Manufacturing Method of Wet-laid nonwoven and Apparatus thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus for a wet nonwoven fabric using steel slag and a method for manufacturing a wet nonwoven fabric using the same, wherein the invention actively complements performance characteristics such as heat resistance, chemical resistance, and fire resistance of the wet nonwoven fabric by adding an iron component to the wet nonwoven fabric, which inherently exhibits excellent physical property changes, and furthermore, maximizes convenience or efficiency of use through ease of handling, use, maintenance, and repair derived from a structure differentiated from existing ones by using steel slag, an industrial waste, as the iron component, thereby being environmentally friendly and capable of drastically reducing production costs. The wet nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus comprises: a slag processing unit (100) that receives steel slag, heats and melts it to remove impurities, and then forms the molten steel slag into fibers; and a nonwoven fabric processing unit (200) that manufactures a wet nonwoven fabric by spraying steel slag fibers and short fiber slurries onto a wire belt to form a web, followed by dewatering, pressing, and drying. The method for manufacturing a nonwoven fabric is composed of obtaining short fiber slurry and steel slag fibers from natural fibers and steel slag, respectively, through a wet nonwoven fabric manufacturing device, forming a web with the obtained short fiber slurry and steel slag fibers, and then compressing and dewatering.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for manufacturing a wet nonwoven fabric using steel slag, and more specifically, to an apparatus and method for manufacturing a wet nonwoven fabric using steel slag that maximizes convenience or efficiency of use through ease of handling, use, maintenance, and repair derived from a structure differentiated from existing ones, by adding an iron component to a wet nonwoven fabric that has excellent physical properties on its own, thereby actively supplementing performance such as heat resistance, chemical resistance, and fire resistance of the wet nonwoven fabric, and furthermore, by using steel slag, an industrial waste, as the iron component, it is environmentally friendly and can drastically reduce production costs. Background Technology

[0003] Typically, nonwoven fabrics are made by arranging fibers in parallel or irregular directions and combining them in various ways to form a felt shape. The fibers used are typically cotton or viscose rayon, and recently, synthetic fibers such as nylon are mainly used.

[0004] The above nonwoven fabric manufacturing methods include wet and dry methods, and in particular, wet nonwoven fabric is produced by partially modifying the paper manufacturing process. This wet nonwoven fabric manufacturing process consists of a process of supplying raw fibers and water to a wire belt to form a fiber web, and a process of dewatering and drying the fiber web.

[0006] For example, prior art related to wet nonwoven fabrics includes Registered Patent Publication No. 10-2132922, "Wet Nonwoven Fabric Manufacturing Device," and the technology comprises a receiving section for receiving a mixed liquid containing fibers, liquid, and resin; an additive input pipe into which additives are introduced; a drum mixer that receives the mixed liquid from the receiving section and the additives from the input pipe, mixes them, and is provided with a discharge hole; a rotating device for rotating the drum mixer; an intermediate material extraction section on which the mixed material discharged from the discharge hole of the drum mixer settles; a vacuum pump that removes liquid from the mixed material contained in the intermediate material extraction section to make it into an intermediate material state; a pressurizing device including a contact section capable of contacting the upper part of the intermediate material and a pressurizing cylinder that pressurizes the contact section by contacting the upper part of the intermediate material; and a transfer device that moves the intermediate material extraction section to a position where the contact section can contact.

[0008] The aforementioned steel slag is an industrial waste, and since millions of tons are generated annually, there are significant difficulties in its disposal. A common method for processing steel slag involves collecting the molten slag, transporting it to a slag yard, cooling it by spraying water, and then crushing it with a crusher to separate it into iron, concentrate, and slag. Subsequently, the iron is recycled as a raw material for the ironmaking process, the concentrate is recycled as a raw material for the sintering process, and the slag is either landfilled, used for sintering, or utilized as a raw material for cement, depending on its particle size.

[0009] Meanwhile, Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1881448, "Method for Treating Steel Slag," is disclosed as one of the steel slag treatment technologies, and the technology comprises the steps of: disposing of steel slag in a soil landfill; and burying the steel slag by stacking a set of landfill materials on top of it so that the buried steel slag is sealed.

[0010] Here, the landfill material is an aluminum-containing compound that removes free CaO from steel slag and rapidly depletes CaO buried in the soil, while simultaneously efficiently managing hydroxide ions in the surrounding soil water to prevent the generation of highly alkaline water.

