Urine Absorbent Material for Simple Toilets

Abstract

Provided is a urine absorbent material for a simple toilet that reduces the environmental load by recycling waste paper, suppresses visual coloring caused by urine, and reduces resistance during use. 【Solution means】The urine absorbent material of this embodiment includes waste paper fragments derived from crushed waste paper and a superabsorbent resin mixed with the waste paper fragments. When the superabsorbent resin is 10 parts by weight, the waste paper fragments are mixed at 35 to 40 parts by weight. At the same time, the waste paper fragments contain, in an amount of 85% or more of the total weight of the waste paper fragments, first fragments in which the length of at least one side among a plurality of sides is 10 mm or more.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This embodiment relates to a urine absorbent material for a simple toilet.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, for example, in times of emergency such as disasters and traffic jams, simple toilets that are easily used are becoming popular. Such a simple toilet requires an absorbent material for absorbing and holding urine. Conventionally, as such a urine absorbent material, for example, an absorbent material as shown in Patent Document 1 has been proposed. The absorbent material disclosed in Patent Document 1 contains plant fiber and a water-absorbing resin component. As the plant fiber, this absorbent material contains crushed waste paper and virgin pulp. Thus, in the case of Patent Document 1, waste paper is recycled as a raw material of the absorbent material to reduce the environmental load.

[0003] However, in the case of Patent Document 1, the absorbent material does not consider the feeling of use when in use. As the name implies, the urine absorbent material used in a simple toilet absorbs urine. Although urine varies depending on conditions such as the user's constitution, it is generally colored. Therefore, if the absorbent material is a white or light-colored material close to white, the absorbent material will be colored by urine when using the simple toilet. As a result, when using the simple toilet, the user may visually recognize the colored absorbent material by others, and there is a problem that the feeling of use is not high.

[0004] In particular, when using fine crushed waste paper or defibrated materials as in Patent Document 1, by mixing with virgin pulp, the absorbent material exhibits a color close to white from light gray. Therefore, there is a problem that the resistance during use becomes greater for visual reasons.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Therefore, an object is to provide a urine absorbent material for a simple toilet that reduces the environmental impact by recycling waste paper, suppresses visual coloring caused by urine, and reduces the resistance during use.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The waste paper fragments of this embodiment are large in size and colored with the color derived from the waste paper as a raw material. Therefore, when the absorbent material is applied to a simple toilet, the color of the urine by the user is visually appealing due to the original coloring of the waste paper fragments. Also, the absorbent material of this embodiment mainly contains waste paper fragments having a large size like the first crushed material. Therefore, when the user's urine comes into contact with the absorbent material, first, the large waste paper fragments quickly absorb the urine. At this time, since the surface area of the waste paper fragments has been expanded by crushing, the urine is absorbed in a short time of about several seconds. Then, the urine absorbed by the waste paper fragments slowly migrates to the superabsorbent resin. The superabsorbent resin absorbs the urine and swells and colors due to the urine. At this time, since the superabsorbent resin and the waste paper fragments are mixed, the colored superabsorbent resin is mixed with the waste paper fragments and the visual appeal is reduced. Therefore, while reducing the environmental impact by recycling waste paper, visual coloring caused by urine can be suppressed and the resistance during use can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of a urine absorption material (hereinafter abbreviated as "absorption material") will be described with reference to the drawings. The absorption material is used as a urine absorption material for a simple toilet. The simple toilet is used, for example, for portable use or for temporary facilities such as shelters. The absorption material of the present embodiment includes shredded waste paper and a superabsorbent resin. The shredded waste paper is derived from various paper products such as newspapers, magazines, wrapping paper, milk cartons, cardboard, and the like. The shredded waste paper is generated as fragments that retain the printing and coloring of the base material of the raw material paper products by crushing these paper products. Although there is no definition of standardized dimensions for the shredded waste paper, it is crushed into various dimensions. The shredded waste paper is generated in various dimensions, for example, from a state where it is simply crushed by a large device into a block shape with at least one side length of more than several tens of centimeters to a state where it is finely crushed into a cotton-like shape with a side length of about several micrometers depending on the type of device for crushing the paper products. The finer the shredded waste paper is crushed, the more the processing man-hours increase and the processing cost increases.

