KR20160053897A - Filter system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a filter system. According to an aspect of the present invention, the filter system comprises: an electrostatic adsorption filter at least partially having positive charge to be adsorbed to negative charge particles existing in water by an electrostatic force; a porous sand filter having pores to make water passing through the electrostatic adsorption filter to flow in; and a housing accommodating the porous sand filter and the electrostatic adsorption filter to form a single module. According to the present invention, viruses existing in raw water can be removed by using a size-exclusion mechanism of the porous sand filter, and nanoparticles which cause a reduction in water capacity of the porous sand filter can be removed using the electrostatic adsorption filter.

Description

Filter system {FILTER SYSTEM}

The present invention relates to a filter system for filtering virus present in raw water to provide it as a purified water.

A variety of filters are used for water purifiers, which are water purifying devices. The most representative of them are the reverse osmosis membrane filter and the hollow fiber membrane filter.

Reverse Osmosis Membrane Filter refers to a filter that reverses the osmosis phenomenon. In high-concentration solutions and low-concentration solutions that are isolated from the semi-permeable membrane, water naturally passes through the semipermeable membrane and moves from the low-concentration solution to the high-concentration solution. This phenomenon is called osmotic phenomenon, and the difference in the water level between the high concentration solution and the low concentration solution is referred to as osmotic pressure. However, when a pressure higher than osmotic pressure is applied to a solution of high concentration, water moves from the high concentration solution to the low concentration solution through the semipermeable membrane as opposed to the natural phenomenon. This phenomenon is called reverse osmosis, and the difference in the water level between the low concentration solution and the high concentration solution is called the reverse osmosis pressure. The reverse osmosis membrane filter is made to purify only the water molecules through the semipermeable membrane by using the reverse osmosis phenomenon.

The Hollow Fiber Membrane Filter uses a filter like a blanket-like thread with a hollow center. In the hollow fiber membrane filter, pores are formed to filter the substance to be removed mixed with water and to pass water molecules. When the water passes through the hollow fiber membrane filter using the water pressure, the removal target materials larger in size than the pores can not pass through the pores, and the water molecules are smaller than the pores, so they can pass through the hollow fiber membrane filter. The hollow fiber membrane filter is made to purify the raw water by using this principle. However, it is known that the hollow fiber membrane filter does not remove the finer material as compared with the reverse osmosis filter.

Among the substances to be removed present in the raw water, viruses are formed in a very microscopic size that is invisible. In particular, if a virus that adversely affects the human body such as Norovirus is contained in the drinking water, it is necessary to remove the virus from the water purifier since it causes abdominal pain and the like. However, reverse osmosis membrane filters are more effective than hollow fiber membranes for viruses to be formed in minute size and to remove minute substances. In general, reverse osmosis membrane filters have been used to remove viruses from raw water.

However, the applicant has developed a hollow fiber membrane capable of removing viruses through research and development on hollow fiber membranes. However, since the hollow fiber membrane capable of removing the virus has a pore size smaller than that of the virus, there has been a problem in that the water content in the water rapidly decreases with time.

Therefore, it is possible to consider a filter system capable of overcoming the phenomenon in which the nanoparticles abruptly decrease the flow rate when a hollow fiber membrane capable of removing viruses is applied.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a filter system for preventing a drastic decrease in the amount of water generated when a hollow fiber membrane having a pore size capable of removing virus is applied to the filter.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a filter system capable of eliminating the cause of shortening the exchange period of the hollow fiber filter.

It is another object of the present invention to disclose a filter system that can be variously expanded by using an electrostatic adsorption filter and a hollow fiber membrane filter.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a filter system comprising: an electrostatic adsorption filter having a positive charge at least partially so as to be adsorbed to negative charge particles present in water by electrostatic attraction; A hollow fiber membrane filter having pores through which water having passed through the electrostatic adsorption filter flows; And a housing accommodating the hollow fiber membrane filter and the electrostatic adsorption filter to form one module.

According to the present invention having the above-described structure, nanoparticles which cause a decrease in the flow rate of the hollow fiber membrane capable of removing the virus by the size exclusion mechanism can be removed in advance by using the electrostatic adsorption filter. Therefore, since the nanoparticles present in water are removed before passing through the hollow fiber filter, the present invention can prevent the decrease in the flow rate of the hollow fiber filter.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the necessity for early replacement of the filter while securing the performance of the filter system by removing the virus by organic combination of the electrostatic adsorption filter and the hollow fiber membrane filter.

Further, the present invention can be formed in one stage or can be extended in multiple stages as necessary while making the electrostatic adsorption filter and the hollow fiber membrane filter essential components.

