WO2024079836A1

WO2024079836A1 - Processing device, processing method, and control program

Info

Publication number: WO2024079836A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/038156
Authority: WO
Inventors: 由雄池澤
Original assignee: 株式会社島津製作所
Priority date: 2022-10-13
Filing date: 2022-10-13
Publication date: 2024-04-18

Abstract

A processing device (1) comprises: a container (50) that accommodates a specimen; a control device (500) that extracts a target substance from the specimen accommodated in the container; and an input device (505) that receives input from a user. The control device performs a refresh process in which a first processing liquid for processing a contaminant included in the specimen is introduced into the container in which the specimen is accommodated, and after the first processing liquid has been introduced, on the basis of an input to the input device, a second processing liquid for re-processing the contaminant included in the specimen is introduced into the container.

Description

Processing device, processing method, and control program

The present disclosure relates to a processing device for processing a sample to recover a target substance, a processing method for processing a sample to recover a target substance, and a control program for processing a sample to recover a target substance.

　Traditionally, there are known processing devices capable of recovering a target substance by processing a sample. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a purification device that introduces a decomposition liquid into a container that holds the sample to decompose impurities contained in the sample, and then introduces a heavy liquid into the container after the impurities have been decomposed to recover a target substance that has a lighter specific gravity than the heavy liquid.

International Publication No. 2022/003995

The refining device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured to decompose impurities contained in a sample using a decomposition liquid, and the amount of decomposition liquid introduced is preset according to the amount of sample that can be introduced. Although a certain limit can be set for the amount of sample that can be introduced based on the dimensions of the refining device's container, depending on the amount of impurities contained in the sample to be decomposed, the impurities may not be sufficiently decomposed. If the impurities are not sufficiently decomposed, the accuracy of the purification may decrease and may affect the subsequent analysis process. To prevent this, it is possible to introduce a larger amount of decomposition liquid than usual, but the allowable introduction amount is determined based on the dimensions of the refining device's container. If this allowable introduction amount is exceeded, bubbles generated by the decomposition may adhere to unexpected places, and the accuracy of the purification may decrease. In addition, as a result of introducing an excessive amount of decomposition liquid, the decomposition liquid may be wasted. Furthermore, if the decomposition process is performed for a long time or an excessive amount of decomposition liquid is used, depending on the physical properties of the target substance to be recovered, the target substance may be damaged, which may have an unintended effect on the analysis results of the target substance. For this reason, there is a demand for technology that can appropriately treat impurities, such as by decomposing them, in purification devices that purify samples.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the problems described above, and its purpose is to provide a technique for appropriately processing impurities contained in a sample.

A processing device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a container for storing a sample, a control device for extracting a target substance from the sample stored in the container, and an input device for receiving input from a user. The control device introduces a first processing liquid for treating impurities contained in the sample into the container storing the sample, and after introducing the first processing liquid, executes a refresh process for introducing a second processing liquid into the container for re-treating the impurities contained in the sample based on the input to the input device.

A processing method according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes the steps of: introducing a first processing liquid into a container containing the sample for processing impurities contained in the sample; and, after the introduction of the first processing liquid, performing a refresh process based on a user's input, in which a second processing liquid is introduced into the container for processing again the impurities contained in the sample.

A control program according to another aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to execute a step of introducing a first processing liquid into a container containing the sample for processing impurities contained in the sample, and a step of executing a refresh process, which introduces a second processing liquid into the container for processing impurities contained in the sample again based on a user's input after the introduction of the first processing liquid.

According to the present disclosure, even if the first processing liquid introduced into the container cannot sufficiently process the impurities contained in the sample, the impurities contained in the sample can be processed again using a second processing liquid introduced into the container based on user input, so that the impurities contained in the sample can be properly processed.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a processing apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a hardware configuration of a processing device according to an embodiment. 4 is a flowchart of a refining process executed by a control device of the processing apparatus according to the embodiment. 11 is a flowchart of a decomposition process executed by a control device of the processing device according to the embodiment.

Below, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or corresponding parts in the drawings will be given the same reference numerals and their description will not be repeated.

[Configuration of Processing Device]
A main configuration of a processing device 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the processing device 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the processing device 1 includes a purifier 10 for purifying a mixed sample, and a control device 500 for controlling the purifier 10. The processing device 1 processes the mixed sample by controlling the purifier 10 by the control device 500. Specifically, the processing device 1 purifies the mixed sample by controlling the purifier 10 by the control device 500, and recovers a target substance contained in the mixed sample that is a recovery target. "Purification" includes extracting a target substance from a mixture using a decomposition liquid, a heavy liquid, or the like.

The "mixed sample" refined by the processing device 1 may be in any form as long as it contains the target substance. For example, examples of the "mixed sample" include seawater and sand collected from the ocean or the coast, and processed products such as food or cosmetics. In the embodiment, an example of the "mixed sample" is seawater and sand collected from the ocean or the coast. In the following, the "mixed sample" will also be referred to simply as the "sample".

The "target substance" to be collected by the processing device 1 may be in any form as long as it is a component that can be collected by the processing device 1. For example, the "target substance" may be microplastics, which are minute plastic particles with a size of 5 mm or less. In the embodiment, the "target substance" may be, for example, microplastics contained in seawater and sand collected from the ocean or coast.

