WATER TREATMENT AGENT

Abstract

The present invention is a water treatment agent containing (a) a polymeric flocculating agent, (b) an inorganic flocculating agent and (c) a surfactant, wherein the water treatment agent contains (c) in an amount of more than 50 parts by mass and 10,000 parts by mass or less relative to 1,000 parts by mass of (b).

Claims

1. A water treatment agent comprising (a) a polymeric flocculating agent [hereinafter referred to as component (a)], (b) an inorganic flocculating agent [hereinafter referred to as component (b)] and (c) a surfactant [hereinafter referred to as component (c)], wherein the water treatment agent comprises the component (c) in an amount of more than 50 parts by mass and 10,000 parts by mass or less relative to 1,000 parts by mass of the component (b).

2. The water treatment agent according to claim 1, wherein the water treatment agent comprises the component (c) in an amount of 10 mass % or more.

3. The water treatment agent according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the water treatment agent comprises the component (c) in an amount of 5 parts by mass or more and 1,000 parts by mass or less relative to 1 part by mass of the component (a).

4. The water treatment agent according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the water treatment agent comprises the component (a) in an amount of 0.1 parts by mass or more and 1,000 parts by mass or less relative to 1,000 parts by mass of the component (b).

5. The water treatment agent according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the component (a) is a polymeric flocculating agent having spinnability.

6. The water treatment agent according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the component (b) is one or more inorganic flocculating agents selected from aluminum sulfate, sodium aluminate, polyaluminum chloride, aluminum oxide, aluminum hydroxide, iron(II) sulfate, iron(III) chloride, iron(III) sulfate, polyferric sulfate, sodium silicate, sodium sulfite and an aluminum alum.

7. The water treatment agent according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the component (c) is an anionic surfactant.

8. The water treatment agent according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the component (c) is a surfactant selected from compounds with a molecular weight of 500 or more and having an aromatic ring.

9. The water treatment agent according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the water treatment agent is of a multi-agent type consisting of a combination of agents comprising components selected from the components (a), (b) and (c), wherein the components (a) and (b) are formulated in different agents.

10. A method for purifying water comprising, adding (a) a polymeric flocculating agent [hereinafter referred to as component (a)], (b) an inorganic flocculating agent [hereinafter referred to as component (b)] and (c) a surfactant [hereinafter referred to as component (c)] to water to be treated comprising water and polluting components, wherein the component (c) is added such that a concentration of the component (c) in the water to be treated is 100 ppm or more and 100,000 ppm or less, and the component (c) is added in an amount of more than 50 parts by mass and 10,000 parts by mass or less relative to 1,000 parts by mass of the component (b).

11. The method for purifying water according to claim 10, wherein the component (a) is added such that a concentration of the component (a) in the water to be treated is 0.1 ppm or more and 500 ppm or less.

12. The method for purifying water according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the component (b) is added such that a concentration of the component (b) in the water to be treated is 10 ppm or more and 20,000 ppm or less.

13. The method for purifying water according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the water treatment agent according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is used to add the components (a), (b) and (c).

Description

EXAMPLES

Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Example 1

(1) Method for Preparing Polluted Water

[0154] A 500-ml glass beaker was filled with 475 g of ion exchange water. A cylindrical stirrer with a diameter of 11 mm and a length of 43 mm was placed therein, and the water was stirred for 1 minute on a magnetic stirrer (NISSIN stirrer SW-M120) with the scale set to 4. 0.5 g of soil (Kanuma soil which was ground in a mixer of Hosokawa Micron Co., Ltd.) was added and stirred for 30 seconds to prepare polluted water, or water to be treated.

(2) Evaluation

[0155] With the prepared polluted water used as water to be treated, polluted water for evaluation was obtained by adding each component thereto in the following manner, and the flocculation of polluting components was evaluated.