[0010] In the present embodiment, the shredded waste paper uses first shredded material and second shredded material. The first shredded material is obtained by simply crushing paper products derived from, for example, newspapers or magazines, and as shown in FIG. 1, the length of at least one side among the plurality of sides of the fragment is 10 mm or more.

[0011] The waste paper fragments are irregularly broken by equipment for crushing. Therefore, the fragments of the waste paper fragments do not have a specific shape. The waste paper fragments broken by the equipment become fragments of any other shape, such as strip-shaped, belt-shaped, chip-shaped, polygonal plate-shaped, etc. Therefore, the fragments of the waste paper fragments have an irregular shape with a plurality of short sides, long sides, and sides of other lengths. In this embodiment, among these multiple sides, the crushed material with at least one side having a length of 10 mm or more is defined as the first crushed material. As shown in FIG. 1, this first crushed material has a sufficient size. As is also clear from FIG. 1, it is more preferable that at least one of the plurality of sides of the first crushed material has a length of 30 mm or more. Also, it is preferable that at least two or more of the plurality of sides of the first crushed material have a length of 10 mm or more. Further, it is preferable that the average of the lengths of the two longer sides among the plurality of sides of the first crushed material is 10 mm or more.

[0012] The second crushed material is a crushed material smaller than the first crushed material. The second crushed material is generated by feeding it into equipment with a smaller interval between cutting blades for breaking than that of the first crushed material. Therefore, the second crushed material has smaller dimensions compared to the first crushed material, and as shown in FIG. 2, the length of the smallest side among the plurality of sides is 1 mm to 10 mm. Similar to the first crushed material, this second crushed material is also irregularly broken, so the fragments do not have a specific shape. In this embodiment, among the plurality of sides of the crushed material, the crushed material with the smallest side length of 1 mm to 10 mm is defined as the second crushed material. As shown in FIG. 2, the side length of this second crushed material is 1 mm to 10 mm, and it is finer compared to the first crushed material. Of course, in the process of breaking, fine pieces with the length of the smallest side among the plurality of sides less than 1 mm are also mixed into the waste paper fragments. These fine pieces with a side length less than 1 mm do not fall into either the first crushed material or the second crushed material.

[0013] Superabsorbent resin is a functional polymer known as so-called SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer) that has high water absorption and water retention performance. Due to its high water absorbency, the superabsorbent resin can absorb and retain moisture such as urine. The absorbent material of the present embodiment is characterized by including the above-mentioned shredded waste paper and this superabsorbent resin.

[0014] In the absorbent material of the present embodiment, when the superabsorbent resin is 10 parts by weight, the shredded waste paper is mixed at 35 to 40 parts by weight. At the same time, in the absorbent material of the present embodiment, 85% or more of the total weight of the shredded waste paper is the first shredded material. The absorbent material of the present embodiment may contain the second shredded material. In this case, the second shredded material is 0 to 15% of the total weight of the shredded waste paper.

[0015] Thus, in the absorbent material of the present embodiment, the shredded waste paper mainly composed of the first shredded material and the superabsorbent resin are mixed. The shredded waste paper is derived from various paper products as described above. Therefore, the shredded waste paper is in the state where the surface state at the time of use before shredding, that is, the printing by ink, is retained. That is, the shredded waste paper remains in a simply shredded state without undergoing decolorization treatment such as ink removal and bleaching. Therefore, the shredded waste paper is in an irregular colored state with the printing at the time of use retained. Also, the shredded waste paper is not limited to printing by ink, and for example, the base paper itself may be colored like newsprint. As a result, the shredded waste paper of the present embodiment is mixed with the superabsorbent resin in a colored state that is not white. The shredded waste paper of the present embodiment has a non-white color such as a grayish color derived from newsprint, a yellowish color derived from cardboard, and a dark color mixed with various colors derived from various printed materials such as waste paper and flyers. Although the color of this shredded waste paper varies depending on the type and mixing ratio of the waste paper used as the raw material, it does not exhibit white.

