deodorizing catalyst 4, and
At the same time, ozone itself activates oxygen molecules (0
2) becomes. Malodorous component molecules contained in the air are contained in the airflow 7 and reach the deodorizing catalyst 4, but when they come into contact with the activated portion of the deodorizing catalyst 4, they are oxidized and decomposed to become odorless. At this time, the part of the deodorizing catalyst 4 that came into contact with the malodorous component molecules returns from the active state to the ground state, but when it comes into contact with ozone again, it becomes active and can deodorize the next malodorous component molecule. As the above-mentioned reactions are repeated at all locations on the surface of the deodorizing catalyst 4, the malodorous component molecules are successively oxidized and decomposed to become odorless.
Furthermore, ozone molecules do not leak out of the deodorizing catalyst 4. The airflow 7 in which the malodorous component molecules have been deodorized is discharged to the outside of the air flow path 8. In other words, the air has been deodorized.

As long as the solar cell plate 1 is exposed to light, the above operations continue, and as a result, the air is continuously sterilized and deodorized.

Next, the area of the solar cell plate 1 and the amount of ozone generated will be explained.

In the sterilizer/deodorizer of the present invention, in order to generate ozone,
In order to flow air through the air flow path 8, electric power generated by the solar cell plate 1 is used. Therefore, the area of the solar cell plate 1 must be appropriately determined depending on the amount of solar radiation and the amount of power required. For example, if the volume of the space targeted by this sterilizer/deodorizer increases, the amount of air that must be sterilized/deodorized per unit time will naturally increase, so a larger output motor 5 will be used. The fan 6 must be driven to rotate, and a larger capacity booster circuit 2 must be used to generate a larger amount of ozone. That is, the area of the solar cell plate 1 must also be increased. At this time, the ratio of the electric power supplied to the motor 5 and the booster circuit 2 is approximately constant even when the amount of solar radiation changes, the volume of the target space differs, and the area of the solar cell plate l differs. That is, the amount of ozone generated by the ozone generator 3 and the area of the solar cell plate 1 at the maximum amount of solar radiation are approximately proportional.

By the way, in the sterilizer/deodorizer of the present invention, as long as the deodorizer catalyst 4 maintains its catalytic activity normally, the ozone generated in the ozone generator 3 will not leak out of the sterilizer/deodorizer. If the deodorizing catalyst 4 is deactivated or lost for some reason, ozone will leak out as it is.

Highly concentrated ozone is harmful to the human body, so under no circumstances should the ozone concentration in the space where this sterilizer/deodorizer is installed exceed a certain value.

Incidentally, the above-mentioned certain value is determined by taking into consideration whether the place where the sterilizer/deodorizer is installed is a place where people are always accessed, and whether the people who enter are workers or the general public. The amount of ozone generated is maximum when the amount of solar radiation is maximum, so even if the deodorizing catalyst 4 is lost at this time, the ozone concentration in the target space will not exceed the above-mentioned certain value. Thus, the area of the solar cell plate 1 may be determined in consideration of the ozone depletion rate.

Next, a method for calculating the upper limit of the amount of ozone generated will be described so that the ozone concentration does not exceed the certain value at the maximum amount of solar radiation even if the deodorizing catalyst 4 is lost.

As mentioned above, the certain constant value varies depending on whether or not people always enter the target location, but in any case, it is at most on the order of ppm or less.

In this concentration range, the natural extinction of ozone in free space is a first-order reaction, and even if natural ventilation between the inside and outside of the target space and extinction at walls are taken into account, it can also be considered a first-order reaction. can. In other words, the ozone extinction rate is proportional to the ozone concentration. Since the half-life of ozone's natural extinction is approximately 8 hours without taking natural ventilation into account, 8 hours is used as the half-life value. The rate constant of extinction at this time is: =-j2n2=8.66xlO-2(h-'). Here, the generation rate when the ozone generation rate and ozone extinction rate are balanced at the certain constant value concentration is the upper limit of the amount of ozone generated, so it is sufficient to find the generation rate. The above certain constant value is a (ppm)
, if the volume of the target space is ■(ρ), then in standard conditions (0°C, 1 atm), the production rate is a--■
×10-'/22.4=0.39・a-VXIO-'(
mol·h−1). Since the molecular weight of ozone is 48, this production rate is 1.87x10-'Xa-
It can be expressed as V (mg-h-').

