Method for treating used hygienic products

Abstract

A method for processing used hygienic products uses a processing device that is provided with: a rotating drum (4) that accommodates used hygienic products; a water tank (3) for accommodating the rotating drum; a water supply pipe (10) for supplying water into the water tank (3); and a drainage path 12 from the water tank 3, in the method for treating the used hygienic product, the used hygienic product and a single package of chemicals containing chemicals in a container are put into the rotating drum 4, and the rotating drum 4 is rotated to tear the container and diffuse the chemicals in the rotating drum.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for treating used sanitary products such as used diapers. One embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for adding chemicals used in a treatment process for sterilizing, washing, and sorting used sanitary products. Background Art

[0002] It is expected that used sanitary products such as used diapers and urine pads will be sterilized, cleaned and sorted instead of being incinerated or landfilled.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes that used diapers, a decomposing agent (slaked lime), water, and a disinfectant (hypochlorous acid) are placed in a rotating drum and processed while being rotated, thereby separating each material constituting the diaper.

[0004] The processing device of Patent Document 1 specifically includes: a separator, into which used diapers and decomposition water (water containing slaked lime and disinfectant) obtained by decomposing the used diapers are introduced, the introduced decomposition water is mixed with the used diapers to separate the used diapers into a plurality of raw materials, and dirt in the used diapers is separated to dehydrate the plurality of raw materials; a discharge section, which discharges the decomposition water in the separator and the drainage containing dirt to the outside together; and a sorting machine, which can sort at least pulp and plastic constituting the diapers by introducing the raw materials separated by the separator and drying them.

[0005] Patent Document 2 describes that when used sanitary products are treated using the treatment device, the treatment efficiency is improved by pre-containing the used sanitary products with water to a predetermined weight.

[0006] Prior art literature

[0007] Patent Literature

[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-167152

[0009] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-84510 Summary of the invention

[0010] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0011] In Patent Documents 1 and 2, the chemicals used in the treatment of used sanitary products are supplied in the form of a liquid solution in which a liquid or powder chemical is dissolved, and the chemicals need to be dissolved and stirred and mixed in advance. In addition, a required amount needs to be kept in a tank.

[0012] In addition, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the slaked lime (Ca(OH)2) used has low solubility in water. When a high-concentration slaked lime solution is required, the slaked lime needs to be frequently and strongly stirred to prevent sedimentation in the storage tank.

[0013] In Patent Documents 1 and 2, a pump is used to inject a drug for sterilizing and separating used sanitary products from a chemical tank into a rotating drum. As a result, the number of machine components increases, and the overall installation area of ​​the used diaper processing device increases. In addition, it is necessary to perform regular maintenance on the chemical tank, dissolving device, pump, etc. Furthermore, when placing chemicals into the chemical tank, it is necessary to perform the operation carefully to avoid drug burns.

[0014] An object of the present invention is to provide a method for disposing used sanitary products, which can easily and safely dispose of used sanitary products using a disposal device having a relatively simple structure.

[0015] Technical means of solving problems

[0016] The present invention is based on the following contents.

[0017] [1] A method for processing used sanitary products, using a rotating drum device, wherein the rotating drum device has:

[0018] Rotating drum to collect used sanitary products;

[0019] a water tank portion for accommodating the rotating drum; and

[0020] A water supply component supplies water into the water tank. The method for treating used sanitary products is characterized in that:

[0021] The used sanitary products, the single-package chemical containing the chemical in the container, and water are supplied into the rotating drum.

[0022] By rotating the rotating drum, the container is torn, and the chemical is diffused in the rotating drum.

[0023] [2] The method for disposing used sanitary products according to [1], wherein the container of the single-package chemical is made of paper or synthetic resin film, and the thickness of the paper or synthetic resin film is 0.003 mm to 1 mm.

[0024] [3] The method for disposing used sanitary products according to [1], wherein the container of the single-packaged chemical is made of a film of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polylactic acid, or polyamide.

[0025] [4] The method for disposing used sanitary products according to [1], wherein the weight of each of the single-packaged chemicals is 100 g to 20 kg.

[0026] [5] The method for treating used sanitary products according to [1], wherein the chemical comprises a cation, an organic acid, and an inorganic acid.

[0027] [6] The method for treating used sanitary products according to [5], wherein the chemical further comprises at least one of a bactericide component and a surfactant.

