KR20230085759A - Multistage filtering apparatus for microplastic - Google Patents

Abstract

A multi-stage filtration device for microplastics according to an embodiment includes a filter bottle having upper and lower ends open, a medium containing microplastics introduced into the upper end, and a first annular flange protruding laterally at the lower end. , A first gasket made of a shape corresponding to the first annular flange, made of silicon material, and in contact with the first annular flange, a first filter in contact with the central portion of the lower surface of the first gasket, a peripheral portion of the first gasket, and a first gasket. A second gasket in contact with the lower surface of the first filter and having a shape corresponding to the first gasket, a second filter in contact with the central portion of the lower surface of the second gasket, and contact with the peripheral portion of the second gasket and the lower surface of the second filter, cylindrical A connection portion having a shape, including a second annular flange protruding laterally at an upper end and a third annular flange protruding laterally at a lower end, in contact with the lower surface of the connection portion, and having a shape corresponding to the second gasket. A third gasket, a third filter in contact with the central portion of the lower surface of the third gasket, a fourth gasket in contact with the periphery of the third gasket and the lower surface of the third filter, and having a shape corresponding to the third gasket, and the lower surface of the fourth gasket A filter head including a fourth filter in contact with the central portion, and a fourth annular flange in contact with the peripheral portion of the fourth gasket and the lower surface of the fourth filter, formed in a funnel shape, and protruding laterally at the upper end. can include

Description

Microplastic multi-stage filtration device {MULTISTAGE FILTERING APPARATUS FOR MICROPLASTIC}

Embodiments disclosed in this document relate to a multi-stage filtration device for performing pretreatment for the analysis of microplastics.

Although there is no internationally agreed definition, microplastics usually refer to synthetic high molecular compounds with a particle size of 5 mm or less. Microplastics can be classified into primary microplastics and secondary microplastics according to their origin. Primary microplastics refer to intentionally manufactured plastics, and may include resin pellets, which are plastic raw materials, scrubs (microbeads) included in facial cleansers, toothpastes, and the like, and industrial abrasives. Secondary microplastics refer to plastic fragments that have been micronized by artificial activities or natural weathering after plastic products are used or discarded.

Although the human health hazards of microplastics have not yet been clearly identified, the WHO mentions that research on the human health risks of microplastics is an area that needs to be further developed in the future.

Recently, studies and reports that a large amount of microplastics have been detected in not only the ocean but also drinking water, sea salt, marine products, and the human body are rapidly increasing, which is spreading fear about the influx of plastic into the human body and the impact on the ecosystem. Microplastic research, which was previously conducted mainly in seawater, is expanding its research area to various media such as fresh water, drinking water, and air, and attention is focused on analyzing smaller-sized microplastics.

Nevertheless, since there is no standardized method for analyzing microplastics in environmental samples worldwide, it is difficult to determine the exact degree of contamination for the exposure route, and it is difficult to quantitatively compare research results even for the same medium and point.

In general, the analysis process of microplastics consists of processes such as sample collection, size classification, pretreatment, qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis. Mantatrols, hand nets, or sieves with large pores are used to collect microplastic samples from seawater and freshwater. However, there are problems in that the pores of the mantatrol and the hand net are excessively large, so that small-sized particles pass through the net, microplastics are lost during the washing process, and external contamination may occur during the movement process. In addition, for the analysis of microplastics, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman equipment, or analysis using pyrolysis (Pyro-GC/MS) may be used depending on the size of the particles, but various size ranges However, there are limitations in analyzing microplastics.

Therefore, it may be required to develop a pretreatment technology capable of ensuring the preservation of samples and the convenience of experiments, and subdividing and filtering particles of various sizes by size.

Embodiments disclosed in this document are intended to provide a microplastic filtering device capable of filtering microplastics by particle size through a compact pretreatment process and improving the recovery rate of the collected microplastics.

