Device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis

Abstract

A device prepares drinking water by electrolysis, belonging to the technical field of equipment for electrolysis of water. The device includes a water container, at least one pair of a cathode and an anode arranged within the water container, and an electrolysis power source used for supplying electricity to the cathode and the anode; a water-permeable membrane is arranged between the coupled cathode and anode, and the water-permeable membrane covers the anode, the range of the distance between the water-permeable membrane and the cathode being 010 mm. The device, when electrolyzing water, can prepare water which has a low oxidation reduction potential, is rich in hydrogen and has a certain sterilization capability and is suitable for drinking.

Claims

1. A device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis, comprising a water container configured to contain water for drinking, at least one pair of a cathode and an anode coupled with each other and arranged within the water container, and an electrolysis power source used for supplying electricity to the cathode and the anode; wherein a water-permeable membrane that is water permeable is arranged between the coupled cathode and anode, and the water-permeable membrane covers the anode, a distance between the water-permeable membrane and the cathode being 010 mm; and wherein the water-permeable membrane covers the entire surface of the anode.

2. The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to claim 1, wherein the water-permeable membrane has water-permeable apertures which are smaller than or equal to 2 mm and greater than or equal to 1 nm.

3. The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to claim 2, wherein the water-permeable membrane is compounded by superimposing at least two layers, one of which, close to the anode, is a water-permeable membrane made from carbon materials.

4. The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to claim 2, wherein the water-permeable membrane is a single-layer water-permeable membrane, and the anode is an anode containing carbon materials.

5. The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to claim 4, wherein the single-layer water-permeable membrane is an ultra-filtering membrane.

6. The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to claim 4, wherein the single-layer water-permeable membrane is a water-permeable membrane made from carbon materials.

7. The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to claim 4, wherein the anode is an anode made from carbon materials.

8. The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to claim 4, wherein the anode is compounded by an inert anode made from platinum-coated titanium oxides and an inertia anode made from carbon materials, the inertia anode made from carbon materials being close to the cathode.

9. The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to claim 1, wherein the cathode is formed with a first through-hole, and the aperture of the first through-hole is greater than 1 mm.

10. The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to claim 1, wherein the water-permeable membrane is formed with a second through-hole, and the aperture of the second through-hole is greater than 2 mm.

11. The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to claim 1, wherein the electrolysis power source is a DC pulse power source or an AC pulse power source with a high level and a narrow pulse width, and the forward voltage of the AC pulse power source is greater than the backward voltage.

12. The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to claim 1, wherein =0 and the cathode is in direct contact with the water-permeable membrane.

13. The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to claim 1, wherein the water-permeable membrane is an ultra-filtration membrane (UF), a nano-filtration membrane (NF), or a micro-filtration membrane (MF).

14. The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to claim 1, wherein the container contains water for drinking.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis of the present invention is described in further detail in conjunction with the attached drawings.

(2) FIG. 1 is a structural view of a device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

(3) FIG. 2 is a structural view of a device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

(4) FIG. 3 is a structural view of a device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

(5) FIG. 4 is a structural view of a device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

(6) FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of portion A in FIG. 4.

(7) FIG. 6 is a structural view of a device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

(8) FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view of portion B in FIG. 6.

(9) FIG. 8 is a structural view of a device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

(10) FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged view of portion D in FIG. 8.

(11) FIG. 10 is a structural view of a device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

(12) FIG. 11 is a structural view of a device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

(13) FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged view of portion C in FIG. 11.

(14) FIG. 13 is a structural view of a device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

(15) FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged view of portion E in FIG. 13.

(16) FIG. 15 is a combination of structural view and enlarged parts view of a device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention.

(17) FIG. 16 is a combination of structural view and enlarged parts view of a device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis according to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(18) Embodiment 1

(19) The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis of embodiment 1 can be seen in FIG. 1, including a water container 1, one pair of a cathode 2 and an node 3 arranged within the water container, and an electrolysis power source 4 used for supplying electricity to the cathode 2 and the anode 3. The water container 1 of embodiment 1 is an open container. A water-permeable membrane 5 is arranged between the coupled cathode 2 and anode 3, and the water-permeable membrane 5 covers the anode 3, the range of the distance between the water-permeable membrane 5 and the cathode 2 being 1 mm. In embodiment 1, the water-permeable membrane 5 is a single-layer PVDF ultra-filtering membrane (poly (vinylidene fluoride) membrane) with a mean water-permeable aperture of 0.03 m, and a thickness of 0.01 mm. Of course, the ultra-filtering membrane in embodiment 1 can be ultra-filtering membranes of other materials as long as the range of the mean water-permeable aperture is 0.01-0.05 m.

