Electrolysis: processes – compositions used therein – and methods – Electrolytic material treatment – Water – sewage – or other waste water
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-22
2001-06-26
Valentine, Donald R. (Department: 1741)
Electrolysis: processes, compositions used therein, and methods
Electrolytic material treatment
Water, sewage, or other waste water
C205S746000, C204S229600, C204S252000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06251259
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an electrolytic cell and an apparatus for producing reducing electrolyzed water and other electrolyzed water favorable to be used as potable water, drip solutions and other injections.
BACKGROUND ART
It has been reported that electrolyzed alkaline water derived by electrolyzing subject water produces the medical effects that extraordinary zymosis and indigestion in the stomach and intestines, diarrhea and gastric hyperacidity are suppressed. The medical effects have been considered to be produced principally by such mineral components contained in electrolyzed alkaline water and present as cations as calcium, sodium, magnesium and potassium. Electrolyzed alkaline water used for obtaining such medical effects is exclusively defined being subjected to metal ions contained therein and the pH, and produced by electrolyzing subject water to which calcium, and the like are added until the pH reaches about
9
or more.
However, disease is mainly caused by the damage of biomolecules within an organism resulting from oxidation of the biomolecules with active oxygen formed therein, and such active oxygen can be reduced with hydrogen to form non-toxic water. By promoting the reaction, higher medical effects can be obtained, and the applicants of the present application found through their study that it is preferable to use electrolyzed water of a minus oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) and the absolute value is large (for example the ORP is
300 mV or less).
When using electrolyzed water having a reducing property of this kind as potable water, drip solutions, injections, dialysis solutions, etc., it is desired that the pH is maintained to be as neutral as possible. The conventional apparatus for producing electrolyzed water, however, was not able to produce electrolyzed water having a neutral pH and an oxidation-reduction potential in minus a little. Namely, when electrolyzing subject water by the conventional apparatus for producing electrolyzed water, a pH and an ORP correlationally changed. When the pH was heighten to about 10, the ORP fell to about −500 mV, while in the case of electrolyzed water having a pH close to neutral, such as 6 to 8, the ORP fell only to about
150
mV even at minimum. Namely, in the conventional apparatus for producing electrolyzed water, the pH and the ORP were not able to be controlled independently to each other.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problem of the related art and has as an object thereof to provide an electrolytic cell and apparatus for producing electrolyzed water capable of controlling a pH and an ORP independently to each other.
[1] To attain the above object, an electrolytic cell of the present invention, comprising:
an electrolytic chamber to which subject water is supplied, and at least a pair of electrode plates respectively provided inside said electrolytic chamber and outside said electrolytic chamber sandwiching a membrane therebetween; and the electrolytic cell,
wherein the electrode plate outside said electrolytic chamber is provided in contact with the membrane or leaving a slight space.
In the electrolytic cell of the present invention, a pair of electrode plates sandwiching a membrane therebetween are respectively provided inside and outside the electrolytic chamber, and one of the electrode plates is provided outside the membrane being in contact with the membrane or leaving a slight space therebetween. Electrolysis is carried out by flowing a current to the pair of electrode plates, while feeding the subject water to the electrolytic chamber.
Here, between the pair of electrode plates sandwiching the membrane, especially between the electrode plate outside the electrolytic chamber and the membrane, lies subject water due to water content characteristics of the membrane and capillarity between the electrode plate and the membrane, so that a current flows between the electrode plates.
The chemical reaction at this time will be explained in a case where the electrode plate inside the electrolytic chamber is an anode and the electrode plate outside the electrolytic chamber is a cathode.
First, when a direct current (DC) voltage is applied to the pair of electrode plates, the reaction of
2H
2
O+2e
−
→2OH
−
+H
2
↑ (1)
arises on the surface of the cathode plate inside the electrolytic chamber. And the reaction of
H
2
O—2e
−
→2H
+
+½·O
2
↑ (2)
arises on the surface of the electrode plate outside the electrolytic chamber over the membrane, that is, between the electrode plate and the membrane.
In the electrolytic cell of the present invention, since the membrane and the electrode plate (anode) outside the electrolytic chamber are almost in contact with each other, H
+
ion (actually, existing in the form of oxonium H
3
O
+
) in the above formula (2) generated between them strongly react against on the anode plate. Therefore, relatively large electric power is applied in the membrane direction. As a result, the H
+
ion passes the membrane as being permeated in the same, and a part of the H
+
ion receives electron e
−
from the cathode plate, becomes hydrogen gas as in the formula (3) below, and dissolved into the produced electrolyzed water on the cathode side.
2H
+
+2e
−
→H
2
↑ (3)
As a result, the electrolyzed water produced on the cathode side (that is, inside the electrolytic chamber) has a lower oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) than ordinary cases (which is the electrolyzed water having a minus ORP of a high absolute value, and hereinafter also referred to as electrolyzed reducing water).
Note that the residual H
+
ion passed through the membrane is reduced to water by reacting with OH
−
ion in the electrolytic chamber (2H
+
+OH
−
→H
2
O), so that the pH of the electrolyzed reducing water produced in the electrolytic chamber becomes a little close to neutral.
[2] In the electrolytic cell of the present invention, when the membrane and a pair of electrode plates are provided at least two sets, at least two electrode plates are provided inside the electrolytic chamber, thus, the reaction of the above formula (1) is proceeded also between the electrode plates of the same polarity. Accordingly, comparing with the case of providing a pair of electrode plate sandwiching the membrane therebetween, the electrolysis reaction area per unit volume increases. Therefore, the efficiency of the electrolysis improves and the electrolytic cell can be configured to be compact.
Also, in the electrolytic cell of the present invention, the membrane and the electrode plate (anode) outside the electrolytic chamber are provided being almost in contact with each other and only the water lies between the membrane and the electrode plate outside the electrolytic chamber becomes conductive medium. Therefore, the oxygen gas generated in the above formula (2) is emitted into the air as it is. Accordingly, comparing with a so-called non-membrane type electrolysis, dissolved oxygen content in the produced electrolyzed water becomes remarkably small, and, furthermore, the oxidation-reduction potential becomes low.
At the same time, when the H
+
ion and oxygen gas on the right side of the equal sign in the above formula (2) are discharged from between the membrane and the electrode plate outside the electrolytic chamber, there is a tendency that the reaction in the right direction of the formula (2) becomes active in terms of chemical balancing. As a result, an electron supplying capacity from the cathode plate to water molecules H
2
O and an electron receiving capacity to receive water molecules H
2
O of the anode plate are activated, so that the conductive capacity is not reduced even when the electrolysis is carried out for a long time and stabilized electrolyzed water can be obtained.
In the electrolytic cell of the present invention,
Arai Kazuyoshi
Naitoh Tatsuya
Satoh Fumitake
Yanagihara Tomoyuki
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
Miz Co., Ltd.
Valentine Donald R.
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