[0012] As described above, technologies for manufacturing wet nonwoven fabrics and technologies for treating steel slag have been disclosed, and in addition to these, numerous similar technologies have been developed and are widely in use. However, to date, no technology has been developed to produce wet nonwoven fabrics using steel slag. Prior art literature

[0014] Registered Patent Publication No. 10-2132922 "Wet Nonwoven Fabric Manufacturing Device" Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1881448 "Method for Treating Steel Slag" The problem to be solved

[0015] The present invention was created to more actively resolve the aforementioned problems, and the main problem to be solved is to configure it so that, in the process of producing and manufacturing wet nonwoven fabric, steel slag is added to induce improvements in the physical properties and functionality of the wet nonwoven fabric, and further expands the usability of steel slag to actively contribute to environmental protection.

[0017] In addition, another problem to be solved by the present invention is to produce and provide higher quality wet nonwoven fabric through a technology that can completely remove impurities contained and remaining in steel slag. means of solving the problem

[0019] To achieve the above-mentioned problem, the apparatus for manufacturing a wet nonwoven fabric using steel slag and the method for manufacturing a wet nonwoven fabric using the same proposed in the present invention are as follows.

[0021] The wet nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a slag processing unit (100) that receives steel slag, heats and melts it to remove impurities, and then forms the molten steel slag into fibers; and a nonwoven fabric processing unit (200) that manufactures a wet nonwoven fabric by spraying steel slag fibers and short fiber slurries onto a wire belt to form a web, followed by dehydration, compression, and drying.

[0023] Additionally, the slag processing unit (100) comprises: a silo (110) for storing and discharging a fixed amount of steel slag; a melting furnace (120) for receiving steel slag from the silo, melting it, and removing impurities; a fiber forming machine (130) for forming fibers from the molten steel slag; a heater (140) for heating and slow cooling the fibers discharged from the fiber forming machine; an applicator (150) for applying a surface treatment agent to the surface of the fibers discharged from the fiber forming machine; a dryer (160) for drying the fibers discharged from the applicator; and a discharge unit (170) for transferring the steel slag fibers to a nonwoven fabric processing unit (200).

[0025] Meanwhile, the fiber forming device (130) comprises: an upper wall (131) having an entry hole formed therein to allow the entry of molten steel slag moving through a passage provided in a melting furnace (120); a screen plate (132) horizontally positioned at the bottom of the upper wall and having a plurality of passage holes formed therein for the passage of molten steel slag supplied through the entry hole; and a bushing (133) horizontally positioned at the bottom of the screen plate and having a plurality of nozzles installed therein to allow the molten steel slag supplied through the passage holes to pass through and form fibers.

[0027] Additionally, the nonwoven fabric processing unit (200) includes a kneader (210) that kneads natural fibers to obtain a short fiber slurry; a paper machine (220) that sprays the short fiber slurry and steel slag fibers onto a wire belt to form a web and removes residual moisture by performing gravity vacuum and compression dehydration; and a winder (230) that winds and stores the dried web.

[0029] The wet nonwoven fabric manufacturing method of the present invention is characterized by obtaining a short fiber slurry and steel slag fibers from natural fibers and steel slag, respectively, through the wet nonwoven fabric manufacturing device described above, forming a web with the obtained short fiber slurry and steel slag fibers, and then compressing and dewatering.

[0031] Meanwhile, the wet nonwoven fabric manufacturing method of the present invention comprises: a melting step (S10) in which steel slag is melted to remove impurities, and then the molten steel slag is spun and cooled to obtain steel slag fibers; a composition step (S20) in which the supply, dissociation, refining, refining, and chemical mixing processes of natural fibers are sequentially carried out, and the short fiber slurry with a diameter of 0.1 to 0.5 μm, after chemical mixing, is delivered to a head box; and a papermaking step (S30) in which the short fiber slurry and steel slag fibers are injected into a set shape to form a web, and residual moisture is removed through gravity vacuum, compression dehydration, and drying processes.

[0033] In addition, the melting step (S10) includes heating the steel slag introduced into the device to 1000~1500℃ to remove impurities. Effects of the invention

[0035] According to the present invention, which is composed of the above-described structure, the addition of an iron component to a wet nonwoven fabric with excellent physical properties has the effect of actively supplementing performance such as heat resistance, chemical resistance, and fire resistance.

[0037] In addition, the present invention has the advantage of being an eco-friendly product that contributes to nature conservation by significantly reducing industrial waste, as it utilizes recycled materials added to wet nonwoven fabrics without the need to landfill or dispose of millions of tons of steel slag every year. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0039] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wet nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus configured according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a fiber forming machine proposed by the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart listing the manufacturing process of a wet nonwoven fabric proposed by the present invention in steps. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0040] Hereinafter, the structure of the present invention and the resulting operation and effects will be described collectively with reference to the attached drawings.

