TW202016026A - Method and apparatus for forming sterilized water by electrolysis - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed for forming sterilized water by electrolysis. The method for forming sterilized water by electrolysis is to let an aqueous solution to form a sterilized ingredient so as to have a sterilized function by provide pulsating DC voltage to the aqueous solution in a container. The apparatus for forming sterilized water by electrolysis is includes the container, an anode electrode, a cathode electrode and a pulsating DC power supply. The container is used to accommodate the aqueous solution. The anode electrode and the cathode electrode are dispose the container and spaced apart from each other. The pulsating DC power supply is electronically connected to the anode electrode and the cathode electrode to provide the pulsating DC voltage.

Description

Method and device for producing sterilized water by electrolysis

The embodiments of the present invention are related to electrochemistry, in particular to a method and device for generating sterilizing water by electrolysis.

According to the research, electrolytic water produced for drinking or sterilization water for sterilization has been researched and confirmed to have health care effect or sterilization effect. The general electrolysis method is to continuously supply power through direct current, so that the electrolyzed aqueous solution can continue to produce acidic water and alkaline water. The alkaline water system produced by the electrolysis of the aqueous solution is negatively charged and has a reducing ability to provide drinking water as electrolyzed water with health care effects, while acidic water is positively charged and has oxidizing ability to be used as a bactericidal effect. Sterilized water for use.

However, when the aqueous solution is continuously energized, the heat energy generated by energizing the aqueous solution will increase the redox activity of alkaline water and acidic water, and accelerate the rate of redox of acidic water and alkaline water, and shorten the acidic water and alkali The bactericidal aging of sexual water.

This case discloses a method for producing sterilizing water by electrolysis, which includes providing a DC pulse voltage to an aqueous solution contained in a container; and electrolysis of the aqueous solution into sterilizing water.

The case also discloses a device for generating sterilizing water by electrolysis, which includes a container, an anode electrode, a cathode electrode, and a DC pulse power supply. The container is used for containing an aqueous solution, the anode electrode and the cathode electrode are both arranged in the container and are separated by a distance from each other, and the DC pulse power supply is electrically connected to the anode electrode and the cathode electrode.

Please refer to FIG. 1 for a schematic view of an embodiment of an apparatus for generating sterilizing water by electrolysis according to the present invention. Electrolysis mainly uses input electric energy to initiate chemical reactions. Electrolysis mainly occurs in an electrolytic cell, where an electric current loop formed by an electrolyte in a molten state or contained in a solution generates an oxidation reaction in the anode electrode area and a reduction reaction in the cathode electrode area.

In an embodiment, the device for generating sterilizing water by electrolysis in FIG. 1 includes a container 10, an anode electrode 20, a cathode electrode 30, and a DC pulse power supply 40. In this embodiment, the container 10 is mainly used as an electrolytic cell for electrolysis. The container 10 is used to contain an aqueous solution. The anode electrode 20 and the cathode electrode 30 are inserted into the container to contact the aqueous solution, and are spaced apart from each other. The DC pulse power supply 40 is electrically connected to the anode electrode 20 and the cathode electrode 30.

When the DC pulse power supply 40 is energized, the aqueous solution in the container 10 produces an electrolytic reaction to generate acidic water with a reduced pH value and alkaline water with an increased pH value. Acidic water with a reduced pH value can be used as sterilizing water, and alkaline water with an increased pH value can be used for eating or cleaning. By providing DC pulse power supply 40 for electrolysis, the power supply can be reduced within the same reaction time to achieve power saving, and at the same time, the DC pulse power supply 40 can be electrically connected to the electrolytic circuit between the anode electrode 20 and the cathode electrode 30 The phenomenon of fever increases the life of the overall product.

In addition, pulsed (intermittent) power supply for electrolysis can also reduce the rate of temperature increase of the aqueous solution, thereby simultaneously reducing the reduction rate of sterilizing ions in the sterilizing water, and extending the duration of the sterilizing effect of the sterilizing water.