[0028] [7] The method for treating used sanitary products according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the chemicals in the single-package chemicals include slaked lime and calcium hypochlorite.

[0029] Effects of the Invention

[0030] In the method for treating used sanitary products of the present invention, used sanitary products, single-package chemicals, and water are put into a rotating drum device to sterilize, decompose, and separate the used sanitary products.

[0031] In the present invention, it is not necessary to put chemicals into chemical tanks, dissolve chemicals, adjust pump flow rates, and maintain machines, thereby reducing time. In addition, in the present invention, since various equipment required for injecting chemicals is not required, space can be saved. In the present invention, since chemicals can be put into each container, the putting operation is easy, and the chemicals can be put into the container without direct contact, and the risk of drug burns during operation is reduced.

[0032] In the present invention, the input amount of the chemical can be easily adjusted by the input amount of the single-package chemical. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] [ Figure 1 ] is a side view of the rotating drum device used in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The method for treating used sanitary products of the present invention comprises putting used sanitary products, single-package chemicals and water into a rotary drum device to sterilize, decompose and separate the used sanitary products.

[0035] In addition, the following description mainly uses a used diaper as a used sanitary product as an example. However, the present invention can be applied to various sanitary products such as urine-collecting pads having a synthetic resin film portion and a liquid-absorbing portion attached to the film portion.

[0036] The rotary drum device used in the present invention preferably comprises: a rotary drum for accommodating used sanitary products such as used diapers, a motor for rotating the rotary drum, a water tank for accommodating the rotary drum and the motor and storing water therein, and a water supply member for supplying water to the water tank, etc. A large number of through holes (water holes) are provided on the peripheral wall of the rotary drum.

[0037] A knife for tearing the single-packaged chemicals may also be provided on the inner surface of the rotating drum.

[0038] A drainage path is connected to the bottom of the water tank. A drainage valve is provided on the drainage path. By closing the drainage valve, water can be accumulated in the water tank. By opening the drainage valve, the water in the water tank is discharged.

[0039] Preferably, the water tank is surrounded by a housing, and used sanitary products and single-package chemicals are put in and processed items are taken out from an inlet and outlet provided in the housing. A door is provided at the inlet and outlet.

[0040] Single-package chemicals are chemicals filled into plastic or paper containers and packaged as subpackage chemicals.

[0041] Used diapers and single-packaged chemicals are placed in a rotating drum, and water is poured in. When the rotating drum is rotated, the containers of the single-packaged chemicals are broken, and the chemicals inside the containers flow out and penetrate into the used diapers. Through the chemical treatment using the rotating drum device, diapers are broken down into pulp and plastic.

[0042] The containers of chemicals remaining in the drum after the used diapers are processed are recycled together with the raw materials from which the used diapers were derived.

[0043] The container of the single-packaged chemical is preferably made of a thin raw material so that it can be easily broken (easy to break) in the rotating drum. The container can be a soft bag or a shell-like object of a certain shape such as a cylinder, a sphere, a cuboid, a cube, etc.

[0044] The material of the container of the single-package chemical is preferably a synthetic resin, resin-laminated paper, etc. As the synthetic resin, a water-soluble synthetic resin (polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) etc.) can also be used.

[0045] The thickness of the synthetic resin film or paper constituting the container of the single-package chemical is preferably 0.003 mm to 1 mm, particularly preferably about 0.003 mm to 0.3 mm.

[0046] When the container of the single-package chemical is made of synthetic resin material, it is preferably any plastic selected from polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polylactic acid, and polyamide, but is not limited thereto. As a water-soluble polymer, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) or the like can also be used.

[0047] In order to make the container easily tearable, a slit (sewing eye) may be formed in the container in advance, or the slit may be formed before the container is thrown in.

[0048] When a plurality of chemicals are used, the chemicals may be mixed and stored in a container, or the chemicals may be placed in different single-package chemicals and the input component ratio may be adjusted by adjusting the number of chemicals in each single-package.

[0049] The weight of each single-packaged chemical is preferably 0.1 kg to 20 kg, particularly preferably about 1 kg to 15 kg.

[0050] The method of feeding the single-packaged chemicals or used diapers into the rotary drum device may be any of manual feeding, feeding using a conveyor, and feeding using other robots.

[0051] The preferred amount of chemicals to be added (the number of chemicals to be added) is determined based on the amount and properties of diapers, the type of chemicals, etc.

[0052] Chemicals can be in the form of liquids, powders or granules.