[0042] The advantages and features of the present invention and the methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but can be implemented in various different forms. These embodiments are provided merely to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims. Furthermore, throughout the entire specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same components.

[0044] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for manufacturing a wet nonwoven fabric using steel slag.

[0046] Above all, it is noted that the present invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus for a wet nonwoven fabric using steel slag and a method for manufacturing a wet nonwoven fabric using the same, in which the convenience or efficiency of use is maximized due to ease of handling, use, maintenance, and repair derived from a structure differentiated from existing ones, such as by using steel slag, an industrial waste product, as the iron component, thereby actively supplementing performance such as heat resistance, chemical resistance, and fire resistance of the wet nonwoven fabric by adding an iron component to the wet nonwoven fabric, which itself has excellent physical properties, and furthermore, by using steel slag as the iron component, it is environmentally friendly and can drastically reduce production costs.

[0048] Prior to the description of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wet nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus configured according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a fiber forming apparatus proposed by the present invention, and FIG. 3 shows a flowchart listing the manufacturing process of a wet nonwoven fabric proposed by the present invention in steps. Based on the above drawings, the wet nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus and the wet nonwoven fabric manufacturing method of the present invention will be described.

[0050] The wet nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of the present invention may be composed of a slag processing unit (100) for processing steel slag; and a nonwoven fabric processing unit (200) for manufacturing nonwoven fabric.

[0051] Here, the slag processing unit (100) is a unit that receives steel slag, heats and melts it to remove impurities, and then forms the molten steel slag into fibers, and may be composed of a silo (110), a melting furnace (120), a fiber forming machine (130), a heater (140), a coating machine (150), a dryer (160), and a discharge unit (170).

[0052] The above silo (110) stores steel slag and discharges it in a fixed amount to the melting furnace (120) as needed.

[0053] The melting furnace (120) receives steel slag from the silo (110), stores it temporarily, and applies heat as needed to melt the steel slag while removing impurities.

[0054] The fiber forming machine (130) forms steel slag molten in a melting furnace (120) into fibers. The fiber forming machine (130) may consist of an upper wall (131), a screen plate (132), and a bushing (133).

[0055] The upper wall (131) has an entry hole formed therein to allow the entry of molten steel slag moving through a passage provided in the melting furnace (120). Here, the passage provided in the melting furnace (120) can be connected to a vertical wall formed on one side of the melting furnace to overflow the molten steel slag.

[0056] The screen plate (132) is horizontally positioned at the bottom of the upper wall (131) and has a plurality of passage holes formed therein for the passage of molten steel slag supplied through the entry hole.

[0057] The bushing (133) is horizontally positioned at the bottom of the screen plate (132) and is equipped with a plurality of nozzles to form fibers by passing molten steel slag supplied through the through hole.

[0058] The heater (140) is a device for heating and slow cooling the fibers discharged from the fiber forming machine (130), the applicator (150) is a device for applying a surface treatment agent to the surface of the fibers discharged from the fiber forming machine, the dryer (160) is a device for drying the fibers discharged from the applicator, and the discharge unit (170) is a device for transferring the steel slag fibers to the nonwoven fabric processing unit (200).

[0060] The above nonwoven fabric processing unit (200) is a device for manufacturing a wet nonwoven fabric by forming a web by spraying steel slag fibers and short fiber slurries onto a wire belt, respectively, and then dewatering, pressing, and drying, and may be composed of a kneader (210), a paper machine (220), and a winder (230).

[0061] The above-mentioned kneader (210) is a device for obtaining a short fiber slurry by kneading natural fibers. Here, the natural fibers include glass fibers, synthetic fibers, or pulp. The short fiber slurry can be obtained by sequentially undergoing the processes of supply, dissociation, purification, refining, and chemical mixing through a pulper device, a screen device, and a refiner device.

[0062] For example, the above pulper device may be composed of a supply unit that supplies glass fibers, synthetic fibers, or white water for composition as a process for preparing fibers which are the main raw materials of a wet nonwoven fabric; and a dissociation unit that separates the supplied natural fibers into individual fibers by mixing the supplied natural fibers and white water and then stirring.