Specifically, when an electrolytic reaction occurs in an aqueous solution, the electrolytic reaction formula at the cathode electrode 30 is: 2H ₂ O+2e ⁻ =2OH ⁻ +H ₂ . In the electrolysis anode and the electrode 20 ^{_{is: H 2 O = 2H + +}} 1 / 2O 2 + 2e -. Specifically, when an electrolytic reaction occurs in an aqueous solution, the cathode electrode 30 generates hydrogen gas, and the anode electrode 20 generates oxygen gas. And the aqueous solution near the cathode electrode 30 becomes negatively charged alkaline water with reducing ability, and the aqueous solution near the anode electrode 20 becomes positively charged acidic water with oxidizing ability. Here, the acidic water with oxidizing ability is disinfection water of high reactive oxygen species (Reactive Oxygen Species, ROS for short). It can oxidize protein biological matrix (bacteria), organic matter, etc., so that acidic water is filled with highly active oxygen substances and becomes disinfection water with sterilization, cleaning, and deodorization functions.

Here, the aqueous solution is an aqueous solution containing ions. Specifically, the ion content in the aqueous solution is the content of the conductive substance, that is, the aqueous solution used for electrolysis in this case is an aqueous solution having electronic conductivity. Further, since pure water has very few ions and is difficult to conduct electricity, in one embodiment, the aqueous solution is preferably an aqueous solution having an ion content greater than that of pure water. In this embodiment, the aqueous solution may be tap water that is easily available and itself contains various ions, or an aqueous solution with a specific electrolyte added.

In the embodiment where the aqueous solution is tap water, the tap water is not pure water. Therefore, in addition to the decomposition of water molecules into H ⁺ and OH ^- , the components of tap water may also contain various minerals, such as potassium, sodium, calcium or Magnesium ions. In addition, tap water is usually sterilized by adding chlorine. Therefore, tap water with chlorine contains chlorine ions. In this way, tap water can be used as an aqueous solution for electrolysis to generate sterilized water, which improves the convenience of use. In this embodiment, the pH value of the aqueous solution (tap water) that has not undergone the electrolytic reaction is approximately neutral (pH value is approximately 7). After the aqueous solution undergoes electrolysis, the pH value of the alkaline water generated in the vicinity of the cathode electrode 30 can be increased to 8 to 9, while the pH value of the acidic water generated in the vicinity of the anode electrode 20 can be reduced to 3 to 3.7. In a specific study, the acidic water generated in the vicinity of the anode electrode 20 can surely inhibit the growth of some bacteria based on its strong oxidizing ability and low pH value, and the acidic water can be used as sterilizing water. In terms of alkaline water, the extracellular fluid of the organism must be maintained at a slightly alkaline performance for better survival, that is, the extracellular fluid is maintained at a state where the pH value is greater than 7. Therefore, according to the drinking water quality standards of the World Health Organization, it is recommended that humans drink water with a pH value of 6.5 to 8.5. It can be seen that the alkaline water generated near the cathode electrode 30 can be used for drinking to achieve the effect of health care.

In the embodiment where the aqueous solution is specifically added with a specific electrolyte, through the control of the concentration or composition of the specific electrolyte, the conductivity of the aqueous solution during electrolysis and the precipitates generated after electrolysis can be precisely controlled. In one embodiment, the electrolyte may be, but not limited to, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, or calcium chloride. In an embodiment an aqueous solution of sodium chloride is added to the electrolyte to perform electrolysis, the conductivity of the solution is increased, and the aqueous solution after electrolysis may additionally generate hypochlorite ions (OCl ^-), generated in the vicinity of the anode electrode 20 is acidic water The pH value can be further reduced to 2.2~2.4, and the pH value of the alkaline water generated near the cathode electrode 30 can be further increased to more than 10. In specific research, in addition to the acidic water with an acid value of less than 3, the bactericidal effect of E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus can be as high as 99% or more, and the hypochlorite ion generated can also enhance the bactericidal ability.

The anode electrode 20 and the cathode electrode 30 are made of conductive materials. In one embodiment, the anode electrode 20 and the cathode electrode 30 may be made of metal material or carbon material, such as platinum or graphite, respectively. Here, the cathode electrode 30 contains carbon material.

The DC pulse power supply 40 is electrically connected to the anode electrode 20 and the cathode electrode 30. Since the anode electrode 20 and the cathode electrode 30 are accommodated in the container 10 and contact the aqueous solution, when the DC pulse power supply 40 applies a DC pulse voltage to the anode electrode 20 And the cathode electrode 30, an electrically conductive circuit is formed between the anode electrode 20, the cathode electrode 30 and the aqueous solution, and the aqueous solution can produce an electrolytic reaction.

