Capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid

Abstract

To provide a capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid, which does not require a gas-liquid separator and allows only hydrogen to flow out of the capsule without causing the components of a hydrogen generating agent inside the capsule to leak out. [Solution] A capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid, comprising a hydrogen generating agent container having a hollow portion for accommodating a hydrogen generating agent, and a lid for capping the hydrogen generating agent container, wherein the hydrogen generating agent is stored in the hydrogen generating agent container in a state in which hydrogen can be generated, and after the hydrogen generating agent container containing the hydrogen generating agent is capped with the lid, hydrogen generated from the hydrogen generating agent leaks from the connection between the lid and the hydrogen generating agent container.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a capsule for producing a hydrogen-containing liquid, and more particularly to a technique for efficiently and easily adding hydrogen to an aqueous solution.

[0002] Capsules for generating hydrogen-containing liquid, which are used to generate and fill hydrogen into aqueous solutions in sealed containers such as PET bottles, have been provided with gas-liquid separation units equipped with valves (check valves, ball valves, etc.) and holes with a labyrinth structure in the gas-liquid separation chamber (see Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, and Non-Patent Document 1). This allows hydrogen generated from a hydrogen generating agent housed in the capsule to flow out of the capsule, while preventing the hydrogen generating agent in the capsule from leaking into the aqueous solution, allowing hydrogen to be efficiently dissolved in the aqueous solution. However, because capsules for generating hydrogen-containing liquid must employ the parts and structures described in the above documents as the gas-liquid separation units, there are problems in that the design and manufacturing process become complicated and the manufacturing costs become high. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4652479 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 5871218 [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] Convenient methods for ingestion of molecular hydrogen:drinking, injection, and inhalation.Kurokawa et al.Medical Gas Research(2015)5:13 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid, which has a simple structure without providing an independent gas-liquid separation section as in the conventional case, and which allows only hydrogen to flow out of the capsule and be efficiently added to an aqueous solution without causing the components of the hydrogen generating agent inside the capsule to leak out. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] That is, the present invention includes the following features. (1) a hydrogen generating agent container having a hollow portion for accommodating a hydrogen generating agent; a capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid, comprising a lid for capping the hydrogen generating agent container, The hydrogen generating agent is stored in the hydrogen generating agent container in a state in which hydrogen can be generated, and the hydrogen generating agent container containing the hydrogen generating agent is capped with the lid, and then hydrogen generated from the hydrogen generating agent flows out from the connection between the lid and the hydrogen generating agent container. (2) The capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid according to claim 1, characterized in that hydrogen generated from the hydrogen generating agent leaks from the inside of the capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid to the outside through the connecting portion, but the components of the hydrogen generating agent do not leak. (3) The capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid according to (1) or (2), characterized in that the connection of the connecting portion is a screw type. (4) The capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the hydrogen generating agent container and the cap are made of plastic or metal. (5) A capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid, characterized in that the screw helix at the connection portion has two or more turns, as described in any one of (1) to (4). (6) The capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid described above in (2) is characterized in that it exhibits the function described in (2) without providing an independent gas-liquid separator other than the connecting portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The surprising effect of the capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid according to the present invention is that it can efficiently add hydrogen to an aqueous solution without leaking the hydrogen generating agent inside the capsule to the outside, even though it does not require the independent gas-liquid separator or independent gas-liquid separator structure required in conventional capsules for generating hydrogen-containing liquid. Furthermore, the capsule of the present invention does not require a complex design with valves or spaces for gas-liquid separation or a dedicated manufacturing mold. For example, even a simple bottle product using an inexpensive container or lid that is commonly sold can achieve the same functionality as a product with a conventional gas-liquid separator by applying the structure of the present invention. Thus, the present invention has the excellent advantage of significantly reducing the manufacturing process and manufacturing costs while maintaining high functionality. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a photograph of a hydrogen generating agent container and its lid separated, which is a container used in an example of a capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid according to the present invention (product name: "Stainless Roller Roll-on Bottle 5ml (product number 27-434)" sold by Seiwa Pro Co., Ltd.). [Figure 2] 1 is a photograph of a hydrogen generating agent container connected to its lid, which is a container used in an example of a capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid according to the present invention (product name: "Stainless Roller Roll-on Bottle 5ml (product number 27-434)" sold by Seiwa Pro Co., Ltd.). [Figure 3] 1 is an example of a hydrogen generating agent to be stored in a capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid according to the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is an example of a procedure for producing a hydrogen-containing liquid using a capsule for producing a hydrogen-containing liquid according to the present invention. [Figure 5] 4 shows the results of testing the aluminum concentration in the hydrogen-containing liquid when the capsules of FIGS. 1 and 2 and the hydrogen generating agent of FIG. 3 were used in the method of FIG. [Figure 6]This is a comparative example of a capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid (FOMIYES "Nasal Inhaler Tube Blank for Empty Nose Inhaler, Essential Oil Aroma Diffuser (White)"). The upper capsule in (a) is an integrated unit of the lid 1 and hydrogen generator container 2, while the lower capsule is a separate unit of the lid 1 and hydrogen generator container 2. (b) is a photograph taken so that the protrusions present at the connection part 3 of the lid 1 and the spiral protrusions of the connection part 3 present inside the inner wall of the connection part of the hydrogen generator container 2 can be seen. [Figure 7] 6 shows the results of testing the aluminum concentration in the hydrogen-containing liquid when the capsule of FIG. 6 (comparative example) and the hydrogen generating agent of FIG. 3 were used in the method of FIG. [Figure 8] The photographs show the capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid shown in Figures 1 and 2 with three spirals (threads) at the connection point (top photo), and one with two of the three spirals (threads) filed down. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention will now be described in further detail. 1. About the capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid The capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid according to the present invention comprises a "hydrogen generating agent container" that contains a hydrogen generating agent and a lid that is attached to the container. A screw-type connection can be used to connect the container and the lid. Originally, this connection was designed simply to semi-close the liquid or solid contained inside the hydrogen generating agent container by placing the lid on it, and was not designed for gas-liquid separation. A hydrogen generating agent is placed in the hydrogen generating agent container in a state that allows hydrogen generation, and the lid is attached to complete the capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid. Hydrogen is then generated inside the hydrogen generating agent container, and the container is pressurized. This pressurization creates a minute gap through which hydrogen can flow at the connection between the container and the lid, causing hydrogen to leak to the outside. This hydrogen leakage can occur not only due to expansion caused by pressure, but also due to a minute gap that exists between the container and the lid. However, the connection does not leak the hydrogen generating agent itself or its components to the outside, thereby providing a function that allows safe use. Note that a structure that completely prevents hydrogen from leaking from the connection between the container and the lid used in the present invention is excluded from the scope of the present invention.