[0016] Thus, the waste paper crushed material of this embodiment is colored. Therefore, when the absorbent material is applied for a simple toilet, the color of urine by the user is visually less appealing due to the original coloring of this waste paper crushed material. For example, when virgin pulp is included like in a conventional absorbent material, the absorbent material becomes a light color close to white, and the color of urine by the user is more visually prominent. In contrast, for the absorbent material of this embodiment, since the waste paper crushed material is colored, the visual appeal of urine by the user is alleviated.

[0017] Also, the absorbent material of this embodiment mainly contains waste paper crushed material with large dimensions like the first crushed material. Therefore, when the user's urine comes into contact with the absorbent material, first, the large waste paper crushed material quickly absorbs the urine. At this time, since the surface area of the waste paper crushed material has expanded due to crushing, it absorbs the urine in a short time of about several seconds. Then, the urine absorbed by the waste paper crushed material slowly migrates to the superabsorbent resin. The superabsorbent resin absorbs the urine and swells and is colored due to the urine. However, since the superabsorbent resin and the waste paper crushed material are mixed, the colored superabsorbent resin is blended in the waste paper crushed material and the visual appeal becomes small.

[0018] Thus, the absorbent material of this embodiment quickly absorbs urine with the waste paper crushed material, and the urine absorbed by the waste paper crushed material migrates to the superabsorbent resin. Therefore, the water absorption performance of the absorbent material as a whole is ensured by the superabsorbent resin. That is, the absorbent material of this embodiment can achieve both rapid absorption of urine by the waste paper crushed material and retention of a large amount of urine by the superabsorbent resin. And since the absorbent material of this embodiment is derived from large waste paper crushed material that is originally colored, the color of urine by the user is obfuscated by the waste paper crushed material, and the resistance during use can be reduced.

[0019] (Example) Hereinafter, examples of this embodiment will be described based on FIGS. 3 and 4. Figure 3 shows the relationship between the mixing ratio of the first crushed material and the superabsorbent resin contained in the absorbent material and the test results. The absorbent materials of Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 to 5 shown in Figure 3 all contain the first crushed material as waste paper crushed material and also contain a superabsorbent resin. As the waste paper crushed material, widely used waste paper crushed material derived from various paper products such as newspapers, magazines, wrapping paper, milk cartons, and cardboard as described above was used. As the superabsorbent resin, the product name "Aquaric CA (registered trademark)" manufactured by Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd. was used. This superabsorbent resin can absorb physiological saline corresponding to 30 g to 60 g of urine per 1 g as the theoretical water absorption amount in the catalog value.

[0020] The absorbent material obtained by mixing these waste paper crushed materials and the superabsorbent resin was verified for its performance by "water absorption test", "visual test for 30 seconds", and "visual test for 3 minutes". The test water corresponding to urine used in the "water absorption test", "visual test for 30 seconds", and "visual test for 3 minutes" was physiological saline (salt concentration 1%) colored with 100 ppm of methylene blue. Although urine is colored from light yellow to yellow, methylene blue was used to color it blue to enhance visibility for the test.

[0021] (Water absorption test) In the "water absorption test", 500 g (500 ml) of test water assuming one excretion portion of urine was poured into the absorbent material obtained by mixing the waste paper crushed material and the superabsorbent resin, and it was verified whether all the test water could be absorbed. In Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 to 5, the total amount of the absorbent material was 50 g, and the mixing ratio of the waste paper crushed material and the superabsorbent resin was changed. The verification results were marked as "△" for examples where all the test water could be absorbed, "○" for examples where all the test water could be absorbed with a margin, "×" for examples where a part of the test water could not be absorbed, and further, examples with sufficient remaining capacity for absorbing the test water were marked as "◎".

[0022] (Visual test for 30 seconds) "Visual Test for 30 Seconds": After 500 g (500 ml) of test water was poured into the absorbent material, the appearance of the absorbent material after 30 seconds elapsed was verified. In Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 to 5, the total amount of the absorbent material was 50 g, and the mixing ratio of the shredded waste paper and the superabsorbent resin was changed. The verification result visually determines whether the test water remains in a liquid state on the surface of the absorbent material after 30 seconds. In this verification result, the state where the test water remains on the surface of the absorbent material after 30 seconds is marked as "×", and the state where almost no test water is visually recognized on the surface of the absorbent material after 30 seconds is marked as "○". Furthermore, the verification result marks the state where the surface of the absorbent material is sufficiently clean as "◎" after 30 seconds. When the user visually recognizes that the test water remains on the surface of the absorbent material, the user feels that the absorbent material is dirty. Therefore, "Visual Test for 30 Seconds" uses the verification result as an index for objectively judging the dirtiness of this absorbent material.