1 is a fluid flow diagram of a filter system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a hollow fiber membrane filter applied to the filter system of the present invention. FIG.
2B is an enlarged photograph of a hollow fiber membrane.
FIG. 3A is a perspective view of an electrostatic adsorption filter applied to the filter system of the present invention. FIG.
Fig. 3B is a conceptual diagram showing the detailed structure of the ion adsorption unit. Fig.
3C is another conceptual diagram showing the detailed structure of the ion adsorption unit.
FIG. 4A is a photograph of the ion adsorption portion shown in FIG. 3B. FIG.
4B is a conceptual view for explaining a mechanism in which nanoparticles are adsorbed on the ion adsorbing portion of FIG. 4A. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a graph for explaining an effect of preventing the flow rate reduction by application of the electrostatic adsorption filter. FIG.
6 is a graph for explaining an effect of removing nanoparticles according to application of an electrostatic adsorption filter.
Fig. 7 is a conceptual view showing the ion-adsorbing portion bonded to the carbon block. Fig.
8 is a cross-sectional view showing a hollow fiber membrane filter and an electrostatic adsorption filter embedded in a single housing.
FIG. 9 is a conceptual view showing that a hollow fiber membrane filter and an electrostatic adsorption filter are incorporated in separate housings. FIG.
10 is a conceptual diagram showing that the filter system is extended to three stages.
11 is a conceptual diagram showing that the filter system is extended to four stages.

Hereinafter, a filter system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present specification, the same or similar reference numerals are given to different embodiments in the same or similar configurations. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Terms including ordinals, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited to these terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

In this specification, the terms "comprises ", or" having ", and the like, specify that the presence of stated features, integers, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

1 is a fluid flow diagram of a filter system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

The filter system 100 includes a hollow fiber membrane filter 110 and an electrostatic adsorption filter 120. In order to implement a water purification device or water purifying device (water purifier) as a product, more components than those shown in FIG. 1 are required. In FIG. 1, essential components related to the technical idea of the present invention And the remaining components are omitted.

The hollow fiber membrane filter 110 is configured to remove the virus. The hollow fiber membrane filter 110 has pores having an average size smaller than the average size of viruses to remove viruses present in water.

The average size of the pores provided in the conventional hollow fiber filter was about 100 nm. However, since the virus has an average size of about 25 to 27 nm, the virus can not be removed using a conventional hollow fiber membrane filter. The reason why the conventional hollow fiber membrane filter has pores of a size larger than the virus is that the function of the conventional hollow fiber membrane filter is independent of the removal of the virus.

In the present invention, the hollow fiber membrane filter 110 is for removing viruses. To this end, the hollow fiber membrane filter 110 proposed in the present invention has pores having an average size smaller than the average size of viruses to remove viruses. Since the average size of the virus to be removed from the water is about 25 to 27 nm, the average pore size of the hollow fiber filter 110 is about 25 nm or less. It is preferable that the average pore size of the hollow fiber membrane filter 110 is about 20 nm or so in order to secure the reliability of virus removal.

The hollow fiber membrane filter 110 having an average pore size of less than about 25 nm can remove the virus present in water by a size exclusion mechanism. In particular, the hollow fiber membrane filter 110 for removing viruses by a size exclusion mechanism has an advantage that viruses can be removed regardless of the kind of raw water. Among the conventional methods, there has been proposed a filter that removes the virus in a different manner without using a size exclusion mechanism. However, the conventional method has a disadvantage in that the performance is determined according to the conditions of the raw water such as the pH of the raw water.

In the present invention, since the hollow fiber membrane filter 110 uses a size exclusion mechanism, it is not affected by the condition of the raw water. However, there are viruses as well as nanoparticles having a size of about 200 nm or less in raw water such as tap water. When the raw water is passed through the hollow fiber membrane filter 110 to remove the virus from the raw water including the nanoparticles, the pores of the hollow fiber membrane filter 110 are clogged by the nanoparticles over time, There is a problem in that the flow rate of the water drops 110 rapidly decreases.

In the conventional hollow fiber membrane filter having an average pore size of about 100 nm, the phenomenon that the flow rate of nanoparticles is greatly reduced can not be clearly observed. Therefore, in the conventional hollow fiber membrane filter, the problem of reduction of the flow rate by the nanoparticles was not a factor that greatly influences the performance of the water purifier. However, as in the present invention, in the filter system 100 using the hollow fiber membrane filter 110 having an average pore size of less than about 25 nm, the reduction of the flow rate by nanoparticles greatly affects the performance of the water purifier.

