Water treatment apparatus

Abstract

To provide a water treatment apparatus excellent in maintainability.SOLUTION: A water treatment apparatus includes an adsorption material-packed tank conducting adsorption treatment to raw water by an adsorption material and a discharge buffer part involving a first valve connected below the adsorption material-packed tank, an adsorption material holding part connected to the first valve, and a second valve connected to the adsorption material holding part. The water treatment apparatus may further include a first discharge conveyor placed below the discharge buffer part and capable of draining the adsorption material discharged from the discharge buffer part, and the first discharge conveyor may be a mesh conveyor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a water treatment device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, water treatment devices are known that remove dissolved substances contained in wastewater by contacting the wastewater with an adsorbent. Such water treatment devices have an adsorption treatment tank equipped with an adsorbent such as ion exchange resin, activated carbon, or zeolite, and can remove dissolved substances by adsorbing dissolved substances in wastewater with the adsorbent. The adsorbent's adsorption capacity decreases when it adsorbs a certain amount of dissolved substances. Therefore, the water treatment device is operated while appropriately replacing the adsorbent depending on the concentration of dissolved substances contained in the treated water (treated water) and the usage time. For example, the water treatment device described in Patent Document 1 is configured to periodically discharge the adsorbent from the bottom of the adsorption treatment tank and supply the discharged amount of adsorbent from the top of the adsorption treatment tank, thereby making it possible to replace the adsorbent while performing the adsorption treatment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-116111 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The above-mentioned water treatment device has excellent maintainability in that the adsorbent can be replaced during continuous operation. However, the above-mentioned water treatment device uses an expensive screw conveyor as a means for transporting the adsorbent to discharge the adsorbent from the bottom of the adsorption treatment tank filled with the water to be treated. Therefore, further improvement is required from the viewpoint of reducing the equipment cost of the water treatment device.

[0005] One of the objectives of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a water treatment device that is easy to maintain. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A water treatment device in one embodiment of the present invention comprises an adsorbent tank that performs an adsorption treatment on raw water using an adsorbent, and a discharge buffer section that includes a first valve connected below the adsorbent tank, an adsorbent holding section connected to the first valve, and a second valve connected to the adsorbent holding section.

[0007] The water treatment device may further include a first discharge conveyor disposed below the discharge buffer section and capable of draining the adsorbent discharged from the discharge buffer section. In this case, the first discharge conveyor may be a mesh conveyor.

[0008] The water treatment device may further include a second discharge conveyor disposed downstream of the first discharge conveyor for transporting the adsorbent to an adsorbent recovery section. In this case, the second discharge conveyor may be a belt conveyor.

[0009] In the above water treatment device, the adsorbent may be supplied from above the adsorbent tank and discharged from below, and the raw water may be supplied from below the adsorbent tank and come into contact with the adsorbent while moving upward.

[0010] In the water treatment device, the first valve may be a ball valve, and the second valve may be a knife gate valve.

[0011] In the above water treatment device, the adsorbent tank may further include a distance sensor that detects the position of an upper surface of the adsorbent filled inside the adsorbent tank. In this case, the water treatment device may further include a control unit that controls the timing of supplying the adsorbent in accordance with a detection result of the distance sensor. The control unit may further control the timing of opening and closing the first valve and the second valve. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a water treatment system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a water treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a water treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of an adsorbent discharge section in the water treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is an example of a timing chart showing the operation of an adsorbent discharge section in the water treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of an adsorbent supply unit in the water treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention, and should not be interpreted as being limited to the description of the embodiments exemplified below. In the drawings, the width, thickness, shape, etc. of each part may be shown diagrammatically compared to the actual form in order to make the explanation clearer, but these are merely examples and do not limit the interpretation of the present invention. In this specification and each drawing, elements having the same functions as those described with respect to the previous drawings may be given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations may be omitted.

[0014] [First embodiment] [Water treatment system configuration] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a water treatment system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The water treatment system 10 according to this embodiment includes a raw water storage tank 11, a flow rate adjustment tank 12, a water treatment device 100, and a treated water storage tank 13. However, the configuration of the water treatment system 10 is not limited to this example, and it is sufficient that the water treatment system 10 includes at least the water treatment device 100. For example, the water treatment system 10 may omit any or all of the raw water storage tank 11, the flow rate adjustment tank 12, and the treated water storage tank 13. Although not shown in FIG. 1, a pump may be appropriately disposed in the piping. For example, a pump may be disposed in at least one of the piping between the raw water storage tank 11 and the flow rate adjustment tank 12 and the outlet side piping of the treated water storage tank 13.