It is worth noting that although the electrolysis reaction is an endothermic reaction, if a voltage is continuously applied to the aqueous solution for a long time, for example, a DC voltage is continuously applied, it may cause the water temperature of the aqueous solution to rise without falling. When the water temperature of the aqueous solution increases, the redox activity of the acidic water with oxidizing ability used for sterilization increases, and the acidic water is quickly reduced to a neutral aqueous solution, which shortens the sterilization time of the sterilizing water. However, since the power source applied to the anode electrode 20 and the cathode electrode 30 in this case is a DC pulse power supply 40, the DC pulse power supply 40 applies power intermittently. Therefore, the temperature rise effect of the aqueous solution due to the energization is also intermittent. In this way, the aqueous solution The effect of temperature increase due to power supply is reduced, so that the water temperature of the aqueous solution is not easily increased, and the redox activity of the acidic water with oxidizing ability used for sterilization is reduced, and the sterilization time of acidic ionized water can be extended.

In a specific embodiment, the duty cycle of the DC pulse power supply 40 is 50%, that is, within the same duty cycle, there is only 50% of the duty time. In this way, compared with the electrolysis work that is always energized, the effect of saving electricity by 50% can be achieved. Therefore, when the device for generating sterilizing water by electrolysis according to the present invention is powered by a battery, under the same battery capacity, compared with a device that is always energized for electrolysis, if the device is constantly energized for electrolysis, each electrolysis time Since it can react twice under an hour, this embodiment can complete the electrolytic reaction four times due to the duty cycle of the DC pulse power supply 40, thereby providing a more long-term use performance.

In addition, please refer to the following Table 1. Table 1 is a comparison table of experimental data of the concentration of disinfection water (units: Parts Per Million, PPM) generated by electrolysis with DC current and electrolysis with DC pulse power supply 40 at different times. <Table 1>

It can be seen from Table 1 that at the same electrolysis time, the difference in the concentration of the disinfection water obtained by electrolysis by direct current energization and electrolysis by direct current pulse power supply 40 is not significant. However, under the same electrolysis time, the working time of the DC pulse power supply 40 for electrolysis is half of the working time for electrolysis by DC energization. That is to say, under the same electrolysis working time, the electrolysis through the DC pulse power supply 40 can obtain almost the same concentration of disinfection water, but it can achieve the effect of saving electricity by 50%.

Further, when the electrolysis time is prolonged, the concentration of sterilized water generated by electrolysis using the DC pulse power supply 40 may be higher than the concentration of sterilized water generated by electrolysis using DC power supply. It can be verified from this that when the electrolysis time is extended, since the working time of the DC pulse power supply 40 for electrolysis is half of the working time of the DC energization for electrolysis, therefore, at the same electrolysis working time, the DC pulse power supply 40 energizes the aqueous solution and Fever time can also be reduced by half. As a result, the oxidation-reduction activity of the sterilization water generated by electrolysis with the DC pulse power supply 40 is reduced, and the sterilization time of the acidic ionized water can be more maintained.

In one embodiment, the container 10 has a single space, the aqueous solution is electrolyzed to generate acidic water and alkaline water, and then naturally mixed, and when used, the mixed acidic water and alkaline water are output and used. In this embodiment, when specifically used, the container 10 may be, but not limited to, a spray bottle with a water pump. The user may spray the mixed acidic water and alkaline water as sterilizing water. In this way, the positively charged acidic water can oxidize and destroy the bacteria and impurities on the surface of the sprayed object; at the same time, the negatively charged alkaline water can remove the oxidized substances generated during the disinfection process and inhibit the formation of organic halogenated compounds .

In another embodiment, an ion exchange membrane 50 may be further provided in the container 10, the ion exchange membrane 50 divides the single space of the container 10 into two spaces, and in this embodiment, the ion exchange membrane 50 is located at the anode Between the electrode 20 and the cathode electrode 30, that is, the anode electrode 20 and the cathode electrode 30 are located in two spaces of the container 10, respectively. Here, the ion exchange membrane 50 is a porous semi-permeable membrane that can restrict the transfer of liquid, and can allow anions/cations to selectively pass through the ion exchange membrane 50, so that the acidic water after electrolysis can be kept between the anode electrode 20 In the same space, the alkaline water can also be kept in the same space as the cathode electrode 30. Then, the user can use acidic water or alkaline water as needed. Of course, in this embodiment, a mixing tank may be additionally arranged outside the container 10 to mix acidic water and alkaline water before use.

In one embodiment, to continuously provide sterilizing water for use, the water level detection unit 60 may be further included. The water level detection unit 60 is used to detect the height of the aqueous solution in the container 10, and can generate a warning when the aqueous solution height is less than the preset value to prompt the user to add the aqueous solution to ensure that the container 10 maintains the preset volume of the aqueous solution and can ensure There is the generation and use of disinfectant water.