[0010] In this specification, "semi-sealed" means a state that is close to being sealed, in which a gap is left at the connection site that allows gases such as hydrogen to pass in both directions but does not easily allow other powders, liquids, etc. to pass through.

[0011] An example of a commercially available product suitable for use as the capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid of the present invention is the "Stainless Steel Roller Roll-on Bottle 5ml (product number 27-434)" sold by Seiwa Pro Co., Ltd. (Matsubara City, Osaka Prefecture) with the roller portion removed (Figures 1 and 2).

[0012] The capsules manufactured by Seiwa Pro Co., Ltd. used in the present invention were originally designed for the simple storage of cosmetics, aroma oils, etc., and are not designed for gas-liquid separation when producing hydrogen-containing liquids, as in the inventions described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, and have a different technical concept. These capsules are made of polypropylene, but any material suitable for food and beverage use and safe for living organisms can be used in the present invention. Furthermore, the thread on the screw-type connection between the container and lid of the Seiwa Pro Co., Ltd. capsule described above has three turns of the thread between the 1-cm-wide connection.

[0012] For example, a product in which the hydrogen generator container is made of glass and the lid is made of plastic can also be used. A specific example is a 10 mL roll-on bottle (product code 6359) sold by Karis Seijo (Seijo, Setagaya Ward, Tokyo) with the roll removed. The spiral (thread) at the screw-type connection between the capsule container and the lid of Karis Seijo capsules runs twice around the 7 mm wide connection.

[0013] The spiral pitch (the distance between the threads) of the lid and container of the bottle container used in the hydrogen-containing liquid generating capsule of the present invention is such that if the pitch is too narrow, the outflow of hydrogen is hindered, and if the pitch is too wide, aluminum, one of the raw materials for the hydrogen generating agent, is more likely to leak from inside the capsule. Therefore, a bottle container with a pitch of 0.5 mm to 6.0 mm can be used, with 1.5 mm to 5.0 mm being preferred, and 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm being more preferred.