The purifier 10 includes a container 50 for holding the sample, pipes 11-22, pumps 31-33, solenoid valves 41-43, ports 61-64, a stirrer 71, a stirring bar 72, and an exhaust pipe 80.

The container 50 includes a processing section 51 for processing the sample and an overflow section 52 located above the processing section 51, and can be separated into the processing section 51 and the overflow section 52. Ports 61 to 64 are connected to the lower part of the processing section 51. The user opens the container 50 by removing the overflow section 52 from the processing section 51, and introduces a sample into the processing section 51 in the container 50. In the embodiment, the processing section 51 is configured as a cylinder with a circular bottom surface, but the bottom surface of the processing section 51 is not limited to a circle, and may have other shapes such as a polygon or an ellipse.

The sample contained in the container 50 contains impurities, which are processed in the container 50 using a processing liquid such as a decomposition liquid. "Impurities" are foreign matter in the sample other than the target substance. In the embodiment, an example of "impurities" is organic impurities that have the properties of organic matter.

The container 50 has a transmittance that allows the status of the decomposition process of impurities contained in the sample stored in the container 50 to be visible from the outside. For example, the processing section 51 and overflow section 52 of the container 50 are formed of a transparent material (e.g., glass) so that the user can view the inside of the container 50 from the outside. Therefore, the user can check from the outside the status of the decomposition process of impurities using the decomposition liquid that is being performed inside the container 50.

Pipe 11 connects the decomposition liquid reservoir 210 and the solenoid valve 41. Pipe 12 connects the solenoid valve 41 and the pump 31. Pipe 13 connects the pump 31 and a port 61 provided on the outer periphery of the container 50. In this way, the decomposition liquid reservoir 210 and the port 61 of the container 50 are connected by

pipes

11, 12, and 13 via the solenoid valve 41 and the pump 31.

Pipe 14 connects the heavy liquid reservoir 220 to the solenoid valve 42. Pipe 15 connects the solenoid valve 42 to the pump 32. Pipe 16 connects the pump 32 to a port 62 provided on the outer periphery of the container 50. In this way, the heavy liquid reservoir 220 and the port 62 of the container 50 are connected by

pipes

14, 15, and 16 via the solenoid valve 42 and the pump 32.

Pipe 17 connects the rinse liquid reservoir 230 and the solenoid valve 41. That is, the solenoid valve 41 is connected to the decomposition liquid reservoir 210 by pipe 11, and is also connected to the rinse liquid reservoir 230 by pipe 14. In this way, the rinse liquid reservoir 230 and the port 61 of the container 50 are connected by

pipes

17, 12, and 13 via the solenoid valve 41 and the pump 31.

The pipe 18 connects the rinse liquid reservoir 230 and the solenoid valve 42. That is, the solenoid valve 42 is connected to the heavy liquid reservoir 220 by the pipe 14, and is also connected to the rinse liquid reservoir 230 by the pipe 18. In this way, the rinse liquid reservoir 230 and the port 62 of the container 50 are connected by the

pipes

18, 15, and 16 via the solenoid valve 42 and the pump 32.

Pipe 19 connects the waste liquid reservoir 240 and the solenoid valve 43. Pipe 20 connects the solenoid valve 43 and the pump 33. Pipe 21 connects the pump 33 and a port 63 provided on the outer periphery of the container 50. In this way, the waste liquid reservoir 240 and the port 63 of the container 50 are connected by

pipes

19, 20, and 21 via the solenoid valve 43 and the pump 33.

Pipe 22 connects pump 33 to port 64 provided on the outer periphery of container 50. That is, pump 33 is connected to port 63 of container 50 by pipe 21, and is also connected to port 64 of container 50 by pipe 22. In this way, waste liquid reservoir 240 and port 64 of container 50 are connected by

pipes

19, 20, and 22 via solenoid valve 43 and pump 33.

Pipe 23 connects the waste liquid reservoir 250 and the solenoid valve 43. That is, the solenoid valve 43 is connected to the waste liquid reservoir 240 by pipe 19, and is also connected to the waste liquid reservoir 250 by pipe 23. In this way, the waste liquid reservoir 250 and the port 63 of the container 50 are connected by

pipes

23, 20, and 21 via the solenoid valve 43 and the pump 33. In addition, the waste liquid reservoir 250 and the port 64 of the container 50 are connected by

pipes

23, 20, and 22 via the solenoid valve 43 and the pump 33.

The decomposition liquid reservoir 210 stores a processing liquid for treating impurities. The "processing liquid" may be in any form as long as it treats organic impurities. In the embodiment, the "processing liquid" is exemplified by a decomposition liquid for decomposing organic impurities. The "decomposition liquid" is, for example, an oxidizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or a mixture of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and iron (II) oxide (FeO). When the "sample" is seawater and sand, the "organic impurities" are, for example, wood chips and plankton mixed in the seawater or sand.