The filters of the currently used water purifiers are replaced periodically. However, the reduction of the flow rate by the nanoparticles makes the replacement time of the hollow fiber membrane filter 110 shorter. In addition, since the decrease in the flow rate causes a decrease in the amount of purified water supplied to the user, the decrease in the flow rate from the user's point of view causes the quality of the water purifier to be lowered.

In the present invention, a hollow fiber membrane filter 110 having pores having a size capable of removing viruses is applied, and an electrostatic adsorption filter (hereinafter, referred to as " 120 in combination with the hollow fiber membrane filter 110.

The electrostatic adsorption filter 120 is at least partially positive charged so as to be adsorbed to the nanoparticles of negative charge existing in water by the electrostatic attracting force. Most of the particulate matter present in the water in the pH range of the drinking water is negatively charged, and the nanoparticles to be removed from the electrostatic adsorption filter 120 are also negatively charged. Thus, nanoparticles can be ion-adsorbed by positive charge and electrostatic attraction.

The electrostatic adsorption filter 120 removes the nanoparticles from the water to be supplied to the hollow fiber membrane filter 110 in advance to prevent the flow rate of the hollow fiber membrane filter 110 from being drastically reduced by the nanoparticles. The electrostatic adsorption filter 120 is located in front of the hollow fiber membrane filter 110. Accordingly, the water to be purified in the filter system 100 firstly passes through the electrostatic adsorption filter 120 first, and then passes through the hollow fiber membrane filter 110 secondarily.

Since the electrostatic adsorption filter 120 removes nanoparticles from the water to be supplied to the hollow fiber membrane filter 110 in advance, viruses may be present in the water B that has passed through the electrostatic adsorption filter 120. However, the nanoparticles which cause a decrease in the flow rate are removed by the electrostatic adsorption filter 120. Accordingly, when the water B passed through the electrostatic adsorption filter 120 is supplied to the hollow fiber membrane filter 110, it is possible to prevent the phenomenon of decrease in the water flow rate in the hollow fiber membrane filter 110.

The water C to be purified in the filter system 100 can be divided into raw water A, first order constant B and second order constant C. Raw water A refers to water before passing through the filter system 100 and refers to water that is not purified at all. For example, the raw water A includes water water.

The primary constant B indicates the water that has passed through the electrostatic adsorption filter 120. When the raw water A passes through the electrostatic adsorption filter 120, the nanoparticles are removed from the raw water A and the raw water A becomes a primary constant B. The primary constant (B) can be understood as the water from which the nanoparticles are removed from the raw water (A). A virus may be present in the primary constant (B).

The secondary water C refers to water that has passed through the electrostatic adsorption filter 120 and the hollow fiber membrane filter 110 in order. When the primary water B passes through the hollow fiber membrane filter 110, the virus is removed from the primary water B and the primary water B becomes the secondary water C. The secondary constant (C) can be understood as water whose virus has been removed from the primary constant (B). Since the nanoparticles are removed by the electrostatic adsorption filter 120 and the virus is removed by the hollow fiber membrane filter 110, the nanoparticles and the virus hardly exist in the secondary water (C).

According to the present invention, the virus present in the raw water (A) can be removed by the hollow fiber membrane filter (110). In addition, the nanoparticles causing the decrease in the flow rate of the hollow fiber membrane filter 110 can be removed by the electrostatic adsorption filter 120. Particularly, the electrostatic adsorption filter 120 removes the nanoparticles from the water to be supplied to the hollow fiber membrane filter 110, instead of removing the nanoparticles from the water having passed through the hollow fiber membrane filter 110. Accordingly, the present invention can eliminate virus removal by using a size exclusion mechanism and prevent a decrease in the flow rate of the hollow fiber membrane filter 110.

Hereinafter, the detailed structure of the hollow fiber membrane filter 110 and the electrostatic adsorption filter 120 will be described.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a hollow fiber membrane filter 110 applied to the filter system 100 (see FIG. 1) of the present invention. 2B is an enlarged photograph of the hollow fiber membrane.

The hollow fiber membrane filter 110 of FIG. 2A is formed by bundling the hollow fiber membrane 112 of FIG. 2B. The lower part is potted by a resin such as polyurethane to block the flow of water, and the upper part is potted and the resin is cut and water is discharged to the center of the hollow fiber membrane. The hollow fiber membrane 112 means a membrane in the form of a thread having an empty middle portion. Pores (not shown) are formed in the hollow fiber membrane 112, and the pores are formed to a size of about 25 nm or less to remove viruses. In order to more reliably remove the virus, it is preferable that the average size of pores is formed to be about 20 nm or so.

