JPH11235589A - Ionized water generator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the ionized water generator of simple structure capable of safely and easily generating a drinkable weakly alkaline ionized water and a weakly acidic sterilizing water having a high content of free chlorine and a strong sterilizing power and capable of being used in general households. SOLUTION: This ionized water generator is provided with the diaphragm electrolytic cell 2 having a water feed pipe 21, an electrolytic water discharge pipe 22 on the cathode side and an electrolytic water discharge pipe 23 on the anode side and a water storage tank 8 with the discharge pipe 23 as a water feed passage and having a water discharge pipe 24. The anode 9 and cathode 10 for electrolyzing water are provided in the tank 8, a weakly alkaline ionized water is generated in the cathode compartment 5 of the cell 2 and discharged from the pipe 22, and a weakly acidic sterilizing water is generated in the tank 8 and discharged from a pipe 24.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ion water generator, and more particularly, to an ion water generator capable of simultaneously producing weak alkaline water for drinking and sterilized water having a high sterilizing ability and safe. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an apparatus for producing weak alkaline ionized water used for drinking, cooking, etc., raw water such as tap water supplied is purified with a hollow fiber filter or activated carbon, and then is subjected to diaphragm electrolysis. BACKGROUND ART There is known an ion water conditioner that electrolyzes in a tank to generate weak alkaline ionized water and weakly acidic ionized water. With the increase in health consciousness, a considerable number of such ion water purifiers are widely used and used in ordinary households. However, weakly acidic ionic water generated in the anode compartment has low sterilizing ability due to low free chlorine concentration and is said to have an astringent effect, but most of it is discarded as useless water .

On the other hand, due to the recent O157 problem and the like, there is a need for a sterilizing water producing apparatus that can be easily obtained even in ordinary households. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2-149395 discloses an apparatus for producing strongly acidic ionic water by adding an inorganic chloride such as sodium chloride to tap water and then electrolyzing it in a diaphragm electrolytic cell. This sterilizing water producing apparatus is used in the fields of food processing, medical treatment and the like, but has not been widely used in general households because of its complicated structure and high cost. In addition, this produces by-products of strong alkaline ionic water that is not useful in homes, and strongly acidic ionic water with high acidity corrodes metals in homes and may cause accidents due to accidental ingestion. Therefore, there is a problem in terms of safety for general household use.

Further, there has been proposed a sterilizing water producing apparatus in which an electrolytic solution obtained by adding sodium chloride and an appropriate amount of hydrochloric acid to tap water is electrolyzed in a non-diaphragm electrolytic cell, and the pH is adjusted with hydrochloric acid to generate sterilizing water. . However, since it is difficult to obtain hydrochloric acid in ordinary households, an additive cartridge must be purchased, which is also difficult to use in ordinary households. This sterilizing water production device can be used only in a limited number of business establishments.

Further, by directly electrolyzing tap water,
There is also a method of increasing the free chlorine concentration of tap water itself and using it as sterilizing water. However, in this case, since water becomes alkaline with electrolysis, free chlorine is present mainly as hypochlorite ion, whose sterilizing ability is several tens times lower than that of hypochlorous acid. It does not have.

[0006] With one household ionizer, weak alkaline ionized water used for drinking and cooking,
If sterile water having a low acidity and a high free chlorine concentration can be produced without adding an acid such as hydrochloric acid, it can be safely and easily obtained even in ordinary households. Further, the water in the anode chamber, which has been discarded in the conventional ion water conditioner, can be effectively used.

An electrolyzed water generator capable of simultaneously producing weakly alkaline ionized water and strongly acidic ionized water (sterilized water) is disclosed in JP-A-7-51670 and JP-A-7-1484.
No. 89 is disclosed. This has a configuration in which a plurality of diaphragm electrolyzers are connected in series and in multiple stages. However, since this electrolyzed water generator has a plurality of diaphragm electrolyzers, the structure is complicated and expensive. And since the sterilized water produced is strongly acidic, there is a problem in terms of safety for general household use as described above. The electrolyzed water generated is weak alkaline ionized water generated in the first electrolytic cell, and strongly acidic ionized water and strongly alkaline ionized water generated in the second and subsequent electrolytic cells. Among them, strong alkaline ionized water is used only for agriculture and the like, and has no use for general household use.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a weakly alkaline ionized water which does not have a complicated structure and which is suitable for use in beverages and dishes, and which is weakly acidic, has a high free chlorine concentration, and is safe and sterilized. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ion water generator which can easily generate sterilized water having a high capacity and can be used in ordinary households.

[0009]

The above object is achieved by the present invention described below.

