Treatment device

Abstract

A treatment device (1) is provided with: a vessel (50) for containing a sample; pipes (11-13) for introducing, into the vessel, a treatment liquid for decomposing an impurity contained in the sample; a port (64) that discharges, from the vessel containing the sample, a liquid contained in the sample as waste liquid; a pump (33) connected to the port; and a control device (500) for controlling the pump. The control device controls the pump so as to enable a predetermined amount or more of the waste liquid to be discharged from the port.

Description

Processing equipment

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a processing device for processing a sample to recover a substance of interest.

[0002] Conventionally, processing devices capable of recovering a target substance by processing a sample have been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a purification device that introduces a decomposition liquid into a container containing the sample to decompose impurities contained in the sample, and then introduces a heavy liquid into the container after the impurities have been decomposed to recover a target substance having a lighter specific gravity than the heavy liquid.

[0003] International Publication No. 2022 / 003995

[0004] The purification device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured to discharge the liquid contained in the sample from the container as waste liquid before introducing the decomposition liquid into the container containing the sample, but the amount of discharged liquid has not been fully considered. If the amount of liquid contained in the sample is unexpectedly large, the waste liquid may not be completely discharged from the container, and unnecessary liquid may remain in the container. If the decomposition liquid is introduced while unnecessary liquid remains, the decomposition liquid is diluted and its concentration becomes lower than expected, making it difficult to fully decompose the impurities. As a result, the target substance obtained by the decomposition process may not be properly recovered, which may unintendedly affect the analysis results of the target substance.

[0005] Furthermore, introducing the decomposition liquid into the container while unnecessary liquid remains may cause the liquid level in the container to exceed a specified height, resulting in the decomposition process of the impurities occurring at a higher level than the intended location, and the remaining undecomposed impurities may adhere to the container walls. Even if the target substance is collected while the impurities remain, the user will not be able to accurately analyze the target substance, and accurate analysis results will not be obtained. For this reason, there is a demand for technology in sample processing devices that can appropriately perform processes such as decomposition on impurities.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a technique for appropriately treating impurities contained in a sample.

[0007] A processing device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a container for containing a sample, a pipe for introducing a processing liquid into the container for decomposing impurities contained in the sample, a port for discharging the liquid contained in the sample from the container containing the sample as waste liquid, a pump connected to the port, and a control device for controlling the pump. The control device controls the pump so that a predetermined amount or more of the waste liquid is discharged from the port.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, when discharging liquid contained in a sample from a container as waste liquid, the pump is controlled so that a predetermined amount or more of waste liquid can be discharged from a port, thereby minimizing the amount of unnecessary liquid remaining in the container containing the sample, and the subsequent decomposition process can appropriately process impurities contained in the sample.

[0009] It is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a processing apparatus according to an embodiment. It is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a purifier according to an embodiment. It is a diagram for explaining the hardware configuration of a processing apparatus according to an embodiment. It is a flowchart of a purification process performed by a control device of a processing apparatus according to an embodiment. It is a diagram for explaining the discharge of waste liquid performed by a processing apparatus according to an embodiment.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will not be repeated.

[0011] [Configuration of Processing Device] The main configuration of a processing device 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the processing device 1 according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a purifier 10 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the processing device 1 includes a purifier 10 for purifying a mixed sample and a control device 500 for controlling the purifier 10. The processing device 1 processes the mixed sample by controlling the purifier 10 with the control device 500. Specifically, the processing device 1 purifies the mixed sample and recovers a target substance contained in the mixed sample that is the target for recovery, by controlling the purifier 10 with the control device 500. "Purification" includes extracting the target substance from the mixture using a decomposition liquid, a heavy liquid, or the like.

[0012] The "mixed sample" purified by the processing device 1 may be in any form as long as it contains the target substance. For example, the "mixed sample" may be seawater and sand collected from the ocean or the coast, or processed products such as food or cosmetics. In the embodiment, the "mixed sample" is exemplified by seawater and sand collected from the ocean or the coast. Note that, hereinafter, the "mixed sample" may also be simply referred to as a "sample."

[0013] The "target substance" to be collected by the processing device 1 may be in any form as long as it is a component that can be collected by the processing device 1. For example, the "target substance" may be microplastics, which are fine plastic particles having a size of 5 mm or less. In the embodiment, the "target substance" is exemplified by microplastics contained in seawater and sand collected from the ocean or coast.

[0014] The purifier 10 includes a container 50 for storing a sample, pipes 11 to 22, pumps 31 to 33, electromagnetic valves 41 to 43, ports 61 to 64, a stirrer 71, a stirring bar 72, and a discharge pipe 80.