(20) In embodiment 1, the water-permeable membrane 5 covers the entire surface of the anode 3, namely wrapping the entire surface of the anode 3.

(21) In embodiment 1, the cathode 2 is an inertia electrode prepared by platinum-coated titanium oxides (coating thickness 0.8 mm), the cathode 2 is shaped like a round plate; and the anode 3 is made from carbon materials such as graphite or active carbon, with a rectangular shape. The cathode and the anode are both not formed with pores on surfaces thereof.

(22) In embodiment 1, the electrolysis power source 4 is a 30V DC pulse power source which has a high level, a narrow pulse width and is voltage-stabilized, or an AC pulse power source (but the forward voltage must be greater than the backward voltage).

(23) In embodiment 1, when the cathode 2 and the anode 3 are placed in parallel in water in the water container 1, the cathode 2 is positioned above the anode 3.

(24) The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in embodiment 1 was used in water electrolysis tests. The volume of the water container 1 was 20080120 mm. The source water was water generated by a RO pure water machine, with a TDS=3 mg/L. The water container was injected with about 1.5 L of water. The electrolysis was carried out for about 30 min, and water sample was taken and tested once every 5 min.

(25) In the following tests, the amount of bubbles (strength) and oxidation factors in water are tested by qualitative observation.

(26) (1) Classification of Bubbles (Strength) in Water by Visual Inspection:

(27) Bubbles in the water were classified into 5 levels from zero to the relative maximum bubble amounts in the test.

(28) (2) Determination of Oxidation Factors in Water

(29) As mentioned above, oxidation factors exist in a very short time in water. The analysis selectivity and reliability of the existing test methods (for example chemical reaction method and capturing method) are undesirable. Meanwhile, considering that the device of the present invention is specially designed for treatment of water for daily use, the focus is on the change trend-scale macro effect of the oxidation factors. Therefore, to simplify the repeated test workload, a titrating solution researched and developed especially for qualitative determination of the sum of the oxidation factors in water. The self-made titrating solution in the water and the yellowing degree of the water are observed and then classified into 5 levels to judge the contents of the oxidation factors in the water:

(30) Color-lessBasically zero oxidation factor in the water, set as level 0;

(31) YellowestRelative maximum oxidation factors in the water, set as level 5.

(32) Except for the color-less or the yellowest, the color in the middle is classified into levels 1, 2, 3 and 4 according to the yellowing degree.

(33) The test results can be seen in table 1 below:

(34) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Bubble properties Elec- Displacement Amount Oxidation Dissolved trolysis of water - of ORP factors hydrogen time-Min combustion bubbles (mv) pH (titration) (ug/L) 0 Level 0 251 6.8 Level 0 0 5 Hydrogen Level 2 196 7.1 Level 0 255 10 Level 3 268 7.3 Level 0 346 15 Level 4 304 7.4 Level 1 462 20 Level 5 386 7.6 Level 1 587 30 Level 5 405 7.7 Level 2 625 Test result analysis: 1. By the displacement of air-combustion method and measurement of the contents of the dissolved hydrogen in water, it can be determined that the majority of the huge amount of bubbles generated in water were hydrogen bubbles. 2. Along with an increase in the electrolysis time, hydrogen and oxidation factors in water increased in a direct proportion. 3. Absorbed by the carbon material itself of the anode 3, the oxidation factors generated in water were reduced, and then water suitable for drinking was obtained.

(35) Embodiment 2

(36) The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in embodiment 1 is basically the same as that in embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. 2, embodiment 2 is different from embodiment 1 in that, the distance between the water-permeable membrane 5 and the cathode 2 is 0 mm, meaning that the water-permeable membrane 5 tightly covers the cathode 2 and the anode 3. The water-permeable membrane 5 is a single-layer PVDF ultra-filtering membrane (poly (vinylidene fluoride) membrane) with a mean water-permeable aperture of 0.03 m, and a thickness of 0.01 mm.

(37) The device for preparing drinking water in embodiment 2 and the device in embodiment 1 were used to do the water electrolysis test; the source water was tap water, with a ORP=+320 mv, a pH=7.1 and a TDS=48 mg/L; other test conditions were the same as those in embodiment 1. The test results of the devices can be seen in the table 2 below.