For example, as the certain constant value of ozone concentration, 1985
If we adopt the recommended value of 0.1 ppm by the Japanese Society of Industrial Hygiene in 2017, the value for a car cabin with a volume of 3 m3 is 5.6.
x 10-2 mg-h-' for a room with a volume of 10 m3, the upper limit of the amount of ozone generated is 0.75 mg-h-'. As long as the amount of ozone generated is below this upper limit, the ozone concentration in the target space will not exceed O,lppm even if the deodorizing catalyst 4 is lost. In addition, in the above calculation example, the half-life of ozone extinction does not include natural ventilation or extinction on walls, so the actual amount of ozone generated may be greater than the calculated value above. Even if the ozone concentration is O,lpp
It never exceeds m.

If the half-life of ozone, including natural ventilation and extinction on walls, can be evaluated, the upper limit of the amount of ozone generated can be calculated using the evaluated half-life. In addition, since the extinction of ozone is accelerated by the presence of light, we calculated the value on the safe side by determining the upper limit of the amount of ozone generated at maximum solar radiation from the half-life data in dark conditions. It turns out.

Next, the scope of application of the sterilizer/deodorizer of the present invention will be explained.

The sterilizer/deodorizer of the present invention can be used in any size of space, from a space that can be considered infinite, such as a final waste disposal site, to a space with an extremely small volume. However, since it uses solar cells, it is desirable to apply it to a space of limited size, for example, to an indoor space of about 250 m3 or less. More preferably 3m3
It is recommended to apply it to the interior of the following cars. Also,
This sterilizer/deodorizer can be operated within a temperature range of -20°C to +200°C, but considering the heat resistance of each component, it should be operated at a temperature of -2°C to +45°C. is desirable and can be operated most efficiently at about +10 to +35°C, taking into account the ability of the deodorizing catalyst used. The odor components targeted for deodorization change somewhat by changing the composition of the deodorizing catalyst, but it deodorizes everything from chemicals such as sulfides to odorous components of cigarette smoke and garbage (all of which have ammonia as their main component). be able to.

Next, an example in which the solar cell activated sterilizer/deodorizer of the present invention is actually applied will be described.

Example 1 The sterilizer/deodorizer of the present invention was installed in the cabin of an automobile (volume: 3 m3). The solar cell plate 1 had a size of 5 cm x 18 cm, was made of an amorphous silicon solar cell, and was designed to receive sunlight with a solar radiation amount of about 0.5 kW/m 2 . At this time, the output voltage of the solar cell plate 1 is about 6■, which is reduced to about 2kV by the booster circuit.
This caused the ozone generator 3 to generate ozone at a rate of 5.6 x 10-'' mg/h.

This amount of ozone generation is equal to the upper limit of the amount of ozone generation according to the calculation example described above. Deodorizing catalyst 4 is 27 mm long and 60 mm wide.
, has a honeycomb shape with a depth of 27 mm and a catalyst amount of 65 cm3, and its composition is MnO2/T i 02-3 i
It was 02-AI2203C. Further, the fan 6 is rotationally driven by the motor 5, and the flow rate is 3.24 m'/h.
An air flow 7 of 200 mL was generated in the air flow path 8. In this case, the above-mentioned value of V/W is approximately 50,000.

Ammonia (NH3) is added to the vehicle interior in advance at a concentration of 20pp.
The sterilizer/deodorizer was operated to measure changes in ammonia concentration in the vehicle interior. The results are shown in FIG. As is clear from this figure, the concentration of ammonia decreased over time, confirming the deodorizing effect.

Example 2 The sterilizer/deodorizer of the present invention was applied to a room with a volume of about 40 m3 (5 m x 4 m x 2 m). The solar cell plate 1 is made of a single crystal silicon solar cell, and its size is 4.
It measures 0cm x 30cm and is installed outdoors in a place that is often exposed to sunlight. The deodorizing catalyst 4 contains MnO□.
CaO・Kg O/T i Ox -3i 02-Aρ
A honeycomb-like or powder-like material having a composition of 203C, measuring 120 mm long, 120 mm wide, 60 mm deep, and having a catalyst amount of 850 cm3 was used. Solar radiation amount on solar cell plate 1 is 0.5
Ammonia was diffused into the room in advance to a concentration of 20 ppm under conditions of sunlight shining at kW/m", and changes in ammonia concentration were investigated. At this time, the output voltage of the solar cell plate 1 was The voltage is about 12V, and the booster circuit 2 converts it into high voltage electricity of about 4kV, and the ozone generator 3
．． Ozone was generated at a rate of 75mg/h. This amount of ozone generation is equal to the upper limit value of the amount of ozone generation in the above calculation example. Also, the flow rate of the airflow 7 in the airflow path 8 is 40 m'
/h, and the above-mentioned V/W is about 47,000. The results of changes in ammonia concentration are shown in FIG. As is clear from this figure, the ammonia concentration decreased over time, confirming the deodorizing effect.