[0015] The raw water storage tank 11 is a tank that temporarily stores raw water to be purified (water to be treated). The raw water is, for example, industrial wastewater or domestic wastewater. The raw water storage tank 11 stores raw water supplied from a factory or the like through piping. The raw water storage tank 11 may be connected to an adjustment tank that adjusts the pH of the raw water and a sand filtration device that removes solid matter from the raw water.

[0016] The flow rate adjustment tank 12 is disposed between the raw water storage tank 11 and the water treatment device 100, and is a tank that adjusts the flow rate of the raw water supplied to the water treatment device 100. Specifically, the flow rate adjustment tank 12 has a function of adjusting the flow rate of the raw water supplied to the water treatment device 100 to a constant value.

[0017] The water treatment device 100 is a device that performs purification treatment (specifically, adsorption treatment) on the supplied raw water. Specifically, the water treatment device 100 of this embodiment has a function of removing dissolved substances (colloid particles and fine particles) from the raw water. The specific structure of the water treatment device 100 will be described later.

[0018] The treated water storage tank 13 is a tank that stores treated water (purified water after adsorption treatment) that has been subjected to purification treatment by the water treatment device 100. The treated water stored in the treated water storage tank 13 may be supplied to a facility disposed outside the water treatment system 10 via piping or the like, or may be kept stored in the treated water storage tank 13.

[0019] [Configuration of water treatment device] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a water treatment device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The water treatment device 100 of this embodiment includes an adsorbent supply unit 110, an adsorbent filling tank 120, an adsorbent discharge unit 130, and a control unit 140. In Fig. 2, arrows shown with solid lines indicate the movement of water. Arrows shown with dashed lines indicate the movement of the adsorbent. Arrows shown with broken lines indicate communication paths.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 2, raw water supplied to the water treatment device 100 (specifically, raw water supplied from the flow rate adjustment tank 12 shown in Fig. 1) is subjected to adsorption treatment in the adsorbent filling tank 120 and discharged as treated water from the water treatment device 100 (specifically, transferred to the treated water storage tank 13 shown in Fig. 1). The adsorbent used in the adsorption treatment is temporarily stored in the adsorbent supply section 110 and supplied to the adsorbent filling tank 120 at a predetermined timing. Thereafter, the adsorbent used in the adsorbent filling tank 120 is discharged by the adsorbent discharge section 130 at a predetermined timing.

[0021] In this embodiment, an adsorbent using a carbide as a carrier is used as the adsorbent. Specifically, the water treatment device 100 brings the raw water into contact with the adsorbent filled inside the adsorbent filling tank 120, thereby adsorbing dissolved substances (e.g., organic substances) contained in the raw water into the pores of the carbide and removing them. For example, in this embodiment, a carbide supporting iron and / or magnesium on the surface or inside the pores is used as the adsorbent, so that phosphorus contained in the raw water can be efficiently removed. The removal of phosphorus by a carbide supporting iron is described in, for example, JP 2019-107632 A. Note that, in this embodiment, an example of using chemical adsorption using a carbide as a carrier is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, it is also possible to use physical adsorption using zeolite as a carrier.

[0022] The control unit 140 has a role of controlling each of the adsorbent supply unit 110, the adsorbent filling tank 120, and the adsorbent discharge unit 130. Specifically, the control unit 140 controls the timing of the supply of the adsorbent by the adsorbent supply unit 110, and the timing of the discharge of the adsorbent by the adsorbent discharge unit 130. The control unit 140 may control the adsorbent supply unit 110 or the adsorbent discharge unit 130 based on detection signals output from various sensors provided in the adsorbent filling tank 120.

[0023] Fig. 3 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a water treatment device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 shows an adsorbent supply unit 110, an adsorbent filling tank 120, and an adsorbent discharge unit 130 as components of the water treatment device 100. However, for ease of explanation, a control unit 140 is omitted from Fig. 3.

[0024] 3, the adsorbent supplying section 110 has a function of temporarily holding an adsorbent (not shown) prior to use and supplying it to the adsorbent filling tank 120 at a predetermined timing. The adsorbent supplying section 110 in this embodiment includes an adsorbent holding section 111 that holds the adsorbent, and a supply conveyor 112 that transfers the adsorbent from the adsorbent holding section 111 to the adsorbent filling tank 120.

