KR101798048B1 - Water system - Google Patents

Abstract

The water system of the present invention comprises: a member adapted to be in contact with water; And a crystal formation catalyst coated on a surface of the member, wherein the crystal formation catalyst comprises: a carrier made of a polymer having a negative charge; And a crystal seed present in the crystallization site of the carrier and containing at least one of calcium and magnesium.

Description

Water system {WATER SYSTEM}

The present invention relates to a water system adapted to remove a hard or scaled material.

Water hardness means that the amount of calcium ions and magnesium ions contained in water is converted into the amount of calcium carbonate (calcium carbonate, CaCO ₃ ) corresponding thereto (unit: mg / l). The hardness of water is known to affect the taste of water. If the water hardness is higher than the standard, it is classified as hard water. The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines further classify hard water and training standards.

The hard material reacts at a temperature higher or lower than room temperature to form a scale. Scale (for example, CaCO ₃ ) refers to a substance that is formed by the accumulation of minerals remaining in water after evaporation of water. The scale produced at the outlet of the water system, such as a refrigerator or water purifier, is required to prevent scale generation because the scale is perceived by the consumer as a failure or degradation of the water system.

Also, in a water cleaning system such as a washing machine or a dishwasher, a hard material is combined with an anion of a detergent to cause deterioration of the detergent and to generate a non-detergent detergent, so that the hardness of the material is removed from the hard water, It is necessary.

Among the conventional techniques, an ion exchange resin exists as a technique for lowering water hardness. The ion exchange resin has a mechanism of lowering water hardness through the exchange of Na ⁺ or H ⁺ ions present in the ion exchange resin and Ca ^{2 +} or Mg ^{2 +} ions present in the water. However, ion exchange resins have a short lifetime due to the limit of processing capacity. Therefore, in order to continue to use the ion exchange resin, it must be regenerated. However, not only the waste water is wasted during the regeneration process but also there is a problem of environmental pollution, and in particular, the regeneration efficiency is gradually decreased as the regeneration is repeated.

The conventional water system, on the other hand, has a separate external or built-in filter to remove the hard or scaled material of the raw water. Separate filters cause the water system to increase in size, which is disadvantageous for space utilization. Another disadvantage is that a separate filter is inevitable to replace when the removal performance of the hardness material or scale-inducing material is degraded.

It is an object of the present invention to propose a water system capable of removing the hard or hard-starting material of raw water without a separate filter. The absence of a separate filter means that no filters need to be replaced.

Another object of the present invention is to realize a miniaturization of a water system for removing a hard material or a scale-inducing material from raw water and an effect of increasing space utilization.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a water system capable of removing hard or hard scale substances present in water without requiring frequent regeneration.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water system including: a water-contacting member; And a crystal formation catalyst coated on a surface of the member, wherein the crystal formation catalyst comprises: a carrier made of a polymer having a negative charge; And a crystal seed present in the crystallization site of the carrier and containing at least one of calcium and magnesium.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the crystal generating catalyst is a catalyst for promoting the reaction of calcium cations and bicarbonate anions present in water or promoting the reaction of magnesium cations and bicarbonate anions present in water, To crystallize the material.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the crystal generation catalyst comprises a coating layer formed on the surface of the carrier, and the coating layer is made of a material having a negative charge so as to enhance the negative charge of the carrier.

The coating layer may be a silicate or an N-doped graphene.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the crystal seed may be composed of a metal carbonate (MCO ₃ , M is a metal).

According to the present invention having the above-described structure, since the crystal formation catalyst promotes the crystallization of the hard or scaly material, the hard or scaled material can be removed from the raw water. Accordingly, the present invention can lower the hardness of water.

In particular, since the crystal-forming catalyst of the present invention is coated on the surface of a member that is in direct contact with water, the water system has the advantage of not having a separate external or built-in filter to remove the hard or scaling material. The fact that no separate filter is provided realizes the miniaturization of the water system and the improvement of the space usability.

In addition, since the crystal-forming catalyst of the present invention has a slower reaction time than a ion-exchange resin but has a much longer life, it does not require frequent regeneration. In addition, since the crystal formation catalyst does not require regeneration, it is possible to solve the problem of water waste, environmental pollution, and reduction in the regeneration efficiency, which are problems in the ion exchange resin.