(1) A diaphragm electrolysis tank having a water supply pipe, two systems of electrolytic water discharge pipes of a cathode side discharge pipe and an anode side discharge pipe, and a water supply passage for the anode side discharge pipe of the diaphragm electrolysis tank. And, having a storage tank having a water discharge pipe, having an anode and a cathode for electrolyzing water in the storage tank, weak alkaline ionized water is generated in the cathode chamber of the diaphragm electrolyzer, An ionized water generator which is taken out from the cathode side discharge pipe, a weakly acidic sterilized water is generated in the storage tank, and taken out from the water discharge pipe. (2) The ionized water generator according to (1) above, wherein a water purifier is provided in a water supply pipe of the diaphragm electrolyzer.

[0011]

The ionic water generator of the present invention combines weak alkaline ionic water suitable for drinking, cooking, etc., with sterilized water that is weakly acidic, has a high free chlorine concentration, is safe and has a high sterilizing ability. Easy to generate. Further, since only weakly alkaline ionized water and weakly acidic sterilized water are generated, water can be effectively used without waste.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the present invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration diagram of an example of the ionized water generator of the present invention.

The ionized water generator of the present invention comprises a diaphragm electrolysis tank 2 having two electrolytic water discharge pipes, a cathode discharge pipe 22 and an anode discharge pipe 23, and the anode of the diaphragm electrolysis tank 2. And a storage tank 8 using the side discharge pipe 23 as a water supply passage.
The diaphragm electrolyzer 2 includes a cathode 3, an anode 4, and a cathode chamber 5.
And a diaphragm 7 for partitioning the anode chamber 6. In the cathode chamber 5, weak alkaline ionized water for drinking or cooking is generated. The storage tank 8 has an anode 9 and a cathode 10 for electrolyzing water therein, and sterile water having a weak acidity and a high free chlorine concentration is generated.

A water purifier 1 is provided upstream of the diaphragm electrolyzer 2. The water purifier 1 may be a commonly used one, and preferably has an antibacterial activated carbon, a hollow fiber or the like inside.
The water purifier 1 may be omitted, but is preferably provided for removing impurities and the like.

A direct current is applied between the cathode 3 and the anode 4 of the diaphragm electrolyzer 2 and between the anode 9 and the cathode 10 in the storage tank 8 from the power supply unit 25. The energization is controlled by the controller 26.

Next, the operation of the ionized water generator of the present invention will be described.

First, raw water such as tap water and well water is supplied to the water purifier 1 through a raw water pipe 20. From the supplied raw water, general bacteria, impurities, and the like are removed by the water purifier 1. The water is introduced into the diaphragm electrolyzer 2 through the water supply pipe 21. In the diaphragm electrolyzer 2, a DC current is applied between the cathode 3 and the anode 4 from the power supply unit 25 via the controller 26, and water is electrolyzed. Then, weak alkaline ionized water is generated in the cathode chamber 5 and is taken out of the faucet through the cathode side discharge pipe 22 as it is. This weak alkaline ionized water is used for drinking, cooking and the like. In addition, a container such as a tank may be provided in the cathode-side discharge pipe 22, and the weak alkaline ionized water once stored in the container may be used whenever necessary.

On the other hand, weakly acidic ionic water is generated in the anode chamber 6 and supplied to the storage tank 8 through the anode side discharge pipe 23. In the storage tank 8, a direct current is applied between the anode 9 and the cathode 10 from the power supply unit 25 via the controller 26, and the weakly acidic ionic water is electrolyzed. Then, sterile water that is weakly acidic and has an increased free chlorine concentration is generated. By dissolving water by providing an electrode in the storage tank, chlorine (Cl ₂ ) is generated, and sterile water having a preferable pH value and free chlorine concentration described later can be easily obtained. In addition, the weakly acidic ionic water generated simultaneously with the weakly alkaline ionic water can be effectively used. The electrolysis of the weakly acidic ionized water in the storage tank may be performed immediately after storage or immediately before collection of sterilized water. This sterilized water can be drained at any time when necessary.
It is taken out of the faucet through 4 and used.

The raw water pipe 20, the cathode-side discharge pipe 22 of the diaphragm electrolyzer 2 and the water discharge pipe 24 are not shown. Also, in order to supply a certain amount of water to the electrolytic cell, a diaphragm electrolytic cell 2
It is preferable to provide a flow control unit in the water supply pipe 21 for supplying water to the storage tank 8, the anode side discharge pipe 23 of the diaphragm electrolyzer 2 for supplying water to the storage tank 8, and the like.

The acidity may be adjusted by adding a slightly acidic vinegar (acetic acid content: about 3 to 5%).