[0025] The adsorbent holding section 111 is configured as a cylindrical container with a lower portion formed in an inverted quadrangular pyramid (or inverted cone). A cylindrical container of this shape is also called a hopper. The adsorbent before use is filled inside the adsorbent holding section 111 in advance. An opening (not shown) is provided at the lower end of the adsorbent holding section 111, and a rotary valve 113 is provided below the opening. The rotary valve 113 functions as an opening / closing valve controlled by the control section 140. In this embodiment, when the rotary valve 113 is opened at a predetermined timing under the control of the control section 140, the adsorbent inside the adsorbent holding section 111 falls toward the supply conveyor 112. In addition, the supply conveyor 112 operates at the timing when the rotary valve 113 is opened.

[0026] The adsorbent that has dropped from the adsorbent holding unit 111 is transferred to the adsorbent filling tank 120 by the operation of the supply conveyor 112. In this embodiment, a belt conveyor with bars on the belt is used as the supply conveyor 112. A plurality of bars having a longitudinal direction substantially perpendicular to the belt traveling direction are provided on the belt portion of the supply conveyor 112 along the belt traveling direction. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the adsorbent is transferred from below the adsorbent holding unit 111 to above the adsorbent filling tank 120. Therefore, in this embodiment, a belt conveyor with bars is used so that the adsorbent does not fall downward even if the belt is inclined.

[0027] In this embodiment, an example has been shown in which a belt conveyor with bars is used as the supply conveyor 112, but this is not limiting, and other conveyors capable of transporting the adsorbent upward without dropping it, such as a bucket conveyor in which buckets are attached to a chain or belt, may also be used.

[0028] The adsorbent-filled tank 120 is a treatment tank for performing a purification treatment (adsorption treatment) of raw water (water to be treated) by an adsorbent, and is filled with the adsorbent supplied from the adsorbent supply unit 110. The adsorbent-filled tank 120 of this embodiment includes a tank main body 121, a raw water supply unit 122, a water receiving unit 123, and a distance sensor 124. However, the configuration of the adsorbent-filled tank 120 shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example, and does not prevent the addition of other elements or the deletion of the above-mentioned elements. For example, a leveling device for leveling the upper surface of the adsorbent filled inside the tank main body 121 may be provided at the upper part of the tank main body 121.

[0029] The tank body 121 is a housing for bringing raw water into contact with the stored adsorbent, and is connected to a raw water supply section 122 to which raw water is supplied from the raw water supply pipe 21 and a water receiving section 123 to which treated water (water after purification treatment) is discharged to the treated water transfer pipe 22. The raw water supply section 122 supplies raw water supplied from the raw water storage tank 11 (see FIG. 1) to the inside of the tank body 121. The raw water supply section 122 communicates with the inside of the tank body 121 via a mesh member (net-like member) installed in an opening (not shown) formed in the tank body 121. This makes it possible to supply raw water to the inside of the tank body 121 via the raw water supply section 122 while preventing the adsorbent from falling out of the tank body 121.

[0030] Similar to the raw water supply section 122, the water receiving section 123 communicates with the inside of the tank body 121 via a mesh member (not shown) installed at an opening 123a formed in the tank body 121. The treated water that rises inside the tank body 121 overflows from the opening 123a formed in the tank body 121 and flows out into the water receiving section 123. At this time, since the mesh member is installed at the opening 123a, it is possible to prevent the adsorbent from falling off to the outside of the tank body 121 while allowing the treated water to overflow from inside the tank body 121.

[0031] Distance sensor 124 functions as a means for measuring the distance between distance sensor 124 and the upper surface of the adsorbent filled in tank main body 121. Specifically, a sensor that measures the distance to an object using ultrasonic waves, infrared rays, or a laser can be used as distance sensor 124. In water treatment device 100 of this embodiment, control unit 140 shown in FIG. 1 detects the position of the upper surface of the adsorbent filled inside adsorbent filling tank 120 based on the detection value of distance sensor 124.

[0032] As described later, the adsorbent inside tank main body 121 is periodically discharged in a predetermined amount. In this embodiment, the detection value of distance sensor 124 is monitored by control unit 140 to grasp the position of the upper surface of the adsorbent filled inside tank main body 121, i.e., the amount of adsorbent filled, and adsorbent is replenished so that the position of the upper surface of the adsorbent becomes constant. In other words, control unit 140 controls the operation of adsorbent supply unit 110 so that the detection value of distance sensor 124 becomes a predetermined value.

[0033] The adsorbent discharge section 130 has a function of discharging used adsorbent (not shown) discharged from the tank main body 121 of the adsorbent filling tank 120. The adsorbent discharge section 130 in this embodiment includes a discharge buffer section 131, a first discharge conveyor 132, a second discharge conveyor 133, and an adsorbent recovery section 134. The adsorbent discharged from the tank main body 121 is transferred by the first discharge conveyor 132 and the second discharge conveyor 133 via the discharge buffer section 131 in predetermined amounts, and is finally fed into the adsorbent recovery section 134. The adsorbent accumulated in the adsorbent recovery section 134 is carried out at a predetermined timing and disposed of or regenerated.

