JPH10481A - Filter media for mineral water production and mineral water production equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To enable mineral ions to be eluted for a long time in a filter medium using ionic crystals. SOLUTION: A filter medium 3 is made of a solid cellulose-based polymer in which pores permeable to water and a mineral component are scattered and in which ionic crystals containing mineral ions are held. When water is passed through this filter medium 3,
Water penetrates into the filter medium 3 and ionizes the ionic crystals to form mineral ions. The mineral ions move along the pores of the cellulose-based polymer while being inhibited by the gelled cellulose-based polymer. To elute into the water passing through the surface of the filter medium 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mineral water producing apparatus for producing a mineral water by adding a mineral component to raw water.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-215392, a mineral water is produced by passing raw water from a raw water supply source through a filter medium and adding mineral ions to the raw water. In a water production apparatus, a mineral ore such as barley stone is used as a filter medium.

[0003]

However, since mineral ores are not artificially produced but are natural, it is not possible to adjust the composition ratio of several types of mineral ions such as calcium and sodium. . In mineral ore, a mineral ion is covalently bonded to silicon or silicic acid, and generally requires a very large amount of energy to break the covalent bond and ionize. Therefore, the amount of mineral ions eluted is very small only by passing water through the mineral ore, and it takes a very long time to produce mineral water containing a predetermined concentration of mineral ions.

On the other hand, the present inventor tried to use an ionic crystal containing a mineral ion, for example, a crystal of CaCl ₂ , MgCl ₂ or the like, instead of barite, which is a covalent crystal. Here, an ionic crystal is one in which ionization in water is very easily performed as compared with a covalent bond crystal, and therefore, the elution amount of mineral ions can be greatly increased as compared with barley stone. The composition ratio of the mineral ions in the mineral water can be adjusted by changing the amount of each ionic crystal containing different types of mineral ions as desired.

However, in a filter medium made of ionic crystals,
Since this filter medium is immediately melted and disappears, there is a problem that it cannot be used as a filter medium for a long period of time. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to elute mineral ions for a long time in a filter medium using ionic crystals.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, a solid porous material in which pores permeable to water and a mineral component are interspersed is provided. The filter medium (3) is characterized by comprising an ion crystal containing mineral ions.

According to such a configuration, when water passes through the filter medium (3), water penetrates into the filter medium (3), and the ionic crystals are ionized by the water to form mineral ions. Mineral ions move along the pores of the porous material and elute into water passing through the surface of the filter medium (3). As described above, since the mineral ions move while being inhibited by the porous material and elute into the raw water, the elution of the mineral ions per unit time with respect to the raw water as compared with the case where the lump of ionic crystals is used as the filter medium (3) is performed. The amount can be reduced, and mineral ions can be eluted over a long period of time.

In the invention according to claim 2, raw water is passed only through a raw water passage formed at a predetermined portion of the surface of the filter medium (3), and mineral ions are eluted only from the raw water passage. Therefore, the contact area between the filter medium (3) and the raw water can be reduced as compared with the case where water passes through the entire surface of the filter medium (3), and the mineral ions can be eluted for a longer period.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the mineral component is retained in a porous material capable of retaining water inside the material. When water is passed through the filter medium (3), water is retained inside the filter medium (3), and the movement speed of mineral ions inside the material is reduced as compared with the case where water is passed through a porous material that cannot retain water inside the material. Can be slow. Therefore, the elution amount of the mineral ions per unit time can be reduced, and the mineral ions can be eluted for a longer period.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 4,
Raw water is passed only through the inner peripheral surface of the filter medium (3) made of a cellulosic material and having a cylindrical shape. According to this, the amount of mineral ions eluted per unit time can be reduced as compared with the case where water passes through the entire surface of the cylindrical shape, and the mineral ions can be eluted for a long time. Also, since the filter medium (3) is formed of a cellulosic material,
As time elapses, the inner peripheral surface of the filter medium (3) slightly but gradually dissolves in raw water, and the inner diameter of the filter medium (3) increases. Therefore, the contact area between the inner peripheral surface of the filter medium (3) and the raw water can be increased with the passage of time. here,
If raw water is allowed to pass through only the cylindrical inner peripheral surface and the inner diameter remains unchanged, the elution amount of mineral ions is estimated to decrease with time.However, by increasing the contact area, A decrease in the elution amount of ions can be prevented.