The heavy liquid reservoir 220 stores a heavy liquid for separating samples by difference in specific gravity. The "heavy liquid" may be in any form as long as it separates samples by difference in specific gravity. In the embodiment, the "heavy liquid" causes inorganic impurities having inorganic properties to settle by difference in specific gravity. The "heavy liquid" is, for example, sodium chloride (NaCl), sodium iodide (NaI), zinc chloride (ZnCl2), etc. When the "sample" is seawater and sand, the "inorganic impurities" are sand, glass, stones, etc. The specific gravity of the "heavy liquid" is set to be greater than the specific gravity of the "target substance" to be recovered by the processing device 1 and less than the specific gravity of the "inorganic impurities". For example, when the "target substance" to be recovered by the processing device 1 is microplastics and the "inorganic impurities" are sand, glass, stones, etc., the specific gravity of the "heavy liquid" is set to be greater than the specific gravity of microplastics and less than the specific gravity of sand, glass, stones, etc. Specifically, the specific gravity of the "heavy liquid" is set to approximately 1.5 to 1.7.

The rinse liquid reservoir 230 stores rinse liquid, which is a cleaning liquid for cleaning the inside of the container 50. The "rinse liquid" may be in any form as long as it is used to clean the inside of the container 50. The "rinse liquid" is, for example, water. In addition to cleaning the inside of the container 50, the "rinse liquid" also has the role of diluting the decomposition liquid introduced into the container 50.

The

waste liquid reservoirs

240, 250 store waste liquids such as heavy liquid, decomposition liquid, rinse liquid, and seawater contained in the sample discharged from the container 50.

The pump 31 introduces the decomposition liquid from the decomposition liquid reservoir 210 or the rinsing liquid from the rinsing liquid reservoir 230 into the container 50 via the port 61 under the control of the control device 500. For example, under the control of the control device 500, the pump 31 lowers the pressure on the suction side and raises the pressure on the discharge side to suck in the decomposition liquid or rinsing liquid via the pipe 12 and discharge the decomposition liquid or rinsing liquid to the port 61 via the pipe 13. The control device 500 can adjust the output amount (suction amount, discharge amount) of the pump 31 by controlling the pump 31.

The pump 32 introduces the heavy liquid from the heavy liquid reservoir 220 or the rinsing liquid from the rinsing liquid reservoir 230 into the container 50 via the port 62 under the control of the control device 500. For example, under the control of the control device 500, the pump 32 lowers the pressure on the suction side and raises the pressure on the discharge side to suck in the heavy liquid or rinsing liquid via the pipe 15 and discharge the heavy liquid or rinsing liquid to the port 62 via the pipe 16. The control device 500 can adjust the amount of the pump 32 delivered (the amount of suction, the amount of discharge).

Pump 33, under the control of control device 500, discharges unnecessary liquid in container 50 as waste liquid to waste liquid reservoir 240 or waste liquid reservoir 250 via port 63 or port 64. For example, under the control of control device 500, pump 33 lowers the pressure on the suction side and raises the pressure on the discharge side to suck in waste liquid from container 50 via

pipes

21 and 22 and discharge the waste liquid to waste

liquid reservoirs

240 and 250 via pipe 20. Control device 500 can adjust the amount of pump 33 delivered (suction amount, discharge amount) by controlling pump 33.

The solenoid valve 41 switches the path connected to the port 61 of the container 50 between the decomposition liquid reservoir 210 and the rinsing liquid reservoir 230 under the control of the control device 500.

The solenoid valve 42 switches the path connected to the port 62 of the container 50 between the heavy liquid reservoir 220 and the rinse liquid reservoir 230 under the control of the control device 500.

The solenoid valve 43 switches the paths connected to the

ports

63, 64 of the container 50 between the waste liquid reservoir 240 and the waste liquid reservoir 250 under the control of the control device 500. For example, the waste liquid containing the heavy liquid is discharged to the waste liquid reservoir 240, and the waste liquid containing the decomposition liquid is discharged to the waste liquid reservoir 250.

Port 61 introduces into container 50 the decomposition liquid from decomposition liquid reservoir 210 or the rinse liquid from rinse liquid reservoir 230, which is delivered by pump 31. Port 62 introduces into container 50 the heavy liquid from heavy liquid reservoir 220 or the rinse liquid from rinse liquid reservoir 230, which is delivered by pump 32.

Ports

63 and 64 discharge the waste liquid in container 50 to pump 33 when pump 33 is driven. The waste liquid delivered by pump 33 is discharged into waste liquid reservoir 240 or waste liquid reservoir 250.

The purifier 10 further includes a strainer 300 that captures the target substance contained in the sample and holds it in the container 50. The strainer 300 is provided inside the processing section 51 located below the container 50, which can be separated into two. The strainer 300 is roughly basket-shaped and has meshes large enough to capture the target substance, microplastics. For example, the strainer 300 is made of SUS (Steel Use Stainless), and has multiple openings formed therein that are large enough to capture the target substance, microplastics. When the target substance is microplastics, the mesh size of the strainer 300 needs to be large enough to prevent particles of 0.1 mm to 5.0 mm from passing through, and approximately 0.1 mm is preferable.

The stirrer 71 is, for example, a thermostatic stirrer, and is disposed below the processing section 51 in the container 50. The stirrer 71 stirs the sample in the container 50 by rotating an agitator 72 provided in the container 50 under the control of the control device 500. Furthermore, the stirrer 71 applies heat to the container 50 from below, thereby keeping the temperature of the sample in the container 50 constant.