[0034] The adsorbent discharge section 130 of this embodiment periodically discharges a predetermined amount of adsorbent from inside the tank main body 121 at a rate of once every three hours. However, the interval at which the adsorbent is discharged is not limited to this example, and may be set appropriately taking into consideration the volume of the tank main body 121 and the durability (durability against deterioration, etc.) of the adsorbent used. In this embodiment, the adsorbent discharge interval is set so that the adsorbent filled inside the tank main body 121 is completely replaced every seven days or so.

[0035] The discharge buffer section 131 functions as a buffer (buffer zone) for temporarily storing a portion of the adsorbent and the water to be treated discharged from the tank main body section 121. The discharge buffer section 131 of this embodiment includes a first valve 131a, an adsorbent holding section 131b, and a second valve 131c. However, the configuration of the discharge buffer section 131 is not limited to this example, and may have a multi-stage configuration. For example, a multiple-valve structure combining three or more valves and two or more adsorbent holding sections is also possible.

[0036] The first valve 131a is connected to the lower part of the tank body 121. The first valve 131a is preferably a valve with high water-stopping performance, and a ball valve is used in this embodiment. When the first valve 131a is in a closed state, it functions as a water-stopping means for blocking an opening (not shown) provided at the lower part of the tank body 121, and when the first valve 131a is in an open state, it functions as a means for discharging the adsorbent and a part of the water to be treated from the tank body 121 toward the adsorbent holding part 131b. Note that, in this embodiment, an example in which a ball valve is used as the first valve 131a is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and other types of valves such as a butterfly valve may be used as long as they perform the same function.

[0037] The adsorbent holding section 131b is connected to the first valve 131a. In this embodiment, a pipe connected to the first valve 131a is used, but this is not limited to this example, and a member of a different form from the pipe can be used as long as a space capable of holding the adsorbent can be secured. In this embodiment, the amount of the adsorbent that can be temporarily stored is determined by the volume of the adsorbent holding section 131b.

[0038] The second valve 131c is connected below the adsorbent holding portion 131b. Since the second valve 131c is not particularly required to have water-stopping performance, a knife gate valve is used in this embodiment. The knife gate valve has an advantage that the adsorbent can be securely stopped with a compact and simple structure. When the second valve 131c is in a closed state, it functions as a means for blocking the lower side of the adsorbent holding portion 131b, and when it is in an open state, it functions as a means for discharging the adsorbent stored in the adsorbent holding portion 131b onto the first discharge conveyor 132. Note that, in this embodiment, an example in which a knife gate valve is used as the second valve 131c is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and other types of valves such as ball valves and butterfly valves may be used as long as they perform the same function.

[0039] As described above, the discharge buffer section 131 of this embodiment has a structure in which the adsorbent holding section 131b, which is composed of a pipe, is sandwiched between the first valve 131a and the second valve 131c, and the adsorbent can be temporarily stored inside the adsorbent holding section 131b by adjusting the opening and closing timing of the first valve 131a and the second valve 131c. Since the discharge buffer section 131 of this embodiment uses a ball valve with high water-stopping performance as the first valve 131a, it is possible to minimize the amount of treated water discharged from the tank main body 121 together with the adsorbent.

[0040] In addition, the first valve 131a and the second valve 131c are controlled so as not to be open at the same time. That is, when the first valve 131a is open, the second valve 131c is closed, so that the adsorbent and a portion of the water to be treated that have passed through the first valve 131a remain in the adsorbent holding section 131b. Thereafter, when the second valve 131c opens, the first valve 131a is closed, so that only a predetermined amount of the adsorbent and a portion of the water to be treated stored in the adsorbent holding section 131b are discharged toward the first discharge conveyor 132. In this way, the discharge buffer section 131 functions as a buffer that discharges the adsorbent and a portion of the water to be treated at a predetermined amount at a time.

[0041] The first discharge conveyor 132 is disposed below the discharge buffer section 131 and has a function of draining the adsorbent. Specifically, in this embodiment, a mesh conveyor is used as the first discharge conveyor 132. That is, since the belt portion of the first discharge conveyor 132 is made of mesh, among the adsorbent and a part of the water to be treated discharged from the discharge buffer section 131, the water to be treated passes through the mesh and is removed, and only the adsorbent remains in the form of a belt. Therefore, the first discharge conveyor 132 has an advantage that it can remove (drain) the water to be treated while transporting the adsorbent, and can speed up the drying of the adsorbent being transported. Note that, in this embodiment, an example in which a mesh conveyor is used as the first discharge conveyor 132 has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and other types of conveyors may be used as long as they perform a similar function.