1 is a conceptual view of a washing machine showing an example of a water system.
Fig. 2 is a concept showing the crystal generating catalyst of the first embodiment. Fig.
Fig. 3 is a concept showing the crystal generation catalyst of the second embodiment. Fig.
4A to 4C are conceptual diagrams for sequentially illustrating the mechanism of the crystal generation catalyst.
FIG. 5 is a graph comparing experimental crystal-forming catalysts of the present invention with conventional ion exchange resins.

Hereinafter, a water system according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. In the present specification, the same reference numerals are given to the same components in different embodiments, and the description thereof is replaced with the first explanation. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

1 is a conceptual view of a washing machine 100 showing an example of a water system.

The washing machine 100 refers to a machine for washing clothes. In order for the washing machine 100 to wash the laundry, the washing, rinsing, and dehydration processes are performed.

The washing process is a process in which the washing machine 100 receives raw water from an external water source, mixes detergent supplied by a user with raw water to form washing water, supplies wash water to the laundry, and rotates the laundry through mechanical rotation.

Rinsing is a process in which raw water not mixed with detergent is put into laundry to remove washing water present in the laundry.

Finally, the dehydration process is to remove the moisture from the wet laundry as much as possible, so that the laundry can dry quickly.

Thus, the washing machine 100 uses laundry water to wash clothes. However, the hardness substance or the scale-inducing substance (for example, calcium cation or magnesium cation) present in the raw water is combined with the anion of the detergent to form a non-soluble detergent. As a result, to be. Therefore, in order to improve the washing power of the washing machine 100, the hardness of the raw water should be lowered by removing the hard or scaling material present in the raw water, and the low-hardness water thus formed should be used for washing.

It is not only the washer 100 that requires low hardness water. For example, the dishwasher is substantially similar to the washing machine 100 in that it is a device for washing dishware using a detergent, which is substantially different from an object to be cleaned. Therefore, the dishwasher can also have strong cleaning power by using low-hardness water.

Devices such as water purifiers, refrigerators with water purifiers, and water filters are devices that filter water. These devices may require the ability to remove hard or scaling substances present in water. Because hardness substances or scale-inducing substances can affect the taste of water, if the taste is felt in water which is essentially tasteless, the user drinking the water may lead to the suspicion of the performance of the water purifier. Furthermore, if there is a scale in the water filtered by the water purifier, the user of the water purifier will also doubt the performance of the water purifier.

As described above, these devices are referred to as a water system in the present invention as a concept including devices related to water. A refrigerator is not a device that filters water or uses water to clean it, but uses water to generate ice. Refrigerators can also be included in the concept of water systems because they use water. A water system is essentially a device that uses water or filters water, but it does not necessarily have to be limited to this concept. And can be all included in the concept of the water system of the present invention if it is related to water.

The water system is a device related to water and therefore has a member made to come into direct contact with water.

For example, the washing machine 100 includes a drum 110 for inputting laundry, and a tub (not shown) for accommodating the washing water while enclosing the drum 110. Also, the washing machine 100 includes various channels or pipes 140, 122, 123, and 14 for supplying raw water or washing water. All of the parts in contact with water in this way correspond to members in contact with water in the present invention.

The ice tray of the refrigerator also comes into direct contact with the water when the user puts the water into it. Devices for filtering water, such as water purifiers, are equipped with a water tank, various flow paths, pipes, and corks. The various components that come into contact with water in this way are all members that come in contact with water in the present invention.

The water system of the present invention comprises a crystal-forming catalyst coated on the surface of the member to remove hard or scaling substances present in the raw water without a separate filter.

Hereinafter, the crystal formation catalyst will be described.

2 is a concept showing the crystal generation catalyst 140 of the first embodiment.

The crystal generating catalyst 140 includes a carrier 141 (catalyst support, carrier, or supporting material) and a crystal seed 143.

The carrier 141 is made of a polymer having a negative charge. The hard or scale-inducing substances such as the calcium cation (10) and the magnesium cation (20) are positively charged. Accordingly, if the carrier 141 is made of a polymer having a negative charge, the carrier 141 can pull the hard or scaled material by electrostatic attraction. Negatively charged polymers include, for example, polyacrylates.

A plurality of crystallization sites 142 are formed on the surface of the carrier 141. The crystallization site 142 refers to a space where the crystallization of the hard substance or the scale substance occurs. In the crystallization site 142, a crystal seed 143 is present.