[0015] 2, the container 50 includes a processing section 51 for processing a sample and an overflow section 52 located above the processing section 51, and is separable into the processing section 51 and the overflow section 52. Ports 61 to 64 are connected to the lower part of the processing section 51. A flange section 53 is provided at the upper end of the processing section 51. A flange section 54 is provided at the lower end of the overflow section 52. In the embodiment, the processing section 51 is configured as a cylinder with a circular bottom, but the bottom of the processing section 51 is not limited to a circle and may have other shapes, such as a polygonal or elliptical shape.

[0016] The purifier 10 further includes a strainer 300 that captures the target substance contained in the sample and holds it in the container 50. The strainer 300 is roughly basket-shaped and has meshes large enough to capture the target substance, microplastics. For example, the strainer 300 is made of SUS (Steel Use Stainless Steel) and has multiple openings large enough to capture the target substance, microplastics. When the target substance is microplastics, the mesh size of the strainer 300 needs to be large enough to block particles of 0.1 mm to 5.0 mm, with approximately 0.1 mm being preferred.

[0017] The strainer 300 is provided inside the processing section 51 located below the container 50, which can be separated into two parts. Specifically, the flange section 310 of the strainer 300 is supported by being sandwiched between a flange section 53 provided at the upper end of the processing section 51 and a flange section 54 provided at the lower end of the overflow section 52. The container 50 and the strainer 300 are fixed together by clamping the flange sections of the container 50 and the strainer 300 with a fixing device 90 shown by dashed lines in Fig. 2. When the strainer 300 is attached to the container 50 in this manner, the mesh portion of the strainer 300 provided below the flange section 310 is positioned inside the processing section 51.

[0018] In the container 50 configured as described above, the user opens the container 50 by removing the overflow portion 52 from the processing portion 51 , and introduces a sample into the processing portion 51 of the container 50 .

[0019] The sample contained in the container 50 contains impurities, which are treated in the container 50 using a treatment liquid such as a decomposition liquid. "Impurities" are foreign substances in the sample other than the target substance. In the embodiment, organic impurities having the properties of organic matter are exemplified as "impurities."

[0020] The container 50 has a transmittance that allows the status of the decomposition treatment of impurities contained in the sample stored in the container 50 to be visible from the outside. For example, the processing section 51 and the overflow section 52 of the container 50 are formed of a transparent material (e.g., glass) so that the user can view the inside of the container 50 from the outside. Therefore, the user can check from the outside the status of the decomposition treatment of impurities using the decomposition liquid that is being performed in the container 50.

[0021] 1 , pipe 11 connects the decomposition liquid reservoir 210 and the electromagnetic valve 41. Pipe 12 connects the electromagnetic valve 41 and the pump 31. Pipe 13 connects the pump 31 and a port 61 provided on the outer periphery of the container 50. In this way, the decomposition liquid reservoir 210 and the port 61 of the container 50 are connected by pipes 11, 12, and 13 via the electromagnetic valve 41 and the pump 31.

[0022] Pipe 14 connects heavy liquid reservoir 220 and solenoid valve 42. Pipe 15 connects solenoid valve 42 and pump 32. Pipe 16 connects pump 32 and port 62 provided on the outer periphery of container 50. In this way, heavy liquid reservoir 220 and port 62 of container 50 are connected by pipes 14, 15, and 16 via solenoid valve 42 and pump 32.

[0023] The pipe 17 connects the rinse liquid reservoir 230 and the electromagnetic valve 41. That is, the electromagnetic valve 41 is connected to the decomposition liquid reservoir 210 by the pipe 11, and is also connected to the rinse liquid reservoir 230 by the pipe 14. In this way, the rinse liquid reservoir 230 and the port 61 of the container 50 are connected by the pipes 17, 12, and 13 via the solenoid valve 41 and the pump 31.

[0024] The pipe 18 connects the rinse liquid reservoir 230 and the electromagnetic valve 42. That is, the electromagnetic valve 42 is connected to the heavy liquid reservoir 220 by the pipe 14, and is also connected to the rinse liquid reservoir 230 by the pipe 18. In this way, the rinse liquid reservoir 230 and the port 62 of the container 50 are connected by the pipes 18, 15, and 16 via the solenoid valve 42 and the pump 32.

[0025] Pipe 19 connects waste liquid reservoir 240 and solenoid valve 43. Pipe 20 connects solenoid valve 43 and pump 33. Pipe 21 connects pump 33 and port 63 provided on the outer periphery of container 50. In this way, waste liquid reservoir 240 and port 63 of container 50 are connected by pipes 19, 20, and 21 via solenoid valve 43 and pump 33.