[0042] The first discharge conveyor 132 of this embodiment includes a cleaning device 132a for cleaning the mesh-like belt portion. The cleaning device 132a can spray water or the like from multiple cleaning nozzles arranged toward the belt portion, and can clean the belt portion (remove adhering adsorbent, etc.) by spraying water or the like onto the belt portion while operating the first discharge conveyor 132. However, this is not a limitation, and the cleaning device 132a can be omitted.

[0043] The second discharge conveyor 133 is disposed after the first discharge conveyor 132, and has the function of transporting the adsorbent to the adsorbent recovery section 134. In this embodiment, a belt conveyor with bars is used as the second discharge conveyor 133, similar to the supply conveyor 112. In this embodiment, since the adsorbent is dried to a certain extent in the process of being transported by the first discharge conveyor 132, a normal belt conveyor whose belt portion is made of an elastic material such as rubber can be used.

[0044] The adsorbent recovery section 134 is a container for storing the discharged adsorbent, and in this embodiment, for example, a transportable container such as a flexible container bag is used. However, this is not the only example, and a stationary container may be used as the adsorbent recovery section 134. In this embodiment, the adsorbent discharged from the tank main body 121 is dried on the first discharge conveyor 132 before being transferred to the adsorbent recovery section 134, so that it is possible to suppress problems such as the adsorbent containing moisture accumulating in the adsorbent recovery section 134 and becoming heavy.

[0045] As described above, the water treatment device 100 of this embodiment has a function of automatically supplying the adsorbent to the adsorbent-filled tank 120 and a function of automatically discharging the adsorbent from the adsorbent-filled tank 120, and is capable of flowing the adsorbent from the top to the bottom inside the adsorbent-filled tank 120. In other words, since the water treatment device 100 of this embodiment is structured to supply and discharge the adsorbent to the single adsorbent-filled tank 120, it is possible to easily operate it and has superior maintainability compared to conventional devices.

[0046] In addition, raw water is supplied to the adsorbent-filled tank 120 from below, and overflowing treated water is discharged from above. That is, in the adsorbent-filled tank 120, the supplied raw water moves upward inside the adsorbent-filled tank 120 and comes into contact with the adsorbent. Usually, the adsorbent's adsorption performance decreases with use, so the older the adsorbent, the lower the adsorbent's adsorption performance. Therefore, it can be said that the adsorbent filled inside the adsorbent-filled tank 120 has a lower adsorption performance as it is located at the bottom. However, in this embodiment, since raw water is supplied from the bottom of the adsorbent-filled tank 120, the supplied raw water first comes into contact with the old adsorbent (the lower adsorbent). Since the supplied raw water has a high concentration of dissolved substances, even an adsorbent with a reduced adsorption performance can obtain a certain adsorption effect. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the supplied raw water moves upward while contacting the adsorbent, so that the more it moves upward, the more it comes into contact with new adsorbents that maintain their adsorption performance. Therefore, even if the concentration of dissolved substances in the raw water has decreased due to the adsorption treatment, it is possible to efficiently remove (adsorb) the dissolved substances in the raw water by contacting the raw water with new adsorbent that maintains its adsorption performance.

[0047] Furthermore, in the water treatment device 100 of this embodiment, old adsorbent that has moved downward is discharged and new adsorbent is replenished from above, so that the adsorbent is continuously replaced and the adsorption performance of the entire device can be constantly maintained. That is, in the water treatment device 100, the adsorbent is continuously replaced, so there is no need to replace the adsorbents all at once on a regular basis, and fluctuations in the adsorption performance (for example, the phosphorus removal rate, etc.) can be suppressed and loss of the treatment capacity of the adsorbent can be reduced.

[0048] Furthermore, the water treatment device 100 of this embodiment is provided with a discharge buffer section 131, and is structured to discharge a predetermined amount of the adsorbent and a portion of the water to be treated from the adsorbent filling tank 120 at a time. Therefore, by a simple configuration in which a drainable discharge conveyor such as a mesh conveyor is arranged below the discharge buffer section 131, the sufficiently dried adsorbent can be recovered in the adsorbent recovery section 134. In this way, by providing the discharge buffer section 131, it is not necessary to use the screw conveyor described in the prior art, and the cost of the device can be reduced. In addition, when a screw conveyor is used, the adsorbent may be crushed into small pieces by the screw during the transportation process, but the water treatment device 100 of this embodiment does not cause such a problem and is therefore advantageous when reusing the adsorbent.

