A lint disintegration device for eliminating the lint generated in laundry washing and/or drying processes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laundry washing and drying machines fail to completely eliminate lint, leading to microplastic pollution of water resources and generate domestic waste due to incomplete filtration and manual cleaning processes.
Innovation Solution
A lint disintegration device with a receptacle, biological and chemical agents, and a control unit to break down microplastic bonds using enzymes like cellulase, esterase, and lipase, transforming lint into environmentally friendly substances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If filters are used to retain lint, then lint retention is improved (95% retention), but water resources are still polluted by remaining microplastics and manual cleaning creates domestic waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms lint from a solid particulate state into a liquid-dissolved state through chemical reactions. Enzymes break down polymer bonds in lint molecules, converting them into water-soluble compounds that pass through filters without being retained, thereby eliminating the need for manual cleaning and preventing microplastic pollution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical filtration system with a chemical-biological degradation system. Instead of using physical filters to trap lint particles, the system employs enzymes and chemical agents to break down lint at the molecular level, converting it into substances that can be safely discharged with wastewater.
2Quantity of substance
If lint is retained by filters, then lint is captured, but additional costs and energy consumption are required for manual cleaning and recycling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service system where the lint automatically degrades itself through chemical reactions. The degradation chamber contains enzymes and chemical agents that automatically break down lint particles that enter through the inlet, eliminating the need for manual intervention in cleaning and recycling processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces enzymes and chemical agents as intermediaries to facilitate the degradation of lint. These biological and chemical mediators catalyze the breakdown of lint molecules into water-soluble compounds, enabling automatic elimination without requiring human labor or additional energy input for cleaning operations.
3Manufacturing precision
If filters retain fibers larger than 2 millimeters, then large lint is removed, but microplastic pollution continues as smaller particles pass through
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by breaking down lint particles into molecular-level segments through enzymatic degradation. Instead of relying on physical filter pore sizes to separate particles, the system decomposes lint molecules into smaller water-soluble units that can pass through any filter without causing microplastic pollution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent fundamentally changes the size parameter of lint from macroscopic particles (millimeters) to molecular-level fragments through chemical degradation. This transformation allows all lint particles, regardless of initial size, to be converted into water-soluble compounds that eliminate microplastic pollution concerns.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Almost complete elimination of microplastics, preventing water pollution and reducing waste by converting lint into harmless environmental waste through chemical and biochemical reactions.
Implementation Method 1
at least one enzyme from the enzyme group containing cellulase, esterase, and lipase is used as a biological and/or chemical agent. By means of the cellulase effectively breaking the molecular bonds of cotton-based microplastic fibers while esterase and lipase effectively breaking the molecular bonds of polyester-based synthetic microplastic fibers
Implementation Method 2
the bonds of microplastic molecules are broken down and transformed into environmental wastes which do not pose a danger to the environment
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a lint disintegration device (1) which prevents microplastic release into water resources and keeps water resources clean by breaking the molecular bonds of microplastic-based lint formed as a result of the laundry washing and/or drying processes carried out by the laundry washing and/or drying (W) machines in the receptacle (3) by an enzyme-like biological and/or chemical agent with a suitable structure and amount so as to be transformed into environmental wastes which do not pose a danger to the environment or which pose a lesser danger than microplastics.