JPH0938657A - Producing and supplying device of disinfected water and production and supplying method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To add a proper function of sterilization, bacterial sterilization or cleaning to city water or well water to wash hands or clean apparatus in hospitals, food factories and public facilities and at home. SOLUTION: This device consists of an electrolytic cell 1 to produce hydrogen peroxide water, an air supply means 6, a piping 7 to supply water to an electrolytic room 2, a bypass piping 8 of water which bypasses the electrolytic room 2, and a water controlling means 19 to control the amt. of water in the piping 7 and/or the amt. of water in the bypass piping 8. The electrolytic cell 1 consists of a cathode 4 comprising a gas diffusion electrode equipped with an air passage 5 on the back side, an anode 3 facing the cathode, and an electrolytic room 2 between the electrodes. Water having 100 to 500μS/cm conductivity is supplied to produce a hydrogen peroxide water in the electrolytic cell 2, and its concn. is controlled to a specified concn. to produce and supply a disinfected water. Since hydrogen peroxide is not supplied from the outside but produced in the device and supplied, replenishment of a chemical liquid is not necessary, which is very advantageous and economical for the maintenance.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a hospital, a food factory,
In public facilities, homes, etc., for example, to clean hands and disinfect equipment, tap water, well water, etc.
(Comprehensively referred to as tap water) to provide appropriate disinfection, sterilization, and cleaning ability for disinfecting water production and supply apparatus and method.

[0002]

BACKGROUND ART From the viewpoint of hygiene, tap water is usually sterilized so that the number of bacteria is less than a specified number. However, even bacteria that adhere to the human body, medical equipment, food manufacturing equipment, etc. The ability to sterilize cannot be expected very much. Therefore, various means have been provided for sterilizing bacteria that adhere to the human body and various equipment. Among them, chemical cleaning using alcohol or reverse soap and ultraviolet irradiation are common. Furthermore, recently, a disinfection method using acidic water obtained by electrolyzing water containing an inorganic chlorine compound or ozone water has come to be used.

[0003]

The various sterilization methods described above have advantages and disadvantages. For example, chemical cleaning does not require supplementation of chemicals, and ultraviolet irradiation cannot be expected to have a sterilizing effect on shadowed areas. Therefore, there is a drawback in that a large number of UV radiators must be arranged. Further, in order to obtain acidic water, there is a problem that salt and calcium chloride must be added, and a chlorine compound is a byproduct, and ozone water has a problem that the duration of the bactericidal effect is short. An object of the present invention is to provide a disinfecting water production and supply device and a production and supply method that do not require special maintenance and administration, use tap water or the like, do not generate by-products, and can be easily used in a small space. completed.

[0004]

The present invention, which has been completed to achieve the above object, will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention comprises an electrolytic cell 1 for producing hydrogen peroxide solution, which comprises a cathode 4 of a gas diffusion electrode having an air flow path 5 on the back surface side, and an anode 3 facing the cathode with an electrolytic chamber 2 in between. , Air flow path 5
Means 6 for supplying air to the chamber, a pipe 7 for supplying water to the electrolysis chamber 2 and a pipe 17 for discharging the same, a water pipe 8 for bypassing the electrolysis chamber 2, and a water amount of the pipe 7 and / or a water amount of the bypass pipe 8. Adjusting means 19 for adjusting, connecting the water supply pipe 10 to the pipe 7 and the bypass water pipe 8,
The hydrogen peroxide solution produced in the electrolysis chamber 2 is adjusted by the adjusting means 1.
Disclosed is an apparatus for producing and supplying disinfecting water, which is manufactured by using No. 9 and is adjusted to a required hydrogen peroxide concentration to supply the disinfecting water. In order to prevent an excessive water pressure from being applied to the cathode 4 when the disinfecting water production and supply device is not used, it is desirable to install a stop valve 12 on the inlet side of the water supplied to the electrolysis cell. It is also possible to mount a two-fluid spraying device on the disinfecting water supply port 11 and supply air from the air supply means 6 so that the disinfecting water can be sprayed.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided an electrolytic cell comprising a cathode of a gas diffusion electrode having an air flow path provided on the back surface side and an anode facing the cathode with an electrolytic chamber in between, and an electrolytic cell of the electrolytic cell. By-pass water piping is used to supply water to the electrolysis chamber and air to the air flow path to continuously produce electrolytic hydrogenation in the electrolysis chamber to produce hydrogen peroxide solution, and electrolyze the produced hydrogen peroxide solution. Disclosed is a method for producing and supplying disinfecting water, which is derived from a room and is adjusted to a desired concentration to produce and supply the disinfecting water. That is, the present invention uses an electrolytic cell having a gas diffusion electrode that permeates oxygen in the air as a cathode, electrolytically reduces tap water or the like to produce hydrogen peroxide solution, and adjusts it to a required hydrogen peroxide solution concentration. It is a method and a device for producing and supplying disinfecting water for supplying the disinfecting water.