[0023] (Visual Test for 3 Minutes) "Visual Test for 3 Minutes": Similar to the above-mentioned "Visual Test for 30 Seconds", after 500 g (500 ml) of test water was poured into the absorbent material, the appearance of the absorbent material after 3 minutes elapsed was verified. In Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 to 5, the total amount of the absorbent material was 50 g, and the mixing ratio of the shredded waste paper and the superabsorbent resin was changed. The verification result visually determines whether the absorbent material solidifies after 3 minutes and whether the test water remains in a liquid state on the surface of the absorbent material. In this verification result, the state where the solidification of the absorbent material is insufficient or the test water remains on the surface of the absorbent material after 3 minutes is marked as "×", and the state where the absorbent material is sufficiently solidified and almost no test water is visually recognized on the surface of the absorbent material after 3 minutes is marked as "○". Furthermore, the verification result marks the state where the surface of the absorbent material is sufficiently clean as "◎" after 3 minutes. When the user visually recognizes that the absorbent material is not sufficiently solidified and the test water remains on the surface of the absorbent material, the user feels that the absorbent material is dirty. Therefore, "Visual Test for 3 Minutes" uses the verification result as an index for objectively judging the dirtiness of this absorbent material.

[0024] (Verification Results of Water Absorption Test) The higher the weight ratio of the superabsorbent resin in the absorbent material, the more test water the absorbent material absorbs. Therefore, the verification results are "Δ" or "○" when the weight ratio of the superabsorbent resin is higher. That is, as shown in Figure 3, when the total amount of the absorbent material is 50 g, Example 1 in which the weight of the waste paper crushed material is 40 g and the weight of the superabsorbent resin is 10 g can absorb all the test water. Similarly, with the total amount of the absorbent material being 50 g, Comparative Examples 3 to 5 in which the weight of the superabsorbent resin is 10 g or more resulted in being able to absorb all the test water with a margin. On the other hand, Comparative Examples 1 and 2 in which the weight of the superabsorbent resin is less than 10 g with the total amount of the absorbent material being 50 g resulted in being unable to absorb some of the test water.

[0025] (Verification Results of Visual Test) Regarding the visual test, both at 30 seconds and 3 minutes, the mixing ratio of the waste paper crushed material and the superabsorbent resin in the absorbent material has an impact. When the superabsorbent resin is 10 parts by weight as in Example 1, the absorbent material containing 40 parts by weight of the waste paper crushed material had an evaluation of "○" in both the results of the 30 - second visual test and the 3 - minute visual test.

[0026] In contrast, in Comparative Examples 3 to 5, the amount of the superabsorbent resin contained in the absorbent material is larger compared to Example 1. Therefore, in Comparative Examples 3 to 5, there is a shortage of the waste paper crushed material that quickly absorbs the test water after the test water is poured. As a result, in Comparative Examples 3 to 5, even after 30 seconds have passed since the test water was poured, the test water remains on the surface of the absorbent material. Furthermore, in Comparative Examples 3 to 5, even after 3 minutes have passed since the test water was poured, due to the shortage of the waste paper crushed material, the solidification of the absorbent material is insufficient and the test water remains on the surface of the absorbent material.

[0027] Note that in Comparative Examples 1 and 2, the superabsorbent resin is insufficient and cannot absorb the test water sufficiently so that the verification results are "×" in the water absorption test. Therefore, the function as an absorbent material cannot be achieved and the visual test is not performed.

[0028] (Verification of the Weight Ratio of the First Crushed Material and the Second Crushed Material Contained in the Waste Paper Crushed Material) As described above, when the superabsorbent resin was 10 parts by weight, when the shredded waste paper was about 40 parts by weight, good verification results were obtained in the water absorption test and the visual test. Therefore, in FIG. 4, in the shredded waste paper contained in the absorbent material, the weight ratio between the first shredded material and the second shredded material and the results of the water absorption test and the visual test were verified.