The hollow fiber membrane filter 110 has a central portion thereof formed with a channel 111 through which water can be discharged. The water flows into the outer peripheral surface of the hollow fiber membrane filter 110. During passage through the hollow fiber membrane filter 110, viruses present in the water do not pass through the pores and are therefore removed from the water. The arrows in Figure 2a represent the flow of water. The water is discharged through the flow path 111 formed in the center portion of the hollow fiber membrane filter 110.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of an electrostatic adsorption filter 120 applied to the filter system 100 (see FIG. 1) of the present invention.

The electrostatic adsorption filter (120) includes a hollow portion (121) and an ion adsorption portion (122).

The hollow portion 121 forms a flow path through which water can be discharged. The hollow portion 121 may form, for example, a water flow path for supplying the water, from which the nanoparticles have been removed, to the hollow fiber membrane filter 110.

The ion adsorbing portion 122 is formed around the hollow portion 121 so as to allow water to flow through the hollow portion 121. The water is introduced through the ion adsorption unit 122 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the electrostatic adsorption filter 120. Negative charged nano-particles present in the water while passing through the ion-adsorbing portion 122 are adsorbed to the ion-adsorbing portion 122 by an electrostatic attracting force. The water from which the nanoparticles are removed is discharged through a flow path formed in the hollow portion 121. The arrows in Fig. 3a indicate the flow of water.

The ion adsorbing portion 122 forms a pleated outer surface around the hollow portion 121 to increase the surface area in contact with water. The ion adsorbing portion 122 removes the nanoparticles present in the water by the electrostatic attraction, so that the more the ion nanoparticles are in contact with the ion adsorbing portion 122, the more the nanoparticles can be removed. Therefore, when the ion-adsorbing portion 122 forms the peripheral surface of the corrugated shape as shown in Fig. 3A, the surface area in contact with the water is increased. The number of wrinkles (or the number of acids) can be adjusted to control the surface area. The ion-adsorbing portion 122 having a corrugated outer peripheral surface can remove more nanoparticles than the outer peripheral surface having no irregularities.

FIG. 3B is a conceptual view showing the detailed structure of the ion adsorption unit 122. FIG.

The ion adsorbing portion 122 is configured to remove negative charged nano-particles present in water using an electrostatic attractive force. The ion adsorbing portion 122 includes a nonwoven support 122a, glass fibers 122b, and an ion adsorbing material 122c.

The nonwoven fabric support 122a forms the outer peripheral surface of the electrostatic adsorption filter 120. [ In particular, the nonwoven fabric support 122a is formed in the form of a sheet, and the outer peripheral surface of the electrostatic adsorption filter 120 can be formed in a corrugated form through processing. The nonwoven fabric support 122a supports the glass fibers 122b. The nonwoven fabric support 122a is provided with pores to allow water to pass therethrough.

The glass fiber 122b is attached to the surface of the nonwoven support 122a. The glass fiber 122b is for fixing the ion-adsorbing material 122c. The glass fibers 122b in the form of fibrils are randomly arranged on the surface of the nonwoven support 122a and entangled with each other. A gap of about 2 to 3 占 퐉 may be formed between the glass fiber 122b and the glass fiber 122b, and water can pass through the gap. Particles larger than the size of the gap can be removed from the water by a size exclusion mechanism.

The ion adsorbing material 122c is formed by grafting to the surface of the glass fiber 122b. Grafting refers to a process for fixing the ion-adsorbing material 122c to the surface of the glass fiber 122b, and includes the step of fixing the ion-adsorbing material 122c to the glass fiber 122b through physical rolling. The ion-adsorbing material 122c provides a positive charge so as to be ion-adsorbed to the nanoparticles of negative charge existing in the water passing through the nonwoven fabric.

The ion-adsorbing material 122c includes alumina (AlOOH). Alumina is dissociated in water from AlO ⁺ and OH ^- anions. The ion-adsorbing material 122c uses AlO ⁺ cations to provide a positive charge necessary for ion adsorption. The size of the positive charge can be around +80..

The nanoparticles negatively charged by the positive charge provided by the ion adsorbing material 122c can be ion-adsorbed to the ion adsorbing portion 122.

3C is another concept showing the detailed structure of the ion adsorption unit 122 '.

The nonwoven fabric support 122a 'is the same as that described in Fig. 3b. Therefore, the description of FIG. 3B for the nonwoven fabric support 122a 'is omitted.

The ion adsorbing portion 122 'includes cellulose 122b' instead of the glass fiber 122b used in FIG. 3b. The cellulose 122b 'is attached to the surface of the nonwoven support 122a'. The cellulose 122b 'is also for fixing the ion-adsorbing material 122c'. The cellulose 122b 'in fibrillar form is randomly arranged on the surface of the nonwoven support 122a' and entangled with each other. A gap of about 0.5 to 1 占 퐉 may be formed between the cellulose 122b 'and the cellulose 122b', and water can pass through the gap. Particles larger than the size of the gap can be removed from the water by a size exclusion mechanism.