Further, the water level detection unit 60 includes a waveform detector 61, a storage unit 62, a judgment unit 63, and a warning device 64 which are electrically connected to each other. The waveform detector 61 is used to measure the current waveform when the aqueous solution is conducting. The storage unit 62 has a water level look-up table and a preset value. The water level look-up table is current waveform data corresponding to different water levels measured in advance. Here, the current waveform data may be the amplitude or slope of the current.

In addition, the number of the water level look-up tables may also be a plural number, and each water level look-up table corresponds to the water level look-up table data of the aqueous solution with different conductivity. The preset value is the minimum value of the water level where the aqueous solution should be stored in the preset container 10. The judging unit 63 compares the water level lookup table of the storage unit 62 according to the current waveform measured by the waveform detector 61 to judge the water level height of the aqueous solution, and further compares the preset value after judging the water level height, when the water level height When it is less than the preset value, the judgment unit 63 controls the warning device 64 to generate a warning. In this way, when the water level detection unit 60 issues a warning, the user can learn that the water level in the container 10 is insufficient, and then add an aqueous solution to ensure that sterilizing water can be continuously generated for use.

In addition, this case also provides a method of generating sterilizing water by electrolysis, in one embodiment, it is performed using the aforementioned device. In this embodiment, the method of electrolytically generating sterilizing water includes providing a direct current pulse voltage to the aqueous solution contained in the container 10; and electrolysis of the aqueous solution into sterilizing water.

Further, the method of supplying the DC pulse voltage to the aqueous solution is to electrically connect the DC pulse power supply 40 to the anode electrode 20 and the cathode electrode 30, the anode electrode 20 and the cathode electrode 30 have conductivity and are in contact with the aqueous solution, and the DC pulse A conductive loop is formed between the power supply 40, the anode electrode 20, the aqueous solution, and the cathode electrode 30, and the DC pulse voltage of the DC pulse power supply 40 is supplied to the aqueous solution. The aqueous solution receives the applied electrical energy to produce an electrolytic reaction and generate acidic water and alkaline water. The acidic water can be used as sterilization water for sterilization.

In one embodiment, the method of producing sterilized water by electrolysis further includes detecting the current waveform of the aqueous solution; and judging the height of the aqueous solution in the container according to the current waveform of the aqueous solution; generating a warning based on the judgment result of the current waveform; when judging the aqueous solution A warning is generated when the water level in the container is less than the preset value.

Specifically, the specific method for determining the water level height of the aqueous solution in the container 10 according to the current waveform of the aqueous solution is to measure the current waveform of the aqueous solution when the aqueous solution is conducting through the waveform detector 61 that can measure the current waveform, and find out The height of the water level corresponding to the measured current waveform.

Further, the information for detecting the current waveform of the aqueous solution may be the amplitude or slope of the current waveform. In a specific embodiment, please refer to FIG. 2 to FIG. 5. FIG. 2 to FIG. 5 are waveforms of the current detected by the waveform detector 61 for measuring aqueous solutions at different water levels. FIG. 2 is a state when no water solution is loaded in the container 10, and the current waveform cannot be measured at this time. FIG. 3 is a current waveform measured in a state where a low-level aqueous solution is loaded in the container 10. FIG. 4 is a current waveform measured by the state of the water solution in the water level in the container 10. FIG. 5 is a current waveform measured in a state where a high-level aqueous solution is loaded in the container 10. As can be seen from FIGS. 2 to 5, when the water level of the aqueous solution in the container 10 is higher, the volume of the aqueous solution is larger. In contrast, the greater the amount of ions contained in the aqueous solution, the stronger the conductivity. Therefore, when the water level of the aqueous solution in the container 10 is higher, the amplitude and slope of the current after the aqueous solution conducts electricity become larger. That is, the amplitude and slope of the current waveform are positively correlated with the height of the water level of the aqueous solution in the container 10, respectively.

Therefore, by detecting the current waveform of the aqueous solution, the water level in the container 10 can be detected at the same time when the sterilized water is generated by electrolysis, so as to alert the user to add the aqueous solution when the water level of the aqueous solution is insufficient, to ensure that the sterilized water can be continuously generated for use.