The pH of the weakly alkaline ionized water obtained by the ionized water generator of the present invention is 8-11, preferably 8.5-1.5.
It is 10. Water having a pH in this range is preferable for drinking, cooking, and the like.

The pH of the sterilized water obtained by the ionized water generator of the present invention is from 3.5 to less than 7, preferably from 4 to 6.5. The form of chlorine in water is chlorine (Cl ₂ ), hypochlorous acid (HOCl), hypochlorite ion (OCl ⁻ ), Cl ⁻
The ratios of the abundances differ greatly depending on the pH. Among these, Cl ₂ , HOCl, O
Cl ⁻ , of which HOCl has a bactericidal effect several tens times higher than OCl ⁻ . The sterilizing water obtained by electrolyzing water includes sterilizing water having a pH of about 3 to 7 and most of free chlorine being HOCl, that is, sterilizing water using the bactericidal power of HOCl, and dissolving Cl at a pH of 3 or less. Sterilized water containing ₂ , that is,
There is sterilizing water that utilizes the low pH value. When considered for home use, a low pH value is not preferred because it may corrode metals in the home or cause accidents due to accidental ingestion. The germicidal water generated by the ionized water generator of the present invention has a high bactericidal HOCl abundance ratio at a high pH,
Since it is weakly acidic, it is preferable from the viewpoint of safety.

The concentration of free chlorine in the obtained sterilized water is as follows:
Cl ₂ terms in 3～30Ppm, preferably 5 to 20 ppm. When free chlorine concentration higher than this, for the water together with an electrolyte is alkaline, free chlorine primarily OCl ^-
, And sufficient sterilizing power cannot be obtained. There is also a problem of chlorine odor of sterilizing water. If the free chlorine concentration is lower than this, the HOCl abundance is too small and sufficient bactericidal activity cannot be obtained.

The electrode of the diaphragm electrolyzer preferably has no problem in food hygiene, and examples thereof include metals such as Pt and Ir, alloys thereof, oxides thereof, and ceramics such as ferrite. As the cathode, in particular, a cathode formed by depositing Pt on a substrate such as titanium by plating or thermal decomposition is preferably used.

In FIG. 1, the electrodes of the diaphragm electrolyzer are in the form of two parallel plates, but the shape and number of the electrodes are not particularly limited, and may be any shape such as a rod shape, a column shape, and a cylindrical coaxial arrangement. The number may be two or more.

The size of the electrode is not particularly limited as long as the above-mentioned weak alkaline ionized water and weakly acidic ionized water can be obtained, but it is usually preferably about 30 to ²⁰⁰ cm ² .

The diaphragm used for the diaphragm electrolyzer does not allow water molecules to pass through and only ions can move. There is no problem in food hygiene. There is no particular limitation as long as separation is possible. Examples of such materials include resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and nylon, ion exchange membranes, and porous membranes made of ceramics.

The electrode in the storage tank preferably has a high Cl ₂ generation efficiency. For example, noble metals such as Pt and Ir, their alloys, their oxides, or their metals, alloys, and oxides are titanium Formed on the base material by plating, thermal decomposition, or the like. Among them, Pt-Ir alloy and Pt-IrO ₂ are preferable. The atomic ratio of Pt to Ir (Pt: Ir) is preferably about 98: 2 to 60:40.

In FIG. 1, the electrodes of the storage tank are in the shape of two parallel plates, but the shape and number of the electrodes are not particularly limited, and may be any shape such as a rod shape, a column shape, and a cylindrical coaxial arrangement. The number may be two or more.

The size of the electrode is not particularly limited as long as the above-mentioned sterilized water can be obtained.
^{About 2} is preferred.

The electrolysis conditions of the diaphragm electrolyzer are preferably such that a voltage of about 5 to 30 V is applied and the current density is about 1 to 10 A / dm ² . In FIG. 1, the electrodes are formed in a parallel plate shape, and the distance between the electrodes at this time is 1 to 1
It is preferably about 0 mm.

The electrolysis conditions in the storage tank are preferably such that a voltage of about 5 to 30 V is applied and the current density is about 1 to 10 A / dm ² . In FIG. 1, the electrodes are formed in a parallel plate shape, and the distance between the electrodes at this time is 1 to 1
It is preferably about 0 mm. The capacity of the storage tank is not limited, but is preferably about 0.1 to 5 liters.

At this time, it is preferable to reverse the polarity of the electrode at any time or at regular intervals, and to apply the current. Tap water,
When electrolyzing well water or the like, calcium or magnesium adheres as a scale to the cathode side, and the electrolysis efficiency decreases. By applying electricity while reversing the anode and cathode, these deposits are removed and the electrolysis efficiency is restored.