(38) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Bubbles Oxidation Dissolved ORP factors Electrolysis Current Voltage Visual Main hydrogen mv pH Reagent mode ma V inspection properties ppb 320 7.1 titration = 1 560 8 Level 5 Hydrogen 600 553 8.2 Level 0 = 0 6.3 Level 5 Hydrogen, 505 464 7.2 Level 1 little oxygen Test result analysis: 1) In a certain range, as increased, bubbles and oxygen in the water increased, the reduction oxidation potential declined, the water became strongly alkaline and oxidation factors reduced. a) approached 0 and the oxidation factors in the treated water increased.

(39) Embodiment 3

(40) The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in embodiment 3 is basically the same as that in embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. 3, embodiment 3 is different from embodiment 1 in that, 1) the water container 1 is a closed container, provided with a water inlet 6 and a water outlet 7;2) the water-permeable membrane 5 is an active carbon fiber fabric (with a specific surface area of 1,200 m.sup.2/g, and a thickness of 1.8 mm when impacted after being immersed in water); 3) the distance between the water-permeable membrane 5 and the cathode 2 is 8 mm.

(41) For the device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in embodiment 3, the carbon materials of the anode 3 and the water-permeable membrane 5 have a strong absorption capability, so that oxidation factors generated in water are greatly reduced and then water more suitable for drinking is obtained.

(42) Embodiment 4

(43) The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in embodiment 4 is basically the same as in embodiment 2. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, embodiment 4 is different from embodiment 2 in that, 1) the cathode 2 is formed first with 8 through-holes with an aperture of 1 mm; 2) the water-permeable membrane 5 covers a part of the surface of the anode 3 (all surface of one side, facing the cathode 2, of the anode); 3) the distance between the water-permeable membrane 5 and the cathode 2 is 2 mm.

(44) The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in embodiment 4 was used to make a water electrolysis test. The cathode of the device was uniformly distributed with 24 first through-holes with a diameter of 1 mm; the electrolysis time was 20 min; and other test conditions and test method were the same as those of embodiment 1. The test results can be seen in the table 3 below.

(45) TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Electrolysis Oxidation reduction Dissolved current potential (ORP) hydrogen Amount of active (mA) (mv) pH (mg/L) hydrogen in water 270-390 498 7.9 760 Level 1

(46) Embodiment 5

(47) The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in embodiment 5 is basically the same as in embodiment 4. As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, embodiment 5 is different from embodiment 4 in that, 1) the water-permeable membrane 5 is formed with second through-holes 9 with an aperture of 2.1 mm), and the second through-holes 9 and the first through-holes 8 are identical in quantity and are concentrically aligned; 2) the distance between the water-permeable membrane 5 and the cathode 2 is 3 mm.

(48) The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in embodiment 4 was used to make a water electrolysis test. The electrolysis time was 20 min; and other test conditions and test method were the same as those of embodiment 4. The test results can be seen below:

(49) TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Electrolysis Oxidation reduction Dissolved current potential (ORP) hydrogen Amount of active (mA) (mv) pH (mg/L) hydrogen in water 520 410 8.2 650 Level 1

(50) Embodiment 6

(51) The device for preparing drinking water in embodiment 6 is improved on the basis of embodiment 3. As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, embodiment 6 is different from embodiment 3 in that, 1) the water-permeable membrane 5 is a two-layer water-permeable membrane compounded by superimposing an active carbon fiber membrane (felt) 5-1 and an ultra-filtering membrane 5-2; the active carbon fiber membrane 5-1 is close to the anode 3 (facing the anode 3) and covers the entire surface of the anode 3, while the ultra-filtering membrane 5-2 facing the cathode 2 (departing from the anode 3) covers a part of the surface (the entire surface of one side, facing the cathode 2, of the anode), and the two ends of the ultra-filtering membrane 5-2 exceeds the anode a little); 2) the distance between the water-permeable membrane 5 and the cathode 2 is 5 mm; 3) the anode 3 is changed to be an inertia electrode, like the cathode 2, made from platinum-coated titanium oxides (coating thickness 0.8 mm), shaped like a round plate.

(52) The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in embodiment 6 was used to do a water electrolysis test. The electrolysis time was 20 min; and other test conditions were the same as those of embodiment 5. The test results can be seen in table 5 below.