[0011]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the mineral water producing apparatus includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped container portion 1 for storing water, and a water inlet 11 and a water outlet 12 are formed in the container portion 1. A water inlet (raw water supply source) provided in a house or the like is connected to the water inlet 11, and water in the container 1 is discharged from the water outlet 12. Water inlet 11 and water outlet 1
2 is provided with on-off valves 111 and 121 for opening and closing the water inlet 11 and the water outlet 12.

A cylindrical activated carbon layer 2 for removing odor, dust and the like in the raw water, and calcium (mineral ions) and magnesium (mineral ions) for supplying the raw water to the raw water. A cylindrical filter medium 3 is arranged. Outer peripheral surface of activated carbon layer 2 (upper surface, lower surface,
And an outer surface other than the inner peripheral surface), a thin film (not shown) made of a material for preventing intrusion of water molecules is formed.

The filter medium 3 is provided with pores scattered in a dried cellulosic material, for example, jelly, konjac, agar, etc., in which calcium chloride dihydrate (ionic crystal containing mineral ions) and magnesium chloride hexahydrate are formed. (Ionic crystal containing mineral ions) is held (see FIG. 3A). Note that the cellulosic material is a solid material in which voids through which water and mineral ions can penetrate are scattered, and is capable of retaining water molecules inside the material (hereinafter, referred to as gelling).

As shown in FIG. 2B, the upper surface, the lower surface, and the outer peripheral surface of the filter medium 3, that is, the outer surface other than the inner peripheral surface, are made of a material that blocks water molecules from entering, such as polypropylene. Is formed. As a result,
The inner peripheral surface of the filter medium 3 serves as a water passage section, and the upper surface, the lower surface, and the outer peripheral surface of the filter medium 3 serve as a water non-passing section.

On the bottom surface of the container 1, first, second and third through holes 1a, 1b and 1c are formed. Then, the activated carbon layer 2 is disposed in the container portion 1 so as to cover the first through hole 1a by the bottom surface of the activated carbon layer 2, and the filter medium is covered by the inner peripheral portion on the bottom side of the filter medium 3 so as to cover the second through hole 1b. 3
Are arranged in the container part 1. A first water passage 13 communicating the third through hole 1c and the first through hole 1a and a second water communicating the third through hole 1c and the second communication hole 1b are provided outside the bottom of the container portion 1. And a storage case 10 for storing the first and second water passages 13, 14.
Are integrally mounted on the bottom side of the container portion 1. Further, a water pump 5 that circulates water from the third through hole 1c through the first and second through holes 1a and 1b to the activated carbon layer 2 or the filter medium 3 is provided in the first and second passages 13 and 14, A switching valve 6 that can switch between the first water passage 13 and the second water passage 14 is provided.

As a method for forming the filter medium 3, for example, 5 g of a dried cellulosic material, 8.12 g of powdered calcium chloride dihydrate, and powdered magnesium chloride hexahydrate 6. After mixing 17 g and 50 g of water and stirring well, these materials are dried and molded. As a result, the outer diameter is 70 mm, the inner diameter is 20 mm, and the height is 15 mm.
A cylindrical filter medium 3 of 0 mm is formed.

Hereinafter, the operation of this embodiment in the above configuration will be described. In the mineral water producing apparatus 1 described above, in a state where the water inlet 11 is opened by the on-off valve 111 and the water outlet 12 is closed by the on-off valve 121, the raw water from the tap is discharged into the container part 1, A predetermined amount, for example, 3 liters of raw water is stored therein. At this time, the water level in the container 1 is lower than the upper surfaces of the activated carbon layer 2 and the filter medium 3.