The diaphragm electrolyzer may be either a continuous electrolyzer in which water supply and drainage are continuously performed or a batch electrolyzer in which batch processing is performed, but is a continuous electrolyzer which can be used more easily at home. Is preferred. When a continuous electrolytic cell is used, the flow rate of water to the diaphragm electrolytic cell is preferably about 2 to 10 liters / minute. When a batch type electrolytic cell is used, the charged amount may be the same as the capacity of the electrolytic cell, and the energizing time is preferably about 1 to 30 minutes.

The time for energizing the electrodes in the storage tank is 1 to
About 60 minutes is preferable.

[0037]

EXAMPLES Examples of the present invention will be shown below and will be described in more detail.

Example 1 An ionic water generator shown in FIG. 1 was manufactured. An activated carbon filled cartridge was used for the water purifier 1. The cathode 3 of the diaphragm electrolyzer 2 used was a titanium substrate coated with platinum by a thermal decomposition method. Anode 4 of diaphragm electrolyzer 2 and storage tank 8
For the anode 9 and the cathode 10, a titanium base material coated with platinum and iridium oxide by a thermal decomposition method was used. At this time, the atomic ratio of platinum to iridium was 70:30. As the diaphragm 7 of the diaphragm electrolyzer 2, a Yumicron electrolytic diaphragm manufactured by Yuasa Corporation was used. The cathode 3 and the anode 4 of the diaphragm electrolyzer 2 are 1
A parallel plate of 00 cm ² was used, and the interval was 3 mm. The anode 9 and the cathode 10 in the storage tank 8 were parallel flat plates of 50 cm ² , and the interval between them was 2 mm. The capacity of the storage tank 8 was 1 liter.

Tap water (pH 7.1, free chlorine concentration 0.1 ppm) from Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture, was supplied to this ionic water generator at a flow rate of 5%.
Liter / minute, and the diaphragm 2 has a current density of 1 A /
Under the dm ² electrolysis condition, the electrode in the storage tank 8 has a current density of 2 A
Electrolysis was performed for 5 minutes under the electrolysis conditions of / dm ² .

From the cathode chamber 5 of the diaphragm electrolyzer 2, pH
8.5, alkaline ionized water having a free chlorine concentration of less than 0.1 ppm was obtained at a flow rate of 4 L / min. From the anode chamber 6, weakly acidic ionic water having a pH of 4.9 and a free chlorine concentration of 1.8 ppm was produced at a flow rate of 1 liter / min. From the storage tank 8 to which the weakly acidic ionic water was supplied, weakly acidic sterilized water having a pH of 5.8 and a free chlorine concentration of 13.9 ppm was obtained.

This weakly acidic sterilized water was allowed to stand at room temperature for one week with the lid in the storage tank. The weakly acidic sterilized water after standing has a pH of 6.4 and a free chlorine concentration of 12.0 ppm.
This weakly acidic sterilized water had a high free chlorine concentration even after storage for one week, and was able to maintain high sterilizing power.

[0042]

Industrial Applicability According to the present invention, weak alkaline ionized water which does not take a complicated structure and is suitable for drinking, cooking, etc., and sterilized water which is weakly acidic, has a high free chlorine concentration, and is safe and has a high sterilizing ability. Can be easily generated by one unit, and an ion water generator that can be used in ordinary households can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of an ionized water generator of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Water purifier 2 Diaphragm electrolytic cell 3 Cathode of diaphragm electrolyzer 2 4 Anode of diaphragm electrolyzer 2 5 Cathode chamber of diaphragm electrolyzer 2 6 Anode chamber of diaphragm electrolyzer 2 7 Diaphragm of diaphragm electrolyzer 2 Reference Signs List 8 Storage tank 9 Anode in storage tank 8 10 Cathode in storage tank 8 20 Raw water pipe 21 Water supply pipe 22 Cathode side discharge pipe of diaphragm electrolysis tank 2 23 Anode side discharge pipe of diaphragm electrolysis tank 2 24 Water discharge pipe 25 Power supply unit 26 Controller

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A water supply pipe, a diaphragm electrolysis tank having two systems of electrolytic water discharge pipes of a cathode discharge pipe and an anode discharge pipe, and the anode discharge pipe of the diaphragm electrolysis tank serving as a water supply passage. Having a storage tank having a water discharge pipe, having an anode and a cathode for electrolyzing water in the storage tank, wherein weak alkaline ionized water is generated in a cathode chamber of the diaphragm electrolyzer, An ionized water generator which is taken out from a cathode side discharge pipe, a weakly acidic sterilizing water is generated in the storage tank, and taken out from the water discharge pipe. 2. The ionic water generator according to claim 1, wherein a water purifier is provided in a water supply pipe of the diaphragm electrolyzer.