[0026] Pipe 22 connects pump 33 to port 64 provided on the outer periphery of container 50. That is, pump 33 is connected to port 63 of container 50 by pipe 21, and is also connected to port 64 of container 50 by pipe 22. In this way, waste liquid reservoir 240 and port 64 of container 50 are connected by pipes 19, 20, and 22 via solenoid valve 43 and pump 33.

[0027] Pipe 23 connects waste liquid reservoir 250 and solenoid valve 43. That is, solenoid valve 43 is connected to waste liquid reservoir 240 by pipe 19, and is also connected to waste liquid reservoir 250 by pipe 23. In this way, waste liquid reservoir 250 and port 63 of container 50 are connected by pipes 23, 20, and 21 via solenoid valve 43 and pump 33. Furthermore, waste liquid reservoir 250 and port 64 of container 50 are connected by pipes 23, 20, and 22 via solenoid valve 43 and pump 33.

[0028] The decomposition liquid reservoir 210 stores a processing liquid for treating impurities. The "processing liquid" may be in any form as long as it is capable of treating organic impurities. In the embodiment, the "processing liquid" is exemplified by a decomposition liquid for decomposing organic impurities. The "decomposition liquid" is, for example, an oxidizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or a mixture of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and iron (II) oxide (FeO). When the "sample" is seawater and sand, the "organic impurities" are, for example, wood chips and plankton mixed in the seawater or sand.

[0029] The heavy liquid reservoir 220 stores a heavy liquid for separating samples by difference in specific gravity. The "heavy liquid" may be in any form as long as it separates samples by difference in specific gravity. In this embodiment, the "heavy liquid" causes inorganic impurities having inorganic properties to settle by difference in specific gravity. Examples of the "heavy liquid" include sodium chloride (NaCl), sodium iodide (NaI), and zinc chloride (ZnCl2). When the "sample" is seawater and sand, the "inorganic impurities" are sand, glass, or stone. The specific gravity of the "heavy liquid" is set to be greater than the specific gravity of the "target substance" to be recovered by the processing device 1 but less than the specific gravity of the "inorganic impurities." For example, when the "target substance" to be recovered by the processing device 1 is microplastics and the "inorganic impurities" are sand, glass, or stone, the specific gravity of the "heavy liquid" is set to be greater than the specific gravity of microplastics but less than the specific gravity of sand, glass, stone, or the like. Specifically, the specific gravity of the "heavy liquid" is set to about 1.5 to about 1.7.

[0030] The rinse liquid reservoir 230 stores rinse liquid, which is a cleaning liquid for cleaning the inside of the container 50. The "rinse liquid" may be in any form as long as it is used to clean the inside of the container 50. The "rinse liquid" is, for example, water. In addition to cleaning the inside of the container 50, the "rinse liquid" also has the role of diluting the decomposition liquid introduced into the container 50.

[0031] The waste liquid reservoirs 240 and 250 store waste liquids such as the heavy liquid, decomposition liquid, rinse liquid, and seawater contained in the sample discharged from the container 50 .

[0032] The pump 31, under the control of the control device 500, introduces the decomposing liquid from the decomposing liquid reservoir 210 or the rinse liquid from the rinse liquid reservoir 230 into the container 50 via the port 61. For example, under the control of the control device 500, the pump 31 lowers the pressure on the suction side and raises the pressure on the discharge side, thereby sucking in the decomposing liquid or the rinse liquid via the pipe 12 and discharging the decomposing liquid or the rinse liquid to the port 61 via the pipe 13. The control device 500 can adjust the delivery rate (suction rate, discharge rate) of the pump 31 by controlling the pump 31.

[0033] The pump 32 introduces the heavy liquid from the heavy liquid reservoir 220 or the rinse liquid from the rinse liquid reservoir 230 into the container 50 via the port 62 under the control of the control device 500. For example, under the control of the control device 500, the pump 32 lowers the pressure on the suction side and raises the pressure on the discharge side, thereby sucking in the heavy liquid or the rinse liquid via the pipe 15 and discharging the heavy liquid or the rinse liquid to the port 62 via the pipe 16. The control device 500 can adjust the delivery rate (suction rate, discharge rate) of the pump 32 by controlling the pump 32.

[0034] Pump 33, under the control of control device 500, discharges unnecessary liquid in container 50 as waste liquid to waste liquid reservoir 240 or waste liquid reservoir 250 via port 63 or port 64. For example, under the control of control device 500, pump 33 lowers the pressure on the suction side and raises the pressure on the discharge side, thereby sucking in waste liquid from container 50 via pipes 21 and 22 and discharging the waste liquid to waste liquid reservoirs 240 and 250 via pipe 20. Control device 500 can adjust the delivery rate (suction rate, discharge rate) of pump 33 by controlling pump 33.