(53) TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Electrolysis Oxidation reduction Dissolved current potential (ORP) hydrogen Amount of active (mA) (mv) pH (mg/L) hydrogen in water 580 360 7.7 380 Undetected

(54) From the test results it can be known that the device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in embodiment 6 can prepare hydrogen-enriched water with a low oxidation reduction potential which is suitable for drinking because the water-permeable membrane 5 is a two-layer hydrogen-enriched water which is compounded by superimposing the active carbon fiber membrane (felt) 5-1 and the ultra-filtering membrane 5-2 and can absorb a great amount of the oxidation factors in water.

(55) Embodiment 7

(56) The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in embodiment 7 is basically the same as that in embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. 10, embodiment 7 is different from embodiment 1 in that, the water-permeable membrane 5 tightly covers a part of the surface of one side, facing the cathode 2, of the anode 3, and the two ends of the anode 3, respectively, exceed the water-permeable membrane 5 by a small length.

(57) The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in embodiment 4 was used to do a water electrolysis test. The electrolysis time was 10 min; and other test conditions were the same as those of embodiment 5. The test results can be seen in table 5 below.

(58) TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Dissolved Electrolysis Amount of ORP Oxidation factors hydrogen time-Min bubbles (mv) pH (titration) (ug/L) 0 Level 0 251 6.8 Level 0 0 10 Level 5 368 7.4 Level 0 489

(59) Embodiment 8

(60) The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in embodiment 8 is a variation on the basis of embodiment 6. As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, embodiment 8 is different from embodiment 6 in that, 1) the active carbon fiber membrane (felt) 5-1 is replaced by the water-permeable membrane made from conductive ceramic; 2) the ultra-filtering membrane 5-2 facing the cathode 2 (departing from the anode 3) covers a part of the surface of the anode 3, namely covering three side surfaces of the anode.

(61) Embodiment 9

(62) The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in embodiment 9 is a variation on the basis of embodiment 6. As shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, embodiment 9 is different from embodiment 6 in that, 1) the ultra-filtering membrane 5-2 facing the cathode 2 (departing from the anode 3) covers the entire surface of the anode 3; 2) the cathode 2 is formed with 2 mm first through-holes 8; 3) the water-permeable membrane 5 (including the active carbon fiber membrane (felt) 5-1 and ultra-filtering membrane 5-2) is formed with second through-holes 9 with a diameter of 2.5 mm on one side facing the cathode 2.

(63) Embodiment 10

(64) The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis of embodiment 10 is basically the same as that in embodiment 1. A shown in FIG. 15, embodiment 10 is different from embodiment 1 in that, 1) the distance between the water-permeable membrane 5 and the cathode 2 is 0 mm, namely the water-permeable membrane 5 tightly covers the cathode 2 and the anode 3; 2) both cathode 2 and anode 3 are round plane electrodes with a size of 48 mm and a thickness of 1 mm; 3) the cathode 2 is uniformly distributed with comb-like first through-holes 8; 4) the anode 3 is installed at the bottom of the water container 1, and the cathode 2 concentrically penetrates the water-permeable membrane 5 and the anode 3 to be fixed with the bottom surface of the water container 1 through a positioning screw 10 (sheath+insulating jacket) and also compacts the water-permeable membrane 5; 5) the periphery of the anode 3 is added with a plastic outer frame 11 fixed by using a screw 12 for compacting the water-permeable membrane 5 on the anode 3 at the bottom surface of the water container 1 to realize reliable wrapping of the anode 3; in embodiment 10, the bottom surface of the anode 3 tightly fits the bottom surface of the water container 1, so the water-permeable membrane 5 covers the entire surface of the anode 3 except for the bottom surface; 6) the bottom surface of the anode 3 and the positioning screw 10 of the cathode 2 are welded with two uniform anode screws 13 at positions which form an angle of relative 90 DEG, and the positive and negative electrode leads of the external electrolysis power source are respectively connected to the positioning screw 10 and the anode screw 13.

(65) The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in embodiment 10 was used to do the following test.

(66) 1. Test Conditions

(67) 1.1 The volume of the water container 1 was 100100300 mm.

(68) 1.2 The electrolysis power source 4 was a conventional 30V DC voltage-stabilized power supply (a self-made 30V DC pulse power supply with a high level and a narrow pulse width was prepared to make the contrast test).

(69) 1.3 In the following test, the observation methods of a plurality of indices are as follows.