The discharge pipe 80 is connected to a discharge port 55 provided at the top of the overflow section 52 of the container 50, and the supernatant liquid of the sample containing the target substance overflows from the container 50 to the outside and is discharged.

The filtration unit 110 recovers the target substance contained in the supernatant by filtering the supernatant of the sample discharged from the discharge pipe 80. The supernatant that passes through the filtration unit 110 is recovered by the waste liquid reservoir 260. The filtration unit 110 has meshes large enough to capture the target substance, microplastics. For example, the filtration unit 110 is a wire mesh made of SUS or a membrane filter made of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) (Teflon (registered trademark)). When the target substance is microplastics, the mesh size of the filtration unit 110 needs to be large enough to block particles of 0.1 mm to 5.0 mm, and is preferably about 0.1 mm.

The control device 500 may be realized by a general-purpose computer, or may be realized by a dedicated computer for controlling the refiner 10. For example, the control device 500 may be an information terminal that executes predetermined information processing, such as a desktop personal computer (PC), a laptop PC, a smartphone, a smart watch, a wearable device, or a tablet PC. The control device 500 controls the pumps 31-33, the solenoid valves 41-43, and the stirrer 71 in the refiner 10. The control device 500 corresponds to one embodiment of the "computer" in this disclosure.

[Hardware configuration]
The hardware configuration of the processing device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining the hardware configuration of the processing device 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, the control device 500 includes, as main hardware elements, a calculation device 501, a memory 502, a communication device 503, a display device 504, an input device 505, a data reading device 506, and a storage 510.

The arithmetic device 501 is a processor that reads out programs (e.g., a control program 511 and an OS (Operating System) 513) stored in the storage 510, and deploys the read out programs in the memory 502 for execution. For example, the arithmetic device 501 executes a process for controlling the refiner 10 (e.g., the process in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 described below) by executing the control program 511. A processor, which is an example of the arithmetic device 501, is composed of, for example, a microcontroller, a CPU (central processing unit), or an MPU (micro-processing unit). Note that the processor has the function of executing various processes by executing a program, but some or all of these functions may be implemented using a dedicated hardware circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The term "processor" is not limited to a processor in the narrow sense that executes processes using a stored program method, such as a CPU or an MPU, but may also include a hardwired circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA. For this reason, the processor may be interpreted as a processing circuit, the processing of which is defined in advance by computer-readable code and/or hardwired circuitry. The computing device 501 may be composed of one chip or multiple chips. Furthermore, the processor and associated processing circuitry may be composed of multiple computers interconnected in a wired or wireless manner, such as via a local area network or a wireless network. The processor and associated processing circuitry may be composed of a cloud computer that performs calculations remotely based on input data and outputs the results of the calculations to another device in a remote location.

Memory 502 provides a storage area for temporarily storing program code or work memory, etc., when the computing device 501 executes any program. Memory 502 may be one or more non-transitory computer readable mediums. Memory 502 is composed of volatile memory such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), or non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory) or flash memory.

The communication device 503 includes an interface for outputting control signals for controlling the pumps 31-33, solenoid valves 41-43, or stirrer 71 of the purifier 10. The communication device 503 may also include an interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from other devices via a network (not shown). In this case, the communication device 503 is compatible with any communication method, such as Ethernet (registered trademark), wireless LAN (Local Area Network), or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The display device 504 is composed of, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and displays a design screen for a program related to the control of the refiner 10, a setting screen related to the control of the refiner 10, or an alert screen in the event of an abnormality, etc.

The input device 505 is composed of, for example, a keyboard or a mouse, and is operated by the user. The input device 505 may be a touch panel provided on the screen of the display device 504. When the user operates the input device 505, an input signal corresponding to the operation is input to the arithmetic device 501. When the arithmetic device 501 receives an input signal from the input device 505, it outputs a control signal based on the user's input to the pumps 31-33, solenoid valves 41-43, stirrer 71, or the like of the purifier 10. The pumps 31-33, solenoid valves 41-43, or stirrer 71 operate in accordance with the control signal from the arithmetic device 501.

The data reading device 506 reads data stored in the recording medium 507. The recording medium 507 may be a non-transitory and tangible computer readable storage medium. The recording medium 507 may be in any form capable of recording various types of data, such as a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory.

Storage 510 provides a memory area for storing various data required for refining processes, etc. Storage 510 may be one or more computer readable storage media. Storage 510 is configured, for example, by a non-volatile memory device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). Storage 510 stores a control program 511, control data 512, and an OS 513.

The control program 511 is a program that describes the contents of the purification process for purifying a sample, and is executed by the computing device 501. The control program 511 may be designed by a user using the input device 505, may be read from the recording medium 507 by the data reading device 506, or may be obtained via a network from another device such as a server by the communication device 503.

The control data 512 is data used by the computing device 501 when executing the control program 511. For example, the control data 512 includes data such as settings for controlling the pumps 31-33, the solenoid valves 41-43, and the stirrer 71. The control data 512 may be input by a user using the input device 505, may be read from the recording medium 507 by the data reading device 506, or may be obtained by the communication device 503 from another device such as a server via a network.

The OS 513 provides basic functions for the arithmetic unit 501 to execute various processes.