[0035] The solenoid valve 41 switches the path connected to the port 61 of the container 50 between the decomposition liquid reservoir 210 and the rinse liquid reservoir 230 under the control of the control device 500 .

[0036] The solenoid valve 42 switches the path connected to the port 62 of the container 50 between the heavy liquid reservoir 220 and the rinse liquid reservoir 230 under the control of the control device 500 .

[0037] Under the control of the control device 500, the solenoid valve 43 switches the paths connected to the ports 63, 64 of the container 50 between the waste liquid reservoir 240 and the waste liquid reservoir 250. For example, the waste liquid containing the heavy liquid is discharged to the waste liquid reservoir 240, and the waste liquid containing the decomposition liquid is discharged to the waste liquid reservoir 250.

[0038] Port 61 introduces the decomposition liquid from decomposition liquid reservoir 210 or the rinse liquid from rinse liquid reservoir 230, which is delivered by pump 31, into container 50. Port 62 introduces the heavy liquid from heavy liquid reservoir 220 or the rinse liquid from rinse liquid reservoir 230, which is delivered by pump 32, into container 50. Ports 63 and 64 discharge the waste liquid in container 50 to pump 33 when pump 33 is driven. The waste liquid delivered by pump 33 is discharged to waste liquid reservoir 240 or waste liquid reservoir 250.

[0039] Stirrer 71 is, for example, a thermostatic stirrer, and is disposed below processing section 51 in container 50. Stirrer 71 stirs the sample in container 50 by rotating a stirring bar 72 provided in container 50 under the control of control device 500. Furthermore, stirrer 71 applies heat to container 50 from below, thereby maintaining a constant temperature of the sample in container 50.

[0040] The discharge pipe 80 is connected to a discharge port 55 provided at the top of the overflow section 52 of the container 50, and the supernatant liquid of the sample containing the target substance overflows from the container 50 and is discharged to the outside.

[0041] The filtration unit 110 recovers the target substance contained in the supernatant by filtering the supernatant of the sample discharged from the discharge pipe 80. The supernatant that passes through the filtration unit 110 is recovered by the waste liquid reservoir 260. The filtration unit 110 has meshes large enough to capture the target substance, microplastics. For example, the filtration unit 110 is a stainless steel wire mesh or a membrane filter made of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) (Teflon (registered trademark)). When the target substance is microplastics, the mesh size of the filtration unit 110 needs to be large enough to block particles of 0.1 mm to 5.0 mm, with approximately 0.1 mm being preferable.

[0042] The control device 500 may be realized by a general-purpose computer or a computer dedicated to controlling the refiner 10. For example, the control device 500 may be an information terminal that executes predetermined information processing, such as a desktop personal computer (PC), a laptop PC, a smartphone, a smartwatch, a wearable device, or a tablet PC. The control device 500 controls the pumps 31 to 33, the solenoid valves 41 to 43, and the stirrer 71 in the refiner 10. The control device 500 corresponds to an example of a "computer" in this disclosure.

[0043] [Hardware Configuration] The hardware configuration of the processing device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining the hardware configuration of the processing device 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the control device 500 includes, as main hardware elements, an arithmetic unit 501, a memory 502, a communication unit 503, a display unit 504, an input unit 505, a data reading unit 506, and a storage 510.

[0044] The arithmetic device 501 is a processor that reads programs (e.g., a control program 511 and an OS (Operating System) 513) stored in the storage 510, expands the read programs into the memory 502, and executes them. For example, the arithmetic device 501 executes the control program 511 to perform processes for controlling the refiner 10 (e.g., the processes shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , which will be described later). A processor, which is an example of the arithmetic device 501, is configured, for example, with a microcontroller, a central processing unit (CPU), or a micro-processing unit (MPU). Note that a processor has the function of executing various processes by executing programs, but some or all of these functions may be implemented using dedicated hardware circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The term "processor" is not limited to a processor in the narrow sense that executes processes using a stored program, such as a CPU or an MPU, but may also include hardwired circuits such as an ASIC or an FPGA. Therefore, the term "processor" may be interpreted as a processing circuitry whose processing is predefined by computer-readable code and / or hardwired circuitry. The computing device 501 may be configured on a single chip or multiple chips. Furthermore, the processor and associated processing circuitry may be configured as multiple computers interconnected by wire or wirelessly via a local area network or a wireless network. The processor and associated processing circuitry may be configured as a cloud computer that performs remote calculations based on input data and outputs the calculation results to another device in a remote location.

