A detachable enriched membrane support

Abstract

The present application relates to a detachable enrichment membrane support, a double-layer filter membrane is clamped between a first support and a second support to realize the enrichment of filtering and removing impurities and micro-plastic particles, opposite ends of a first sink of the first support define a sample inlet and an enrichment liquid outlet, the second support cooperates with the first sink to form a closed complete double-helix flow channel, the sample enters the double-helix flow through the sample inlet and flows out through the waste liquid outlet, so that the micro-plastic particles in the sample are intercepted by the double-layer filter membrane, the treatment liquid enters the double-helix flow channel through the treatment liquid inlet and flows out through the enrichment liquid outlet, so that the micro-plastic particles intercepted on the double-layer filter membrane are enriched. According to the detachable enrichment membrane support of the present application, the filter membrane is supported by the first support and the second support, the micro-plastic particles are automatically enriched, and the replacement of filter membranes with different pore sizes can be applied to the enrichment of various micro-plastic particles with different diameters, and the present application has higher flux, faster enrichment speed and lower micro-plastic residual rate on the membrane.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to enrichment, and more particularly to a detachable enrichment membrane support. Background Technology

[0002] Plastic products are widely used in human production and daily life due to their low cost, high ductility, and stable properties. Since large-scale production began in the 20th century, plastic production has increased year by year, and the current global annual plastic production exceeds 3200 million tons. However, while facilitating human life, plastics have led to serious environmental pollution problems due to their low recycling rate and difficulty in decomposition. Among these, "microplastics" have attracted significant attention both domestically and internationally as a new type of pollutant.

[0003] The concept of microplastics was first proposed by Thompson in *Science* in 2004, referring to plastic fragments and particles with a diameter of less than 5 mm. Microplastics are difficult to degrade, have a strong carrying capacity for pollutants, and can be ingested by plants and animals, seriously threatening the ecological environment and human health. At the Second United Nations Environment Assembly in 2016, microplastic pollution was listed as the second largest scientific problem in the field of environmental and ecological science research, and was regarded as a major global environmental issue alongside global climate change, ozone depletion, and ocean acidification.

[0004] Currently, microplastics have been widely detected in marine environments, surface water systems (lakes, rivers, etc.), terrestrial systems (soil, sludge, etc.), and airborne dust worldwide. Of particular note is the current surge in the use of personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves; if these items are not properly disposed of after use, they will further exacerbate microplastic pollution in the environment.

[0005] To address the problem of microplastic pollution, the main focus is on strengthening the research and development of microplastic control technologies and biodegradable microplastic products. Microplastic detection often requires samples with varying concentrations of microplastics. Therefore, microplastic enrichment has become a crucial step in microplastic detection. The current mainstream microplastic enrichment method is filtration, which is simple, easy to implement, and low-cost. However, existing single-layer membrane enrichment methods often require removing the filter membrane and manually collecting the microplastics on it. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the issues in existing enrichment methods that require manual collection by removing the filter membrane, this invention provides a detachable enrichment membrane support.

[0007] According to the present invention, a detachable enrichment membrane support includes a first support, a second support, and fasteners. The first and second supports are detachably fixed together by the fasteners. A double-layer filter membrane is sandwiched between the first and second supports to achieve filtration and impurity removal and enrichment of microplastic particles. The surface of the first support facing the second support has a first settling groove with a double helix structure. The opposite ends of the first settling groove define a sample inlet and an enrichment liquid outlet. The second support has a opposite treatment liquid inlet and a waste liquid outlet. The second support, together with the first settling groove, forms a closed, complete double helix flow channel. The sample enters the double helix flow channel through the sample inlet and flows out through the waste liquid outlet, so that the microplastic particles in the sample are retained by the double-layer filter membrane. The treatment liquid enters the double helix flow channel through the treatment liquid inlet and flows out through the enrichment liquid outlet, so that the microplastic particles retained on the double-layer filter membrane are enriched.

[0008] Preferably, in the radial direction, the depth of the first settling tank gradually increases from the outside to the inside.

[0009] Preferably, the surface of the second support facing the first support has a second sink groove with a double helix structure.

[0010] Preferably, the first settling tank is directly opposite the second settling tank, forming a double helical flow channel.

[0011] Preferably, in the radial direction, the depth of the second settling tank gradually increases from the outside to the inside.

[0012] Preferably, the second support is a planar support.