Further, referring to FIG. 1, in one embodiment, the water level detection unit 60 further includes a control unit 65, which is electrically connected to the determination unit 63 and the DC pulse power supply 40. When the container 10 is loaded with an aqueous solution for electrolysis and the current waveform measured by electrolysis is a high potential area, if the waveform detector 61 detects that the current waveform of the aqueous solution is zero potential or low potential, it represents the anode electrode 20 There may be a short circuit between the cathode electrode 30 or an unexpectedly low impedance. In this embodiment, the water level look-up table of the storage unit 62 further includes the aforementioned zero-potential or low-potential current waveform data. When the judging unit 63 judges that the anode electrode 20 and the cathode electrode 30 are short-circuited or there is an unexpectedly low impedance, the judging unit 63 judges that it is abnormal and provides the abnormal message to the control unit 65. The control unit 65 is based on the judgment unit The abnormal condition determined by 63 controls the DC pulse power supply 40 to stop supplying power. In this way, the present embodiment can immediately cut off the power when an abnormal condition is detected, avoid unexpected dangerous conditions, and improve the safety of use.

Although this disclosure has been disclosed above in some embodiments, it is not intended to limit this disclosure. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can make some changes and retouching without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the patent protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the scope defined in the patent application scope attached to this specification.

10: Container 20: Anode electrode 30: Cathode electrode 40: DC pulse power supply 50: Ion exchange membrane 60: Water level detection unit 61: Waveform detector 62: Storage unit 63: Judgment unit 64: Warning device 65: Control unit

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an apparatus for generating sterilizing water by electrolysis in the present invention. 2 is a schematic diagram of current waveforms detected by an embodiment of an apparatus for generating sterilizing water by electrolysis in an embodiment in which no aqueous solution is loaded in a container. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of current waveforms detected by an embodiment of an apparatus for generating sterilizing water by electrolysis in a container loaded with a low-level aqueous solution in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of current waveforms detected by an embodiment of an apparatus for generating sterilized water by electrolysis in an embodiment of an aqueous solution in a container filled with water at an intermediate level. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of current waveforms detected by an embodiment of an apparatus for generating sterilizing water by electrolysis in a container loaded with a high-level aqueous solution according to the present invention.

10: Container

20: anode electrode

30: cathode electrode

40: DC pulse power supply

50: ion exchange membrane

60: Water level detection unit

61: Waveform detector

62: storage unit

63: Judgment unit

64: Warning device

65: control unit

Claims (10)

A method for producing sterilizing water by electrolysis, comprising: providing a direct current pulse voltage to an aqueous solution contained in a container; and electrolyzing the aqueous solution into a sterilizing water. The method for generating sterilizing water by electrolysis according to claim 1 further includes detecting a current waveform of the aqueous solution; and judging the height of the aqueous solution in the container according to the current waveform. As described in claim 2, the method of generating sterilized water by electrolysis, after detecting the current waveform, further generates a warning according to the judgment result of the current waveform, and when it is judged that the height of the aqueous solution in the container is less than the preset Alert when value is reached. The method for generating sterilizing water by electrolysis according to claim 2, wherein the determination of the height of the aqueous solution in the container is based on the amplitude of the current waveform, and the amplitude of the current waveform is positively related to the height of the aqueous solution in the container . The method for generating sterilizing water by electrolysis according to claim 2, wherein the judgment of the height of the aqueous solution in the container is based on the slope of the current waveform, and the slope of the current waveform is positively correlated with the height of the aqueous solution in the container . The method for producing sterilizing water by electrolysis as described in claim 1, wherein the aqueous solution further contains an electrolyte. The method for producing sterilizing water by electrolysis according to claim 6, wherein the electrolyte is sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride or calcium chloride. A device for generating sterilized water by electrolysis, comprising: a container for containing an aqueous solution; an anode electrode provided in the container; a cathode electrode provided in the container and separated from the anode electrode by a distance; And the direct current pulse power supply is electrically connected to the anode electrode and the cathode electrode. The device for generating sterilized water by electrolysis according to claim 8 further includes a water level detection unit, including a waveform detector, a storage unit, a judgment unit and a warning device electrically connected to each other, the waveform The detector is used to detect the current waveform of the aqueous solution. The storage unit has a water level lookup table. The judgment unit judges the water level height of the aqueous solution based on the current waveform ratio of the aqueous solution to the water level lookup table. When the judgment unit judges the aqueous solution When the water level is lower than a preset value, the warning device generates a warning. The device for generating sterilizing water by electrolysis according to claim 8 further includes an ion exchange membrane disposed in the container and located between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode.

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