At the same time, the first water passage 13 is controlled by the switching valve 6.
Is opened and the second water passage 14 is closed, and water is pumped by the water pump 5 through the first water passage 13 into the activated carbon layer 2.
It passes from the lower surface to the upper surface. For example, the water circulation rate at this time is 1 l / min, and the water is circulated for 15 minutes.
As a result, odor, dust, and the like in the raw water are removed. Thereafter, the first water passage 13 is closed by the switching valve 6, and
With the second water passage 14 opened, the water pump 5
Water is passed from the lower surface to the upper surface of the inner peripheral surface of the filter medium 3 through the second water passage 14. For example, the water circulation rate at this time is 1 l / min, and the water is circulated for 15 minutes. As a result, mineral ions composed of calcium ions and magnesium ions are added to the raw water from which the odor, dust and the like have been removed.

Thereafter, the operation of the water pump 5 is stopped, the first and second water passages 13 and 14 are both fully closed by the switching valve 6, and the water outlet 12 is opened, so that about 30 mg / l of calcium ions can be obtained. About 15mg /
The mineral water containing 1 is discharged from the water outlet 12.
The ratio and the amount of mineral ions in the mineral water are determined according to the mixing ratio of the powdered mineral component during the formation of the filter medium 3, the amount of raw water stored in the container 1, the water circulation amount, and the water circulation to the filter medium 3. The conditions are determined according to conditions such as the time of the application, and the conditions are set so that the mineral ions are eluted at a desired ratio in a desired amount.

Next, the mechanism by which mineral ions are eluted from the filter medium 3 into water will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIGS. 3A to 3D show half cross-sectional views of the filter medium 3, and the upper surface in the figure is the inner peripheral surface of the filter medium 3. First, as shown in FIG.
When water (H ₂ O) begins to pass through the inner peripheral surface of FIG.
As shown in (b), water permeates from the inner peripheral surface of the filter medium 3,
The cellulosic material in the portion of the filter medium 3 where water has penetrated gels, and the mineral component (CaCl 2) existing in this portion
₂ , MgCl ₂ ) is dissolved in water, and mineral ions (Ca
²⁺ , Mg ²⁺ ) and chloride ions (Cl ⁻ ). 3B to 3D, illustration of the ionized state is omitted.

The mineral ions and chloride ions move along the pores of the gelled portion while being inhibited by the gelled cellulosic material, and elute into the water flowing through the inner periphery. Here, chloride ions are added to water in addition to mineral ions, but there is no problem since chloride ions are harmless to the human body. In addition, FIG.
In (d), the gelled portion is indicated by oblique lines.

As time further elapses, as shown in FIG. 3 (c), water permeates to the outer peripheral surface (lower surface in the figure) of the filter medium 3, and mineral ions existing on the outer peripheral surface also move to the inner peripheral surface. I do. After that, over time, FIG.
As shown in (d), the gelled portion gradually dissolves in water, and the inner diameter of the filter medium 3 is enlarged. Therefore, the area of the inner peripheral surface of the filter medium 3, that is, the contact area between the filter medium 3 and water is increased. I do. This suppresses a decrease in the amount of mineral ions eluted with the passage of time.

In the filter medium 3 of the present embodiment, only ion crystals containing mineral ions are held in a solid cellulose-based material in which voids through which water and mineral ions can permeate are scattered. Here, the ionic crystal is
Since ionization in water is very easily performed as compared with the covalent crystal, the elution amount of mineral ions can be greatly increased as compared with the case of barley stone.

Since water is allowed to pass only through the inner peripheral surface of the filter medium 3 and mineral ions are eluted only from the inner peripheral surface, water is allowed to pass through the entire surface of the filter medium 3 as compared with passing water through the entire surface of the filter medium 3. 3 can reduce the contact area between water and mineral ions for a longer period of time. Further, in a state in which water is passed through the filter medium 3 and water molecules are held therein (gelled), compared to a case where water is allowed to pass through a material that cannot hold water inside the material, for example, silicon rubber, the inside of the material is compared with the case where water passes through , The movement speed of the mineral ions can be reduced, and the mineral ions can be eluted little by little into water. Therefore, the amount of mineral ions eluted immediately after the water starts to pass through the filter medium 3 is very large, and it is possible to suppress the amount of eluted mineral ions from decreasing significantly over time.