[0156] While the polluted water was stirred on the magnetic stirrer (NISSIN stirrer SW-M120) with the scale set to 4, component (b) was added such that the concentration in the polluted water for evaluation was a value shown in Table 1 or 2, and 30 seconds later, sodium hydroxide was added to adjust the pH to 7. Further 30 seconds later, an aqueous solution prepared in advance from ion exchange water to contain components (a) and (c) in concentrations of 1,000 ppm and 50,000 ppm, respectively, was added such that each of the concentrations of the above components in the polluted water for evaluation was a value shown in Table 1 or 2, and ion exchange water was finally added such that the total liquid volume was 500 g and stirred for 300 seconds in total to obtain the polluted water for evaluation. After stirring, it was left for 5 minutes in a room conditioned at an air temperature of 25° C., and flocculates were observed with a microscope (manufactured by KEYENCE CORPORATION) to analyze the particle sizes of the flocculates. The particle sizes of 10 flocculates arbitrarily selected were analyzed and the average value thereof was used as the particle size of them. The results are shown in Tables 1 and 2. In the tables, (c)/[1,000 parts of (b)] is the mass ratio of component (c) relative to 1,000 parts by mass of component (b).

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Example Comparative example 1-1 1-2 1-3 1-4 1-1 1-2 1-3 1-4 1-5 Water Concentration (a) PEO 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 treatment in polluted (7,000,000) agent water for (b) Aluminum 1000 100 10000 1000 1000 1000 2000 100 evaluation sulfate (ppm) (c) LAS 800 800 800 100 800  800 100 1600 (c)/[1,000 parts of (b)] (mass ratio) 800 8000 80 100 — 800 0 50 16000 pH of polluted water for evaluation*.sup.1 7 7 7 7  7 7 7 7 7 Diameter of flocculate (mm) 10.1 6.7 10.2 5.1 x*.sup.2 0.6 2.1 3.1 0.5 *.sup.1adjusted with sodium hydroxide *.sup.2no flocculates were formed

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Example 1-1 2-1 2-2 2-3 2-4 2-5 2-6 2-7 2-8 Water Concentration (a) PEO (7,000,000) 10 10 10 10 1 5 20 treatment in polluted AAm (5,000,000) 10 agent water for AA (5,000,000) 10 evaluation PEO (2,000,000) (ppm) PEO (500,000) PEO (300,000) (b) Aluminum sulfate 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 Ferric sulfate 1000 Polyaluminum 1000 chloride Polyferric 1000 sulfate (c) LAS 800 800 800 800 800 800 800 800 800 AS AES Sodium oleate (c)/[1,000 parts of (b)] (mass ratio) 800 800 800 800 800 800 800 800 800 pH of polluted water for evaluation*.sup.1 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 Diameter of flocculate (mm) 10.1 9.6 10 9.7 5.7 7.8 11.2 8.5 8.3 Example 2-9 2-10 2-11 2-12 2-13 2-14 2-15 2-16 Water Concentration (a) PEO (7,000,000) 10 10 10 10 10 treatment in polluted AAm (5,000,000) agent water for AA (5,000,000) evaluation PEO (2,000,000) 10 (ppm) PEO (500,000) 10 PEO (300,000) 10 (b) Aluminum sulfate 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 Ferric sulfate Polyaluminum chloride Polyferric sulfate (c) LAS 800 800 800 400 2000 AS 800 AES 800 Sodium oleate 800 (c)/[1,000 parts of (b)] (mass ratio) 800 800 800 400 2000 800 800 800 pH of polluted water for evaluation*.sup.1 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 Diameter of flocculate (mm) 7.5 6.5 2.8 8.7 7.6 8.4 7.8 8.2 *.sup.1adjusted with sodium hydroxide

[0157] It is understood from Tables 1 and 2 that components (a) to (c) combined under predetermined conditions of the present invention can form enlarged flocculates.

[0158] The components in the tables are the following. The numerals shown in parentheses for component (a) are weight average molecular weights.