[0045] The memory 502 provides a storage area for temporarily storing program code, work memory, etc. when the arithmetic device 501 executes any program. The memory 502 may be one or more non-transitory computer-readable media. The memory 502 is configured from volatile memory such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), or non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory) or flash memory.

[0046] The communication device 503 includes an interface for outputting control signals for controlling the pumps 31 to 33, the solenoid valves 41 to 43, the stirrer 71, etc. of the purifier 10. The communication device 503 may also include an interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from other devices via a network (not shown). In this case, the communication device 503 supports any communication method, such as Ethernet (registered trademark), a wireless local area network (LAN), or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0047] The display device 504 is configured, for example, by an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like, and displays a design screen for a program related to the control of the refiner 10, a setting screen related to the control of the refiner 10, an alert screen in the event of an abnormality, or the like.

[0048] The input device 505 is configured with, for example, a keyboard or a mouse, and is operated by a user. The input device 505 may also be a touch panel provided on the screen of the display device 504. When the user operates the input device 505, an input signal corresponding to the operation is input to the arithmetic device 501. When the arithmetic device 501 receives an input signal from the input device 505, it outputs a control signal based on the user's input to the pumps 31 to 33, the solenoid valves 41 to 43, the stirrer 71, or the like of the purifier 10. The pumps 31 to 33, the solenoid valves 41 to 43, or the stirrer 71 operate in accordance with the control signal from the arithmetic device 501.

[0049] The data reader 506 reads data stored in a recording medium 507. The recording medium 507 may be a non-transitory and tangible computer-readable storage medium. The recording medium 507 may be in any form capable of recording various types of data, such as a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory.

[0050] The storage 510 provides a storage area for storing various data required for the refining process and the like. The storage 510 may be one or more computer-readable storage media. The storage 510 is configured, for example, by a non-volatile memory device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). The storage 510 stores a control program 511, control data 512, and an OS 513.

[0051] The control program 511 is a program describing the details of a purification process for purifying a sample, and is executed by the arithmetic device 501. The control program 511 may be designed by a user using the input device 505, may be read from a recording medium 507 by the data reading device 506, or may be obtained from another device such as a server via a network by the communication device 503.

[0052] The control data 512 is data used when the arithmetic device 501 executes the control program 511. For example, the control data 512 includes data such as setting values ​​for controlling the pumps 31 to 33, the solenoid valves 41 to 43, and the stirrer 71. The control data 512 may be input by a user using the input device 505, may be read from the recording medium 507 by the data reading device 506, or may be obtained by the communication device 503 from another device such as a server via a network.

[0053] The OS 513 provides basic functions for the arithmetic unit 501 to execute various processes.

[0054] [Purification Process] The sample purification process executed by the processing device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart of the purification process executed by the control device 500 of the processing device 1 according to the embodiment. Each step shown in Fig. 4 is realized by the arithmetic device 501 of the control device 500 executing the OS 513 and the control program 511.

[0055] First, in preparation for the purification process, the user opens the container 50 by removing the processing section 51 from the overflow section 52, and introduces the sample into the processing section 51 of the container 50. After that, the user performs a start operation using the input device 505 of the control device 500, thereby starting control of the purifier 10 by the control device 500.

[0056] When the control of the purifier 10 by the control device 500 is started, the control device 500 controls the discharge pump 33 and the solenoid valve 43 to discharge the liquid contained in the sample stored in the container 50 as waste liquid into the waste liquid reservoir 250 via the pipes 20 to 23 and the ports 63 and 64 (S1). Note that substances other than the liquid, such as microplastics, are captured by the strainer 300 provided inside the container 50 and are retained in the container 50.

[0057] The control device 500 executes a decomposition process using the decomposition liquid to decompose organic contaminants contained in the sample stored in the container 50 (S2). Specifically, the control device 500 stops the discharge-side pump 33, while controlling the inlet-side pump 31 and the solenoid valve 41 to introduce the decomposition liquid in the decomposition liquid reservoir 210 into the container 50 via the pipes 11 to 13 and the port 61.

[0058] At this time, the control device 500 controls the output rate of the pump 31 to introduce the amount of decomposition liquid preset by the user into the container 50. For example, the decomposition of impurities using the decomposition liquid needs to be carried out inside the processing section 51 provided with the strainer 300 so that the strainer 300 can capture microplastics. For this reason, the amount of decomposition liquid introduced in S1 is set to be equal to or less than the capacity of the processing section 51, for example, 150 ml or less.

