JP2000102597A - Solar air cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for cleaning the indoor air by efficiently utilizing the sunlight. SOLUTION: In a solar air cleaning device, a hollow cylinder having a light receiving face made of a light transmitting material is installed outdoors, a lower part and an upper part of this hollow cylinder comprise the vent holes 3, 4 communicated with the indoor, and a photocatalyst element 1 is mounted inside of the hollow cylinder oppositely to the light receiving face. By applying this structure, the inside of the cylinder is warmed by the sunlight, and the ascending air current generates, whereby the indoor air is circulated in the cylinder. The odor components and the harmful matter such as nitrogen oxide or the like included in the air circulated in the cylinder, are adsorbed by the photocatalyst element 1, and the adsorbed harmful matter is oxidized and decomposed into the water molecule, carbon dioxide or the like by the optical activating action of the photocatalyst when the photocatalyst element is exposed to the sunlight.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an outdoor-use air purifying apparatus using a photocatalyst.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a photocatalytic air purifying apparatus utilizing indoor light and sunlight, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-152141, a photocatalytic layer is provided on the surface of a panel that sucks indoor air or the surface of a device housing. There is an air conditioner provided with. In addition, as a ventilator that discharges indoor air to the outside by using the rising air current of hot air due to solar heat,
A ventilation device described in JP-A-8-123232 is known.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional photocatalytic air purifying apparatus utilizing sunlight, since the photocatalyst layer is provided indoors, the use of sunlight is limited to light entering indoors. However, the efficiency of the photocatalyst used for photoactivation is low, and the intensity of the ultraviolet light contained in the interior light is 1/20 to 1/40 that of sunlight. is there. Also, there is a problem that the temperature and humidity in the room cannot be adjusted with a ventilator that uses the rising airflow of hot air due to solar heat.

[0004] In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to install a photocatalyst air purification device outdoors and circulate indoor air to the photocatalyst air purification device. Another object of the present invention is to provide a photocatalyst air purification device using sunlight, which is provided with a photocatalyst element using a humidity control material having a humidity control action as a base material.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hollow cylindrical body having a light-receiving surface formed of a light-transmitting material, which is provided outdoors, and a ventilation opening for indoor use provided at a lower portion and an upper portion of the hollow cylindrical body. Is provided, and a photocatalytic element is provided inside the hollow cylindrical body so as to face the light receiving surface. In such a configuration, the interior of the cylinder is warmed by sunlight, and an updraft is generated, whereby indoor air circulates in the cylinder.
Harmful substances such as odor components and nitrogen oxides contained in the air circulating in the cylinder are adsorbed by the photocatalytic element,
When the photocatalytic element is exposed to sunlight, the adsorbed organic substance is oxidized and decomposed into water molecules, carbon dioxide, and the like by the photoactive action of the photocatalyst.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a ventilation port for indoor and a ventilation port for outdoor are provided at a lower portion and an upper portion of the hollow cylinder, and a photocatalytic element is provided inside the hollow cylinder so as to face a light receiving surface. It is an air purification device using sunlight installed inside. In such a configuration, the same operation as the invention of claim 1 is obtained, and furthermore, harmful substances such as carbon monoxide having low adsorption performance, harmful substances such as carbon dioxide which cannot be decomposed by the photoactivity of the photocatalyst, smoke and the like can be obtained. Can be exhausted outdoors.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photocatalyst element comprising a photocatalyst alone or a photocatalyst layer in which a photocatalyst is combined with one or both of an adsorbent and a metal oxide catalyst. In such a configuration, a large amount of various odor components are adsorbed by the adsorbent, and the odor components adsorbed by the adsorbent are oxidized and decomposed into water molecules, carbon dioxide, and the like by the photoactive action of the photocatalyst. Carbon monoxide having low adsorption performance is adsorbed by the metal oxide catalyst and oxidized to carbon dioxide.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is a photocatalytic device comprising, as a photocatalyst layer-supporting substrate, silica gel, zeolite, porous ceramic, or the like having a moisture absorbing effect. With such a configuration, the same operation as the invention of claim 3 is obtained,
Further, a moisture absorbing effect by the moisture absorbing material is obtained. In the case of using a photocatalyst element provided with a heat generating portion composed of a heater or a film heating element, the moisture adsorbed by the hygroscopic material is released into the air by heating the hygroscopic material, so that a humidifying effect is obtained. The invention according to claim 5 is a porous body, bellows-like,
Since a photocatalytic element with a high surface area such as honeycomb and nonwoven fabric is used, and the surface area of the element becomes large,
The adsorption performance and the photoactivity performance of the photocatalyst are improved.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the light receiving surface has a light collecting function and a heat collecting function made of an infrared absorber or the like.
Since the light receiving surface has a light collecting function and a heat collecting function, the rising airflow in the cylinder due to sunlight increases, and the amount of circulating air also increases. This improves the efficiency of air purification.
In addition, even when the amount of sunlight is small, an airflow circulating in the cylinder can be generated.