[0053] When the chemical of the single-package chemical is in powder form, the particle size of the powder chemical is preferably 5 μm to 3000 μm, and particularly preferably about 5 μm to 100 μm.

[0054] The chemical substance includes a component that discharges (dehydrates) water from the high molecular absorbent (super absorbent polymer (SAP)) contained in the diaper. The component preferably includes cations (sodium, calcium, magnesium, etc.), organic acids (citric acid, oxalic acid, etc.), and inorganic acids (nitric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, etc.). As a calcium source, slaked lime, calcium chloride, etc. can be used.

[0055] The chemical may also contain a bactericide component for sterilization. There is no particular limitation on the bactericide component, but calcium hypochlorite (bleaching powder) and the like are inexpensive bactericides.

[0056] In order to promote the decomposition and cleaning of diapers, surfactants may be used as part of the chemicals. As surfactants, linear alkylbenzene series, higher alcohol series, α-olefin series, quaternary ammonium series, fatty acid series, α-sulfo fatty acid series, etc. are preferred. It is preferred to use 0.1 to 100 parts by weight, particularly 1 to 10 parts by weight of surfactants per 100 parts by weight of used diapers.

[0057] In one embodiment of the present invention, the chemical in the single-package chemical is composed of slaked lime and calcium hypochlorite, and the mixing ratio thereof is 80% to 98% of slaked lime and 20% to 2% of calcium hypochlorite. When the chemical in the single-package chemical is composed of slaked lime and calcium hypochlorite, it is preferred to use 0.1 to 20 parts by weight, particularly 1 to 10 parts by weight of slaked lime and calcium hypochlorite, and 50 to 1000 parts by weight, particularly 100 to 500 parts by weight of water, relative to 100 parts by weight of used diapers.

[0058] An example of a rotary drum device as a processing device is shown in FIG. Figure 1 The rotary drum device 1 comprises: a cylindrical water tank 3 as a water tank portion arranged in a housing 2, a rotary drum 4 arranged in the water tank 3, and a motor 5 for rotating the rotary drum 4. A large number of small holes are provided on the circumference of the rotary drum 4. A knife for tearing the single-packaged chemical may also be provided on the inner circumference of the rotary drum 4.

[0059] An opening 6 is provided at one end surface of the housing 2, and an openable door 7 is installed. The water tank 3 and the rotary drum 4 are arranged with the drum axis direction being the horizontal direction (or the inclined direction where the position becomes higher as the opening 6 side is approached).

[0060] The water tank 3 and the motor 5 are supported by a supporting member (not shown) on the housing 2. The rotating drum 4 is connected to the motor 5 via a shaft 8. The shaft 8 is supported by the water tank 3 via a bearing (not shown).

[0061] A water supply pipe 10 for supplying clean water such as tap water is connected to the top of the water tank 3. A drainage groove 11 is provided at the bottom of the water tank 3, and a drainage pipe 12 is connected to the drainage groove 11. A drainage valve 13 is provided on the drainage pipe 12. By closing the drainage valve 13, water can be accumulated in the water tank 3, and by opening it, water can be discharged from the water tank 3.

[0062] In order to process used sanitary products using the rotary drum device 1, the door 7 is opened, the used sanitary products and the single-packaged chemicals are put into the rotary drum 4, and then the door 7 is closed. After a predetermined amount of water is supplied from the water supply pipe 10 to the water tank 3, the rotary drum 4 is rotated by the motor 5. As a result, the single-packaged chemicals are torn and the chemicals are spread, and the used sanitary products are processed. In addition, the motor 5 can rotate only in one direction or reciprocate (forward and reverse).

[0063] After a predetermined time (eg, 0.01 to 5 hours, particularly 0.08 to 2 hours) has passed and the water is fully treated, the water is drained by opening the drain valve 13. At this time, the motor 5 may be used to rotate the rotary drum 4 at high speed to perform dehydration by centrifugal force.

[0064] Thereafter, water may be poured into the water tank 3 from the water supply pipe 10 as required to rinse the residue in the rotary drum 4. The rinsing may be water pouring rinsing or accumulation rinsing.

[0065] After rinsing, it is preferred to perform dehydration, open the door 7 to take out the contents, and send them to the next processing step.

[0066] In addition, also can be provided with the drying mechanism utilizing hot air as the rotary drum type washing machine, in which case, the content can be dried after rinsing. In addition, also can improve the temperature of hot air, the content is carried out heat sterilization.