[0059] After introducing the decomposition liquid, the control device 500 controls the stirrer 71 to rotate the stirring bar 72 provided in the container 50 while applying a constant amount of heat to the container 50, thereby stirring the sample (S3). The temperature inside the container 50, the rotation speed of the stirring bar 72, and the rotation time are preset by the user. In this way, the control device 500 can promote the decomposition of organic impurities using the decomposition liquid by stirring the sample while applying heat. Note that while heating is not necessarily required when stirring the sample, maintaining a constant sample temperature by heating promotes the decomposition of organic impurities.

[0060] After the decomposition process, the control device 500 controls the discharge pump 33 and the solenoid valve 43 to discharge the waste liquid contained in the sample after the decomposition process of the organic contaminants from the container 50 into the waste liquid reservoir 250 via the pipes 20 to 23 and the ports 63 and 64 (S4). The target substance, microplastics, is captured by the strainer 300 provided inside the container 50 and is retained in the container 50.

[0061] The control device 500 stops the discharge-side pump 33, while controlling the introduction-side pump 31 and solenoid valve 41 to introduce the rinse liquid from the rinse liquid reservoir 230 into the container 50 via the pipes 17, 12, and 13 and port 61, thereby cleaning the inside of the container 50 (S5). At this time, the control device 500 controls the discharge rate of the pump 31 to introduce an amount of rinse liquid preset by the user into the container 50. The amount of rinse liquid introduced in S5 is set to be equal to or less than the capacity of the processing section 51, for example, 150 ml or less.

[0062] The control device 500 stops the inlet pump 31, while controlling the outlet pump 33 and solenoid valve 43 to discharge the waste liquid after cleaning with the rinse liquid into the waste liquid reservoir 250 via the pipes 20 to 23 and ports 63 and 64 (S6). This allows the inside of the container 50 to be cleaned with the rinse liquid. Note that the target substance, microplastics, is captured by the strainer 300 provided inside the container 50 and retained within the container 50. Thereafter, the control device 500 may dry the sample by leaving it as it is for a predetermined period of time (for example, one day).

[0063] The control device 500 stops the discharge-side pump 33, while controlling the inlet-side pump 32 and solenoid valve 42 to introduce the heavy liquid from the heavy liquid reservoir 220 into the container 50 via the pipes 14 to 16 and port 62 (S7). At this time, the control device 500 controls the discharge rate of the pump 32 to introduce the amount of heavy liquid preset by the user into the container 50.

[0064] The control device 500 stops the inlet pump 32 and leaves the sample as is for a predetermined period (for example, one day) (S8). When the heavy liquid is introduced into the sample in the container 50 and left as is in this manner, inorganic impurities contained in the sample settle near the bottom of the container 50 due to the difference in specific gravity. On the other hand, microplastics, which are the target substance and have a specific gravity lighter than that of the heavy liquid, float to the surface of the heavy liquid.

[0065] The control device 500 again controls the pump 32 and the solenoid valve 42 to introduce the heavy liquid from the heavy liquid reservoir 220 into the container 50 again via the pipes 14-16 and the port 62 (S9). At this time, the control device 500 controls the output rate of the pump 32 to introduce the amount of heavy liquid preset by the user into the container 50. When the heavy liquid is introduced into the sample in the container 50 again in this way, the liquid level of the gravity-separated sample gradually rises within the container 50, and eventually the supernatant liquid of the sample reaches the discharge port 55 of the container 50. The supernatant liquid of the sample is then discharged to the outside as a discharge liquid through the discharge port 55 and the discharge pipe 80.

[0066] The discharged liquid discharged through the discharge pipe 80 is filtered by the filtration unit 110, and only the waste liquid that passes through the filtration unit 110 is collected by the waste liquid reservoir 260. Microplastics, which are components with a specific gravity lighter than that of the heavy liquid, remain in the filtration unit 110.

[0067] After the microplastics are recovered by refining the sample, the control device 500 performs post-processing by cleaning the inside of the container 50. Specifically, the control device 500 controls the discharge pump 33 and the solenoid valve 43 to discharge the waste liquid from the container 50 after the microplastics have been recovered into the waste liquid reservoir 240 via the pipes 19 to 22 and the ports 63 and 64 (S10).

[0068] The control device 500 stops the discharge-side pump 33, while controlling the introduction-side pump 32 and the solenoid valve 42 to introduce the rinse liquid from the rinse liquid reservoir 230 into the container 50 via the pipes 18, 15, 16 and the port 62, thereby cleaning the inside of the container 50 (S11). At this time, the control device 500 controls the discharge rate of the pump 32 to introduce the amount of rinse liquid preset by the user into the container 50.