[0049] [Operation of the discharge buffer] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the adsorbent discharge section 130 in the water treatment device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 particularly shows the operation of the discharge buffer section 131 and the first discharge conveyor 132. In Fig. 4, the respective reference characters shown in the drawing are the same as those used in Fig. 3, and therefore detailed description of each part will be omitted.

[0050] 5 is an example of a timing chart showing the operation of the adsorbent discharge unit 130 in the water treatment device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The timings (1) to (6) shown in FIG. 4 correspond to the timings (1) to (6) shown in FIG. 5, respectively.

[0051] In "(1) Normal Operation", purification treatment (adsorption treatment) is performed in the tank body 121. The first valve 131a and the second valve 131c are both closed, and the adsorbent holding section 131b is empty. In this embodiment, since a ball valve is used as the first valve 131a, there is no leakage of the water to be treated from the tank body 121. The operations of the first discharge conveyor 132 and the washing device 132a are stopped.

[0052] In "(2) First valve open", the first valve 131a is open and the second valve 131c is closed. Since the first valve 131a is open, the adsorbent 20 and a part of the water to be treated are discharged from the tank body 121 into the adsorbent holding part 131b. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the adsorbent 20 and the like are intended to include the adsorbent 20 and a part of the water to be treated that falls along with it. Since the second valve 131c is closed, when the adsorbent holding part 131b is filled with the adsorbent 20 and a part of the water to be treated, the movement of the adsorbent 20 from the tank body 121 stops.

[0053] In "(3) First valve closed", the first valve 131a is closed, blocking communication between the tank main body 121 and the adsorbent holding section 131b. As a result, a predetermined amount of the adsorbent 20, etc., determined by the volume of the adsorbent holding section 131b, is stored inside the adsorbent holding section 131b.

[0054] In "(4) Second valve open", the second valve 131c is opened and a predetermined amount of the adsorbent 20, etc. is discharged from the adsorbent holding section 131b. The discharged adsorbent 20, etc. falls onto the first discharge conveyor 132. In this embodiment, since a mesh conveyor is used as the first discharge conveyor 132, the adsorbent 20 remains on the mesh belt, but the water to be treated passes through the mesh belt and is removed. During this time, the first valve 131a remains closed.

[0055] When the adsorbent 20 and the like fall from the adsorbent holding section 131b, it is preferable to operate the first discharge conveyor 132. If the adsorbent 20 is dropped onto the mesh belt while the first discharge conveyor 132 is operating, the thickness of the adsorbent 20 deposited on the mesh belt becomes thin, so that the adsorbent 20 can be dried quickly. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5, the first discharge conveyor 132 is operated from the timing when the first valve 131a is opened to the timing when the second valve 131c is closed, but this is not limited to this example, and the first discharge conveyor 132 may be operated at the timing when the second valve 131c is opened.

[0056] In "(5) Second valve closed", the second valve 131c is closed, and both the first valve 131a and the second valve 131c are closed. The adsorbent material 20 that dropped onto the first discharge conveyor 132 in "(4) Second valve open" continues to be left on the first discharge conveyor 132. As shown in Fig. 5, during this period, the operation of the first discharge conveyor 132 stops, and this period is set as a period for drying the adsorbent material 20.

[0057] In "(6) Adsorbent recovery", the first discharge conveyor 132 is operated to transfer the dried adsorbent 20. Although not shown in Fig. 4, as shown in Fig. 5, the second discharge conveyor 133 is also operated together with the first discharge conveyor 132. As a result, the adsorbent 20 is transferred to the adsorbent recovery section 134 via the second discharge conveyor 133 at the subsequent stage, and a predetermined amount of the adsorbent 20 discharged from the tank main body 121 is recovered.

[0058] In this embodiment, after the second discharge conveyor 133 is stopped, the cleaning device 132a is operated while continuing to operate the first discharge conveyor 132. Then, by spraying water or the like from the cleaning device 132a onto the belt portion of the first discharge conveyor 132, the adsorbent or the like adhering to the belt portion of the first discharge conveyor 132 can be cleaned.

[0059] By periodically repeating the series of steps described above, the adsorbent 20 is intermittently recovered from the tank body 121 of the adsorbent-filled tank 120. During this time, the purification process (adsorption process) in the adsorbent-filled tank 120 continues continuously, and old adsorbent can be replaced while maintaining continuous operation.