The cellulose 122b 'has several advantages over the glass fiber 122b (see FIG. 3b).

First, the cellulose 122b 'is harmless to the human body. The electrostatic adsorption filter 120 (see FIG. 3A) is a component of the filter system 100 (see FIG. 1) forming the drinking water and should not be harmful to the human body. The cellulose 122b 'is proved to be more harmless than the glass fiber 122b (see FIG. 3b), and is therefore suitable as a component of the electrostatic adsorption filter 120 (see FIG. 1) for treating drinking water.

Also, a gap of a small size is formed between the cellulose 122b 'and the cellulose 122b', as compared with the glass fiber 122b (see FIG. 3b). Therefore, the ability to remove impurities present in water by the size exclusion mechanism can be improved compared to the glass fiber 122b (see FIG. 3B).

The ion-adsorbing material 122c 'is formed by grafting on the surface of the cellulose 122b'. The description of the ion-adsorbing material 122c 'is omitted in the description of FIG. 3b.

The arrows in Figs. 3B and 3C indicate the direction in which the water flows.

4A is a photograph of the ion-adsorbing portion 122 shown in Fig. 3B. In the photograph, the lower left and upper right bright areas correspond to nonwoven substrates. And the dark colored fiber from the upper left to the lower right corresponds to glass fiber. The particles disposed on the surface of the glass fiber correspond to alumina.

FIG. 4B is a conceptual view illustrating a mechanism in which nanoparticles are adsorbed on the ion adsorbing portion of FIG. 4A. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 4B, three glass fibers are arranged so as to intertwine with each other. A triangular gap is formed between the three glass fibers, and water can pass through the gap. The alumina immobilized on the surface of the glass fiber uses cations to provide the cations necessary for ion adsorption. Therefore, a positive charge is formed on the surface of the glass fiber. The nanoparticles present in the water are negatively charged, so that while the water passes through the glass fibers, the nanoparticles adsorb ions and cations present on the surface of the glass fibers. In Fig. 4B, the arrow indicates the flow of water.

Hereinafter, the effect of removing the nanoparticles and preventing the reduction of the flow rate due to the application of the electrostatic adsorption filter 120 (see FIG. 1) together with the hollow fiber membrane filter 110 (see FIG. 1) will be described with reference to graphs and tables.

Fig. 5 is a graph for explaining the effect of preventing the flow rate reduction by the application of the electrostatic adsorption filter.

The abscissa indicates cumulative volume (unit L), and the ordinate indicates flow rate (unit L / min). The decrease in flow rate as the cumulative flow rate increases means that the pores of the hollow fiber filter are clogged by the nanoparticles and the replacement time of the hollow fiber filter is short.

In FIG. 5, line X shows the result of applying only the hollow fiber membrane filter without the electrostatic adsorption filter, and line Y shows the result of applying the electrostatic adsorption filter and the hollow fiber membrane filter of the present invention together.

First, considering the case where water is purified using only the hollow fiber membrane filter without the electrostatic adsorption filter of Line X, it can be seen that the flow rate continues to decrease as the cumulative flow rate increases. While the initial flow rate is about 1.4 L / min, when the cumulative flow rate reaches about 1,000 L, the flow rate is only 0.5 L / min. Therefore, if the water is purified using only the hollow fiber membrane filter without the electrostatic adsorption filter, the pores of the hollow fiber membrane filter are clogged by the nanoparticles and the hollow fiber membrane should be replaced early.

Next, examining the case where the electrostatic adsorption filter of line Y and the hollow fiber membrane filter are applied together, it can be confirmed that the initial flow rate is maintained even when the cumulative flow rate is increased. The cumulative flow rate reaches about 2,000 liters and the flow rate is almost unchanged. When the electrostatic adsorption filter and the hollow fiber membrane filter are used together, the nanoparticles are removed by the electrostatic adsorption filter, so that the pores of the hollow fiber membrane filter can be prevented from being clogged, and the flow rate of the hollow fiber membrane filter can do.

6 is a graph for explaining an effect of removing nanoparticles according to application of the electrostatic adsorption filter 120 (see FIG. 1).

The abscissa denotes the size (unit: m) of the nanoparticles, and the ordinate denotes the number of nanoparticles per unit flow (counts / ml). The number of nanoparticles per unit flow rate was measured by dividing into particles of 0.05 탆 or less, particles of 0.1 탆 or less, particles of 0.15 탆 or less, and particles of 0.2 탆 or less. Table 1 shows the comparison between the case where the electrostatic adsorption filter and the hollow fiber membrane filter are applied in the case of applying only the water (raw water) and the electrostatic adsorption filter.