[0069] The control device 500 stops the inlet pump 32, while controlling the outlet pump 33 and the solenoid valve 43 to discharge the waste liquid in the container 50 after the rinse liquid has been introduced thereinto into the waste liquid reservoir 240 via the pipes 19 to 22 and the ports 63 and 64 (S12). This allows the inside of the container 50 to be cleaned with the rinse liquid. Thereafter, the control device 500 terminates the processing related to this flow.

[0070] As described above, according to the processing device 1 of the embodiment, the control device 500 automatically introduces the decomposition liquid and heavy liquid into the sample contained in the container 50 at an appropriate timing and for an appropriate period of time, and also discharges the waste liquid from the container 50. Therefore, the user does not need to introduce the decomposition liquid and heavy liquid into the container 50 or discharge the waste liquid from the container 50 by himself. Furthermore, according to the processing device 1 of the embodiment, the control device 500 automatically cleans the used container 50 after collecting microplastics. This allows the user to stably collect microplastics without relying on their own skill, and allows the sample to be purified with high accuracy.

[0071] [Discharge of Waste Liquid] As described above, the processing device 1 is configured to remove unnecessary liquids, such as seawater, from the container 50 by discharging the waste liquid contained in the sample in S1 during the purification process, and then decompose impurities contained in the sample using a decomposition liquid in S2 during the decomposition process. Here, if the amount of liquid contained in the sample is unexpectedly large, it may not be possible to completely discharge the waste liquid from the container 50 in S1, and unnecessary liquid may remain in the container 50. If the decomposition liquid is introduced while unnecessary liquid remains in this manner, the decomposition liquid is diluted and its concentration becomes lower than expected, making it difficult to sufficiently decompose the impurities. As a result, the target substance obtained by the decomposition process may not be properly recovered, which may unintendedly affect the analysis results of the target substance.

[0072] Furthermore, introducing the decomposition liquid into the container 50 while unnecessary liquid remains may raise the liquid level in the container 50 above a predetermined height, potentially resulting in the decomposition of impurities at a higher level than the intended location. For example, the decomposition process must be performed inside the processing section 51, which is provided with the strainer 300. More specifically, the decomposition process should be performed within the processing section 51 without exceeding the height of the flange 53 provided at the upper end of the processing section 51 shown in FIG. 2 . If the decomposition process were performed in the overflow section 52, which is located above the flange 53, impurities that remain undecomposed may adhere to the walls of the overflow section 52. Subsequently, in S5, the container 50 is cleaned with a rinse liquid. However, if the amount of rinse liquid introduced is less than the capacity of the processing section 51, the impurities adhering to the walls of the overflow section 52 may not be washed away. Then, as the liquid level of the gravity-separated sample gradually rises within the container 50 due to the introduction of heavy liquid in S7 and S9, impurities adhering to the wall surface of the overflow section 52 are also discharged to the outside as a discharge liquid through the discharge port 55 and the discharge pipe 80. Even if microplastics are collected with impurities remaining in this way, the user will not be able to accurately analyze the components of the microplastics, and therefore will not be able to obtain accurate analysis results. Furthermore, the presence of impurities in the collected material may affect weight or size measurements.

[0073] Therefore, the processing device 1 according to the embodiment is configured to control the pump 33 so that, when discharging the waste liquid contained in the sample in S1, a predetermined amount or more of the waste liquid can be discharged from the ports 63, 64. The control device 500 controls the pump 33 to adjust the pressure on the intake side and the pressure on the discharge side of the pump 33, thereby adjusting the amount of the waste liquid that can be discharged from the ports 63, 64.

[0074] 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining the discharge of waste liquid performed by the processing device 1 according to the embodiment. Fig. 5A shows the state in which waste liquid is discharged from the container 50 by dehydration using the pump 33, and Fig. 5B shows the state after the waste liquid has been discharged from the container 50.

[0075] 5A, after the sample is accommodated in the processing section 51, the control device 500 controls the pump 33 to adjust the pressure on the intake side and the pressure on the discharge side of the pump 33, thereby dehydrating the inside of the container 50. At this time, the control device 500 controls the pump 33 so as to discharge at least a predetermined amount of waste liquid from the container 50. Specifically, the control device 500 controls the pump 33 so as to discharge at least 150 ml of waste liquid, which is the capacity of the processing section 51, from the container 50. More preferably, the control device 500 controls the pump 33 so as to discharge at least an amount of waste liquid, for example, 200 ml, from the container 50, which is sufficiently larger than 150 ml, which is the capacity of the processing section 51.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 5B, when dehydration using pump 33 is completed, no unnecessary liquid remains in container 50, and only the sample containing the target substance other than the liquid remains in container 50.