[0060] [Adsorbent supply unit operation] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the adsorbent supply unit 110 in the water treatment device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Since the reference symbols in Fig. 6 are the same as those in Fig. 3, detailed description of each part will be omitted.

[0061] In "(1) normal operation", the tank body 121 is filled with the maximum amount of adsorbent 20, and a purification process (adsorption process) is being performed. The distance sensor 124 measures a distance H1 to the top surface of the adsorbent 20 located directly below. The distance H1 measured at this time is stored in the memory of the control unit 140 as a reference value.

[0062] In "(2) First valve open", as described with reference to Fig. 4, the first valve 131a is opened, and a predetermined amount of the adsorbent 20 is discharged from the tank main body 121. Therefore, the height of the upper surface of the adsorbent 20 in the tank main body 121 is reduced by the amount of the reduced adsorbent 20. Here, it is assumed that the distance to the upper surface of the adsorbent 20 measured by the distance sensor 124 has changed to H2 due to the reduction in the adsorbent 20.

[0063] In "(3) Supply conveyor operation", the supply conveyor 112 is operated under the control of the control unit 140 to supply (replenish) new adsorbent 20 to the tank main body 121. The measurement value of the distance sensor 124 is constantly monitored by the control unit 140. Specifically, the control unit 140 compares the measurement value of the distance sensor 124 with the above-mentioned reference value (H1) and determines whether the measurement value H satisfies H>H1.

[0064] As described above, when the first valve 131a is opened and the amount of adsorbent 20 inside the tank main body 121 decreases, the position of the upper surface of the adsorbent 20 drops, and the measurement value of the distance sensor 124 changes to distance H2. At this time, the control unit 140 determines that H=H2>H1 is satisfied, and operates the supply conveyor 112. In this way, when the control unit 140 detects that the amount of adsorbent 20 inside the tank main body 121 has decreased by monitoring the measurement value of the distance sensor 124, it operates the supply conveyor 112 to start supplying (replenishing) the adsorbent 20 to the tank main body 121.

[0065] As the supply conveyor 112 operates, the position of the upper surface of the adsorbent 20 inside the tank body 121 gradually rises. In this case, the control unit 140 also compares the measurement value of the distance sensor 124 with the above-mentioned reference value to determine whether or not H>H1 is satisfied. In the state shown in "(3) Supply conveyor operating" in Fig. 5, the measurement value H (=H3) measured by the distance sensor 124 still satisfies H=H3>H1, so the supply conveyor 112 continues to operate.

[0066] In "(4) Stop supply conveyor", the measurement value H of the distance sensor 124 finally returns to H1, and the control unit 140 determines that the relationship H>H1 is not satisfied. In other words, the control unit 140 determines that the maximum amount of adsorbent 20 has been supplied to the inside of the tank main body 121. Therefore, the control unit 140 stops the operation of the supply conveyor 112, and stops the supply of adsorbent 20.

[0067] As described above, in the water treatment device 100 of this embodiment, the amount of adsorbent 20 filled inside the tank body 121 is indirectly measured by the distance sensor 124. The measurement value of the distance sensor 124 is monitored by the control unit 140, and when it is determined that the amount of adsorbent 20 filled inside the tank body 121 has decreased, the control unit 140 operates the supply conveyor 112 to supply (replenish) the adsorbent 20. In this way, the water treatment device 100 is capable of intermittently replacing the adsorbent 20 whose adsorption capacity has decreased, while continuously performing a purification process of raw water using the adsorbent.

[0068] (Variation 1) In the water treatment device 100 of this embodiment, an example has been shown in which the adsorbent is intermittently supplied to the adsorbent filling tank 120 by the operation of the adsorbent supply unit 110, but the adsorbent supply unit 110 may be omitted. For example, when a predetermined amount of adsorbent has been discharged by the operation of the adsorbent discharge unit 130, the control unit 140 may notify an administrator of this fact. Then, the administrator who has received the notification may replenish the adsorbent filling tank 120 with new adsorbent using a transport means such as a crane.

[0069] It is also possible to dispose the adsorbent holding section 111 in the adsorbent supply section 110 above the adsorbent filling tank 120, and supply the adsorbent discharged from the adsorbent holding section 111 directly to the adsorbent filling tank 120. In this case, the supply conveyor 112 can be omitted from the adsorbent supply section 110.

[0070] (Variation 2) In the adsorbent-filled tank 120 of this embodiment, an air supply port may be provided in the lower part of the tank body 121. Specifically, the air supply port may be provided in the side wall below (for example, at a position near the lower end of) the inverted pyramidal (or inverted conical) part provided in the tank body 121. An air compressor may be connected to the air supply port so that air can be forcibly fed in.