[0029] In Example 1, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, all of the shredded waste paper contained in the absorbent material was the first shredded material. In Examples 2 to 6, as shown in FIG. 4, the weight of the superabsorbent resin contained in the absorbent material was made constant, and the shredded waste paper contained in the absorbent material was a mixture of the first shredded material and the second shredded material. Specifically, in Example 2, the first shredded material was 39 g and the second shredded material was 1 g. As a result, in Example 2, the weight ratio of the second shredded material to the total weight of the shredded waste paper was 2.5%. Similarly, in Example 3, the first shredded material was 38 g, the second shredded material was 2 g, and the weight ratio of the second shredded material was 5.0%. In Example 4, the first shredded material was 37 g, the second shredded material was 3 g, and the weight ratio of the second shredded material was 7.5%. In Example 5, the first shredded material was 36 g, the second shredded material was 4 g, and the weight ratio of the second shredded material was 10.0%. In Example 6, the first shredded material was 35 g, the second shredded material was 5 g, and the weight ratio of the second shredded material was 12.5%.

[0030] In the water absorption test, Examples 5 and 6 showed better results compared to the other Examples 1 to 4. This is presumably because Examples 5 and 6 contain a larger amount of the more finely shredded second shredded material as the shredded waste paper, so the surface area of the shredded waste paper is increased and more rapid absorption of the test water is achieved. Similarly, Example 4 with an intermediate mixing ratio of the second shredded material shows improved results in the water absorption test compared to Examples 1 to 3.

[0031] On the one hand, in the visual tests, all of Examples 1 to 6 showed good results. However, in Example 6, the results of the visual test were slightly decreased. This is presumably because in the case of Example 6, as the proportion of the second crushed material increases as the waste paper crushed material contained in the water-absorbing material, the test water tends to remain in the waste paper crushed material containing the second crushed material, and the stains on the surface become more prominent.

[0032] As described above, when the water-absorbing material of the present embodiment has 10 parts by weight of the superabsorbent resin, it is mixed with 35 to 40 parts by weight of the waste paper crushed material. Thereby, the test water assuming urine is quickly absorbed by the waste paper crushed material, and the test water absorbed by the waste paper crushed material migrates to the superabsorbent resin over time. Therefore, the water-absorbing material of the present embodiment quickly absorbs the test water without the test water assuming urine remaining on the surface, and holds a sufficient amount of test water due to the high water absorption and water retention of the superabsorbent resin. And, by setting the mixing ratio of the waste paper crushed material and the superabsorbent resin of the water-absorbing material as in the present embodiment, most of the superabsorbent resin is dispersed and mixed in the waste paper crushed material that is relatively largely broken. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the superabsorbent resin is hidden in the waste paper crushed material and the visibility is reduced. As a result, in the present embodiment, the superabsorbent resin colored by absorbing urine is likely to be hidden by the waste paper crushed material, and the coloring is difficult to visually recognize. Therefore, the overall coloring of the water-absorbing material due to urine can be suppressed, and the resistance during use can be reduced.

[0033] In addition, the water-absorbing material of the present embodiment contains, as the waste paper crushed material, a second crushed material in addition to the first crushed material. Since the second crushed material is broken more finely than the first crushed material, it has a large surface area, and more rapid absorption of the test water assuming urine can be achieved. Therefore, it is possible to promote the rapid absorption of urine while suppressing the coloring of the water-absorbing material.

[0034] The present invention described above is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be applied to various embodiments without departing from the gist thereof.

Claims

1. a shredded waste paper product derived from shredded waste paper, and a superabsorbent resin mixed with the shredded waste paper product, wherein when the superabsorbent resin is 10 parts by weight, the shredded waste paper product is mixed at 35 to 40 parts by weight, and the shredded waste paper product contains, by 85% or more of the total weight of the shredded waste paper product, a first shredded product in which at least one side length of a plurality of sides is 10 mm or more. A urine absorbent material for a simple toilet.

2. the shredded waste paper product further contains a second shredded product smaller than the first shredded product and having a minimum side length of 1 mm to 10 mm among a plurality of sides, and the second shredded product is 0 to 10% of the total weight of the shredded waste paper product. The urine absorbent material for a simple toilet according to Claim 1.

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