Number of nanoparticles per unit flow rate Size of nanoparticles 0.05 탆 0.1 탆 0.15 탆 0.2 탆 1. Waterworks 8402 4395 1353 757 2. Electrostatic adsorption filter 434 204 68 41 3. Electrostatic adsorption filter + hollow fiber filter 152 58 17 20

There are many nanoparticles in size in addition to size. Particularly, a majority of the nanoparticles of 0.05 탆 or less and the nanoparticles of 0.1 탆 or less occupy the majority. As can be seen from the graph of FIG. 6 and Table 1, the electrostatic adsorption filter can remove at least 90% of the nanoparticles present in the tap water. In FIG. 6 and Table 1, it can be seen that the electrostatic adsorption filter can remove the nanoparticles, and the effect of reducing the amount of the hollow fiber membrane filter caused by the nanoparticles can be confirmed.

Hereinafter, the filter system formed by modifying or applying the electrostatic adsorption filter and the hollow fiber membrane filter described above will be described.

7 is a concept showing that the ion adsorbing portion 222 is coupled to the carbon block 231. FIG.

The filter system (not shown) may further include carbon block filters 231, 232a, and 232b that are configured to pass water through the carbon block 231 to remove residual chlorine present in the water. The carbon block filters 231, 232a and 232b are formed by coupling lids 232a and 232b at the upper and lower ends of the carbon block 231, respectively. A hollow portion may be formed in the center portion of the carbon block 231 and a hole may be formed in the cover portion 232a and 232b in a portion corresponding to the hollow portion of the carbon block 231.

The ion adsorbing portion 222 may be combined with the carbon block 231 to form the composite filter 230. The ion adsorbing portion 222 surrounds the outer circumferential surface of the carbon block 231 to provide the nanoparticles in advance in the water to be supplied to the carbon block 231. It is preferable that the ion adsorbing portion 222 is formed as one layer to prevent the flow rate of the ion absorbing portion 222 from being reduced. Water flows into the outer circumferential surface of the composite filter 230, and the nanoparticles present in the water are removed by the ion adsorbing portion 222. The water from which the nanoparticles have been removed then passes through the carbon block 231 and the residual chlorine present in the water is removed by the carbon block 231. In addition, the heavy metal or organic compound present in the water can be further removed by the adsorbent material provided in the carbon block 231. The filter system 100 (see FIG. 1) may consist only of the composite filter 230 and the hollow fiber filter 110 (see FIG. 1).

The carbon block filter (not shown) or the composite filter 230 may have an adsorption material (not shown) to further remove heavy metals or organic compounds. The adsorbent material may be mixed with a raw material of the carbon block 231 together with a binder (not shown) and compression molded to form a carbon block filter.

The adsorbent material includes, for example, iron hydroxide and a silica material. The iron hydroxide is made to remove the arsenic present in the water, and the silica material is made to remove the lead present in the water. In addition, the adsorbent material may include a material for removing chloroform, which is a typical organic compound present in water.

8 is a cross-sectional view showing a hollow fiber membrane filter 310 and an electrostatic adsorption filter 320 embedded in a single housing 301. FIG.

The filter system 300 may include a hollow fiber membrane filter 310 and an electrostatic adsorption filter 320. The filter system 300 may be a single stage filter having an electrostatic adsorption filter 320 and a hollow fiber membrane filter 310, (Not shown).

The electrostatic adsorption filter 320 and the hollow fiber filter 310 are disposed inside the housing 301. The electrostatic adsorption filter 320 and the hollow fiber filter 310 may be sequentially stacked in the housing 301 as shown in FIG. The hollow fiber membrane filter 310 is disposed at the outlet side of the electrostatic adsorption filter 320.

The housing 301 may include an outer housing 303 and an inner housing 304. The inner housing 304 surrounds the hollow fiber membrane filter 310 and the outer housing 303 can receive the inner housing 304 and the electrostatic adsorption filter 320.

The outer housing 303 is provided with an inlet 301a for forming an inflow passage of raw water and an outlet 301b for forming a passage for discharging purified water.

The outer housing 303 may include a first portion 303a having an inlet 301a and an outlet 301b and a second portion 303b surrounding at least a portion of the electrostatic adsorption filter. The first portion 303a may be coupled to the outer circumferential surface of the second portion 303b.

The outlet end 321 of the electrostatic adsorption filter 320 may be inserted into the inner housing 304. Accordingly, the filtered water from the electrostatic adsorption filter 320 can be introduced into the inner housing 304.