The crystal seeds 143 are inorganic materials that make the hardness material or the scale-inducing material crystal 30. The crystal seed 143 contains at least one of calcium and magnesium. For example, the crystal seed 143 may include at least one of calcium carbonate (calcium carbonate, CaCO ₃ ) crystals and magnesium carbonate (magnesium carbonate, MgCO ₃ ) crystals.

The crystal seed 143 may be composed of a metal carbonate (MCO ₃ , M is a metal). The above-mentioned calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate are also included in the concept of metal carbonates. The metal (M) of the metal carbonate includes calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), and barium (Ba) having an aragonite crystal structure. The aragonite crystal structure has a faster crystal growth rate than the calcite (rhombohedral) crystal structure. Thus, if the crystal seed 143 comprises a metal having an aragonite crystal structure, the hard or scale-inducing material can be crystallized into an aragonite crystal structure. Accordingly, the crystal formation catalyst 140 having an aragonite crystal structure can exhibit a faster initial reaction rate and faster hardness substance or scale-inducing substance removal performance than the crystal seed 143 having a calcite crystal structure.

The hard or scaled material present in the raw water, such as the calcium cation 10 or the magnesium cation 20, is introduced into the crystallization site 142 of the carrier 141 by electrostatic attraction when approaching the crystal formation catalyst 140 Gather. In the crystallization site 142, there is a crystal seed 143, and the hard seed material or the scale inducing material is crystallized by the crystal seed 143. The crystallization formula of the hard substance or the scale inducing substance may be represented by the following formulas (1) and (2). MEDIA refers to the crystal formation catalyst 140.

[Chemical Formula 1]

Ca ^{2 +} + HCO ₃ ^- + MEDIA -> CaCO ₃ (crystal) + CO ₂ + H ₂ O + MEDIA

(2)

Mg ^{2 +} + HCO ₃ ^- + MEDIA -> MgCO ₃ (crystal) + CO ₂ + H ₂ O + MEDIA

The crystal formation catalyst 140 promotes the reaction between the calcium cation (Ca ^{2 +} ) and the bicarbonate anion (HCO ₃ ^- ) present in the raw water as shown in Formula 1. In addition, the crystal formation catalyst 140 promotes the reaction between the magnesium cation (Mg ^{2 +} ) and the bicarbonate anion (HCO ₃ ^- ) present in the raw water as shown in Chemical Formula 2. The crystal formation catalyst 140 contributes to the crystallization of the hard or scale inducing substance through the reaction of the formula 1 reaction and the reaction of the formula 2 reaction.

3 is a concept showing the crystal generation catalyst 240 of the second embodiment.

The crystal generation catalyst 240 includes a support 241, a crystal seed 243, and a coating layer 244. The description of the carrier 241 and the crystal seed 243 is omitted from the description of FIG.

The coating layer 244 is formed by coating on the surface of the carrier 241. The coating layer 244 is made of a material having a negative charge so as to enhance the negative charge of the carrier 241. For example, the coating layer 244 may be formed of a silicate or an N-doped graphene, but is not limited thereto. The coating layer 244 may be formed of another material as long as the negative charge of the carrier 241 can be increased (increased).

As the coating layer 244 enhances the negative charge of the carrier 241, the positively charged hardness or scale-inducing material may be attracted more strongly to the crystal generating catalyst 240.

FIGS. 4A to 4C are conceptual diagrams for sequentially illustrating the mechanism of the crystal generation catalyst 240. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 4A, the carrier 241 and the coating layer 244 are negatively charged, and the hard or scale-generating material is positively charged. Therefore, an electrostatic attractive force is generated between the crystal generating catalyst 240 and the hard or scaled material, and the hard or scaled material approaches the surface of the crystal generating catalyst 240.

The raw water also contains bicarbonate anions (HCO ₃ ^- ) as well as hard or scale-generating substances. Bicarbonate anions are stuck together by hard or electrostatic attraction with scale-generating substances. Thus, when the hard or scaled material approaches the crystal formation catalyst 240, the bicarbonate anion also approaches the crystal formation catalyst 240 together with the hard or scale inducing material.

Referring next to FIG. 4B, the catalytic action of the crystal generating catalyst 240 causes the hard or scale inducing material to grow into crystals. The crystal growth is carried out at the crystallization site of the crystal formation catalyst 240. The growth reaction of the crystals was described in the first and second embodiments.