[Refining process]
The sample purification process executed by the processing device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flow chart of the purification process executed by the control device 500 of the processing device 1 according to the embodiment. Each step shown in Fig. 3 is realized by the arithmetic device 501 of the control device 500 executing the OS 513 and the control program 511.

First, in preparation for the purification process, the user opens the container 50 by removing the processing section 51 from the overflow section 52, and introduces the sample into the processing section 51 in the container 50. After that, the user performs a start operation using the input device 505 of the control device 500, thereby starting control of the purifier 10 by the control device 500.

When the control device 500 starts to control the purifier 10, the control device 500 controls the discharge pump 33 and solenoid valve 43 to discharge the liquid contained in the sample stored in the container 50 as waste liquid through the pipes 20-23 and

ports

63, 64 to the waste liquid reservoir 250 (S1). Note that substances other than the liquid, such as microplastics, are captured by the strainer 300 provided inside the container 50 and are retained within the container 50.

The control device 500 executes a decomposition process using the decomposition liquid to decompose organic impurities contained in the sample stored in the container 50 (S2). Details of the decomposition process will be described later with reference to FIG. 4.

After the decomposition process, the control device 500 controls the discharge pump 33 and solenoid valve 43 to discharge the waste liquid in the container 50, which is contained in the sample after the decomposition process of the organic impurities, into the waste liquid reservoir 250 via the pipes 20-23 and ports 63, 64 (S3). The target substance, microplastics, is captured by the strainer 300 installed inside the container 50 and is retained in the container 50.

The control device 500 stops the discharge pump 33 while controlling the introduction pump 31 and solenoid valve 41 to introduce the rinse liquid in the rinse liquid reservoir 230 into the container 50 via the

pipes

17, 12, 13 and port 61, thereby cleaning the inside of the container 50 (S4). At this time, the control device 500 controls the discharge rate of the pump 31 to introduce an amount of rinse liquid preset by the user into the container 50. The amount of rinse liquid introduced in S4 is set to be equal to or less than the capacity of the processing section 51, for example, 150 ml or less.

The control device 500 stops the inlet pump 31 while controlling the outlet pump 33 and solenoid valve 43 to discharge the waste liquid after cleaning with the rinse liquid through the pipes 20-23 and

ports

63, 64 to the waste liquid reservoir 250 (S5). This cleans the inside of the container 50 with the rinse liquid. The target substance, microplastics, is captured by the strainer 300 provided inside the container 50 and is retained within the container 50. The control device 500 may then dry the sample by leaving it as it is for a predetermined period of time (for example, one day).

The control device 500 stops the discharge pump 33 while controlling the inlet pump 32 and solenoid valve 42 to introduce the heavy liquid from the heavy liquid reservoir 220 into the container 50 via the pipes 14-16 and port 62 (S6). At this time, the control device 500 controls the output rate of the pump 32 to introduce the amount of heavy liquid preset by the user into the container 50.

The control device 500 stops the inlet pump 32 and leaves the sample as it is for a predetermined period of time (for example, one day) (S7). When the heavy liquid is introduced into the sample in the container 50 in this manner and left as it is, inorganic impurities contained in the sample will settle near the bottom of the container 50 due to the difference in specific gravity. Meanwhile, the target substance, microplastics, which have a lower specific gravity than the heavy liquid, will rise to the surface of the heavy liquid.

The control device 500 again controls the pump 32 and the solenoid valve 42 to introduce the heavy liquid from the heavy liquid reservoir 220 back into the container 50 via the pipes 14-16 and the port 62 (S8). At this time, the control device 500 controls the output rate of the pump 32 to introduce an amount of heavy liquid preset by the user into the container 50. When the heavy liquid is introduced back into the sample in the container 50 in this way, the liquid level of the gravity-separated sample gradually rises inside the container 50, and the supernatant liquid of the sample eventually reaches the discharge port 55 of the container 50. The supernatant liquid of the sample is then discharged to the outside as a discharge liquid through the discharge port 55 and the discharge pipe 80.

The discharged liquid discharged through the discharge pipe 80 is filtered by the filtration section 110, and only the waste liquid that passes through the filtration section 110 is collected by the waste liquid reservoir 260. Microplastics, which are components with a lower specific gravity than the heavy liquid, remain in the filtration section 110.

After the microplastics have been recovered by refining the sample, the control device 500 cleans the inside of the container 50 as a post-processing step. Specifically, the control device 500 controls the pump 33 and solenoid valve 43 on the discharge side to discharge the waste liquid from the container 50 after the microplastics have been recovered into the waste liquid reservoir 240 via the pipes 19-22 and ports 63, 64 (S9).

The control device 500 stops the discharge pump 33, while controlling the introduction pump 32 and solenoid valve 42 to introduce the rinse liquid in the rinse liquid reservoir 230 into the container 50 via the

pipes

18, 15, 16 and port 62, thereby cleaning the inside of the container 50 (S10). At this time, the control device 500 controls the amount of rinse liquid discharged by the pump 32 to introduce the amount of rinse liquid preset by the user into the container 50.