A multi-stage filtration device for microplastics according to an embodiment disclosed in this document includes a filter having upper and lower ends opened, a medium containing microplastics introduced into the upper end, and a first annular flange protruding laterally at the lower end. A filter bottle, a first gasket having a shape corresponding to the first annular flange, made of silicon, and in contact with the first annular flange, a first filter in contact with the central portion of the lower surface of the first gasket, and a first gasket. A second gasket in contact with the periphery of the gasket and the lower surface of the first filter and having a shape corresponding to the first gasket, a second filter in contact with the central portion of the lower surface of the second gasket, the periphery of the second gasket and the lower surface of the second filter A connecting portion having a cylindrical shape, including a second annular flange protruding laterally at an upper end, and a third annular flange protruding laterally at a lower end, in contact with a lower surface of the connecting portion, and a second gasket A third gasket having a corresponding shape, a third filter contacting the central portion of the lower surface of the third gasket, contacting the periphery of the third gasket and the lower surface of the third filter, and having a shape corresponding to the third gasket A fourth gasket, A filter head including a fourth filter contacting a central portion of a lower surface of the fourth gasket, and a fourth annular flange contacting a periphery of the fourth gasket and a lower surface of the fourth filter, having a funnel shape, and protruding laterally from an upper end thereof. (filter head) may be included.

According to one embodiment, the device is configured to fix the filter bottle, the first gasket, the first filter, the second gasket, the second filter and the connection by applying pressure in the vertical direction to the first annular flange and the second annular flange. 1 spring clamp, and a second spring clamp configured to fix the connecting portion, the third gasket, the third filter, the fourth gasket, the fourth filter and the filter head by applying pressure in the vertical direction to the third annular flange and the fourth annular flange may further include.

According to one embodiment, the device may further include a water collecting part accommodating the lower end of the filter head, in which the filtered medium is collected, and a suction part communicating with the water collecting part and discharging air to the outside by an external vacuum pump. .

According to an embodiment, the air gap of the second filter may be smaller than the air gap of the first filter, the air gap of the third filter may be smaller than the air gap of the second filter, and the air gap of the fourth filter may be smaller than the air gap of the third filter.

According to an embodiment, the microplastics included in the medium may be separated and filtered according to particle sizes by the first filter, the second filter, the third filter, and the fourth filter.

According to the embodiments disclosed in this document, by arranging a plurality of filters having different pore sizes using a gasket and combining them using a connection part and a spring clamp, the microplastics included in the medium are reduced in particle size through one filtering. It is separated and collected separately, and the collected microplastics can be recovered without loss or external contamination.

In addition to this, various effects identified directly or indirectly through this document may be provided.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a multi-stage filtration device for microplastics according to an embodiment.
2 is a perspective view of a multi-stage filtration device for microplastics according to an embodiment.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail through exemplary drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents or substitutes of the embodiments of the present invention. In adding reference numerals to components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same components have the same numerals as much as possible even if they are displayed on different drawings. In addition, when it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function in describing an embodiment of the present invention interferes with understanding of the embodiment of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a multi-stage filtration device for microplastics according to an embodiment. 2 is a perspective view of a multi-stage filtration device for microplastics according to an embodiment.

1 and 2, the multi-stage filtration device 100 according to an embodiment includes a filter bottle 105, a first gasket 110, a first filter 115, a second gasket 120, a second Filter 125, connection part 130, third gasket 135, third filter 140, fourth gasket 145, fourth filter 150, filter head 155, first spring clamp 160 ), a second spring clamp 165, a water collecting part 170, and a suction part 175. The multi-stage filtration device 100 filters the medium introduced into the filter bottle 105, collects the filtered medium in the water collector 170, and separates the microplastics into the first filter 115 and the second filter ( 125), the third filter 140 and the fourth filter 150.

The filter bottle 105 may have an open top and bottom ends. The filter bottle 105 may be formed in the shape of a container with an empty inside. The filter bottle 105 may be made of, for example, a glass material. A medium containing microplastics may be introduced into the upper end of the filter bottle 105 . The filter bottle 105 may include a first annular flange projecting laterally at its lower end.

The first gasket 110 may have a shape corresponding to the first annular flange. For example, the first gasket 110 may be formed in a disk shape, and a hole may be formed in the center. The first gasket 110 may be made of an elastic material, for example, a silicon material, for sealing. The first gasket 110 may be disposed to contact the first annular flange.

The first filter 115 may contact the central portion of the lower surface of the first gasket 110 . The first filter 115 may have a disk shape having a smaller diameter than the first gasket 110 . The first filter 115 may have a larger diameter than the center hole of the first gasket 110 . The first filter 115 may also have a rectangular shape. The first filter 115 may be made of various materials such as metal, silicon, or Teflon. The first filter 115 can (primarily) filter the medium introduced through the central hole of the first gasket 110, and the size of the particles on the upper surface of the first filter 115 is the first filter 115 Microplastics larger than the pores of can be collected.