[0014] 2. Method for producing hydrogen-containing liquid using a capsule for producing hydrogen-containing liquid A method for producing hydrogen-containing liquid using the capsule for producing hydrogen-containing liquid according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0015] Figure 3 shows a hydrogen generating agent that can be used in the present invention wrapped in nonwoven fabric ("10WATER" manufactured by MiZ Corporation, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture). The hydrogen generating agent is a mixture of aluminum powder and calcium hydroxide powder, and can generate hydrogen when it reacts with water (Non-Patent Document 1). Although both ingredients of the generating agent are approved as food additives, it is desirable to avoid their leaching into the liquid when generating hydrogen-containing liquid as much as possible. Therefore, the capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid according to the present invention must be able to release hydrogen from inside the capsule but prevent the components of the hydrogen generating agent from leaking into the liquid.

[0016] FIG. 4 is a photograph of the hydrogen-containing liquid generating capsule of the present invention (sold by Seiwa Pro Co., Ltd., product name: Stainless Roller Roll-on Bottle 5ml (product number 27-434)) and a method of adding hydrogen to a liquid in a sealed PET bottle using the hydrogen generator shown in FIG. 3. The following explains A to D in FIG. 4. Figure 4A: The hydrogen generating agent shown in Figure 3 is thoroughly permeated with water and then placed in the hydrogen generating container of the capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid according to the present invention. After placement, the hydrogen generating container is closed with a lid. The hydrogen is mixed so that generation begins 5 to 10 minutes after the water is permeated into the hydrogen generating agent. Figure 4B: Fill a pressure-resistant PET bottle used for carbonated drinks with drinking water (sports drinks, tea, etc. are also acceptable) until it is full, and then place the hydrogen-containing liquid generating capsule containing the hydrogen generating agent permeated with water (Figure 4A) inside. Figure 4C: Tighten the lid of the plastic bottle tightly to prevent air from getting inside the bottle. Figure 4D: Hydrogen is generated inside a sealed plastic bottle when it is left standing at room temperature. When hydrogen is generated inside the bottle, the generated hydrogen pressurizes the inside of the bottle. According to Henry's law, as the pressure increases, hydrogen is forced into the liquid inside the bottle, increasing the hydrogen concentration in the liquid. Figure 4D is a photo taken after hydrogen generation, and hydrogen bubbles can be seen at the top of the bottle and directly below it. [Example] [Example]

[0017] -Aluminum elution confirmation test- We actually produced hydrogen-containing liquid using purified water using the method in Figure 4 above, and checked for the presence of aluminum, one of the hydrogen generating agents, in the produced hydrogen water. The hydrogen-containing liquid generating capsule was a product with the roll removed (manufactured by Seiwa Pro Co., Ltd., product name: Stainless Roller Roll-on Bottle 5ml (product number 27-434)). The hydrogen generating agent was "10WATER" manufactured by MiZ Co., Ltd. (Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture). Aluminum was tested using the ERC colorimetric method with Kyoritsu Rikagaku Kenkyusho's Pack Test "Aluminum." For comparison, purified water before producing hydrogen water was used as a control. The hydrogen test results are shown in Figure 6. The sample on the left in the photo shows the colorimetric test result for purified water, and the sample labeled "Sample" shows the result for hydrogen water produced using the method in Figure 4. No aluminum leaching was confirmed in the hydrogen water, even when compared to the "standard color" in Figure 6.

[0018] - Hydrogen Dissolution Confirmation Test - The presence of hydrogen in the PET bottle can be confirmed visually by observing the hydrogen bubbles, as shown in the photograph in Figure 4D. However, when the hydrogen concentration in the purified water was checked using a dissolved hydrogen concentration determination reagent (manufactured by MiZ Corporation: Patent No. 4511361), it was confirmed that 5.5 ppm of hydrogen was dissolved 30 minutes after hydrogen generation, 6.0 ppm after 60 minutes, and 6.3 ppm after 120 minutes.

[0019] -Testing the use of glass bottles as capsules for generating hydrogen-containing liquid- In the above example, a 5ml roll-on bottle (product number 27-434) with the product name "Stainless Roller" manufactured by Seiwa Pro Co., Ltd. was used. However, as another example, the experiment of the above example was also carried out with a 10ml roll-on bottle (product code 6359) manufactured by Karis Seijo (Seijo, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo) with the roll portion removed. The bottle used as a capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid from Karis Seijo has a screw-type connection. It was confirmed that the Karis Seijo bottle contained hydrogen in purified water, just like the product from Seiwa Pro Co., Ltd., and furthermore, no aluminum was found to leach into the purified water.

[0020] (Comparative Example 1) - Interlocking type capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid used as a comparison example - As a comparative example, a capsule used in the FOMIYES "Nasal Inhaler Tube Blank, Essential Oil Aroma Diffuser for Empty Nose Inhalers (White)" was used (Figures 6a and 6b). This FOMIYES product was originally an inhaler used in aroma diffusers, and the experiments in this comparative example used a capsule that forms part of that inhaler. The lid connection of the FOMIYES capsule has multiple protrusions along the circumference of the connection (Figure 6b). In addition, the hollow inner wall of the FOMIYES capsule, which corresponds to the hydrogen generator container, has a bank-like spiral that fits into the protrusions on the lid. When the hydrogen generator is placed in the FOMIYES capsule and the lid is closed, hydrogen is generated inside the capsule, and the hydrogen can gradually leak out of the capsule without the lid coming off from between the hydrogen generator container and the lid.

[0021] - Results of aluminum elution confirmation test - Hydrogen was added to purified water in a PET bottle using a FOMIYES capsule in the same manner as in Figure 4, and the aluminum concentration after hydrogen water was produced was measured in the same manner as in the Example. Figure 7 shows the measurement results. The sample on the far left of the photograph in Figure 7 is the colorimetric test result for "purified water," and the sample labeled "sample" is the result for hydrogen water produced using the method in Figure 4 using a FOMIYES capsule. When compared with the "standard color" in Figure 7, no aluminum was detected in the "purified water," but at least 0.5 mg / L (ppm) of aluminum was detected in the hydrogen-containing liquid in the "sample."

[0022] (Comparative Example 2) - Study on the influence of different numbers of spirals on the connection part of capsules for generating hydrogen-containing liquid on aluminum elution - We investigated whether the difference in the number of spirals constituting the screw of the connecting part of the capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid affects the elution of aluminum in the hydrogen generating agent. The top photo in Figure 8 shows a Seiwa Pro Co., Ltd. product called "Stainless Roller Roll-on Bottle 5ml (product number 27-434)." When purchased, the top of the mound-shaped spiral at the connection of the container has been painted with black magic marker, and it can be seen that there are three spirals. The photo at the bottom of Figure 8 shows the same Seiwa Pro Co., Ltd. joint, where the banks of two of the three spiral embankments have been filed away with a file, leaving only one spiral between the 3.3 mm wide joints (hereafter referred to as the "single spiral capsule"). When a test similar to that shown in Figure 4 was conducted using a single spiral capsule, the container and lid of the single spiral capsule separated inside the PET bottle, causing the hydrogen generator inside to come into direct contact with the purified water inside the bottle, resulting in the aluminum in the hydrogen generator eluting during generation.A similar experiment was conducted using a double spiral capsule, but the container and lid did not separate inside the PET bottle as they did with the single spiral capsule. From the experiment of Comparative Example 2, it was confirmed that the number of spirals at the connecting portion of the hydrogen-containing liquid generating capsule must be at least two or more. In this example, the capsule was tested with two and three spiral turns, but if the connection part is semi-sealed, hydrogen can be allowed to flow from inside the capsule to the outside while preventing leakage of aluminum inside the capsule even with three or more spiral turns. Furthermore, in consideration of ease of use for the user, the number of spirals is preferably 5 or less, more preferably 4 or less, and even more preferably 3 or less. [Explanation of symbols]

[0023] 1. Examples of the lid for the hydrogen generating agent container claimed in the present application 2. Examples of hydrogen generating agent containers according to the present claims 3. Example of the connection part between the hydrogen generating agent container and the lid of the hydrogen generating agent container claimed in the present application (screw type) 4. Examples of capsules for generating hydrogen-containing liquid according to the present claims 5. Example of a bag for storing hydrogen generating agents 6. Examples of hydrogen generators 7. Example of procedure for producing hydrogen-containing liquid using a capsule for producing hydrogen-containing liquid

Claims

1. a hydrogen generating agent container having a hollow portion for accommodating a hydrogen generating agent; a capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid, comprising a lid for capping the hydrogen generating agent container, a hydrogen generating agent container containing the hydrogen generating agent in a state in which hydrogen can be generated; a lid is used to cap the hydrogen generating agent container containing the hydrogen generating agent; and a cap is used to allow hydrogen generated from the hydrogen generating agent to flow out from a threaded connection between the lid and the hydrogen generating agent container.

2. 2. The capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid according to claim 1, wherein hydrogen generated from the hydrogen generating agent leaks from the inside of the capsule for generating hydrogen-containing liquid to the outside through the connecting portion, but components of the hydrogen generating agent do not leak.

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