The control device 500 stops the pump 32 on the introduction side, while controlling the pump 33 and solenoid valve 43 on the discharge side to discharge the waste liquid in the container 50 after the rinsing liquid has been introduced into the waste liquid reservoir 240 via the pipes 19-22 and ports 63, 64 (S11). This allows the inside of the container 50 to be cleaned with the rinsing liquid. The control device 500 then ends the processing related to this flow.

As described above, according to the processing device 1 of the embodiment, the control device 500 automatically introduces the decomposition liquid and heavy liquid to the sample contained in the container 50 at an appropriate timing and for an appropriate period of time, and also discharges the waste liquid from the container 50. Therefore, the user does not need to introduce the decomposition liquid and heavy liquid into the container 50 or discharge the waste liquid from the container 50 by himself. Furthermore, according to the processing device 1 of the embodiment, the control device 500 automatically cleans the used container 50 after collecting the microplastics. This allows the user to stably collect microplastics without relying on his or her own skill, and allows the sample to be purified with high accuracy.

[Decomposition Processing]
As described above, the processing device 1 is configured to decompose impurities contained in the sample using a decomposition liquid by the decomposition process of S2 in the purification process. The amount of decomposition liquid introduced is preset by the user according to the amount of sample that can be loaded. Although a certain limit can be set for the amount of sample that can be loaded based on the dimensions of the container 50, the impurities may not be sufficiently decomposed depending on the amount of impurities contained in the sample to be decomposed. If the impurities are not sufficiently decomposed, the accuracy of the purification will decrease, which may affect the subsequent analysis process. In addition, the presence of impurities in the recovered material may affect weight measurement or size measurement.

To prevent this, it is possible to introduce a larger amount of decomposition liquid than usual, but the allowable introduction amount is determined by the dimensions of the container 50. If this allowable introduction amount is exceeded, bubbles generated by decomposition may adhere to unexpected locations, which may reduce the purification accuracy. In addition, introducing excessive decomposition liquid may result in unnecessary consumption of the decomposition liquid. Furthermore, if the decomposition process is performed for a long period of time or using an excessive amount of decomposition liquid, the microplastics to be recovered may be damaged depending on their physical properties, which may have an unintended effect on the analysis results of the microplastics. For example, if the microplastics are damaged by excessive decomposition process, the weight and size of the microplastics may change, which may affect the weight or size measurement.

The processing device 1 according to the embodiment is configured to, in the decomposition process, introduce a decomposition liquid predetermined by the user into the container 50 to decompose the impurities, and then, based on the user's input to the input device 505, execute a refresh process in which new decomposition liquid is introduced into the container 50 to re-decompose the impurities.

The sample decomposition process executed by the processing device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the decomposition process executed by the control device 500 of the processing device 1 according to the embodiment. Each step shown in FIG. 4 is realized by the arithmetic device 501 of the control device 500 executing the OS 513 and the control program 511.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control device 500 controls the pump 31 and solenoid valve 41 on the inlet side to introduce the decomposition liquid in the decomposition liquid reservoir 210 into the container 50 via the pipes 11-13 and the port 61 (S21). Note that the decomposition liquid introduced in S21 corresponds to one example of the "first processing liquid" in this disclosure.

At this time, the control device 500 introduces the amount of decomposition liquid preset by the user into the container 50 by controlling the output amount of the pump 31. For example, the decomposition of impurities using the decomposition liquid needs to be carried out inside the processing section 51 in which the strainer 300 is provided so that the strainer 300 can capture microplastics. For this reason, the amount of decomposition liquid introduced in S21 is set to be equal to or less than the capacity of the processing section 51, for example, 150 ml or less.

Furthermore, the control device 500 may introduce an amount of decomposition liquid preset by the user into the container 50 in multiple batches at predetermined intervals preset by the user. For example, the control device 500 may introduce 150 ml of decomposition liquid into the container 50 in 30 ml increments at one-hour intervals over a period of five hours. This allows the processing device 1 to suppress excessive decomposition reactions that may occur when the decomposition liquid is introduced into the container 50 all at once.

After introducing the decomposition liquid, the control device 500 controls the stirrer 71 to rotate the stirrer 72 provided in the container 50 while applying a constant heat to the container 50, thereby stirring the sample (S22). The temperature inside the container 50, the rotation speed of the stirrer 72, and the rotation time are preset by the user. In this way, the control device 500 can promote the decomposition of organic impurities using the decomposition liquid by stirring the sample while applying heat. Note that while heating is not necessarily required when stirring the sample, the decomposition of organic impurities is promoted by maintaining a constant sample temperature through heating.

The control device 500 determines whether or not a stop input based on the user's operation of the input device 505 has been received (S23). If the control device 500 has not received a stop input from the user (NO in S23), it determines whether or not the decomposition processing period has elapsed (S29). The decomposition processing period is preset by the user, for example, three days.

If the decomposition processing period has elapsed (YES in S29), the control device 500 ends the decomposition processing and proceeds to processing S3 in FIG. 3. On the other hand, if the decomposition processing period has not elapsed (NO in S29), the control device 500 returns to processing S23.

If the control device 500 receives a stop input from the user (YES in S23), it pauses the decomposition process by stopping the operation of the stirrer 71 and the stirring bar 72 (S24).

The control device 500 determines whether or not a refresh input based on the user's operation of the input device 505 has been received while the decomposition process is paused (S25).

