JPH09108311A - Deodorizer for air conditioner and deodorization - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an odor to be removed by eliminating molds or bacteria by treating the evaporator and its peripheral area of an air conditioner using a large quantity of liquid containing an antibacterial and antimold agent. SOLUTION: The 5-20wt.% of antibacterial and antimold agent of organic nitrogen sulfur, 0.1-7wt.% of rust inhibitor, 1-10wt.% of surfactant and 5-20wt.% of solvent are blended for a water undiluted solution of deodorizer. This undiluted solution of deodorizer is diluted in water and the diluted solution is sprayed into the air circulation passage of the air conditioner.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention suppresses molds and bacteria attached to an evaporator portion in an air circuit of an air conditioner installed in a building or in a vehicle such as an automobile, and is derived from them. The present invention relates to a deodorant and a deodorant method for preventing odor over a long period of time.

As is well known, an air conditioner causes heat transfer inside and outside the room to cool and heat the room. When cooling, the air is cooled by bringing the air into contact with the cooled fins of the evaporator. At that time, moisture in the air condenses and wets the air circuit. Therefore, molds and bacteria are easily generated in the air circuit, and odors such as mold odor are generated in the air blown by the molds and bacteria thus generated.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to prevent a mold odor caused by an air conditioner, a liquid in which an antibacterial / antifungal agent is dissolved or dispersed in a solvent is sprayed in the air circuit of the air conditioner, and the mold in the air circuit is sprayed. Suppressing the development of bacteria and bacteria.

For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-146063 discloses a liquid in which an antibacterial and antifungal agent is dispersed in water using an alkali metal salt of a fatty acid having a tertiary carboxyl group and having 8 or more carbon atoms as a dispersion medium. Atomization is described in the air circuit of the conditioner.

[0005]

However, according to these methods, depending on the kind of the antibacterial and antifungal agent, a sufficient inhibitory effect against mold and bacteria cannot be obtained, and the adhered antibacterial and antifungal agent is washed away by the condensed water. The effects were often unsustainable.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to remove mildew and bacteria by treating the evaporator of the air conditioner and its peripheral portion with a large amount of an aqueous liquid containing an antibacterial and antifungal agent. The purpose is to remove odor.

Another object of the present invention is to hold an antibacterial and antifungal agent on the surface of an evaporator by the action of a sticking agent and a film-forming agent, prevent runoff by condensed water, and maintain a deodorizing effect. is there.

[0008]

Therefore, the deodorant of the present invention contains 5 to 20% by weight of an organic nitrogen-sulfur type antibacterial and antifungal agent and a rust preventive with respect to an aqueous deodorant stock solution. 0.1 to 7% by weight
And 1 to 10% by weight of a surfactant and 5 to 20% by weight of a solvent are blended. Further, in this deodorant, it is preferable to add 1 to 20% by weight of a fixing agent and 1 to 10% by weight of a water-soluble film forming agent in terms of solid content.

Further, the deodorizing method of the present invention is characterized in that a liquid obtained by diluting the deodorant with water is sprayed into the air circuit of the air conditioner. In this method, as the diluting liquid, the antibacterial and antifungal agent is added in an amount of 0.
It is preferable to use a liquid containing 2 to 1% by weight and spray at least 500 ml of the diluted liquid into the air circuit.

The antibacterial and antifungal agent used in the present invention is required to have a sufficient antibacterial and antifungal effect even when diluted to a low concentration, and its own toxicity and safety. It is preferable that it is excellent in terms of solubility or dispersibility in water, sustainability of effects, and the like, and an organic nitrogen-sulfur-based agent or an organic nitrogen-sulfur-halogen-based agent is used.

Examples of such antibacterial and antifungal agents include 2- (4-thiazolyl) benzimidazole, 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one and 2-methyl-4-.
Examples are isothiazolin-3-one and 1,2-benzisothiazolin-3-one. Further, these agents can be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.

The amount of these antibacterial and antifungal agents to be blended is appropriately 5 to 20% by weight in the stock solution, and as a diluting liquid to be sprayed in the air circuit of the air conditioner,
It is preferable to contain 0.2% by weight or more. If the amount of the antibacterial and antifungal agent is excessively large, the material of the air conditioner may be adversely affected, and the stability of the undiluted solution may be deteriorated. Further, if the amount of the antibacterial and antifungal agent is too small, a sufficient antibacterial and antifungal effect cannot be obtained.

Further, in the present invention, a rust preventive agent is blended in order to ensure the safety of the material of the air conditioner. As the rust preventive agent, it is preferable to use two or more kinds of dicarboxylic acids or benzotriazoles as a mixture. The amount of the rust preventive compounded is suitably 0.1 to 7% by weight in the undiluted solution. If the blending amount is too small, the protective effect on the raw material is insufficient, and if the blending amount is too large, it is difficult to dissolve in the stock solution and easy to separate.

Surfactants are used to stably dissolve each of the above-mentioned agents in an aqueous stock solution. As the surfactant, a nonionic or anionic surfactant having excellent solubilizing ability is preferable.

Examples of such surfactants include polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers, polyoxyethylene alkylphenyl ethers, alkylamine ethylene oxide compounds, alkyldiethanolamides, sodium alkylbenzene sulfonates, and the like. They can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

The amount of the surfactant to be blended is appropriately about 1 to 10% by weight in the stock solution. 1% by weight
If the amount is less than the above, the stability of the stock solution is impaired and the separation becomes easy. On the other hand, if it exceeds 10% by weight, the surface of the material of the air conditioner may be adversely affected.

The solvent has a function of dissolving each of the above components and dispersing them in water, and is preferably an alcohol solvent, and isopropyl alcohol is particularly preferable in view of stability of the stock solution. The blending amount of the solvent is appropriately 5 to 20% by weight in the stock solution. If it is less than 5% by weight, the undiluted solution tends to form a separated layer, and if it exceeds 20% by weight, it may have a bad influence on the surface of the material of the air conditioner.

The stock solution of the present invention is an aqueous system, in which each of the above components is dispersed in the remaining water. That is, the antibacterial and antifungal agent and the rust preventive agent are dissolved in a solvent, and the solution is dispersed in water by the action of a surfactant to form a stock solution.

In the deodorant of the present invention, it is preferable to add a fixing agent and a water-soluble film forming agent to the stock solution.

The sticking agent has a function of sticking and holding the antibacterial and antifungal agent on the surface of the air circuit of the air conditioner, and includes, for example, sticky rosins and abietic acid extracted from these rosins, A polymer acrylic derivative containing methacrylic acid as a monomer component can be used. Alkali metal salts such as hydrogenated rosin, asymmetric rosin, and dehydroabietic acid are particularly preferable because they do not easily cause metal corrosion. Further, these fixing agents may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.

The amount of the fixing agent blended is 1 to 20 in the stock solution.
About wt% is appropriate. If it exceeds 20% by weight, the stability of the undiluted solution becomes poor, and if it is less than 1% by weight, a sufficient action as a fixing agent cannot be obtained.

The film-forming agent holds the antibacterial and antifungal agent of the present invention to form a film, and covers the surface of the air circuit of the air conditioner with the film. Stick to the surface.

The film-forming agent must be one that is stably present in the water-alcohol solvent in the stock solution, is easily and uniformly diluted with water, and does not increase the viscosity of the diluted liquid. It is preferably water-soluble. Since the fins of the evaporator are surface-treated with nylon, polyacrylamide resin or the like at the time of manufacture, it is necessary that the film-forming agent does not damage these surface treatments.

From this point of view, as the film forming agent,
Suitable are polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, carboxymethyl cellulose, polyethylene glycol, alkali metal salts of special aromatic sulfonic acid formalin condensates, and the like. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

Further, during cooling, water droplets formed by condensation of water in the air adhere to the surfaces of the fins of the evaporator.
Considering the cooling efficiency of air, it is preferable that the water droplets wet the surface of the fins, flow down quickly, and are discharged.
For that purpose, it is necessary that the contact angle of water on the surface of the fin is small. Considering these, it is most preferable to use the alkali metal salt of the special aromatic sulfonic acid formalin condensate.

It is appropriate that the amount of these film-forming agents is 1 to 10% by weight in terms of solid content in the stock solution. If the blending amount is too small, a sufficient film cannot be formed, and if the blending amount is too large, there is a problem in stability and dilutability of the undiluted solution, and there is a possibility that the fin surface treatment is adversely affected.

When the air contains components such as ammonia and acetaldehyde, such as cigarette smoke and sweat, and malodor causing substances, such as methyl mercaptan and trimethylamine, such as rotten odors, some deodorants produce odors based on them. It is difficult to remove it sufficiently.

Therefore, it is also preferable to add an aromatic component containing a sodium salt such as citric acid, malic acid, fumaric acid or lactic acid to the deodorant of the present invention in addition to the above-mentioned components.

Next, the deodorizing method of the present invention is carried out in the air circuit of the air conditioner, especially on the surface of the evaporator.
A relatively large amount of liquid is sprayed and washed, and at the same time, the active ingredient in the liquid is adhered to and left on the surface of the fins of the evaporator to maintain the deodorizing effect.

That is, in the deodorizing method of the present invention, the above-mentioned deodorant stock solution is diluted with water, and the diluted liquid is sprayed and applied in the air circuit of the air conditioner centering on the evaporator.

The diluted liquid to be sprayed is preferably the deodorant stock solution diluted about 20 times, and the antibacterial and antifungal agent is contained in the diluted liquid in an amount of about 0.2 to 1% by weight. It is appropriate that the

If the dilution ratio is small, it is uneconomical to prepare a large amount of the deodorant stock solution, and the dilution ratio is 20%.
The amount of the undiluted solution can be further reduced by increasing the amount more than double, but if the content of the antibacterial and antifungal agent which is the main component of the deodorant in the diluted liquid is too small, the deodorant effect can be obtained. In addition, excessively increasing the concentration of the stock solution causes problems in stability and the like.

When the diluted liquid is sprayed into the air circuit of the air conditioner, it is preferable to spray at least 500 ml or more, more preferably about 1 liter of the diluted liquid. That is, 50 ml of the deodorant stock solution is diluted with water to about 2
A large amount of the diluted liquid diluted 0 times is directly sprayed on the evaporator portion by an air spray gun, and the sprayed diluted liquid is used to wash the fins of the air circuit, particularly the evaporator to wash away mold and bacteria.

Therefore, if the amount of the diluted liquid to be sprayed is insufficient, the cleaning effect does not occur and a sufficient deodorizing effect cannot be obtained. Most of the sprayed diluted liquid is discharged from the discharge pipe of condensed water in the air conditioner.

[0035]

In the present invention, the sprayed diluting liquid cleans the surface of the air circuit with a large amount of diluting liquid as described above,
Rinse off molds and bacteria and eliminate odors caused by those molds and bacteria.

Most of the diluted liquid sprayed in a large amount is discharged from the air circuit together with the washed mold and bacteria, but a part of the diluted liquid adheres to the fins of the evaporator and the surface of the air circuit around the fins and is naturally discharged. By the action of the antibacterial and antifungal agent that is dried and remains, it prevents the generation of new molds and bacteria and maintains the deodorant effect, and the action of the rust preventive agent prevents the rust of metal parts such as the fins of the evaporator. To prevent adverse effects caused by the attachment of the antibacterial and antifungal agent.

In the invention of claim 2, the film forming agent in the diluted liquid remaining on the surface of the air circuit forms a film containing an antibacterial and antifungal agent and an anticorrosive agent, and the film is a fixing agent. By the action of, it is fixed on the surface of the air circuit, and the deodorizing effect can be maintained for a longer period of time.

[0038]

Therefore, according to the present invention, mold and bacteria on the surface of the air circuit of the air conditioner can be effectively removed to prevent a bad odor and the deodorizing effect can be maintained for a long period of time. .

Further, since the deodorant is mainly composed of water and the rust preventive agent is mixed in the stock solution, the surface of the air circuit of the air conditioner is protected and the material thereof is not adversely affected.