[0063] The above-mentioned screen device is a device that removes fine foreign substances mixed with fibers through centrifugal force, gravity, etc. It is commonly referred to as a sorting process, and the substances mainly removed are sand, styrofoam, plastic, etc. In this way, foreign substances mixed with fibers are removed, thereby eliminating factors that degrade the quality of the nonwoven fabric.

[0064] And the refiner device is a device that improves the bonding between fibers by fibrillating the fibers through high-speed rotation or physical impact, and is commonly referred to as the refining process. This refining process imparts strength to the fibers, and through the refining process, a short fiber slurry with a diameter of 0.1 to 0.5 μm is obtained.

[0065] Subsequently, chemicals are mixed into the short fiber slurry to create conditions suitable for nonwoven fabric performance, and the chemicals mainly added at this time may consist of fillers, retention agents, and strength agents. The short fiber slurry with a diameter of 0.1 to 0.5 μm, after the chemical mixing as described above, is transferred to a head box.

[0066] The above paper machine (220) refers to a device that forms a web by spraying short fiber slurry and steel slag fibers onto a wire belt, and removes residual moisture by performing gravity vacuum and compression dewatering.

[0067] The above paper machine (220) may be composed of a head box, wire, press, dryer, etc.

[0068] The head box is located at the foremost end of the paper machine and is a device that supplies the short fiber slurry provided by the refiner device to the wire. Mainly, multiple head boxes are arranged in a row at the foremost end of the paper machine (220) to uniformly inject the slurry across the entire width of the paper machine.

[0069] The above wire is a device that sets and dehydrates the concentration of short fiber slurry and steel slag fibers injected from the head box by gravity and vacuum. During this process, the short fiber slurry and steel slag fibers form a web, which has a decisive influence on the key qualities of the nonwoven fabric, such as its bonding and strength.

[0070] The above-mentioned press is a device that dehydrates moisture remaining in the web through physical compression, and the nonwoven fabric compressed by this process becomes denser in structure.

[0071] The above dryer is a device that dries nonwoven fabric dehydrated through a press.

[0072] As described above, the paper machine (220) is a process for forming a nonwoven fabric by dewatering and drying a web composed of short fiber slurry and steel slag, and consists of processes such as gravity, vacuum dewatering, compression dewatering, and drying. The short fiber slurry and steel slag injected from the head box form a web shape in the wire part, then undergo a compression dewatering process in the press part, and then evaporate residual moisture in the dryer part to complete the desired wet nonwoven fabric product.

[0074] The wet nonwoven fabric of the present invention can be manufactured with the desired performance through the wet nonwoven fabric manufacturing device described above. This is achieved by obtaining a short fiber slurry and steel slag fibers from natural fibers and steel slag, respectively, through the wet nonwoven fabric manufacturing device described above, forming a web with the obtained short fiber slurry and steel slag fibers, and then compressing and dewatering.

[0075] To list the steps, this can be divided into a melting step (S10) in which steel slag is melted to remove impurities, and then the molten steel slag is spun and cooled to obtain steel slag fibers; a composition step (S20) in which the supply, dissociation, refining, refining, and chemical mixing processes of natural fibers are carried out sequentially, and the short fiber slurry with a diameter of 0.1 to 0.5 μm, after chemical mixing, is delivered to a head box; and a papermaking step (S30) in which the short fiber slurry and steel slag fibers are injected into a set shape to form a web, and residual moisture is removed through gravity vacuum, compression dehydration, and drying processes.

[0076] The melting step (S10) above refers to a process of melting steel slag to remove impurities and spinning the molten steel slag to obtain steel slag fibers, and is carried out through the slag processing unit (100) of the wet nonwoven fabric manufacturing device.

[0077] The melting step (S10) comprises: a step of storing steel slag through a silo (110) and discharging the stored steel slag when necessary; a step of temporarily storing the steel slag provided by the silo in a melting furnace and heating the melting furnace through a burner to melt the stored steel slag and remove impurities; a step of forming steel slag fibers by extruding the molten steel slag through a fiber forming machine (130); a step of slowly cooling the fibers discharged from the fiber forming machine by heating them through a heater (140); a step of applying a surface treatment agent to the surface of the fibers discharged from the fiber forming machine through an applicator (150); a step of drying the fibers discharged from the applicator through a dryer (160); and a step of transferring the steel slag fibers to a nonwoven fabric processing unit (200) through a discharge section (170).

[0078] The above composition step (S20) refers to a process of composing natural fibers to obtain a short fiber slurry, and can be carried out through the nonwoven fabric processing unit (200) of the wet nonwoven fabric manufacturing device.