(70) (1) Classification of Bubbles in Water by Visual Inspection:

(71) Bubbles in water are classified into 5 levels from zero to the relative maximum bubble amounts in the test.

(72) (2) Determination of Oxidation Factors in Water

(73) As mentioned above, oxidation factors exist in a very short time in water. The analysis selectivity and reliability of the existing test methods (for example chemical reaction method and capturing method) are undesirable. Meanwhile, considering that the device of the present invention is specially designed for treatment of water for daily use, the focus is on the change trend-scale macro effect of the oxidation factors. Therefore, to simplify the repeated test workload, a titrating solution has been researched and developed especially for qualitative determination of the sum of the oxidation factors in water. The self-made titrating solution in water, and the yellowing degree of the water are observed and then classified into 5 levels to judge the contents of the oxidation factors in water:

(74) Color-lessBasically zero oxidation factor in the water, set as level 0;

(75) YellowestRelative maximum oxidation factors in the water, set as level 5. Except for the color-less or the yellowest, the color in the middle is classified into levels 1, 2, 3 and 4 according to the yellowing degree.

(76) The source water was water generated by an RO pure water machine, with a TDS=3 mg/L. The water container was injected with about 1.5 L of water. The electrolysis time was 5 min.

(77) 1. Test 1

(78) Comparison of the case without membrane/the case with water-permeable membrane/the case with ionic member

(79) The water-permeable membrane 5 in the embodiment was used to do the water electrolysis test in the following three cases:

(80) 1) The water-permeable membrane 5 between the cathode 2 and the anode 3 was removed such that the cathode 2 and the anode 3 entered a membrane-less state and the distance between the cathode 2 and the anode 3 was adjusted to be 1.0 mm using the positioning screw 10 and a screw 12 (positioned by using an insulating cushion to keep the distance unchanged).

(81) 2) The water-permeable membrane 5 was a neutral ionic membrane, fully wrapped onto the anode 3 by using a pressing frame 6, and the distance between the membrane 5 and the cathode 2 was adjusted to be 0.7 mm using the positioning screw 10 and the screw 12.

(82) 3) The water-permeable membrane 5 was a PVDF ultra-filtering membrane, fully covering the anode, and the distance between the membrane 5 and the cathode 2 was adjusted to be 0.7 mm using the positioning screw 10 and the screw 12.

(83) The source water used in the test was water generated by a commercially available RO pure water machine, with a TDS=3 mg/L and a pH=6.8, and the container was injected with about 1 L of water.

(84) In the three cases, the electrolysis current was kept at 300 mA, and the electrolysis time was 15 min. The test results can be seen in the table 7.

(85) TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 Bubbles Oxidation Main Dissolved ORP factors Electrolysis Current Voltage Visual properties hydrogen mv pH Reagent mode ma V inspection of bubbles ppb 324 6.8 titration No membrane, 300 6.2 Level 5 Air 187 225 6.7 Level 5 small distance Fully covered 14.6 Level 1 225 365 7.1 Level 0 with ionic membrane Fully covered 7.8 Level 4 Hydrogen 580 553 7.3 Level 2 with water-permeable membrane Test result analysis: 1. During the membrane-less small-distance electrolysis, non-selective low-voltage plasma discharging occurred; the majority of bubbles were air bubbles; and a lot of oxidation factors were generated. 2. During the electrolysis with the ionic membrane, plasma discharging did not occur, and basically no bubbles were generated Besides, as the oxidation separation potential at the anode increased, the power consumption also increased. In order to maintain the same electrolysis current, external voltage had to be greatly improved. 3. During the electrolysis where the water-permeable membrane fully and tightly covered the anode, a proper amount of oxidation factors were generated, and the majority of the bubbles in the water were hydrogen-enriched ultra-micro bubbles.

(86) 2. Test 2

(87) The influences of the distance between the cathode and the water-permeable membrane on the working characteristics of the device were tested; and the water-permeable membrane 5 was a PVDF ultra-filtering membrane, which fully covered the anode 3. The distance between the cathode 2 and the water-permeable membrane 5 was respectively adjusted to five values, namely =10, 7, 4, 1, 0 mm, by using the positioning screw 10 and the screw 12. The source water used in the test was water generated by a commercially available RO pure water machine, with a TDS=3 mg/L and a pH=6.8, and the container was injected with about 1 L of water. Under the various conditions, the electrolysis current was maintained at 300 mA, and the electrolysis time was 15 min. The test results can be seen in table 8.