The invention according to claim 7 is interlocked with a blower such as an air circulation fan, so that the blower can increase the amount of air circulating in the cylinder, thereby purifying and ventilating indoor air in a short time. In addition, it sucks suspended matters such as dust and dust,
Can be exhausted outdoors. Further, when linked with an indoor unit of an air conditioner, the air temperature can be controlled by the air conditioner. Furthermore, if a solar photocatalyst air purification device provided with a solar cell device is used, the power of the interlocking device and the opening and closing of a damper provided in the air purification device, and the power of the heater of the heat generating portion and the like are supplemented by the solar cell. Power consumption can be reduced.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS <First Embodiment> A first embodiment of the present invention
1 is shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, a hollow U-shaped solar air purification device is attached to the outer surface of a wall 5 of a house. The photocatalyst element 1 having a bellows-shaped cross section and the light receiving surface 2 made of quartz glass or a translucent material subjected to infrared absorption treatment are provided with a gap therebetween. The lower and upper portions of the gap penetrate the wall 5 and communicate with the indoor intake vent 3 and the exhaust vent 4. Instead of the photocatalyst element 1, a photocatalyst element including a photocatalyst layer 9 in which a photocatalyst, an adsorbent, and a metal oxide-based catalyst are fixed with a binder and a supporting substrate 10 shown in FIG. 3 may be used.

The photocatalyst is a simple substance or a composite of a metal oxide such as titanium oxide and zinc oxide and a metal complex photocatalyst such as ruthenium complex. The adsorbent is a simple substance or a composite of a silica-alumina-based inorganic adsorbent such as metal-exchanged zeolite and mordenite and a carbon-based adsorbent such as activated carbon. The metal oxide catalyst is a simple substance or a composite of manganese oxide, iron oxide, copper oxide, and the like. The binder is a silica-alumina-based inorganic binder. The supporting base material is a simple substance or a composite of an inorganic substance such as ceramics, a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel, a highly weather-resistant resin such as acrylic or Teflon, a silica gel, zeolite or porous ceramic having a hygroscopic action.

In FIG. 1, sunlight enters from the light receiving surface 2 and the air inside the cylinder is heated by the solar heat to generate an upward airflow. As a result, indoor air is sucked into the cylinder from the indoor ventilation port 3, circulates through the cylinder, and is discharged from the ventilation port 4 indoors. By circulating indoor air through the cylinder,
Ammonia, acetaldehyde, acetic acid and other odor components and nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide,
It adsorbs harmful substances such as formaldehyde and oxidizes and decomposes the adsorbed substances into water molecules and carbon dioxide molecules when ultraviolet rays contained in sunlight are irradiated on the photocatalyst. Also,
When the supporting substrate of the photocatalyst element is made of a material having a moisture absorbing action, a dehumidifying effect can be obtained.

<Second Embodiment> FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, the configuration different from the configuration of FIG. 1 is an outdoor air intake that communicates a gap between a photocatalyst element 1 having a bellows-shaped cross section and a light-receiving surface 2 made of quartz glass or a translucent material subjected to an infrared absorption treatment and the outside. And a ventilator 6 for outdoor exhaust, and a damper 8 capable of changing a wind passage, which is used to select communication with an outdoor or an indoor. The photocatalyst layer 9 and the supporting substrate 10 shown in FIG.
1 can be used.

In the configuration of FIG. 2, in addition to the air purification and dehumidification functions shown in the first embodiment, by providing a ventilating port with the outside, harmful substances having a low adsorption performance such as carbon monoxide, and a photocatalyst are provided. It is possible to exhaust harmful substances such as carbon dioxide, which cannot be decomposed by photoactivity, and inorganic dusts such as smoke to the outside, and to allow clean outdoor air to enter the room. Also,
The heating section is a heater using a film heating element such as silver or carbon, or a heater using a nichrome wire. By heating the hygroscopic material, the moisture adsorbed by the hygroscopic material is released into the air to obtain a humidifying function.

<Third Embodiment> FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, an air circulation fan 12 is linked to the structure shown in the second embodiment as a suction device. Note that a configuration in which the air circulation fan 12 is provided in the first embodiment may be employed. In FIG. 5, since the amount of air to be circulated can be increased, the efficiency of the air purification, dust removal function, dehumidification function and ventilation function shown in the first and second embodiments is improved, so that air purification can be performed in a short time. Become.

Fourth Embodiment As a fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, an air conditioner indoor unit may be linked to the structure shown in the first or second embodiment. In FIG. 6, reference numerals 13 and 13 denote opening / closing dampers provided at a communication portion between the outside and the air conditioner. 3a and 4a are ventilation holes of the air conditioner. Reference numerals 14 and 14 are cross-flow fans, which are provided with a lower cross-flow fan for exchanging heat of indoor air and an upper cross-flow fan for promoting air purification. 15 is a heat exchanger.