The internal flow path of the housing 301 includes a raw water supply flow path 302a, a connection flow path 302b, and a discharge flow path 302c.

The raw water supply flow path 302a leads from the inlet 301a to the outer peripheral surface of the electrostatic adsorption filter 320 so as to flow the raw water to the electrostatic adsorption filter 320. [ Raw water introduced through the inlet 301a of the housing 301 is supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the electrostatic adsorption filter 320 along the raw water supply flow path 302a. The water introduced into the electrostatic adsorption filter 320 passes through the ion adsorption portion 122 (see FIG. 3A) disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the electrostatic adsorption filter 320 and passes through the hollow portion 121 of the electrostatic adsorption filter 320 ).

The connection flow path 302b is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the hollow fiber membrane filter 310 from the electrostatic adsorption filter 320 so as to flow the water having the nanoparticles removed primarily through the electrostatic adsorption filter 320 to the hollow fiber membrane filter 310 Lt; / RTI > The water discharged through the hollow portion 121 (see FIG. 3A) of the electrostatic adsorption filter 320 flows to the outer peripheral surface of the hollow fiber membrane filter 310 along the connection flow path 302b. The virus present in the water is removed by the hollow fiber membrane filter 310.

The discharge passage 302c is connected to the outlet 301b to allow the virus-removed water to flow out of the housing 301 while passing through the hollow fiber membrane filter 310. [ The water that has flowed into the inlet 301a of the housing 301 passes through the raw water supply passage 302a, the electrostatic adsorption filter 320, the connection passage 302b, the hollow fiber membrane filter 310 and the discharge passage 302c, Is discharged to the outlet (301b) of the outlet (301). In this process, nanoparticles and viruses present in the water are sequentially removed by the electrostatic adsorption filter 320 and the hollow fiber membrane filter 310, respectively.

The outlet end 305 of the discharge passage 302c and the inlet end 301c of the outlet 301b may be in close contact with each other.

When the electrostatic adsorption filter 320 and the hollow fiber membrane filter 310 are disposed in a single housing 301 and the raw water supply passage 302a, the connection passage 302b and the discharge passage 302c are connected as described above, The filter system 300 may be formed of a single module. The filter system 300 composed of one module can be reduced in size as compared with the filter system 300 having the electrostatic adsorption filter 320 and the hollow fiber filter 310 separately. Therefore, a small water purifier can be realized by using the filter system 300 composed of one module.

9 is a concept showing that the hollow fiber membrane filter 410 and the electrostatic adsorption filter 420 are housed in the housings 401 and 401 'which are separated from each other.

The filter system 400 includes a first housing 401 for accommodating the hollow fiber membrane filter 410 to house the hollow fiber membrane filter 410 and the electrostatic adsorption filter 420 in the housings 401 and 401 ' And a second housing 401 'for accommodating the electrostatic adsorption filter 420. The hollow fiber membrane filter 410 and the electrostatic adsorption filter 420 are formed of respective modules. The water first passes through the electrostatic adsorption filter 420, and then through the hollow fiber membrane filter 410.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the hollow fiber membrane filter 410 and the electrostatic adsorption filter 420 are formed as separate modules, the size increases as compared with the single module described in FIG. However, since the hollow fiber membrane filter 410 and the electrostatic adsorption filter 420 follow the respective replacement cycles, it is not necessary to replace one filter between the two filters 410 and 420 There are advantages.

As shown in FIG. 9, the filter system 400 may include a hollow fiber membrane filter 410 and an electrostatic adsorption filter 420. In addition, the filter system 400 'may include the composite filter 430 and the hollow fiber filter 410 described with reference to FIG. The latter filter system 400 'may further remove residual chlorine, heavy metal, or organic compounds present in the water as compared to the former filter system 400.

FIG. 10 is a concept showing that the filter system 500 is extended to three stages.

The filter system 500 includes an electrostatic adsorption filter 520, a hollow fiber membrane filter 510, and a carbon block filter 540. The electrostatic adsorption filter 520, the hollow fiber membrane filter 510, and the carbon block filter 540 are formed of respective modules. The functions of the electrostatic adsorption filter 520, the hollow fiber membrane filter 510 and the carbon block filter 540 are the same as those described above.

Referring to FIG. 10, water is purified while sequentially passing through the electrostatic adsorption filter 520, the hollow fiber membrane filter 510, and the carbon block filter 540. The electrostatic adsorption filter 520 removes the nanoparticles, the hollow fiber membrane filter 510 removes viruses, and the carbon block filter 540 removes residual chlorine. If the carbon block filter 540 includes an adsorbent material, the heavy metal or the organic compound may be further removed.