An experiment on the elution amount of mineral ions according to the present embodiment will be described below. First, the above-mentioned filter medium was used as the filter medium 3 of the present embodiment, and as a conventional example, a barite was packed in a cylindrical member having a diameter of 80 mm and a height of 100 to 150 mm. And the flow rate 1 l / min
The operation of circulating water through the filter medium 3 for 120 minutes was repeated three times, and the elution amounts (mg / l) of calcium ions and magnesium ions in the second and third times were shown in FIG.
The results are shown in the graph and chart of FIG. In the first time, the filter medium 3 in a dry state is gradually gelled, and becomes a state shown in FIG. 3C, and after the second time, the entire filter medium 3 is in a completely gelled state.

As a result, as can be seen from the graph shown in FIG. 4, according to the present example, it was found that the amount of calcium eluted per unit time was much larger than that of the conventional example. Specifically, after circulating for 120 minutes, about 1
It can be seen that an elution amount of about 0 times was obtained. Also,
As another experiment, the above-described filter medium 3 of the present embodiment (example) and the filter medium 3 of the above-described embodiment in which the upper surface, the lower surface, and the outer peripheral surface are not covered with polypropylene (comparative example) were used. The filter was made to pass water from one end to the other end of the filter medium. And raw water was 1200l and 2
The filter medium 3 after passing through 200 l was set in the mineral water producing apparatus of FIG. 1, and the amount of calcium eluted after circulating water through the filter medium 3 at a flow rate of 1 l / min for 120 minutes was measured.

As a result, as can be seen from the chart shown in FIG. 5, in the comparative example, as the amount of passing raw water increases, that is, as the time elapses, the amount of eluted calcium decreases significantly. In the embodiment, even if the amount of raw water passing increases, it is possible to suppress a large decrease in the amount of calcium eluted. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress a large decrease in the elution amount of the mineral component for a long time.

(Other Embodiments) In the above embodiment, a cellulosic material is used as the porous material. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and silicon rubber or the like may be used. At this time, the shape of the filter medium 3 is not limited to a cylindrical shape. In addition, the filter medium 3 can be formed by mixing powdered silicone rubber, the above-mentioned mineral components, and water, stirring well, and then forming and drying these materials.

In the above embodiment, the filter medium 3
Although calcium and magnesium are applied to the raw water, sodium, potassium, etc. may be applied.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a mineral water producing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 (a) is a view of the filter medium as viewed from an arrow A in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2 (b) is an enlarged sectional view of the filter medium.

FIGS. 3A to 3D are partial cross-sectional views of a filter medium for explaining a mechanism of dissolving mineral ions.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the elution amount of calcium ions in Examples and Conventional Examples.

FIG. 5 is a table showing the amount of calcium ions eluted in Examples and Comparative Examples.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Container part, 11 ... Water inlet, 12 ... Water outlet, 3 ... Filter medium.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Agency reference number FI Technical indication location C02F 1/68 540 C02F 1/68 540A 540Z 1/28 1/28 S

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A filter medium (3) for producing mineral water in which mineral ions are added to raw water from a raw water supply source, wherein the filter medium is a solid porous material in which pores permeable to water and mineral ions are interspersed. A filter medium for producing mineral water, characterized by comprising an ion crystal containing mineral ions. 2. The surface of the filter medium (3) includes a raw water passage section formed at a predetermined portion of the surface of the filter medium (3) and a raw water non-pass section formed at a portion other than the raw water passage section. The filter medium for producing mineral water according to claim 1, wherein the filter medium is provided. 3. The filter medium for producing mineral water according to claim 1, wherein the porous material is capable of retaining water inside the material. 4. The filter medium (3) has a hollow cylindrical shape, the raw water passage portion is formed on an inner peripheral surface of the filter medium (3), and the porous material is made of a cellulosic material. The filter medium for producing mineral water according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: 5. A filter medium (3) for producing mineral water according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a container (1) for storing the filter medium (3), and raw water from a raw water supply source. A water inlet (11) for flowing into the container (1), and a water outlet (1) for discharging water in the container (1) to the outside.
2) A mineral water producing apparatus comprising: