Cleaning agent, method for manufacturing the cleaning agent, and method for using the cleaning agent

Abstract

To provide a cleaning agent capable of effectively cleaning exhaust and improving fuel economy, a method of producing a cleaning agent, and a method of using a cleaning agent.SOLUTION: The cleaning agent that contains fine powder of tourmaline, fine powder of a porous material, and fucoxanthin and alginic acid each extracted from seaweed, is used for cleaning a vehicle air filter immersed therein.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning agent, a method for manufacturing a cleaning agent, and a method for using a cleaning agent, and more particularly to a cleaning agent used by immersing it in a vehicle's air filter, a method for manufacturing a cleaning agent, and a method for using a cleaning agent. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the amount of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere has increased, and global warming is progressing rapidly. Since carbon dioxide is contained in large quantities in the exhaust gases of vehicles, typically automobiles, regulations on exhaust gas emissions are sometimes considered.

[0003] Taking measures to comply with exhaust gas emission regulations may require changes to the engine design. If engine design changes are made to comply with emission regulations, there are concerns that engine performance will decrease, combustion efficiency will worsen, and this will affect the fuel efficiency of the vehicle.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for technology that can purify exhaust gases without requiring changes to the engine design.

[0005] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology aimed at reducing harmful substances emitted from exhaust gases and improving fuel efficiency by a simple method of spraying an exhaust gas cleaner for automobiles, which uses only naturally derived ingredients, onto the air filter of an automobile. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-193898 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] Incidentally, while the technology described in Patent Document 1 can achieve a certain degree of reduction in harmful substances from exhaust gases and improvement in fuel efficiency, it is believed that there is still room for improvement from the perspective of preventing environmental damage and mitigating global warming.

[0008] This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a cleaning agent that can effectively purify exhaust gases and improve fuel efficiency, a method for manufacturing the cleaning agent, and a method for using the cleaning agent. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a cleaning agent containing tourmaline fine powder, porous material fine powder, fucoxanthin extracted from seaweed, and alginic acid extracted from seaweed, which is used by immersing it in the air filter of a vehicle.

[0010] Fine tourmaline powder is generally known to be a type of weak piezoelectric material, generating both piezoelectric and pyroelectric currents, and is expected to have an effect such as electrolysis of components in exhaust gases.

[0011] Based on the results of diligent daily research and trial and error, the inventors of this invention have completed the present invention based on the assumption that if fine tourmaline powder with such properties can be appropriately used, it will be possible to achieve, for example, the purification of exhaust gases emitted from vehicles and the improvement of vehicle fuel efficiency.

[0012] According to this cleaning agent, for example, by supporting fine tourmaline powder, which electrolyzes components in exhaust gas, on a porous material, the contact area between the fine tourmaline powder and moisture is expanded, and the supported fine tourmaline powder adheres uniformly to the air filter and is firmly fixed in place.

[0013] Therefore, the exhaust gas can be effectively purified and the fuel efficiency of the vehicle can be improved by the air filter immersed in the cleaning agent with the cleaning agent penetrating therein.

[0014] The fine powder of the porous material of this cleaning agent may contain amorphous silica extracted from fucoxanthin, or may contain fine powder of zeolite.

[0015] The method for manufacturing a cleaning agent according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes a first step of dispersing fine powder of tourmaline and fine powder of a porous material in water to obtain a solution, and a second step of adding fucoxanthin extracted from seaweeds and alginic acids extracted from seaweeds to the solution obtained in the first step.

[0016] The method for using a cleaning agent according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes an immersion step of immersing the vehicle's air filter in a cleaning agent containing fine powder of tourmaline, fine powder of a porous material, fucoxanthin extracted from seaweeds, and alginic acids extracted from seaweeds, and a drying step of drying the air filter immersed in the cleaning agent in the immersion step.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] According to this invention, the exhaust gas can be effectively purified and the fuel efficiency of the vehicle can be improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] It is a flowchart for explaining the method for using a cleaning agent according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Next, the cleaning agent according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0020] In this embodiment, the cleaning agent has water, fine powder of tourmaline, fine powder of porous material, fucoxanthin extracted from seaweeds, and alginic acids extracted from seaweeds as main components.

[0021] The water may be tap water used in ordinary households, but in this embodiment, it is preferable to use ion-exchanged water from which disinfectants such as chlorine have been removed.

[0022] The fine powder of tourmaline is a group name of silicate minerals, is a kind of weak piezoelectric body, and is known to generate piezoelectricity and pyroelectricity.

[0023] In this embodiment, the particle size of the fine powder of tourmaline is prepared so that the maximum particle size is 600 μm from a practical viewpoint.

[0024] The porous material may be any of a microporous material (pore size: 2 nm or less), a mesoporous material (pore size: 2 nm to 50 nm), and a macroporous material (pore size: 50 nm or more).

[0025] Examples of the microporous material include activated carbon, zeolite, acetylene black, ketjen black, furnace black, porous urethane foam, porous polyethylene, and porous vinyl acetate.

[0026] Examples of the mesoporous material include silica oligomer, hollow silica, MCM, FSM, and metal oxide nanoparticles, and examples of the macroporous material include pumice.

[0027] Such a porous material having a particle size that can promote the electrolytic action of the fine powder of tourmaline is used. In this embodiment, it is preferable that the primary particle size is 100 nm to 200 nm.

[0028] In this embodiment, the fine powder of this porous material is amorphous silica and zeolite. In this embodiment, it is preferable to use amorphous silica extracted from fucoxanthin.

[0029] Fucoxanthin is a natural pigment that exhibits red, yellow, or orange colors, also known as a carotenoid. It can be derived from plants, microorganisms, or synthetic compounds, but in this embodiment, it is preferable that it is derived from plants, particularly from seaweed such as microalgae.

[0030] While there are no specific types of seaweed that contain it, it is known to be abundant in seaweeds such as wakame, kelp, arame, hondawara, and hijiki. For example, 100g of dry weight of kelp contains about 19mg, wakame about 11mg, arame about 7.5mg, hondawara about 6.5mg, and hijiki about 2.2mg.

[0031] In this embodiment, fucoxanthin extracted from one of these seaweeds may be used, or fucoxanthin extracted from multiple of these seaweeds may be mixed and used.

[0032] Fucoxanthin is extracted from seaweed according to standard methods. Specifically, it is obtained by extracting the extract using an extraction solvent such as ethanol, methanol, or butanol, and then concentrating the extracted extract.

[0033] Alginic acid is a polysaccharide found in seaweed such as brown algae, and is a type of dietary fiber. While the type of seaweed used is not particularly limited, alginic acid extracted from kelp and giant kelp is widely used industrially.

[0034] Examples of alginic acids include sodium alginate, potassium alginate, ammonium alginate, calcium alginate, and alginic acid esters (propylene glycol alginate).

[0035] Alginic acid derivatives are extracted from seaweed according to standard methods. Specifically, after washing the seaweed, alkali is added and heated to solubilize the alginic acid in the algae. The solubilized alginic acid is then filtered to remove insoluble components, and a solution of sodium alginate is obtained.

[0036] Next, an acid is added to the aqueous solution of sodium alginate to lower the pH, causing it to precipitate again as insoluble alginic acid. The precipitated alginic acid is then dehydrated, washed, and dried to obtain alginic acid.

[0037] Next, the method for producing the cleaning agent of this embodiment will be described.

[0038] First, 0.4 g of tourmaline with a maximum particle size of 600 μm, 1.0 g of amorphous silica with a primary particle size of 100 nm to 200 nm, and 1.0 g of zeolite with a primary particle size of 100 nm to 200 nm are dispersed in a stirring tank containing 60 g of deionized water, and the mixture is stirred to obtain a solution (first step).

[0039] In this embodiment, it is necessary to stir relatively vigorously in order to suspend and disperse tourmaline, amorphous silica, and zeolite in ion-exchanged water.

[0040] Next, 1.0 g of fucoxanthin and 0.5 g of alginic acid are added to the solution obtained in the first step and stirred (second step). Since alginic acid gels or thickens when heated, in this embodiment, it is preferable to perform the stirring and mixing at room temperature from the viewpoint of suppressing gelation or thickening.

[0041] On the other hand, if the temperature of the solution rises due to the season, the environment at the site, or stirring, it is preferable to cool the stirring tank containing the deionized water as appropriate.

[0042] By going through these first and second steps, a cleaning agent can be manufactured in this embodiment.

[0043] In this embodiment, the case in which the cleaning agent is manufactured in the first step and the subsequent second step as described above, however, any method is acceptable as long as it can disperse components such as fine tourmaline powder, fine porous material powder, fucoxanthin extracted from seaweed, and alginic acid extracted from seaweed in water.

[0044] Next, the method of using the cleaning agent of this embodiment will be described.

[0045] Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating the method of using the cleaning agent of this embodiment. First, the cleaning agent obtained by the above manufacturing method is placed in any container. Next, as shown in the figure, in step S1, the air filter is removed from the engine compartment of the automobile.

[0046] The removed air filter is placed in a container containing a cleaning agent, and in step S2, the air filter is immersed in the cleaning agent (immersion step). In this embodiment, immersing the air filter in the cleaning agent for about 30 minutes allows the cleaning agent to penetrate the air filter.

[0047] Next, the air filter is removed from the container and dried in step S3. In this embodiment, the air filter is exposed to the air for about 30 minutes to allow it to air dry naturally (drying step).

[0048] After drying the air filter, in step S4, install the air filter in the engine compartment.

[0049] Thus, when an air filter impregnated with a cleaning agent is installed in the engine compartment, the fine tourmaline powder adhering to and fixed on the air filter is affected by the pressure of the air passing through the air filter as the vehicle is driven, causing the moisture (water vapor) in the air passing through the air filter to be converted into hydroxyl ions (H3O). 2- It decomposes into ) and hydrogen gas (H2).

[0050] The fine powder of tourmaline adhering to and fixed on the air filter generates piezoelectricity due to the pressure of the air passing through the air filter, so that the water molecules (H2O) contained in the air are electrolyzed into H + and OH - , and H + is attracted to the tourmaline and released as hydrogen gas (H2).

[0051] On the other hand, OH - combines with water molecules (H2O) and changes into ions with surface-active action called negative hydroxyl ions (H3O 2- ).

[0052] The hydroxyl ions (H3O 2- ) generated by this electrolysis have surface-active action, so they remove dirt such as soot in the combustion chamber of the engine and act to improve fuel efficiency.

[0053] Furthermore, the hydrogen gas (H2) generated by this electrolysis can improve fuel efficiency by itself burning, and by consuming oxygen (O2) when the hydrogen gas (H2) burns, it suppresses an increase in the fuel injection amount by feedback control (measuring the amount of oxygen (O2) in the exhaust gas and increasing the fuel injection amount when there is an amount of oxygen), so from this perspective, it can improve fuel efficiency and further improve the purification of the exhaust gas of automobiles.

[0054] In this way, due to the cleaning effect in the combustion chamber of the engine by the surface-active action of hydroxyl ions and the combustion effect of hydrogen gas, the fuel can be burned in a state close to complete combustion, so the fuel efficiency of automobiles can be improved.

[0055] Furthermore, in addition to the emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC) in the exhaust gas, the emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO X ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) can also be significantly reduced, so the performance of purifying the exhaust gas of automobiles can be improved.

[0056] In this embodiment, the cleaning agent contains finely powdered porous material. These porous materials support, surround, or support the finely powdered tourmaline, thereby expanding the contact area between the finely powdered tourmaline and moisture (water vapor). This promotes the electrolytic action of tourmaline.

[0057] In particular, in this embodiment, amorphous silica and zeolite are used as porous materials. By using amorphous silica extracted from fucoxanthin, hydrogen gas (H2) is more easily generated, thus improving combustion efficiency. Consequently, the fuel efficiency of the automobile is further improved.

[0058] Incidentally, high-grade urea solution is sometimes added to automobiles for the purpose of purifying exhaust gases, and it is generally believed that 1 liter of high-grade urea solution is consumed for every 1,000 km driven.

[0059] In this embodiment, the cleaning agent masks the air filter by having silica and zeolite support fine tourmaline powder, thereby expanding the contact area between the fine tourmaline powder and moisture (water vapor), and thus suppressing the consumption of high-quality urea water.

[0060] Furthermore, the fucoxanthin contained in the cleaning agent of this embodiment uniformly adheres the fine tourmaline powder and the fine porous material powder to the air filter, and the alginic acid derivatives also contained in the cleaning agent gel or thicken upon heating during operation, firmly fixing the fine tourmaline powder and the fine porous material powder to the air filter.

[0061] Thus, according to the cleaning agent of this embodiment, the porous material supports fine tourmaline powder, which electrolyzes components in the air passing through the air filter. This expands the contact area between the fine tourmaline powder and moisture (water vapor), and the supported fine tourmaline powder adheres uniformly to the air filter, fixing it firmly in place.

[0062] Therefore, by immersing an air filter in a cleaning agent and allowing the cleaning agent to permeate it, exhaust gases can be effectively purified, and the fuel efficiency of the automobile can be improved.

[0063] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the cleaning agent was described as being formulated with 60g of deionized water as the basis, with the amounts of each component dispersed in the deionized water being: tourmaline: 0.4g, amorphous silica: 1.0g, zeolite: 1.0g, fucoxanthin: 1.0g, and alginates: 0.5g. It goes without saying that these amounts can be appropriately changed depending on the amount of deionized water.

Claims

1. A cleaning agent containing fine tourmaline powder, fine porous material powder, fucoxanthin extracted from seaweed, and alginic acid extracted from seaweed, which is used by immersing it in the air filter of a vehicle.

2. The cleaning agent according to claim 1, wherein the fine powder of the porous material contains amorphous silica on which fucoxanthin is supported.

3. The cleaning agent according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fine powder of the porous material includes fine powder of zeolite.

4. The first step involves dispersing fine tourmaline powder and fine porous material powder in water to obtain a solution, A second step involves adding fucoxanthin extracted from seaweed and alginic acid extracted from seaweed to the solution obtained in the first step, A method for manufacturing a cleaning agent, comprising the following features.

5. An immersion process in which the vehicle's air filter is immersed in a cleaning agent containing tourmaline fine powder, porous material fine powder, fucoxanthin extracted from seaweed, and alginic acid extracted from seaweed, A drying step in which the air filter that has been immersed in the cleaning agent in the immersion step is dried, Instructions for using a cleaning agent, including the features described.

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