The carbon block filter 540 is disposed to pass through the electrostatic adsorption filter 520 and to remove at least one of the water from which nanoparticles have been removed and the water from which the virus has been removed while passing through the hollow fiber membrane filter 510. Accordingly, the position of the carbon block filter 540 can be moved behind the electrostatic adsorption filter 520 behind the hollow fiber membrane filter 510 as shown in FIG. However, the position of the electrostatic adsorption filter 520 before the hollow fiber membrane filter 510 does not change.

FIG. 11 is a concept showing that the filter system 600 is extended to four stages.

The filter system 600 includes an electrostatic adsorption filter 620, a first carbon block filter 631, a hollow fiber filter 610 and a second carbon block filter 640. At least one of the first and second carbon block filters 631 and 640 may include an adsorption material (not shown).

11, water is purified while passing through the electrostatic adsorption filter 620, the first carbon block filter 631, the hollow fiber filter 610, and the second carbon block filter 640 sequentially. The electrostatic adsorption filter 620 removes the nanoparticles, the hollow fiber filter 610 removes viruses, and the first carbon block filter 631 and the second carbon block filter 640 remove residual chlorine. At least one of the first and second carbon block filters 631 and 640 may include an adsorption material (not shown) to further remove heavy metals or organic compounds.

The order of each filter can be changed. However, the position of the electrostatic adsorption filter 620 before the hollow fiber membrane filter 610 does not change. The filter system 600 may include an electrostatic adsorption filter 620 and a hollow fiber filter 610 as an essential component, but may extend in multiple stages.

According to the present invention, nanoparticles that cause a reduction in the flow rate of the hollow fiber membrane capable of removing viruses by a size exclusion mechanism can be removed in advance using an electrostatic adsorption filter. Therefore, since the nanoparticles present in water are removed before passing through the hollow fiber filter, the present invention can prevent the decrease in the flow rate of the hollow fiber filter.

The filter system described above is not limited to the configuration and the method of the embodiments described above, but the embodiments may be configured by selectively combining all or some of the embodiments so that various modifications may be made.

Claims (12)

An electrostatic adsorption filter in which at least a part of the positive charge is adsorbed to the negative charge particles present in water by electrostatic attraction;
A hollow fiber membrane filter having pores through which water having passed through the electrostatic adsorption filter flows; And
And a housing for accommodating the hollow fiber membrane filter and the electrostatic adsorption filter to form one module.
The method according to claim 1,
The pores of the hollow fiber membrane filter
Wherein the filter is formed to have a size smaller than 25 nm so as to remove viruses having an average size of 25 nm or more contained in water.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the electrostatic adsorption filter comprises:
And an ion-adsorbing portion which forms a pleated surface to increase the surface area in contact with water and has a hollow portion formed therein,
And water introduced into the hollow portion through the ion-adsorbing portion from the outside of the ion-adsorbing portion is guided to the hollow fiber membrane filter along the hollow portion.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the electrostatic adsorption filter and the hollow fiber membrane filter are sequentially stacked in the housing.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the hollow fiber membrane filter is disposed at an outlet side of the electrostatic adsorption filter.
The method according to claim 1,
The housing includes:
An inner housing surrounding the hollow fiber filter,
And an outer housing for receiving the inner housing and the electrostatic adsorption filter.
The method according to claim 6,
In the outer housing,
An inlet through which raw water is introduced and an outlet through which purified water is discharged.
8. The method of claim 7,
In the inner housing,
A connection flow path for guiding the water having passed through the electrostatic adsorption filter to which negative charged particles have been removed to the hollow fiber membrane filter,
And a discharge channel for discharging virus-removed water while passing through the hollow fiber membrane is formed.
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein an outlet end of the discharge passage and an inlet end of the outlet are in close contact with each other.
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the outer housing comprises:
The first part and /
And a second portion surrounding at least a portion of the electrostatic adsorption filter,
Wherein the first portion is coupled to an outer peripheral surface of the second portion.
11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the inlet and the outlet are provided in the second portion.
The method according to claim 1,
The internal flow path of the housing,
A raw water supply flow path for flowing raw water to the electrostatic adsorption filter;
A coupling flow path extending from the electrostatic adsorption filter to the outer circumferential surface of the hollow fiber membrane filter so as to allow water having passed through the electrostatic adsorption filter and having primarily negative charged particles removed therefrom to flow into the hollow fiber membrane filter; And
And a discharge channel for allowing the water, which has passed through the hollow fiber membrane filter and is secondarily removed from the virus, to flow out of the housing.

Images