Example 3 The sterilizer/deodorizer of the present invention was applied to a garbage collection site where household garbage is temporarily placed for collection. This garbage collection site has a 1m square depression in the ground.
Garbage is placed in this depression. Furthermore, a roof-like cover is provided at a height of 1.5 m from the ground to cover this depression. Note that no wall is provided between the roof-like cover and the ground.

A sterilizer/deodorizer similar to that used in Example 2 is attached to the top of this roof-like cover, so that sunlight directly hits the solar cell plate 1, and the air below the cover is sterilized/deodorized. I decided to do so. On a day in August, food waste was placed in the depression, and the temperature, solar radiation, and ammonia concentration in the area under the cover were measured. The results are shown in FIG. In Figure 4, the - dotted line indicates sterilization from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The graph shows the change in ammonia concentration when the deodorizer is operated, and the broken line shows the change in ammonia concentration when the sterilizer/deodorizer is not installed.

As is clear from this result, the maximum ammonia concentration when no sterilizer/deodorizer is installed is about 2.8 ppm, but by using the sterilizer/deodorizer of the present invention, the ammonia concentration can be reduced. The maximum value was about 1.3 ppm, and a clear deodorizing effect was observed. In addition, when a sterilizer/deodorizer is not installed, the ammonia concentration changes with a delay of about 1.5 to 2 hours from changes in the amount of solar radiation, but since the sterilizer/deodorizer of the present invention uses solar cells, , the deodorizing ability is approximately proportional to the amount of solar radiation. Therefore, if you operate this sterilizer/deodorizer early in the morning, you can preemptively deodorize the increase in malodorous components, prevent the accumulation of malodorous components, and effectively deodorize. I can do it. In addition,
The correlation between the amount of solar radiation and the concentration of malodorous components described here is generally applicable.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, and the sterilizer/deodorizer of the present invention uses a solar cell as a power source, and the life of this solar cell is at least 20 years, and the life of the ozone generator is at least 10 years. It is the year. Therefore, without any maintenance for at least 10 years,
can be activated. On the other hand, in the sterilizer/deodorizer of Example 1, when four AA alkaline batteries are used in place of the solar battery plate 1, and the battery is operated for 7 hours a day, the battery life is about 1 month. Therefore, it can be said that by using solar cells, energy conservation has been achieved and maintainability has been greatly improved.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the present invention eliminates the need for commercial power sources and dry batteries by supplying the power for generating ozone and the power required for the air circulation means using solar cells. Sterilization of air in difficult-to-use areas
This has the effect that deodorization can be achieved easily and with high maintainability. In addition, the deodorizing ability is proportional to the amount of solar radiation, and the amount of malodorous components produced generally correlates with the amount of solar radiation.
Efficient deodorization will always be effective.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a solar cell-powered sterilizer/deodorizer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 shows changes in the concentration of ammonia in the cabin of an automobile to which the sterilizer/deodorizer of the present invention is applied. Figure 3 is a characteristic diagram showing the change in ammonia concentration in a room to which the sterilizer/deodorizer of the present invention is applied, and Figure 4 is the temperature at the garbage collection site to which the sterilizer/deodorizer of the present invention is applied. FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram showing changes in solar radiation and ammonia concentration. 1... Solar cell plate, 2... Boost circuit, 3...
・・・Ozone generator, 4...Deodorizing catalyst, 5...Motor, 6...Fan, Fig. 8) Min.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A sterilizer/deodorizer that sterilizes and deodorizes air, comprising: a solar cell, a booster circuit that is supplied with power from the solar cell and generates high-voltage electricity, and a high-voltage electricity generated by the booster circuit. an ozone generator that generates ozone in the air by discharging ozone; a deodorizing catalyst into which air containing ozone and malodorous components enters and becomes activated by ozone molecules to oxidize and decompose the malodorous molecules; A solar cell-activated sterilizer characterized by having an air circulation means that is supplied with electric power, takes outside air into the ozone generator, passes it through the ozone generator, and further passes the deodorizing catalyst and discharges it to the outside. Deodorizer.