[0013] Preferably, the inlet of the treatment liquid is positioned directly opposite the inlet of the sample, and the outlet of the waste liquid is positioned directly opposite the outlet of the enrichment liquid.

[0014] Preferably, the first bracket is an upper bracket, the second bracket is a lower bracket, and the fastener is a fixing bolt.

[0015] Preferably, the first bracket and the second bracket each have bolt through holes with threaded openings for the fixing bolts to pass through.

[0016] Preferably, the double-layer filter membrane consists of a first filter membrane for removing impurities and a second filter membrane for retaining impurities, wherein the pore size of the first filter membrane is larger than that of the second filter membrane.

[0017] According to the present invention, the detachable enrichment membrane support supports the filter membrane through the first support and the second support. The microplastic particles trapped on the double-layer filter membrane are automatically enriched. By replacing the filter membrane with different pore sizes, it can be applied to the enrichment of microplastic particles of various diameters, with higher flux, faster enrichment speed and lower microplastic residue rate on the membrane. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of a detachable enrichment membrane support according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Top view of the flow channel structure of the enrichment membrane support.

[0020] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A central cross-sectional view of the enrichment membrane scaffold.

[0021] Figure 4 Yes, yes Figure 1 The flowchart of the enrichment membrane scaffold. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are given below with reference to the accompanying drawings and described in detail.

[0023] like Figures 1-4 As shown, a detachable enrichment membrane support according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a first support 10, a second support 20, and fasteners, wherein the first support 10 and the second support 20 are detachably fixed together by the fasteners. In actual use, a double-layer filter membrane is sandwiched between the first support 10 and the second support 20 to achieve filtration and impurity removal and enrichment of microplastic particles. Specifically, the double-layer filter membrane consists of an upper filter membrane with a large pore size for impurity removal and a lower filter membrane with a small pore size for retention. The specific pore size can be determined according to the application scenario, thus making it suitable for enriching microplastic particles of various diameters.

[0024] In this embodiment, the first support 10 is the upper support, the second support 20 is the lower support, and the fastener is the fixing bolt 300. Specifically, the upper and lower supports are made of epoxy resin, and the fixing bolt 300 is made of carbon steel. Thus, the upper and lower supports, respectively made of epoxy resin, are assembled into the detachable enrichment membrane support of the present invention using the fixing bolts made of carbon steel.

[0025] The first support 10 has six through holes penetrating its upper and lower surfaces: one is a sample inlet 100, one is a enrichment liquid outlet 101, and the remaining four are threaded bolt through holes 301 for the passing of fixing bolts 300. The surface of the first support 10 facing the second support 20 has a first settling groove 102 with a double helix structure. In the radial direction, the depth of the first settling groove 102 gradually increases from the outside to the inside.

[0026] The second support 20 has six through holes penetrating its upper and lower surfaces: one is a treatment fluid inlet 200, one is a waste fluid outlet 201, and the remaining four are threaded bolt through holes 301 for the passing of fixing bolts 300. The surface of the second support 20 facing the first support 10 has a second sink 202 with a double-helix structure. In the radial direction, the depth of the second sink 202 gradually increases from the outside to the inside.

[0027] Specifically, the first settling tank 102 is directly opposite the second settling tank 202, forming a closed, complete double-helix flow channel. Compared to parallel or single-helix flow channels, this invention provides high throughput through a low-resistance double-helix flow channel, thereby accelerating the enrichment rate of microplastic particles. Moreover, in the radial direction, the height of the double-helix flow channel gradually increases from the outside to the inside, increasing the pressure of the fluid flowing through the filter membrane, making it easier to flush out microplastic particles and achieve a higher enrichment rate.

[0028] In this embodiment, the radial height x of the outermost ring of the double helix flow channel is only 1 mm, and its height relative to the adjacent inner ring is increased by Δx by 0.05-0.1 mm. It should be understood that the values ​​here are for illustrative purposes only and not as limitations.

[0029] In this embodiment, the first support 10 and the second support 20 are symmetrically arranged vertically. It should be understood that the second support can also be replaced with a planar support, which has a treatment liquid inlet 200 and a waste liquid outlet 201, but does not have a second settling tank 202. The double helical flow channel of this enrichment membrane support is only provided by the first settling tank 102, reducing the manufacturing difficulty.