[0159] Component (a) [0160] PEO (7,000,000): polyethylene oxide, PEO-27, Sumitomo Seika Chemicals Company, Limited, spinnability [0161] AAm (5,000,000): polyacrylamide, FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation, spinnability [0162] AA (5,000,000): sodium polyacrylate, AP199, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, spinnability [0163] PEO (2,000,000): Polyethylene Glycol 2,000,000, FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation, spinnability [0164] PEO (500,000): polyethylene oxide, PEO-2, Sumitomo Seika Chemicals Company, Limited, spinnability [0165] PEO (300,000): polyethylene oxide, PEO-1, Sumitomo Seika Chemicals Company, Limited, no spinnability Component (b) [0166] Aluminum sulfate: aluminum sulfate (anhydrous), TAIMEI CHEMICALS CO., LTD. [0167] Ferric sulfate: iron(III) sulfate (anhydrous), FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation [0168] Polyaluminum chloride: polyaluminum chloride, TAIMEI CHEMICALS CO., LTD. [0169] Polyferric sulfate: polyferric sulfate, TAIKI CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES CO., LTD.

Component (c)

[0170] LAS: sodium lauryl benzene sulfonate, NEOPELEX G-15 (manufactured by Kao Corporation) [0171] AS: sodium lauryl sulfate, EMAL 10G (manufactured by Kao Corporation) [0172] AES: sodium polyoxyethylene lauryl ether sulfate, EMAL 270J (manufactured by Kao Corporation) [0173] Fatty acid: sodium oleate: FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation

pH Adjuster

[0174] Sodium hydroxide: FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation

Example 3

<Experimental Method>

(1) Method for Preparing Polluted Water

[0175] Plastic containers (1 to 50 L in capacity) were filled respectively with 1 to 50 L of ion exchange water depending on their capacities. The following powder detergent as a detergent component and the following mud as a polluting component were added in concentrations of 1333 ppm and 1000 ppm, respectively. An arm was put into the water until the fingers touched the bottom of the container, and the water was stirred round 10 times in the same direction.

Powder detergent: Sunlight Oxifresh (Unilever)
Mud: ground Kanuma soil (commercially available Kanuma red soil ground with the impact screen micro pulverizer AP-1 (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Co., Ltd.))

(2) Evaluation

[0176] (2-1) Maximum Amount of Water that can be Treated

[0177] The prepared polluted water was used as water to be treated to evaluate a water purification effect. The arm was put into the polluted water the temperature of which was adjusted to 30° C. until the fingers touched the bottom of the container, and while the polluted water was stirred round in the same direction at a rate of 50 times per minute, component (b) was added thereto such that the concentration was a value shown in Table 3, and 30 seconds later, sodium carbonate was added to adjust the pH to 7. Further 30 seconds later, component (a) was added such that the concentration was a value shown in Table 3. Further 30 seconds later, component (c) was added such that the concentration in the polluted water for evaluation was a value shown in Table 3, and stirred for 5 minutes in total at the above rate. After stirring, it was left for 5 minutes in a room conditioned at an air temperature of 25° C., and flocculates were removed therefrom by hand. This evaluation was started with an amount of water of 1 L, and if flocculates could be formed and removed, the amount of water was increased to 5 L, and the amount of water was thereafter increased in 5 L increments up to 50 L to confirm the maximum amount of water at which flocculates could be formed and removed. The results are shown in Table 3. Note that this evaluation was performed up to an amount of water of 50 L, but there is a possibility that the water treatment agents for which the maximum amount of water that can be treated is indicated as 50 L in the table are capable of treating water in an amount of more than 50 L.

[0178] The components in the table are the following. The numerals shown in parentheses for component (a) are weight average molecular weights.

Component (a)

[0179] PEO (7,000,000): polyethylene oxide, PEO-27, Sumitomo Seika Chemicals Company, Limited, spinnability [0180] AAm (5,000,000): polyacrylamide, FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation, spinnability [0181] AA (5,000,000): sodium polyacrylate, AP199, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, spinnability [0182] PEO (2,000,000): Polyethylene Glycol 2,000,000, FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation, spinnability [0183] PEO (500,000): polyethylene oxide, PEO-2, Sumitomo Seika Chemicals Company, Limited, spinnability

Component (b)

[0184] Aluminum sulfate: aluminum sulfate (anhydrous), TAIMEI CHEMICALS CO., LTD. [0185] Ferric sulfate: iron(III) sulfate (anhydrous), FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation [0186] Polyaluminum chloride: polyaluminum chloride, TAIMEI CHEMICALS CO., LTD. [0187] Polyferric sulfate: polyferric sulfate, TAIKI CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES CO., LTD.