[0079] The above composition step (S20) comprises: a step of supplying natural fibers and white water for composition through a pulper device, mixing the supplied natural fibers and white water, and then stirring to separate them into individual fibers; a step of improving the quality of the nonwoven fabric by removing fine foreign substances, such as sand, styrofoam, and plastic, mixed with the fibers through centrifugal force, gravity, etc., of the dissociated fibers; a step of improving the bonding between fibers by fibrillating the fibers by rotating the fibers at high speed or applying physical impact, and consequently obtaining a short fiber slurry with a diameter of 0.1 to 0.5 μm; thereafter, a step of mixing a filler, a retention agent, a strength agent, etc., into the short fiber slurry to meet conditions for exhibiting performance suitable for the nonwoven fabric; and a step of transferring the short fiber slurry with a diameter of 0.1 to 0.5 μm, after chemical mixing, to a head box.

[0080] The above papermaking step (S30) refers to a process of forming a web by spraying steel slag fibers obtained in the melting step (S10) and short fiber slurry obtained in the composition step (S20) onto a wire belt, and obtaining a wet nonwoven fabric by dehydrating, pressing, and drying it, and can be carried out through the nonwoven fabric processing unit (200) of the wet nonwoven fabric manufacturing device.

[0081] The above papermaking step (S30) may consist of: a step of forming a web by spraying short fiber slurry and steel slag fibers onto the upper part of a wire belt, respectively, through the head box of the papermaking machine (220); a step of dewatering the moisture remaining in the web by physical compression through a press; and a step of finally drying the wet nonwoven fabric through a dryer.

[0082] Here, the short fiber slurry and steel slag fibers are primarily dehydrated by gravity and vacuum during the process of being sprayed onto a wire belt in a head box or forming a web. Then, moisture remaining in the web is secondarily dehydrated by physical compression of a press, and finally, a fine drying process is provided by a dryer so that only the desired level of moisture remains.

[0084] According to the present invention, which is composed as described above, the addition of an iron component to a wet nonwoven fabric with excellent inherent physical properties actively improves performance such as heat resistance, chemical resistance, and fire resistance. Furthermore, since the millions of tons of steel slag produced annually can be utilized as a recycled material added to the wet nonwoven fabric without the need for landfilling or disposal, manufacturing costs are significantly reduced, resulting in excellent price competitiveness. Moreover, industrial waste is significantly reduced, contributing to environmental protection.

[0086] The present invention described above has been explained with reference to an exemplary embodiment illustrated in the drawings, but this is merely illustrative, and it should be made clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent alternative embodiments are possible therefrom. Accordingly, the true technical scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted by the appended claims, and all technical ideas within an equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included within the scope of rights of the present invention. Explanation of the symbols

[0088] 100. Slag processing unit 110. Silo 120. Melting furnace 130. Fiber formation period 140. Heater 150. Applicator 160. Dryer 170. Discharge part 200. Non-woven fabric processing unit 210. Mixer 220. Pasture Keeper 230. Winder S10. Melting stage S20. Composition stage S30. Grassland stage

Claims

Claim 1 A manufacturing apparatus for wet nonwoven fabric using steel slag, characterized by comprising: a slag processing unit (100) that receives steel slag, heats and melts it to remove impurities, and then forms the molten steel slag into fibers; and a nonwoven fabric processing unit (200) that manufactures a wet nonwoven fabric by spraying steel slag fibers and short fiber slurries onto a wire belt to form a web, followed by dehydration, compression, and drying. Claim 2 In claim 1, the above slag processing unit (100) comprises: a silo (110) for storing and discharging a fixed amount of steel slag; a melting furnace (120) for receiving steel slag from the silo, melting it, and removing impurities; a fiber forming machine (130) for forming fibers from the molten steel slag; a heater (140) for heating and slow cooling the fibers discharged from the fiber forming machine; a coating machine (150) for applying a surface treatment agent to the surface of the fibers discharged from the fiber forming machine; a dryer (160) for drying the fibers discharged from the coating machine; and a discharge unit (170) for transferring the steel slag fibers to a nonwoven fabric processing unit (200); thereby forming a wet nonwoven fabric using steel slag. Claim 3 A method for manufacturing a wet nonwoven fabric using steel slag, characterized by obtaining a short fiber slurry and steel slag fibers from natural fibers and steel slag, respectively, through a wet nonwoven fabric manufacturing device according to claim 1 or 2, forming a web with the obtained short fiber slurry and steel slag fibers, and then compressing and dewatering.

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