[0071] In this embodiment, the adsorbent naturally falls and moves downward inside the tank body 121, so there is a risk that the adsorbent may clog the inverted pyramid-shaped portion. In such a case, the clogging can be eliminated by forcibly feeding air using an air compressor. For example, when the measurement value of the distance sensor 124 described with reference to Figs. 3 and 6 hardly fluctuates for a predetermined period (when the amount of fluctuation within the predetermined period falls within a predetermined range), the control unit 140 may control the air compressor to forcibly feed air.

[0072] (Variation 3) In this embodiment, an example has been shown in which the timing of adsorbent supply by adsorbent supply unit 110 is controlled using the measured value of distance sensor 124, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, load cells may be provided evenly on the side surface of tank body 121 of adsorbent filling tank 120, and the operation of at least one of supply conveyor 112 and rotary valve 113 in adsorbent supply unit 110 may be controlled by sensing the change in weight of tank body 121 (i.e., the change in weight of the filled adsorbent).

[0073] (Variation 4) In this embodiment, an example has been shown in which a portion of the water to be treated discharged together with the adsorbent 20 by the first discharge conveyor 132 is removed, and the adsorbent 20 is dried to a certain extent, and then transferred to the adsorbent recovery section 134 using the second discharge conveyor 133. However, this embodiment is not limited to this example, and it is also possible to omit the second discharge conveyor 132. For example, the adsorbent 20 may be configured to be directly transferred to the adsorbent recovery section 134 by the first discharge conveyor 132.

[0074] The embodiments of the present invention and their modified examples can be combined as appropriate as long as they are not mutually inconsistent. Based on the water treatment device of each of the above-mentioned embodiments or their modified examples, a person skilled in the art may add, delete, or modify components as appropriate, or add, omit, or modify steps as appropriate, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as they include the gist of the present invention.

[0075] Furthermore, even if there are other effects and advantages different from those brought about by the above-mentioned embodiments or their modified forms, those which are clear from the description in this specification or which can be easily predicted by a person skilled in the art are naturally understood to be brought about by the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 5... sewage treatment facility, 10... water treatment system, 11... raw water storage tank, 12... flow rate adjustment tank, 13... treated water storage tank, 20... adsorbent, 21... raw water supply pipe, 22... treated water transfer pipe, 100... water treatment device, 110... adsorbent supply section, 111... adsorbent holding section, 112... supply conveyor, 113... rotary valve, 120... adsorbent filling tank, 121... tank main body section, 122... raw water supply section, 123... water receiving section, 123a... opening, 124... distance sensor, 130... adsorbent discharge section, 131... discharge buffer section, 131a... first valve, 131b... adsorbent holding section, 131c... second valve, 132... first discharge conveyor, 132a... cleaning device, 133... second discharge conveyor, 134... adsorbent recovery section, 140... control section

Claims

1. an adsorbent filled tank for performing an adsorption treatment on the raw water using an adsorbent; a discharge buffer section including a first valve connected below the adsorbent filling tank, an adsorbent holding section connected to the first valve, and a second valve connected to the adsorbent holding section; The water treatment device comprises:

2. The water treatment device according to claim 1 , further comprising a first discharge conveyor disposed below the discharge buffer section and capable of draining water from the adsorbent discharged from the discharge buffer section.

3. 3. The water treatment device of claim 2, wherein the first discharge conveyor is a mesh conveyor.

4. The water treatment device according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising a second discharge conveyor disposed downstream of the first discharge conveyor for transporting the adsorbent to an adsorbent recovery section.

5. The water treatment device of claim 4 , wherein the second discharge conveyor is a belt conveyor.

6. The adsorbent is supplied from above the adsorbent-filled tank and discharged from below the adsorbent-filled tank, The water treatment device according to claim 1 , wherein the raw water is supplied from below the adsorbent-filled tank and moves upward to come into contact with the adsorbent.

7. The water treatment device according to claim 1 , wherein the first valve is a ball valve, and the second valve is a knife gate valve.

8. The water treatment device according to claim 1 , wherein the adsorbent tank further includes a distance sensor that detects a position of an upper surface of the adsorbent filled inside the adsorbent tank.

9. The water treatment device according to claim 8 , further comprising a control unit that controls a timing of supplying the adsorbent in response to a detection result of the distance sensor.

10. The water treatment device according to claim 9 , wherein the control unit further controls opening and closing timings of the first valve and the second valve.

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