[0067] Example

[0068] [Example 1]

[0069] use Figure 1 The rotating drum device 1 of the structure shown was used, and the following single-package chemicals were used to treat the following samples containing diapers.

[0070] <Structure of Rotating Drum Device 1>

[0071] Tank 3: diameter 180 cm, length 120 cm

[0072] Rotating drum 4: diameter 160 cm, length 110 cm

[0073] Small holes of rotating drum 4: diameter 0.7 cm, opening ratio 15%

[0074] Axis direction of water tank 3 and rotating drum 4: horizontal

[0075] Diameter of opening 6: 100 cm

[0076] <Diaper Sample>

[0077] Used diapers are collected from hospital facilities and processed.

[0078] <Single-package chemicals>

[0079] The following chemicals were sealed in a polyethylene resin bag (volume 20 L) with a thickness of 800 μm.

[0080] Chemicals

[0081] Hydrated lime (average particle size 100 μm): 12000 g

[0082] Calcium hypochlorite: 400 g

[0083] <Processing Flow>

[0084] After 1000 pieces of diapers and 2 bags of single-packaged chemicals were put into the rotating drum, the door 7 was closed and 800 L of tap water was injected for storage.

[0085] The rotary drum 4 was rotated at 30 rpm, and the rotation direction was switched every 120 seconds. After the rotation started, steam was injected to raise the water temperature to 80° C., and a rotary mixing treatment was performed.

[0086] After 30 minutes, the rotary drum 4 was stopped, and after draining, the rotary drum 4 was rotated at 700 rpm for 4 minutes for dehydration. After the rotary drum 4 was stopped, 800 L of tap water was injected for accumulation rinsing (15 minutes). Then, the drainage and dehydration were performed in the same manner as described above. After the dehydration was completed, the door 7 was opened to take out the contents, and the results were observed. The following state was found: the adhesive portions of the plastic sheets of the diaper were peeled off, and separated into plastic and pulp.

[0087] <Results and Investigation>

[0088] In the prior art, as described above, when no powder reagent is used, a storage tank for liquid chemicals, a chemical injection pump, a dissolving tank for powder reagents, a mixer, and a dissolving liquid injection pump are required. In particular, when slaked lime is used, frequent strong stirring is required to prevent sedimentation. In addition, for the dissolution of slaked lime, a hopper, a cutting device, a moisture prevention device, etc. are required in the case of automatic input. In the case of manual input, dust may fly and may endanger the health of the operator.

[0089] On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, all the disadvantages of these conventional examples are eliminated.

[0090] Although the present invention has been described in detail using specific embodiments, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made within the scope of exhibiting the effects of the invention.

[0091] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-118123 filed on July 25, 2022, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference.

[0092] Description of Figure Numbers

[0093] 1: Processing device

[0094] 2: Shell

[0095] 3: sink

[0096] 4: Rotating drum

[0097] 5: Motor

[0098] 7: Door

[0099] 10: Water supply pipe

[0100] 11: Drainage groove

[0101] 12: Drain pipe

[0102] 13: Drain valve

Claims

1. A method for processing used sanitary products, using a rotary drum device, the rotary drum device having: Rotating drum to collect used sanitary products; a water tank portion for accommodating the rotating drum; and A water supply component supplies water into the water tank. The method for treating used sanitary products is characterized in that: The used sanitary products, the single-package chemical containing the chemical in the container, and water are supplied into the rotating drum. By rotating the rotating drum, the container is torn, and the chemical is diffused in the rotating drum.

2. The method for treating used sanitary products according to claim 1, wherein: The container of the single-package chemical is made of paper or synthetic resin film, and the thickness of the paper or synthetic resin film is 0.003 mm to 1 mm.

3. The method for treating used sanitary products according to claim 1, wherein: The container of the single-package chemical is made of a film of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polylactic acid, or polyamide.

4. The method for treating used sanitary products according to claim 1, wherein: The weight of each of the single-packaged chemicals is 100 g to 20 kg.

5. The method for treating used sanitary products according to claim 1, wherein: The chemicals include cations, organic acids, and inorganic acids.

6. The method for treating used sanitary products according to claim 5, wherein: The chemical further comprises at least one of a bactericide component and a surfactant.

7. The method for treating used sanitary products according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The chemicals in the single-package chemical include slaked lime and calcium hypochlorite.

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