The second gasket 120 may have a shape corresponding to the first gasket 110 . The second gasket 120 may be formed in a disk shape similar to the first gasket 110, and a hole may be formed in the center. The second gasket 120 may be made of, for example, silicon. The second gasket 120 may be disposed to contact the periphery of the first gasket 110 and the lower surface of the first filter 115 .

The second filter 125 may contact the central portion of the lower surface of the second gasket 120 . The second filter 125 may have a disk shape having a smaller diameter than the second gasket 120 . The second filter 125 may have a larger diameter than the central hole of the second gasket 120 . The second filter 125 may also have a rectangular shape. The second filter 125 may be made of various materials such as metal, silicon, or Teflon. The second filter 125 can (secondarily) filter the medium introduced through the center hole of the second gasket 120, and the size of the particles on the upper surface of the second filter 125 is the second filter 125 Microplastics larger than the pores of can be collected.

The connection part 130 may contact the periphery of the second gasket 120 and the lower surface of the second filter 125 . The connecting portion 130 may have a cylindrical shape with open upper and lower ends and an empty interior. The connecting portion 130 may be made of, for example, a glass material. The connection part 130 may include a second annular flange protruding laterally at an upper end and a third annular flange protruding laterally at a lower end. The medium filtered by the second filter 125 may be transferred downward through the connection unit 130 .

Although not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , a filtering net made of a metal mesh material may be disposed at an upper end of the connection unit 130 . The second filter 125 may be disposed on the upper surface of the filtering net. The filter net may perform a function of supporting the second filter 125 without interfering with filtering.

The third gasket 135 may have a shape corresponding to the second gasket 120 . The third gasket 135 may be formed in a disk shape similar to the second gasket 120, and a hole may be formed in the center. The third gasket 135 may be made of, for example, silicon. The third gasket 135 may be disposed to contact the lower surface of the connection part 130 .

The third filter 140 may contact the central portion of the lower surface of the third gasket 135 . The third filter 140 may have a disk shape having a smaller diameter than the third gasket 135 . The third filter 140 may have a larger diameter than the center hole of the third gasket 135 . The third filter 140 may also have a rectangular shape. The third filter 140 may be made of various materials such as metal, silicon, or Teflon. The third filter 140 can (tertiary) filter the medium introduced through the central hole of the third gasket 135, and the size of the particles on the upper surface of the third filter 140 is the third filter 140 Microplastics larger than the pores of can be collected.

The fourth gasket 145 may have a shape corresponding to the third gasket 135 . The fourth gasket 145 may be formed in a disk shape similar to the third gasket 135, and a hole may be formed in the center. The fourth gasket 145 may be made of, for example, silicon. The fourth gasket 145 may be disposed to contact the periphery of the third gasket 135 and the lower surface of the third filter 140 .

The fourth filter 150 may contact the central portion of the lower surface of the fourth gasket 145 . The fourth filter 150 may have a disk shape having a smaller diameter than the fourth gasket 145 . The fourth filter 150 may have a larger diameter than the central hole of the fourth gasket 145 . The fourth filter 150 may also have a rectangular shape. The fourth filter 150 may be made of various materials such as metal, silicon, or Teflon. The fourth filter 150 can filter (quaternary) the medium introduced through the central hole of the fourth gasket 145, and the size of the particles on the upper surface of the fourth filter 150 is the fourth filter 150 Microplastics larger than the pores of can be collected.

The filter head 155 may be disposed to contact the periphery of the fourth gasket 145 and the lower surface of the fourth filter 150 . The filter head 155 may be formed in a funnel shape, for example. The filter head 155 may include a fourth annular flange projecting laterally at an upper end. The filter head 155 may be made of, for example, a glass material. The medium filtered by the fourth filter 150 may be collected and transferred downward through the filter head 155 .

Although not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , a filtering net made of a metal mesh material may be disposed on top of the filter head 155 . The fourth filter 150 may be disposed on the upper surface of the filtering net. The filter net may perform a function of supporting the fourth filter 150 without interfering with filtering.

