Metal Oxygen Absorbing Agent for Low-Humidity Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional oxygen scavengers require moisture to function effectively, making them unsuitable for applications in low-humidity environments such as dried foods, pharmaceutical products, and moisture-sensitive metal products, and they often rely on rare and expensive metals or require complex production processes.
Innovation Solution
A metal oxygen absorbing agent is developed by treating alloys of transition metals with acidic or alkaline aqueous solutions to remove certain components, allowing oxygen absorption in moisture-free atmospheres without the need for moisture, and a method for storing these agents in acidic solutions to maintain activity over time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional oxygen scavengers are used, then oxygen absorption capability is achieved, but they require moisture which makes them unsuitable for low-humidity environments
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the fundamental operating parameter of oxygen scavengers from moisture-dependent to moisture-independent. The metal powder composition and surface characteristics are modified through controlled oxidation and reduction processes, enabling oxygen absorption through a different mechanism that does not require water or moisture, thus making the scavenger adaptable to both high-humidity and low-humidity environments
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses readily available metals such as iron, nickel, copper, and their alloys as the basis for oxygen scavengers. These common metals are processed into specific compositions and forms that provide effective oxygen absorption without requiring rare or expensive materials, making the technology economically viable and widely applicable
2Reliability
If rare metals are used as oxygen scavengers, then oxygen absorption performance is improved, but cost and supply stability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces rare and expensive metals with common, abundant metals such as iron, nickel, copper, and their alloys. These readily available materials can be easily obtained and processed, eliminating dependency on rare metal supply chains and significantly reducing production costs while maintaining effective oxygen absorption performance
Solution Approach 2:
The invention modifies the composition and structure of metal powders through controlled oxidation and reduction processes. By adjusting the metal composition ratios, particle size, and surface characteristics, the scavenger achieves high oxygen absorption performance using common metals rather than rare metals, thus improving both performance and economic viability
3Ease of manufacture
If hydrogen reduction equipment is provided for production, then oxygen scavenger production is enabled, but device complexity and production difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the need for complex hydrogen reduction equipment from the production process. By using alternative metallurgical processes such as controlled oxidation followed by reduction with common chemicals, and by processing metals in their metallic state rather than requiring hydrogen gas treatment, the invention simplifies the production apparatus and makes the technology more easily implementable
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces expensive and complex hydrogen reduction equipment with simpler, more affordable processing equipment. The production process uses readily available chemicals and straightforward metallurgical operations that can be performed with basic industrial equipment, significantly reducing the capital investment and technical barrier for production
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
The metal oxygen absorbing agent maintains high oxygen absorption activity in low-humidity environments, is cost-effective, and stable in storage, suitable for applications where conventional scavengers fail, and avoids the use of rare metals and complex production equipment.
Implementation Method 1
conventional oxygen scavengers, however, suffer from a problem that, in use, when a material that can supply water or moisture does not exist, an oxygen scavenging capability high enough to be used for practical use cannot be provided
Implementation Method 2
a metal obtained by removing only aluminum from an alloy composed of aluminum and iron or an alloy composed of aluminum and nickel using an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an oxygen absorbing agent that can have a capability of absorbing oxygen in an atmosphere even when the atmosphere is free or substantially free from moisture. The oxygen absorbing agent comprises a metal, the metal having been obtained by subjecting an alloy comprising (A) at least one transition metal selected from the group consisting of manganese, iron, platinum, and copper group metals and (B) at least one metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, zinc, tin, lead, magnesium, and silicon to treatment with an acidic or alkaline aqueous solution to elute and remove at least a part of the component (B).