In FIG. 6, since the amount of air to be circulated can be increased, the efficiency of the air purification, dust removal function, dehumidification function, and ventilation function shown in the first and second embodiments is improved, and the efficiency can be shortened. . Further, the temperature of the air can be controlled by the heat exchanger of the indoor unit of the air conditioner.

[0019]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a ventilation opening for indoors is provided at a lower portion and an upper portion of the hollow cylindrical body, and a photocatalytic element is provided inside the hollow cylindrical body so as to face the light receiving surface. Therefore, indoor air circulates through the cylinder, and odor components and harmful organic substances such as nitrogen oxides contained in the air are adsorbed and oxidatively decomposed. According to the invention of claim 2, by providing a ventilating port with the outdoors, harmful substances such as carbon monoxide having low adsorption performance, harmful substances such as carbon dioxide which cannot be decomposed by the photoactivity of the photocatalyst, smoke and the like can be outdoors. Can be exhausted.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the photocatalyst layer is composed of the photocatalyst alone, or the photocatalyst and one or both of the adsorbent and the metal oxide catalyst, the harmful substances are efficiently and harmless as follows. Can be A large amount of various odor components are adsorbed by the adsorbent, and the adsorbed odor components are oxidatively decomposed into water molecules, carbon dioxide, and the like by the photoactive action of a photocatalyst. Carbon monoxide having low adsorption performance is adsorbed by the metal oxide catalyst and oxidized to carbon dioxide.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the photocatalytic layer-carrying substrate is made of a hygroscopic material, so that a hygroscopic effect can be obtained. According to the invention of claim 5, the adsorption performance and the photoactivity performance of the photocatalyst are improved by making the shape of the photocatalyst element a porous body having a high surface area, a bellows shape, a honeycomb shape, a nonwoven fabric, or the like.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the light receiving surface has a light collecting function and a heat collecting function made of an infrared absorber or the like, so that the rising air current in the cylinder due to sunlight increases, and the circulating air volume also increases. Become. This improves the efficiency of air purification. In addition, even when the amount of sunlight is small, an airflow circulating in the cylinder can be generated.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, by interlocking a blower such as an air circulation fan, the amount of air circulating in the cylinder can be increased, the indoor air can be purified and ventilated in a short time, and the dust can be reduced. Floating matters such as dust can be exhausted outdoors.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment of a solar air purification apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of the solar air purification apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a photocatalyst element used in the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of another photocatalyst element used in the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a third embodiment of the solar air purification apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a fourth embodiment of the solar air-purifying apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Photocatalyst element 2 Light-receiving surface 3 Vent for intake 4 Vent for exhaust 5 Wall 6 Ventilation for outdoor intake 7 Ventilation for outdoor exhaust 8 Wind passage change damper 9 Photocatalyst layer 10 Support base material 11 Heat generation part 12 Suction fan 13 Open / close damper 14 Cross flow fan 15 Heat exchanger

Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 4C080 AA05 AA07 BB02 CC02 CC07 CC08 JJ05 JJ06 KK08 MM02 MM03 MM04 MM06 NN02 NN04 NN06 QQ11 QQ14 QQ17 QQ20 4D012 CA10 CA15 CB01 CB02 CD05 CG01 BA03 BA03 BA06 A03A03 BA06 BA11X BA16X BA28X BA32X BA35X BA36X BA41X BA48X BB01 BB02 BB04 BB08 CA07 CC24 CC25 CC40 CC41 CC42 CC43 DA01 DA05 EA01 EA04

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A hollow cylindrical body having a light-receiving surface formed of a light-transmitting material is provided outdoors, and ventilation holes for indoor use are provided at lower and upper portions of the hollow cylindrical body. An air purifying apparatus utilizing sunlight, wherein a photocatalytic element is provided inside the photoreceptor so as to face the light receiving surface. 2. The air purifying apparatus using solar light according to claim 1, wherein the hollow cylindrical body is provided with a ventilation port for outdoor use. 3. The photovoltaic element according to claim 1, wherein the photocatalyst element is a photocatalyst alone or a photocatalyst combined with one or both of an adsorbent and a metal oxide catalyst. Purification device. 4. A photocatalytic device comprising a photocatalytic layer-supporting substrate made of silica gel, zeolite, porous ceramic or the like having a hygroscopic action.
An air purification device utilizing sunlight according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. The photocatalytic device has a porous body, a bellows shape,
The solar air purifying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the air purifying apparatus has a high surface area such as a honeycomb shape or a nonwoven fabric. 6. The air purifying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving surface has a light collecting function and a heat collecting function made of an infrared absorber. 7. The air purifying apparatus using sunlight according to claim 1, further comprising a blower such as an air circulation fan.