The first spring clamp 160 may have a tongs structure. The first spring clamp 160 may be coupled to apply pressure to the first annular flange and the second annular flange in a vertical direction. The filter bottle 105, the first gasket 110, the first filter 115, the second gasket 120, the second filter 125, and the connection part 130 are fixed to each other by the first spring clamp 160. It can be. Since the first gasket 110 and the second gasket 120 are made of silicon, the path between the filter bottle 105 and the connection part 130 can be sealed by the first spring clamp 160, thereby preventing leakage. Filtering can be performed without

The second spring clamp 165 may have a claw structure. The second spring clamp 165 may be coupled to apply pressure to the third annular flange and the fourth annular flange in a vertical direction. The connection part 130, the third gasket 135, the third filter 140, the fourth gasket 145, the fourth filter 150, and the filter head 155 are fixed to each other by the second spring clamp 165. It can be. Since the third gasket 135 and the fourth gasket 145 are made of silicon, the path between the connection part 130 and the filter head 155 can be sealed by the second spring clamp 165, thereby preventing leakage. Filtering can be performed without

Water collector 170 may be configured to receive a lower end of filter head 155 . The medium filtered through the lower end of the filter head 155 may be collected in the water collector 170 . The water collector 170 may be formed in the form of a container such as a flask or the like, or may be formed in the form of a pipe.

The suction unit 175 may communicate with the water collecting unit 170 . The suction unit 175 may be connected to an external vacuum pump. As air is discharged to an external vacuum pump through the suction part 175, the medium can be smoothly filtered.

According to one embodiment, the air gap of the second filter 125 is smaller than the air gap of the first filter 115, the air gap of the third filter 140 is smaller than the air gap of the second filter 125, and the fourth filter ( The air gap of the 150) may be smaller than that of the third filter 140. For example, the air gap of the first filter 115 is 100 μm, the air gap of the second filter 125 is 45 μm, the air gap of the third filter 140 is 20 μm, and the air gap of the fourth filter 150 is 5 μm. It can be formed in μm. By forming the size of the pores sequentially small, the microplastics included in the medium are separated according to the particle size by the first filter 115, the second filter 125, the third filter 140, and the fourth filter 150. may be separated and filtered. In this way, an analysis method suitable for the size of the particle can be applied.

The above description is merely an example of the technical idea of the present invention, and various modifications and variations can be made to those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention, but to explain, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention should be construed according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent range should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims (5)

In the multi-stage filtration device for microplastics,
a filter bottle having upper and lower ends open, a medium containing microplastics being injected into the upper end, and including a first annular flange protruding laterally from the lower end;
a first gasket having a shape corresponding to the first annular flange, made of silicon, and contacting the first annular flange;
a first filter contacting a central portion of a lower surface of the first gasket;
a second gasket in contact with the periphery of the first gasket and the lower surface of the first filter and having a shape corresponding to the first gasket;
a second filter contacting the central portion of the lower surface of the second gasket;
Contacting the periphery of the second gasket and the lower surface of the second filter, having a cylindrical shape, including a second annular flange protruding laterally at the upper end, and a third annular flange protruding laterally at the lower end. connection;
a third gasket in contact with the lower surface of the connecting portion and having a shape corresponding to the second gasket;
a third filter contacting a central portion of the lower surface of the third gasket;
a fourth gasket in contact with the periphery of the third gasket and the lower surface of the third filter and having a shape corresponding to the third gasket;
a fourth filter contacting a central portion of the lower surface of the fourth gasket; and
A filter head including a fourth annular flange contacting the periphery of the fourth gasket and the lower surface of the fourth filter, having a funnel shape, and protruding laterally at an upper end, Device. According to claim 1,
Applying pressure to the first annular flange and the second annular flange in a vertical direction to fix the filter bottle, the first gasket, the first filter, the second gasket, the second filter, and the connecting portion configured to fix 1 spring clamp; and
configured to fix the connecting portion, the third gasket, the third filter, the fourth gasket, the fourth filter, and the filter head by applying pressure to the third annular flange and the fourth annular flange in a vertical direction; 2 The apparatus, characterized in that it further comprises a spring clamp. According to claim 2,
a water collecting unit accommodating the lower end of the filter head and collecting the filtered medium; and
Characterized in that, the apparatus further comprises a suction unit communicating with the water collecting unit and discharging air to the outside by an external vacuum pump. According to claim 3,
The air gap of the second filter is smaller than the air gap of the first filter,
The air gap of the third filter is smaller than the air gap of the second filter,
The device, characterized in that the air gap of the fourth filter is smaller than the air gap of the third filter. According to claim 4,
The microplastics contained in the medium are separated and filtered according to particle sizes by the first filter, the second filter, the third filter, and the fourth filter.

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