[0006]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The disinfecting water producing and supplying apparatus and the producing and supplying method of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a flow sheet showing an embodiment of the present invention. In the present invention, the electrolytic cell 1 having the cathode 4 of the gas diffusion electrode having the air flow path 5 provided on the back side is used, and the electrolytic chamber 2 between the anode 3 and the cathode 4 is used.
It conducts electrolytic reduction by introducing tap water, etc. to generate hydrogen peroxide having disinfecting, sterilizing and cleaning actions. The anode is made of a material that is resistant to oxidative corrosion. A material in which titanium that does not generate cations is coated with iridium or platinum is suitable. A gas diffusion electrode is used for the cathode, and both air permeability and an electrode function are required. A material in which carbon black is mainly used and a powder of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or the like is kneaded and molded, and the like are preferable. An air flow path 5 is provided on the back surface side of the cathode 4 to supply air 6,
For example, air is fed into the air flow path 5 provided on the back surface of the cathode 4 through the air feed pipe 15 by an air pump.

The water to be introduced into the electrolysis chamber 2 is supplied from the tap water supply pipe 10 to the electrolysis chamber 2 through the pipe 7, but in order to dilute the hydrogen peroxide solution produced and supply the required disinfecting water. In addition, a pipe 8 that bypasses the electrolysis chamber 2 is usually provided. It is desirable that the water used contains a large amount of highly conductive electrolyte for electrolysis itself. However, in the present invention, in practical use, tap water that can be used very easily without special pretreatment, or 100 to 50 which is the same as tap water.
Groundwater or the like having conductivity and water quality of about 0 μS / cm can be used particularly advantageously. For this reason, it is preferable to set the distance between the anode 3 and the cathode 4 to about 0.2 to 5 mm. This is because electrolytic reduction can be reasonably carried out at a low voltage even if the conductivity is low. Although it cannot be specified unconditionally because it varies depending on the desired amount of disinfecting water, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide, the characteristics of the raw water, etc., in a general hand-washing device using tap water as the raw water, the area of the cathode plate is 0.1 to ¹ dm ² , and the voltage is 6 ~ 24V,
A current density of 5 to 20 A / dm ² is a target. Raw water flow rate 1-10 liters / min, 5-2 of that in the electrolysis chamber
5% to 50 ppm when flowing 0% and passing the rest through the bypass
Disinfecting water containing 1 to 10 l / min of hydrogen peroxide is obtained.

Air is supplied to the back surface of the cathode 4 through an air supply pipe 15 by using an air supply means, for example, an air pump 6. The voltage may be adjusted to increase the current if extra hydrogen peroxide needs to be generated, but in addition to the gas having a higher oxygen concentration than air in the supply air, for example, PSA oxygen generation. Concentration of air treated with air machine
It is also possible to add an oxygen-containing gas of up to 95%, a cylinder of oxygen, etc. to enrich the air for use. When the amount of water is increased, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the water discharged from the electrolysis cell is lowered, but the amount of hydrogen peroxide produced is almost constant regardless of the increase or decrease in the amount of water.

Electrolytic reduction is carried out in the electrolytic chamber 2, and oxygen in the air is reduced to produce hydrogen peroxide, as shown in the following equations (a) and (b). O ₂ + H ₂ O + 2e ⁻ → HO ₂ ⁻ + OH ⁻ (a) HO ₂ ⁻ + OH ⁻ + 2H ⁺ → H ₂ O ₂ + H ₂ O (b) Direct current electricity is supplied to the electrolysis cell 1 from a power source through a lead wire. However, since an AC power supply is usually used, a DC converter such as a thyristor is used to convert AC into DC.
Since the electrolysis cell 1 is energized, it is necessary to pay sufficient attention to the insulation and grounding of the casing 14 and the like.

The produced hydrogen peroxide is dissolved in tap water and discharged from the electrolytic cell 1 as hydrogen peroxide water. The derived hydrogen peroxide solution can be used as it is as disinfecting water depending on the use conditions, but it is generally desirable to use the bypass pipe 8 so that the hydrogen peroxide concentration can be adjusted. For example, if a control valve 19 for adjusting the amount of water in the bypass pipe 8 is provided, the disinfecting water can be easily adjusted to the required hydrogen peroxide concentration and used. The hydrogen peroxide concentration adjusting means is not limited to this, and can be appropriately configured depending on the circumstances of the water supply source and the form of use. The structure of the disinfecting water supply port 11 may be selected according to the purpose of use, such as a foam faucet. For cleaning the equipment, a flexible hose or the like may be used at the supply port, or a booster pump may be used to improve workability.

To operate the tap water receiving pipe 10 of the disinfecting water producing apparatus of the present invention or the tap water receiving pipe 7 of the electrolysis cell 1,
It is preferable that a control means 9 is provided and an electromagnetic shutoff valve 12, for example, which is opened at the same time as energization and closed at the time of operation stop, is attached. This is because when the original pressure of tap water is high, the gas diffusion electrode forming the cathode is prevented from being damaged by the high water pressure applied when the apparatus is stopped. A safety valve for releasing pressure may be used. Further, if a similar shut-off valve 13 is attached to the outlet side, it is possible to prevent so-called water dripping, in which residual water such as in the electrolysis chamber 2 leaks after the apparatus is stopped.

When strict concentration adjustment is not required, such as for hand washing, and a simple device is desired, a manual valve is generally used as the bypass piping control valve 19 to provide an appropriate opening degree before using the device. If it is set to, normally, it is not necessary to operate each time it is used. Further, a two-fluid nozzle is used for the disinfecting water supply port 11 instead of the foam faucet, and the surplus air of the air feeding means 6 is directly fed or the air passing from the air feeding means 6 to the air flow passage 5 is indirectly fed. It can also be used by spraying with disinfectant water.

Next, a specific use of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, taking a hand washing room as an example. The disinfecting water may be allowed to flow out, for example, by opening the faucet whenever necessary, but it is convenient to attach a detection sensor 16 near the disinfecting water supply port 11 and use solenoid valves for the closing valves 12 and 13. . The control valve 19 is set in advance so as to be diluted to a preferable hydrogen peroxide concentration. When the user puts his / her hand near the supply port 11, the detection sensor 16 senses it and turns on a switch incorporated in the control device 9 to operate the disinfecting water production / supply device. The shutoff valves 12 and 13 that have closed the inflow and outflow of tap water are opened by a signal from the control device 9, and tap water flows into the electrolysis chamber 2 and the bypass pipe 8. At the same time, the air pump 6 also operates to send air into the air flow path 5. Direct current is transmitted from the direct current converter of the controller 9 to the anode 3 and the cathode 4, and electrolytic reduction starts in the electrolysis chamber 2 to generate hydrogen peroxide and hydrogen peroxide solution. Excess air is discharged to the outside of the device through the discharge pipe 18. The generated hydrogen peroxide solution is diluted with tap water from the bypass pipe 8 to a required hydrogen peroxide concentration, supplied from the disinfecting water supply port 11 and used for hand washing and the like. When the use amount of the disinfecting water changes significantly, for example, the control unit 9 is used to adjust the water amount of the pipe 7 and / or the water amount of the bypass pipe 8 or the current density of the electrode plate to adjust the concentration or the production amount. You can After washing hands, etc., manually turn off the switch to stop the disinfecting water production system. However, when the usage time is almost constant, such as hand washing, the operating time can be set using a timer and the operation can be automatically stopped after a fixed time, for example, 20 seconds after the switch is turned on.