If the control device 500 has not received a refresh input from the user (NO in S25), it determines whether or not a resume input based on the user's operation of the input device 505 has been received (S30).

If the control device 500 receives a restart input from the user (YES in S30), it controls the stirrer 71 and the stirring bar 72 to apply a constant amount of heat to the container 50 while rotating the stirring bar 72 installed inside the container 50 again to stir the sample and restart the decomposition process (S31). The control device 500 then proceeds to the process of S29. On the other hand, if the control device 500 does not receive a restart input from the user (NO in S30), it returns to the process of S23.

When the control device 500 receives a refresh input from the user (YES in S25), it executes the refresh process. Specifically, the control device 500 controls the discharge pump 33 and solenoid valve 43 to discharge the waste liquid in the container 50 generated by the decomposition process of the organic impurities into the waste liquid reservoir 250 via the pipes 20-23 and ports 63, 64 (S26). The target substance, microplastics, is captured by the strainer 300 installed inside the container 50 and is retained in the container 50.

Then, the control device 500 stops the discharge pump 33 while controlling the inlet pump 31 and solenoid valve 41 to introduce the decomposition liquid in the decomposition liquid reservoir 210 back into the container 50 via the pipes 11-13 and port 61 (S27). Note that the decomposition liquid introduced in S27 corresponds to one example of the "second processing liquid" in this disclosure.

At this time, the control device 500 controls the discharge rate of the pump 31 to reintroduce the amount of decomposition liquid preset by the user into the container 50. For example, the amount of decomposition liquid introduced in S27 is equal to or less than the amount of decomposition liquid introduced in S21. The concentration of the decomposition liquid introduced into the container 50 in S27 may be equal to or less than the concentration of the decomposition liquid introduced into the container 50 in S21. This allows the processing device 1 to prevent the impurities treated with the decomposition liquid introduced in S21 from being excessively decomposed by the decomposition liquid introduced in S27 of the refresh process, which would result in damage to microplastics.

Furthermore, in the process of S27, the control device 500 may introduce an amount of decomposition liquid preset by the user into the container 50 in multiple batches at predetermined intervals preset by the user, similar to the process of S21. For example, the control device 500 may introduce 150 ml of decomposition liquid into the container 50 in 30 ml increments at one-hour intervals over a period of five hours. This allows the processing device 1 to suppress excessive decomposition reactions that may occur when the decomposition liquid is introduced into the container 50 all at once, even in the refresh process.

After reintroducing the decomposition liquid, the control device 500 controls the stirrer 71 to rotate the stirring bar 72 provided in the container 50 while applying a constant amount of heat to the container 50, thereby stirring the sample (S28). The control device 500 then proceeds to the process of S29.

As described above, the processing device 1 introduces the decomposition liquid in S21 to decompose the impurities contained in the sample, then temporarily stops the decomposition of the impurities based on a stop input from the user, and then executes a refresh process in S26-S28 to reintroduce the decomposition liquid into the container 50 and re-decompose the impurities based on a refresh input from the user. The processing device 1 can execute such a refresh process multiple times until it determines in S29 that the decomposition process period has elapsed.

In this way, after introducing the decomposition liquid to perform the decomposition process of the impurities, the user can check the status of the decomposition process of the impurities being performed inside the container 50 from the outside, and if it is determined that the decomposition of the impurities is not proceeding properly, the user can perform the refresh process to replace the decomposition liquid used in the decomposition process with new decomposition liquid, thereby performing the decomposition process of the impurities again. This allows the user to suppress excessive decomposition reactions caused by the decomposition liquid initially introduced in S21, and to sufficiently decompose the impurities with the new decomposition liquid introduced in S27 of the refresh process. Therefore, the user can appropriately decompose the impurities according to the progress of the decomposition process of the impurities, without extending the time of the decomposition process longer than usual or increasing the amount of decomposition liquid initially introduced.

(Aspects)
(Item 1) A processing apparatus according to one aspect includes a container for storing a sample, a control device for extracting a target substance from the sample stored in the container, and an input device for receiving input from a user. The control device introduces a first processing liquid for processing impurities contained in the sample into the container storing the sample, and after introducing the first processing liquid, executes a refresh process for introducing a second processing liquid into the container for processing the impurities contained in the sample again based on the input to the input device.

　According to the processing device described in paragraph 1, even if the first processing liquid introduced into the container cannot sufficiently process the impurities contained in the sample, the second processing liquid introduced into the container based on the user's input can be used to reprocess the impurities contained in the sample, making it possible to appropriately process the impurities contained in the sample and recover the target substance.

(2) In the processing device described in 1, the control device discharges waste liquid generated by processing impurities using the first processing liquid during the refresh process, and then introduces the second processing liquid into the container.

The processing device described in paragraph 2 can replace the first processing liquid used to process the impurities in the refresh process with a new second processing liquid, allowing the impurities to be processed again using the new second processing liquid.

(Clause 3) In the processing device described in clause 1 or clause 2, the control device can execute the refresh process multiple times.

　According to the processing device described in paragraph 3, the user can execute the refresh process multiple times until the impurities can be sufficiently processed.

(4) In the treatment device described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 3, the control device introduces the first treatment liquid into the container in multiple batches.

