Method for producing bittern

Abstract

This invention provides a method for producing magnesium compounds that can be ingested orally without causing fever. [Solution] The present invention provides a method for producing bittern, characterized by contacting flame-retardant magnesium with strongly acidic electrolyzed water produced by the electrolysis of an aqueous sodium chloride solution.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing bittern, which is an aqueous solution mainly composed of magnesium chloride.

Background Art

[0002] A magnesium reduction furnace for reducing magnesium oxide to obtain a negative electrode material for a magnesium fuel cell is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The magnesium reduction furnace described in Patent Document 1 includes a plurality of retorts each having a housing portion for housing briquettes containing magnesium oxide and a reducing agent, and a recovery portion for depositing magnesium evaporated from the briquettes by cooling and recovering the deposited magnesium, a condensing unit for condensing sunlight onto the briquettes in one of the plurality of retorts, and a stage for driving the plurality of retorts in a state where they are placed so that the sunlight condensed by the condensing unit is irradiated onto one of the plurality of retorts. When dolomite ore (CaMg(CO3)2) is used as magnesium oxide, the magnesium reduction furnace described in Patent Document 1 is said to be able to obtain flame-retardant magnesium with calcium added to magnesium.

[0004] On the other hand, magnesium is one of the essential elements necessary for human life support and can be taken into the body by oral ingestion of magnesium compounds. As such an orally ingestible magnesium compound, for example, magnesium citrate is known. The magnesium citrate can be obtained, for example, by reacting magnesium with an aqueous solution of citric acid.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0006] However, the reaction between magnesium and citric acid solution is exothermic, which can make handling difficult.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a method for producing magnesium compounds that can be ingested orally without generating heat, thereby eliminating the aforementioned inconveniences. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The inventors of the present invention diligently studied methods for producing orally ingestible magnesium compounds and, as a result, discovered that by contacting the flame-retardant magnesium obtained when dolomite ore is used as magnesium oxide in the magnesium reduction furnace described in Patent Document 1 with strongly acidic electrolyzed water produced by the electrolysis of an aqueous sodium chloride solution, an orally ingestible magnesium compound, or bittern, can be obtained without generating heat, leading to the present invention.

[0009] Therefore, in order to achieve the above objective, the present invention's method for producing bittern is characterized by contacting flame-retardant magnesium with strongly acidic electrolyzed water produced by the electrolysis of an aqueous sodium chloride solution.

[0010] The electrolysis of the sodium chloride aqueous solution can be carried out by supplying the sodium chloride aqueous solution, prepared by adding sodium chloride to raw water, to an electrolysis apparatus equipped with an ion-permeable diaphragm between a pair of opposing electrodes. Through the electrolysis of the sodium chloride aqueous solution, chloride ions generated by the ionization of sodium chloride permeate the diaphragm and move to the anode-side electrolysis chamber, generating chlorine. This allows for the production of strongly acidic electrolyzed water containing chlorine in the anode-side electrolysis chamber.

[0011] According to the method for producing bittern of the present invention, by contacting the flame-retardant magnesium with the strongly acidic electrolyzed water containing chlorine, magnesium chloride is produced without generating heat, and thus bittern, which is an aqueous solution mainly composed of magnesium chloride, can be obtained. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] A flowchart illustrating the method for producing bittern according to the present invention. [Figure 2] A system configuration diagram showing an example of the apparatus configuration used for the electrolysis of an aqueous sodium chloride solution according to the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the method for producing bittern in this embodiment first involves electrolyzing an aqueous sodium chloride solution in STEP 1 to obtain strongly acidic electrolyzed water in STEP 2. Next, flame-retardant magnesium in STEP 3 is brought into contact with the strongly acidic electrolyzed water in STEP 2, and a contact reaction occurs in STEP 4 to produce magnesium chloride, thereby obtaining bittern, which is an aqueous solution mainly composed of magnesium chloride.