[0014]

The apparatus and method for producing and supplying disinfectant water according to the present invention is based on the same principle as the chemical cleaning using hydrogen peroxide in the prior art, but hydrogen peroxide is not externally supplied. Since it is manufactured and supplied in the apparatus, there is no need to replenish the chemical solution, which is extremely advantageous for maintenance.
It is possible to supply disinfecting water by generating hydrogen peroxide by using electricity and tap water or well water for drinking which has low conductivity which can be generally supplied. The overall equipment configuration is simple and compact, and the operating cost is low. The present invention relates to a hospital,
It can be widely and easily used in food factories, drug factories, public facilities, restaurants, homes, etc., for example, for performing clean hand washing and disinfection of equipment.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flow sheet showing an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Electrolysis cell 2: Electrolysis chamber 3: Anode 4: Cathode 5: Air flow path 6: Air supply means 7: Water supply pipe to the electrolysis chamber 8: Bypass water pipe 9: Control means 10: Water supply pipe 11 : Disinfection water supply port 12: Closed valve 13: Closed valve 14: Casing 15: Air supply pipe 16: Detection sensor 17:
Exhaust pipe 18: Air exhaust pipe 19: Control valve

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An electrolysis cell for producing hydrogen peroxide solution, comprising a cathode 4 of a gas diffusion electrode having an air flow path 5 on the back side and an anode 3 facing the cathode with an electrolysis chamber 2 in between. 1, a means 6 for supplying air to the air flow path 5, a pipe 7 for supplying water to the electrolysis chamber 2 and a pipe 17 for discharging the water, a pipe 8 for water bypassing the electrolysis chamber 2, and the amount of water in the pipe 7 and / Alternatively, the adjusting means 19 for adjusting the amount of water in the bypass pipe 8 is connected, the water supply pipe 10 is connected to the pipe 7 and the bypass water pipe 8, and the hydrogen peroxide solution produced in the electrolysis chamber 2 is adjusted by the adjusting means 1.
An apparatus for producing and supplying disinfecting water, which uses 9 to prepare and supply disinfecting water by adjusting the concentration of hydrogen peroxide to a required level. 2. The apparatus for producing and supplying disinfecting water according to claim 1, wherein a stop valve 12 is attached to the inlet side of water supplied to the electrolysis cell 1 to prevent excessive water pressure from being applied to the cathode 4. 3. The disinfecting water according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a two-fluid spraying device is attached to the disinfecting water supply port 11, and air is supplied from the air supply means 6 to spray the disinfecting water. Manufacturing supply equipment. 4. An electrolysis cell comprising a cathode of a gas diffusion electrode having an air flow path on the back side and an anode facing the cathode with an electrolysis chamber in between, and a bypass water pipe of the electrolysis cell. Water is supplied to the electrolysis chamber and air is supplied to the air flow path to continuously produce electrolytic hydrogenation in the electrolysis chamber to produce hydrogen peroxide solution, and the produced hydrogen peroxide solution is discharged from the electrolysis chamber. A method of manufacturing and supplying disinfecting water, which comprises manufacturing and supplying disinfecting water at a desired concentration.