[0077] In this way, the processing device 1, under the control of the control device 500, performs excessive dehydration so that the pump 33 can discharge waste liquid exceeding the capacity of the processing section 51, thereby minimizing unnecessary liquid remaining in the processing section 51 containing the sample, and leaving only the non-liquid sample in the processing section 51. As a result, even if a decomposition liquid is introduced into the container 50 in a subsequent decomposition process, the decomposition liquid will not be diluted, and the liquid level in the container 50 will not exceed the height of the flange portion 53. Therefore, the processing device 1 can appropriately decompose impurities contained in the sample using the decomposition liquid within the range of the processing section 51.

[0078] (Aspects) (Item 1) A processing device according to one aspect includes a container for accommodating a sample, a port for discharging a liquid contained in the sample from the container as waste liquid, a pump connected to the port, and a control device for controlling the pump. The control device controls the pump so that a predetermined amount or more of waste liquid is discharged from the port.

[0079] According to the processing device described in paragraph 1, when the liquid contained in the sample is discharged from the container as waste liquid, the pump is controlled so that a predetermined amount or more of the waste liquid can be discharged from the port, so that unnecessary liquid can be minimized and the impurities contained in the sample can be appropriately treated by the subsequent decomposition process.

[0080] (2) In the processing device according to the first aspect, the container includes a processing section for processing the sample. The port is provided in the processing section, and the predetermined volume is the same as the capacity of the processing section.

[0081] According to the processing device described in paragraph 2, waste liquid exceeding the capacity of the processing section can be discharged from the port, so that unnecessary liquid can be prevented from remaining in the processing section of the container containing the sample to the maximum extent possible.

[0082] (Item 3) The processing apparatus according to item 2 further comprises a strainer that captures the target substance contained in the sample and holds it in the container. The strainer is disposed in the processing section.

[0083] According to the processing device described in paragraph 3, the strainer can discharge waste liquid from the port in an amount greater than the capacity of the processing section that can capture the target substance, so even if processing liquid is introduced into the processing section by subsequent decomposition processing, impurities contained in the sample can be properly processed within the range of the processing section where the strainer is installed.

[0084] (4) In the processing device described in paragraph 2 or claim 3, after the waste liquid is discharged, the control device introduces a processing liquid into the container in an amount equal to or less than the capacity of the processing section in order to process impurities contained in the sample.

[0085] According to the processing device described in paragraph 4, waste liquid exceeding the capacity of the processing section can be discharged from the port, and therefore, by introducing processing liquid below the capacity of the processing section through the subsequent decomposition process, impurities contained in the sample can be appropriately processed within the scope of the processing section.

[0086] (Item 5) In the processing device described in any one of items 1 to 4, the target substance is microplastics.

[0087] According to the processing device described in paragraph 5, it is possible to appropriately process impurities contained in a sample and recover microplastics.

[0088] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the description of the above embodiments, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0089] 1 Processing device, 10 Purifier, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 Piping, 31, 32, 33 Pump, 41, 42, 43 Solenoid valve, 50 Container, 51 Processing device, 52 Overflow part, 53, 54, 310 Flange part, 55 Outlet, 61, 62, 63, 64 Port, 71 Stirrer, 72 Stirring bar, 80 Outlet pipe, 90 Fixing device, 110 Filtration part, 210 Decomposition liquid reservoir, 220 Heavy liquid reservoir, 230 Rinse liquid reservoir, 240, 250, 260 Waste liquid reservoir, 300 Strainer, 500 Control device, 501 Arithmetic device, 502 Memory, 503 Communication device, 504 Display device, 505 Input device, 506 data reader, 507 recording medium, 510 storage, 511 control program, 512 control data.

Claims

1. A processing device for processing a sample to recover a target substance, comprising: a container for accommodating the sample, the container having an overflow portion located on one side in one direction and a processing portion located on the other side in the one direction, the overflow portion being connected to each other; a pipe for introducing a treatment liquid for decomposing impurities contained in the sample into the container; a port for discharging a liquid contained in the sample from the container containing the sample as waste liquid; a pump connected to the port; a control device for controlling the pump; a strainer disposed inside the processing section, capturing a target substance contained in the sample and retaining it in the container while allowing a liquid contained in the sample to pass through; The control device controls the pump so that the waste liquid exceeding the capacity of the processing section can be discharged from the port.

2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control device introduces a processing liquid into the container in an amount equal to or less than the capacity of the processing section in order to process impurities contained in the sample after the waste liquid has been discharged.

3. The processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the target substance is microplastics.