[0015] The electrolysis in STEP 1 can be carried out, for example, by the electrolysis apparatus 1 shown in Figure 2. The electrolysis apparatus 1 includes an electrolytic cell 30 in which an anode electrode 53 and a cathode electrode 73 are arranged opposite each other. The electrolytic cell 30 is separated into an anode electrolysis chamber 51 containing the anode electrode 53 and a cathode electrolysis chamber 71 containing the cathode electrode 73 by an ion-permeable diaphragm 31 placed between the anode electrode 53 and the cathode electrode 73. The anode electrolysis chamber 51 is equipped with an acidic water outlet tube 55. For example, an ion exchange membrane can be used as the diaphragm 31.

[0016] Furthermore, the electrolysis apparatus 1 is equipped with a chloride aqueous solution storage tank 10, which is connected to the anode electrolysis chamber 51 and the cathode electrolysis chamber 71 via a chloride aqueous solution supply pipe 33 equipped with a pump 35 in the middle.

[0017] In the electrolysis apparatus 1, an aqueous sodium chloride solution stored in the aqueous chloride solution storage tank 10 is introduced from the aqueous chloride solution supply pipe 33 into the anode electrolysis chamber 51 and the cathode electrolysis chamber 71, and electrolysis is performed by applying an electric current to the anode electrode 53 and the cathode electrode 73. The aqueous sodium chloride solution is prepared, for example, by adding 2 to 5% by mass of sodium chloride to pure water.

[0018] During the electrolysis of the sodium chloride aqueous solution, the sodium chloride contained in the aqueous solution introduced into the anode electrolysis chamber 51 and the cathode electrolysis chamber 71 dissociates into chloride ions and sodium ions, and the water dissociates into hydroxide ions and hydrogen ions. The chloride ions then permeate the membrane 31 and move to the anode electrolysis chamber 51 to produce chlorine, while the hydrogen ions permeate the membrane 31 and move to the cathode electrolysis chamber 71 to produce hydrogen. The sodium ions also permeate the membrane 31 and move to the cathode electrolysis chamber 71, where they react with hydroxide ions to produce sodium hydroxide.

[0019] The chlorine generated in the anodic electrolysis chamber 51 further generates strong acidic substances such as hypochlorous acid, and as a result, strongly acidic electrolyzed water with a pH of 1 to 2 containing chlorine is obtained in the anodic electrolysis chamber 51. The strongly acidic electrolyzed water is taken out of the anodic electrolysis chamber 51 by the acidic water outlet pipe 55 and subjected to a contact reaction with flame-retardant magnesium in STEP 4.

[0020] The flame-retardant magnesium in STEP3 is a compound in which calcium is added to magnesium, and it can be obtained by using dolomite ore (CaMg(CO3)2) as magnesium oxide in the magnesium reduction furnace described in Patent Document 1. The magnesium reduction furnace described in Patent Document 1 specifically includes a housing portion for housing briquettes containing magnesium oxide and a reducing agent, and a recovery portion for depositing magnesium evaporated from the briquettes by cooling and recovering the deposited magnesium. It comprises a plurality of retorts each having these components, a condensing unit for condensing sunlight onto the briquettes in one of the plurality of retorts, and a stage for driving in such a manner that the sunlight condensed by the condensing unit irradiates one of the plurality of retorts with the plurality of retorts placed thereon. The flame-retardant magnesium contains, for example, calcium in the range of 3.0% by mass based on the total amount.

[0021] According to the method for producing bittern of the present embodiment, by bringing the strong acidic electrolyzed water into contact with the flame-retardant magnesium in STEP4, magnesium chloride is generated without heat generation, and bittern, which is an aqueous solution mainly composed of the magnesium chloride, can be obtained.

Description of Signs

[0022] 10... brine storage tank, 30... electrolytic cell, 31... diaphragm, 33... brine supply pipe, 35... pump, 51... anodic electrolysis chamber, 53... anodic electrode, 55... acidic water extraction pipe, 71... cathodic electrolysis chamber, 73... cathodic electrode.

Claims

[Claim 1] A method for producing bittern, characterized by contacting flame-retardant magnesium with strongly acidic electrolyzed water produced by the electrolysis of an aqueous sodium chloride solution.

Images