(88) TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 Bubbles Oxidation Dissolved ORP factors Electrolysis Current Voltage Visual Main hydrogen mv pH Reagent mode ma V inspection properties ppb 324 6.8 titration = 10 300 16 Level 3 Hydrogen 625 620 8.4 Level 0 = 7 14 Level 4 Hydrogen 630 610 8.3 Level 0 = 4 11 Level 5 620 618 8 Level 0 = 1 8 Level 5 Hydrogen, 600 553 7.8 Level 1 oxygen = 0 6.3 Level 5 Air, 505 464 7.1 Level 2 hydrogen, little oxygen Test result analysis: 1) In a certain range, as increased, bubbles and oxygen in the water increased, the reduction oxidation potential declined, the water became strongly alkaline, and oxidation factors were reduced. a) approach d 0 and the oxidation factors in the treated water increased.

(89) 3. Test 3

(90) The influences of the degree of the water-permeable membrane covering the anode on the working characteristics of the device were tested.

(91) The distance between the water-permeable membrane 5 and the cathode 2 was 0. The source water was tap water, with an IDS=160 mg/L and a pH=7.5, and the container was injected with about 1 L of water. The water-permeable membrane 5 was PVDF ultra-filtering membrane with a mean water-permeable aperture of 0.05 mm and a thickness of 0.5 mm.

(92) 1.sup.st Case: The PVDF ultra-filtering membrane fully covered the anode 3.

(93) 2.sup.nd Case: The PVDF ultra-filtering membrane was cut into round pieces having the same size as that of the cathode 2 and formed with identical comb-like holes. The directions of the comb-like holes were vertically crossed with those of the cathode 2. In this way, the PVDF ultra-filtering membrane partly covered the anode 3.

(94) The electrolysis was carried out in the two cases for 15 min respectively. During the electrolysis, the electrolysis current in both was maintained at 300 mA. The test results can be seen in table 9.

(95) TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 9 Bubbles Oxidation Dissolved ORP factors Current Voltage Visual Main hydrogen mv PH Reagent Mode ma V inspection properties ppb 324 7.5 titration First case 300 5.2 Level 4 Hydrogen 411 298 8.2 Level 2 Second 3.8 Level 5 Air, 376 212 7.7 Level 4 case hydrogen Test result analysis: 1. Under the condition of full coverage, the strong oxidation factors in water were controlled to be reduced and the majority of the bubbles were hydrogen bubbles. 2. Under conditions of partial coverage, the smaller the coverage area was, the more the total bubbles in the water were and the more the oxidation factors were.

(96) 4. Test 4

(97) The influences of changes in the anode materials on the working characteristics of the device were tested.

(98) The following anodes were respectively used:

(99) 1) Inertia round-plate-like plane electrodes made from platinum-coated titanium oxides

(100) 2) Active carbon electrodes using formed nickel as the base, prepared the steps of: mixing active carbon with a large specific surface area and phenolic resin in a certain ratio, fully grinding the mixture to a size of below 200 m, blending the ground mixture uniformly, graining the mixture, pressing the mixture on the foamed nickel to prepare the round-plate-like electrodes with a thickness of about 1 mm, hot-pressing the electrodes at a temperature of 120 C. and a pressure of 5 MPa and heating the electrode to carbonize and mold the electrodes.

(101) The water-permeable membrane 5 was a PVDF ultra-filtering membrane with a mean water-permeable aperture of 0.03 mm and a thickness of 0.5 mm. The membrane without a hole tightly and fully covered the anode 3. The distance between the water-permeable membrane 5 and the cathode 2 was 0.

(102) The source water used in the test was tap water, with a TDS=160 mg/L and a pH=7.5, and the container was injected with about 1 L of water. The electrolysis was carried out for 15 min respectively in the case of inertia electrode and in the case of foamed nickel active carbon electrode. During the electrolysis, the electrolysis current in both was maintained at 300 mA. The test results can be seen in table 11.

(103) TABLE-US-00010 TABLE 11 Bubbles Oxidation Dissolved ORP factors Electrolysis Current Voltage Visual Main hydrogen mv PH Reagent mode ma V inspection properties ppb 324 7.5 titration Inertia anode 300 5.2 Level 5 411 298 8.2 Level 3 Foamed nickel 3.9 Level 4 Hydrogen 677 512 9 Level 0 active carbon anode Test result analysis: When the anode was made from the active carbon material, the reaction products of the anode were strongly absorbed. Meanwhile, during the electrolysis, some nano-scale carbon particles may peel off and be released into the water, correspondingly reducing electrolysis power consumption.