Finally, referring to FIG. 4C, the crystal is released from the crystal generating catalyst 240 by the flow of the carrier 241 or the water molecules impinging on the crystal generating catalyst 240. The crystal generation catalyst 240 can again participate in another reaction for growing crystals.

The crystal generating catalysts 140 and 240 described in Figs. 2, 3 and 4A to 4B are coated on the surface of the member in contact with water. Thus, the water system of the present invention having a member coated with the crystal generating catalysts 140 and 240 can remove the hard or scaling substances present in the raw water without a separate filter. Not having a separate filter means that water system can be miniaturized and space utilization can be improved.

Since the crystal formation catalysts 140 and 240 are left as they are after the reaction due to the characteristics of the catalyst, they can participate in the crystallization promoting reaction again. Therefore, the crystal generation catalysts 140 and 240 can exhibit continuous filtration performance. Since the crystal formation catalysts 140 and 240 do not require frequent regeneration, problems of water waste, environmental pollution, and reduction in regeneration efficiency that are problematic in the ion exchange resin can be solved.

FIG. 5 is a graph comparing experimental crystal-forming catalysts of the present invention with conventional ion exchange resins.

The abscissa of the graph represents time (minutes), and the ordinate represents water hardness reduction (%). The rate of decrease in hardness means the filtration performance that removes the hard and hard materials from the raw water.

First, referring to the graph of the ion exchange resin, the ion exchange resin shows a drastic high filtration performance from the beginning. Since the hardness of the raw water exposed to the ion exchange resin is lowered in a short time, the ion exchange resin has a very fast reaction rate. In addition, since the rate of decrease in hardness of the ion exchange resin is close to 100%, it can be confirmed that the ion exchange resin has a very excellent filtration performance.

However, the experimental results show that the lifetime of the ion exchange resin ends before the operating time reaches about 200 minutes. Therefore, in order to continue to use the ion exchange resin, it must be regenerated.

On the other hand, referring to the graph of the crystal formation catalyst, the crystal formation catalyst has a slower increase in the filtration performance than the ion exchange resin. This means that the crystal formation catalyst has a slower reaction rate than the ion exchange resin. However, the filtration performance of the catalyst for crystallization increases slowly with time, unlike the ion exchange resin. This means that the lifetime of the catalyst for crystallization is very long as compared with the ion exchange resin, and unlike the ion exchange resin, it does not require frequent regeneration.

The fact that the crystal formation catalyst has a much longer lifetime than the ion exchange resin results from the difference in mechanism. As the ion exchange resin removes the hard or scale-originating substances from the raw water through exchange of ions, the number of exchangeable ions decreases over time. On the other hand, the crystal formation catalyst can semi-permanently filter the raw water since the generated crystal is separated from the crystal formation catalyst and can participate in another reaction to generate crystals again.

Therefore, the composite filter of the present invention has a slower reaction rate than the ion exchange resin, but does not require frequent regeneration, and thus has a very long life, and solves problems such as water waste, environmental pollution, .

Further, if the crystal seed has an aragonite structure, the crystal growth rate of the crystal formation catalyst is further improved. Accordingly, it is expected that the removal rate of the hard or scaled material of the crystal generating catalyst will be further improved.

The water system described above is not limited to the configuration and the method of the embodiments described above, but the embodiments may be configured by selectively combining all or a part of each embodiment so that various modifications may be made.

Claims (5)

A member made to contact with water; And
And a crystal-forming catalyst coated on the surface of the member,
The above-mentioned crystal-
A carrier made of a polymer having a negative charge; And
And a crystal seed present in the crystallization site of said carrier and comprising at least one of calcium and magnesium. The method according to claim 1,
The catalyst for crystallization is characterized in promoting the reaction of calcium cations and bicarbonate anions present in water or promoting the reaction of magnesium cations and bicarbonate anions present in water to crystallize the hard or scale- Water system. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the crystal generating catalyst comprises a coating layer formed on a surface of the carrier,
Wherein the coating layer is made of a material having a negative charge so as to enhance negative charge of the carrier. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the coating layer comprises a silicate or an N-doped graphene. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the crystal seed is comprised of a metal carbonate (MCO ₃ , M is metal).

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