The treatment device described in paragraph 4 can suppress excessive treatment reactions that may occur when the first treatment liquid is poured into the container all at once.

(5) In the treatment device described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 4, the control device introduces the second treatment liquid into the container in multiple batches.

The processing device described in paragraph 5 can also suppress excessive processing reactions that may occur during the refresh process by pouring the second processing liquid into the container all at once.

(6) In the treatment device described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 5, the amount of the second treatment liquid introduced into the container is equal to or less than the amount of the first treatment liquid introduced into the container.

The processing device described in paragraph 6 can prevent the impurities that have been initially treated with the first processing liquid from being excessively treated with the second processing liquid introduced during the refresh process.

(7) In the treatment device described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 6, the concentration of the second treatment liquid introduced into the container is equal to or lower than the concentration of the first treatment liquid introduced into the container.

The treatment device described in paragraph 7 can prevent the impurities treated with the first treatment liquid introduced initially from being excessively treated with the second treatment liquid introduced during the refresh process.

(8) In the processing device described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 7, the container has a transmittance that allows the processing status of impurities contained in the sample contained in the container to be visually observed from the outside.

　According to the processing device described in paragraph 8, after the user introduces the first processing liquid to process the impurities, the user can check the status of the impurity processing being carried out inside the container from the outside, and can perform a refresh process according to the impurity processing status.

(9) In the processing device described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 8, the target substance is microplastics.

The processing device described in paragraph 9 can properly process impurities contained in a sample and recover microplastics.

(Clause 10) A processing method according to one embodiment includes the steps of: introducing a first processing liquid into a container that holds the sample, the first processing liquid being used to process impurities contained in the sample; and, after the first processing liquid has been introduced, executing a refresh process based on a user's input to introduce a second processing liquid into the container to reprocess the impurities contained in the sample.

According to the processing method described in paragraph 10, even if the first processing liquid introduced into the container cannot sufficiently process the impurities contained in the sample, the second processing liquid introduced into the container based on user input can be used to process the impurities contained in the sample again, making it possible to appropriately process the impurities contained in the sample and recover the target substance.

(Clause 11) A control program according to one embodiment causes a computer to execute a step of introducing a first processing liquid into a container that holds the sample, for processing impurities contained in the sample, and a step of executing a refresh process that introduces a second processing liquid into the container, for processing impurities contained in the sample again, based on a user's input, after the introduction of the first processing liquid.

According to the control program described in paragraph 11, even if the first processing liquid introduced into the container cannot sufficiently treat the impurities contained in the sample, the second processing liquid introduced into the container based on user input can be used to re-treat the impurities contained in the sample, making it possible to appropriately treat the impurities contained in the sample and recover the target substance.

The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the description of the embodiments above, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

1 Processing device, 10 Purifier, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 Piping, 31, 32, 33 Pump, 41, 42, 43 Solenoid valve, 50 Container, 51 Processing device, 52 Overflow device, 55 Discharge port, 61, 62, 63, 64 Port, 71 Stirrer, 72 Stirring bar, 80 Discharge pipe, 110 Filtration device, 210 Minutes Solution reservoir, 220 heavy liquid reservoir, 230 rinse liquid reservoir, 240, 250, 260 waste liquid reservoir, 300 strainer, 500 control device, 501 calculation device, 502 memory, 503 communication device, 504 display device, 505 input device, 506 data reading device, 507 recording medium, 510 storage, 511 control program, 512 control data.

Claims

A processing device for processing a sample to recover a target substance, comprising:
A container for containing the sample;
a control device that extracts the target substance from the sample contained in the container;
an input device for receiving an input from a user;
The control device includes:
introducing a first processing solution for processing impurities contained in the sample into the container containing the sample;
A processing device that, after introducing the first processing liquid, performs a refresh process of introducing a second processing liquid into the container for re-processing the impurities contained in the sample based on an input to the input device.
The processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control device, in the refresh process, introduces the second processing liquid into the container after discharging waste liquid generated by processing the impurities using the first processing liquid.
The processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control device is capable of executing the refresh process multiple times.
The processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control device introduces the first processing liquid into the container in multiple batches.
The processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control device introduces the second processing liquid into the container in multiple batches.
The treatment device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the amount of the second treatment liquid introduced into the container is equal to or less than the amount of the first treatment liquid introduced into the container.
The treatment device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the concentration of the second treatment liquid introduced into the container is equal to or lower than the concentration of the first treatment liquid introduced into the container.
The processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the container has a transmittance that allows the processing status of the impurities contained in the sample contained in the container to be visually observed from the outside.
The processing device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the target substance is microplastics.
1. A method for recovering a substance of interest by processing a sample under computer control, comprising:
A step of introducing a first processing solution into a container containing the sample for processing impurities contained in the sample;
and after introducing the first processing liquid, performing a refresh process of introducing a second processing liquid into the container for re-processing the impurities contained in the sample based on input from a user.
a control program for processing a sample to recover a substance of interest,
The control program includes:
introducing a first processing solution into a container containing the sample for processing impurities contained in the sample;
and after introducing the first processing liquid, performing a refresh process of introducing a second processing liquid into the container to re-process the impurities contained in the sample based on input from a user.