(104) Embodiment 11

(105) Embodiment 11 provides a healthy drinking water device. As shown in FIG. 16, the device is developed on the basis of the structure in embodiment 10. The container 1, the cathode 2 formed with the comb-like first through-holes 8 and the inertia anode 3 are the same. Embodiment 11 is different from embodiment 10 in that, the water-permeable membrane 5 is superimposed by three layers of membranes; the first layer is a PVDF ultra-filtering membrane 5-1 (with a mean water-permeable aperture of 0.03 mm and a thickness of 0.5 mm, cut into round pieces with the same size as that of the cathode) facing the cathode 2, the PVDF ultra-filtering membrane 5-1 is formed with comb-like second through-holes 9 at positions vertical to the comb-like first through-holes 8; the second layer (middle layer) is a PVDF ultra-filtering membrane 5-2 (with a mean water-permeable aperture of 0.05 mm and a thickness of 0.5 mm, without holes) which fully covers the anode 3; and the third layer is an active carbon fiber fabric 5-3 (with a specific surface area of 1,200 m.sup.2/g and a thickness of 1.8 mm when impacted after being immersed in water) which tightly fits the anode 3.

(106) The container 1 was fully injected with tap water. The electrolysis was carried out for 8 min. The electrolysis current was maintained at 40-60 mA. The water samples were checked before and after the electrolysis, and the results can be seen in table 12 below.

(107) TABLE-US-00011 TABLE 12 Result Before After Item electrolysis electrolysis Mercury (Hg), mg/L 0.00092 0.00047 Cadmium (Cd), mg/L 0.00019 0.00008 Lead (Pb), mg/L 0.00046 0.00029 Arsenic (As), mg/L 0.0037 0.0031 Hexavalent chromium (Cr.sup.6+), mg/L <0.004 <0.004 Cyanide (CN), mg/L <0.001 <0.001 pH 7.34 8.25 Residual chlorine (CL.sub.2), mg/L 0.78 0.11 Total chlorine (CL), mg/L 0.11 0.06 Oxidation reduction potential (mv) 357 289 Dissolved hydrogen (ppb) 0 538 Nitrate (NO.sub.3.sup.), mg/L 8.19 5.67 Sulfate (SO.sub.4.sup.2), mg/L 270 48 Fluoride (F), mg/L 0.47 0.21 Total hardness (CaCO.sub.3), mg/L 132.6 81.2 Content of escherichia coli, (CFU/ml) 150,000 20,000

(108) From the test results it can be seen that, the source water was greatly improved in the aspect of safety and health indices after being treated according to the embodiment.

(109) Embodiment 12

(110) Embodiment 12 is a water cup. The water cup adopts the device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in the above embodiments.

(111) Embodiment 13

(112) Embodiment 13 is a kettle. The kettle adopts the device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in the above embodiments.

(113) Embodiment 14

(114) Embodiment 14 is a water dispenser. The water dispenser adopts the device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in the above embodiments.

(115) Embodiment 15

(116) Embodiment 15 is a thermos bottle. The thermos bottle adopts the device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in the above embodiments.

(117) Embodiment 16

(118) Embodiment 16 is a water purifier. The water purifier adopts the device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in the above embodiments.

(119) Embodiment 17

(120) Embodiment 17 is a boiler. The boiler adopts the device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in the above embodiments.

(121) Embodiment 18

(122) Embodiment 18 is a tea making machine. The tea making machine adopts the device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis in the above embodiments.

(123) The device for preparing drinking water by electrolysis of the present invention is not limited by the above specific technical schemes of the embodiments, for example, 1) two pairs of cathodes 3 and anodes 2 are acceptable); 2) the electrolysis power source 4 may be an AC pulse power source; 3) the water-permeable membrane 5 may be superimposed by three or more layers of membranes of different materials; 4) the shapes of the cathode 2 and the anode 3 may be round or other shapes; 5) in embodiment 6, the active carbon membrane 5-1 close to the anode 3 may be, or a water-permeable membrane made from graphite or other carbon materials; 6) the technical schemes of the above embodiments of the present invention can be crossly combined to form new technical schemes; etc. Technical schemes made by equivalent substitution all fall within the protective scope of the claims of the present invention.