[0030] The sample inlet 100 of the first support 10 located at one end of the double helix flow channel is connected to the first external pipe so that the sample passes through the first external pipe and the sample inlet 100 along the arrow. The sample enters the double-helix flow channel and then flows out through the waste liquid outlet 201 of the second support 20 at the other end of the double-helix flow channel. During this process, microplastic particles in the sample are trapped by the double-layer filter membrane.

[0031] The treatment fluid inlet 200 of the second support 20 is connected to the second external pipe so that the treatment fluid flows through the second external pipe and the treatment fluid inlet 200 along the arrow. The solution enters the double-helix flow channel and then flows out through the enrichment outlet 101 of the first support 10. During this process, microplastic particles trapped on the double-layer filter membrane are enriched. Specifically, the treatment solution laterally washes away the microplastic particles on the double-layer filter membrane within the double-helix flow channel; that is, the flow direction of the treatment solution is parallel to (rather than perpendicular to) the plane of the filter membrane. This lateral flow makes it easier to wash away the microplastic particles on the filter membrane, achieving a higher enrichment rate.

[0032] The treatment liquid inlet 200 of the second support 20 is positioned directly opposite the sample inlet 100 of the first support 10, and the waste liquid outlet 201 of the second support 20 is positioned directly opposite the enrichment liquid outlet 101 of the first support 10, so that the retention process and the enrichment process follow the same flow path.

[0033] It should be understood that the enriched liquid outlet 101 is equipped with a first solenoid valve. During the interception process, the enriched liquid outlet 101 is closed by the first solenoid valve to prevent waste liquid from flowing out of the enriched liquid outlet 101. The waste liquid outlet 201 is equipped with a second solenoid valve. During the enrichment process, the waste liquid outlet 201 is closed by the second solenoid valve to prevent the treated liquid from flowing out of the waste liquid outlet 201.

[0034] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Various variations can be made to the above embodiments of the present invention. That is, all simple and equivalent changes and modifications made based on the claims and description of this invention fall within the protection scope of the claims of this patent. All aspects not described in detail in this invention are conventional technical content.

Claims

1. A detachable enrichment membrane support, characterized in that, The enrichment membrane support includes a first support, a second support, and fasteners. The first and second supports are detachably fixed together by the fasteners. A double-layer filter membrane is sandwiched between the first and second supports to achieve filtration and impurity removal and enrichment of microplastic particles. The surface of the first support facing the second support has a first settling groove with a double helix structure. The opposite ends of the first settling groove define a sample inlet and an enrichment liquid outlet. The second support has a corresponding treatment liquid inlet and a waste liquid outlet. The second support, together with the first settling groove, forms a closed, complete double helix flow channel. In the radial direction, the depth of the first settling groove gradually increases from the outside to the inside. After the sample enters the double helix flow channel through the sample inlet, it flows out through the waste liquid outlet, so that the microplastic particles in the sample are trapped by the double-layer filter membrane. After the treatment liquid enters the double helix flow channel through the treatment liquid inlet, it laterally washes the double-layer filter membrane in a direction parallel to the filter membrane plane, and then flows out through the enrichment liquid outlet, so that the microplastic particles trapped on the double-layer filter membrane are enriched.

2. The enrichment membrane scaffold according to claim 1, characterized in that, The surface of the second support facing the first support has a second sink groove with a double helix structure.

3. The enrichment membrane scaffold according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first settling tank is directly opposite the second settling tank, and together they form a double helical flow channel.

4. The enrichment membrane scaffold according to claim 2, characterized in that, In the radial direction, the depth of the second settling tank gradually increases from the outside to the inside.

5. The enrichment membrane scaffold according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second support is a planar support.

6. The enrichment membrane scaffold according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inlet of the treatment solution is positioned directly opposite the inlet of the sample, and the outlet of the waste solution is positioned directly opposite the outlet of the enrichment solution.

7. The enrichment membrane scaffold according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first support is the upper support, the second support is the lower support, and the fasteners are fixing bolts.

8. The enrichment membrane scaffold according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first bracket and the second bracket each have bolt through holes with threaded openings for fixing bolts to pass through.

9. The enrichment membrane scaffold according to claim 1, characterized in that, The double-layer filter membrane consists of a first filter membrane for removing impurities and a second filter membrane for retaining impurities, wherein the pore size of the first filter membrane is larger than that of the second filter membrane.

Images