Component (c)

[0188] c-1: DEMOL N (sodium β-naphthalene sulfonate formaldehyde condensates, weight average molecular weight 4,600), Kao Corporation [0189] c-2: MIGHTY 150 (sodium β-naphthalene sulfonate formaldehyde condensates, weight average molecular weight 14,000), Kao Corporation [0190] c-3: PELEX SS-L (sodium alkyl diphenyl ether disulfonate, weight average molecular weight 550), Kao Corporation [0191] LAS: NEOPELEX G-15 (sodium lauryl benzene sulfonate, molecular weight 348), Kao Corporation [0192] AS: EMAL 10G (sodium lauryl sulfate), Kao Corporation [0193] AA (10,000): Sodium polyacrylate, weight average molecular weight 10,000, FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemicals Corporation

(2-2) Suppression of Foaming of Treated Water

[0194] In the test of (2-1), the foam height of supernatant when the amount of water was 1 L was measured by the Ross-miles method, and the suppression of foaming was evaluated on the basis of the following criteria. The results are shown in Table 3.

A: foam height was 50 mm or less at 5 minutes after the start of measurement
B: foam height was more than 50 mm and 100 mm or less at 5 minutes after the start of measurement
C: foam height was more than 100 mm at 5 minutes after the start of measurement

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Example 3-1 3-2 3-3 3-4 3-5 3-6 3-7 3-8 Water Concentration (a) PEO (7,000,000) 10 10 10 10 treatment in polluted AAm (5,000,000) 10 agent water for AA (5,000,000) 10 evaluation PEO (2,000,000) 10 (ppm) PEO (500,000) 10 (b) Aluminum sulfate 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 Ferric sulfate 1000 Polyaluminum 1000 chloride Polyferric 1000 sulfate (c) c-1 (4,600) 800 800 800 800 800 800 800 800 c-2 (14,000) c-3 (550) LAS (348) AS AA (10,000) (c)/[1,000 parts of (b)] (mass ratio) 800 800 800 800 800 800 800 800 (c)/[1 part of (a)] (mass ratio) 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 pH of polluted water for evaluation*.sup.1 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 Maximum amount of water that can be treated (L) 50 50 50 50 40 40 45 40 Suppression of foaming A A A A A A A A Example 3-9 3-10 3-11 3-12 3-13 3-14 3-15 3-16 Water Concentration (a) PEO (7,000,000) 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 treatment in polluted AAm (5,000,000) agent water for AA (5,000,000) evaluation PEO (2,000,000) (ppm) PEO (500,000) (b) Aluminum sulfate 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 Ferric sulfate Polyaluminum chloride Polyferric sulfate (c) c-1 (4,600) 200 400 2000 c-2 (14,000) 800 c-3 (550) 800 LAS (348) 800 AS 800 AA (10,000) 800 (c)/[1,000 parts of (b)] (mass ratio) 200 400 2000 800 800 800 800 800 (c)/[1 part of (a)] (mass ratio) 20 40 200 80 80 80 80 80 pH of polluted water for evaluation*.sup.1 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 Maximum amount of water that can be treated (L) 35 40 45 50 45 50 5 1 or less Suppression of foaming A A A A B C C A *.sup.1adjusted with sodium carbonate

[0195] In the table, (c)/[1,000 parts of (b)] is the mass ratio of component (c) relative to 1,000 parts by mass of component (b).

[0196] Further, in the table, (c)/[1 part of (a)] is the mass ratio of component (c) relative to 1 part by mass of component (a).

[0197] Further, in the table, the numerals shown in parentheses for component (c) are weight average molecular weights.

[0198] According to the evaluation method in examples 1 and 2, flocculates formed in examples 3-1 to 3-16 had flocculate diameters equal to or greater than those formed in examples 1 and 2 had. Note that the maximum amount of water that can be treated in example 3-16 is indicated as “1 or less” in the table because it was confirmed by the evaluation method in the present example that flocculates were formed when the amount of water was 1 L, but they were small in particle size and difficult to remove. Further, in example 3-16, the suppression of foaming was tested by so carefully collecting supernatant with a dropper as not to produce a flow of water.