[0040]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. Table 1
A deodorant stock solution was prepared by mixing the components according to the formulation shown in. In Table 1, the blending amount of each component is% by weight, and the balance is water.

[0041]

[Table 1]

Next, 950 ml of water was added to 50 ml of the above deodorant stock solution and uniformly mixed to obtain 1 liter of a 5% diluted liquid. However, in Comparative Example 2, 5 ml of the deodorant stock solution was mixed with 9 parts of water.
5 ml was added to make 100 ml of 5% diluted liquid.

This diluted liquid was sprayed on an evaporator of an automobile air conditioner. That is, the glove box and the panel of the vehicle compartment of the automobile are removed, and the diluted liquid of each of the Examples and Comparative Examples is moved from the perforated portion close to the evaporator (for example, the filter device unit or the blower register device unit) toward the evaporator, The entire amount was sprayed with a spray gun to wash the fins of the evaporator. Most of the injected diluted liquid was discharged outside the vehicle through the drain discharge pipe of the air conditioner.

Since the car used is a vehicle that is actually used everyday, the air conditioner models and conditions are not the same, but the odors described in the odor column of Table 1 are almost felt in the air blown out. I used one.

After washing the air conditioner with the diluted liquid, the automobile was continuously used, and the odor of the wind delivered at the start of the air conditioner was periodically sensory-tested.

Further, the diluted liquid of each Example and Comparative Example was applied to the entire surface of a Petri dish of potato dextrose agar medium on which mold (Aspergillus niger) had been applied, and the mixture was cultured at 25 ° C. for 5 days, depending on the amount of generated mold. The effect of the deodorant was judged.

The results of the test are shown in Table 2.

[0048]

[Table 2] Stability of undiluted solution ◯: Dissolved and dispersed uniformly without any separation. ×: Separation and separation layers Mold resistance +++: Extremely large number ++: Large number +: Minor number −: No mold

In Table 2, in the examples of the present invention, the stability of the undiluted solution is excellent, and the diluted liquid has sufficient antifungal properties. By spraying the diluted liquid on the air conditioner, the odor such as mold odor is removed, and the odor is prevented over a long period of 6 months or more.

On the other hand, in Comparative Example 1, the amount of the antibacterial and antifungal agent in the stock solution was small, the generation of mold could not be sufficiently suppressed, and the deodorizing effect was insufficient. In Comparative Example 2, the stock solution itself is the same as that in Example 2, but the amount of the diluting liquid used to wash the evaporator of the air conditioner is small, so that molds and bacteria cannot be sufficiently removed, and sufficient removal is required. No odor effect can be obtained.

Further, in Comparative Example 3, the active ingredient was sufficiently blended, but since the amount of the solvent in the stock solution was small, a separation delamination occurred and a uniform deodorant stock solution was not obtained. Even if diluted and sprayed, the effect of suppressing the growth of mold and bacteria is insufficient, and a sufficient deodorizing effect cannot be obtained.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Kunio Arimoto 2-10-23 Hasuike, Arai-cho, Takasago-shi, Hyogo (72) Inventor Junji Yokoi 1-cho, Toyota-shi, Aichi Toyota Motor Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An organic nitrogen-sulfur antibacterial and antifungal agent in an amount of 5 to 20% by weight and an antirust agent in an amount of 0.1 to 0.1% by weight relative to the aqueous deodorant stock solution.
7% by weight, surfactant 1 to 10% by weight, solvent 5
Deodorant for air conditioner characterized by being mixed with 20% by weight 2. The deodorant according to claim 1, wherein the fixing agent is 1 to 20% by weight and the water-soluble film forming agent is 1 in solid content.
Deodorant for air conditioner, characterized by containing 10 to 10% by weight 3. A deodorizing method for an air conditioner, which comprises spraying a liquid obtained by diluting the deodorant according to claim 1 or 2 with water into an air circuit of the air conditioner. 4. The deodorizing method for an air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein a diluted liquid containing 0.2 to 1% by weight of the antibacterial and antifungal agent is sprayed in an amount of at least 500 ml.