Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Regenerating image processing composition
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-01
2001-07-17
Le, Hoa Van (Department: 1752)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Regenerating image processing composition
C210S634000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06261748
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for separating an image forming layer from an image forming material and recovering a resin support or useful ingredients contained in the image forming layer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
After employing a silver halide light sensitive photographic materials as an image forming material, silver coverage thereof has been conducted in such a way that the photographic material is allowed to be dipped in an aqueous alkali solution and stirred with heating to separate constitutional materials from the photographic material, and thereby silver is recovered from the constitutional components. Recently, however, image forming materials have undergone many changes and new type of image forming materials have been introduced, in which the components are not easily removable, such as “Dry View” available from Imation Corp., “Dry Star” 3000 available from Agfa-Gavaert AG or “Helios” available from Sterling Corp.
In conventional silver halide photographic materials, gelatin has mainly been employed as binder, which is readily soluble in an aqueous alkali solution. However, the binder(s) used in such new products as described above, which are not mainly composed of gelatin, cannot be dissolved by conventional means. As another means for recovering silver from a used silver halide photographic material is known a method in which the photographic material is subjected to combustion and silver is recovered from the residue. However, this method, in which the support is also burned, is not desirable in terms of recent environmental protection measures.
In view of the foregoing status, there is desired a method for recovering the support or other useful constituent material from new image forming materials substitutable for conventional silver halide photographic materials and a method of reuse thereof.
When image forming materials are treated in a solvent to dissolve at least a part of the solid constituent materials on the support to separate it from the support, consumption of the large amount of required solvent is not preferred in terms of the environment and cost. Further, minimal solvent or water is preferred in recovery of useful ingredients from the solution. As a means therefor, it is preferred to recover the solvent by distillation and to condense the image forming components. However, increasing the concentration rate results in an increase in viscosity, making its handling more difficult.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for efficiently recovering useful materials such as a resin support or other useful ingredients in the image forming layer of new type image forming materials having a layer insoluble in an aqueous alkali.
The above object of the invention can be accomplished by the following constitution:
1. A method for recovering a resin support from an image forming material comprising a resin support having thereon an image forming layer, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) immersing the image forming material into a dipolar aprotic solvent or an alkaline alcohol, and
(b) dissolving the image forming layer with stirring under heat to form an image forming layer solution;
2. The method described in 1. above, wherein the dipolar aprotic solvent is selected from the group consisting of dimethyl sulfoxide, dimethyl formamide and dimethyl acetoamide;
3. The method described in 2., wherein the method further comprises:
(c) separating the image forming layer solution from the resin support, and
(d) recovering the dipolar aprotic solvent or alkaline alcohol from the image forming layer solution;
4. The method described in 1., wherein the resin support is polyethylene terephthalate or cellulose triacetate.
5. The method described in 1., wherein in step (b), ultrasonic is employed to promote dissolution;
6. The method described in 1., wherein in step (a), after the image forming material is cut to a size of 0.1 cm×0.1 cm to 10 cm×10 cm, the image forming material immersed into the dipolar aprotic solvent or alkaline alcohol;
7. The method described in 3., wherein in step (c), after separating the image forming layer solution from the resin support, the resin support is washed with water to recover the support;
8. The method described in any of 1. through 7., wherein the resin support which has been recovered from the image forming material according to the method as described in any of 1. through 7. is reused as a support of an image forming material;
9. The method described in 1., wherein the method further comprises:
(e) recovering a useful ingredient from the image forming layer solution;
10. The method described in 9., wherein the useful ingredient is silver;
11. The method described in 9., wherein in step (e), the image forming layer solution is subjected to combustion to recover the useful ingredient;
12. The method described in 1., wherein the method further comprises:
(c1) separating the image forming layer solution from the resin support, and
(e1) adding a precipitating agent to the image forming layer solution to recover a useful ingredient therefrom;
13. A method for recovering a resin support from an image forming material comprising a resin support having thereon a sparingly water-soluble layer, wherein the image forming material further comprises a water-soluble layer, which is provided between the resin support and the sparingly water-soluble layer;
14. The method described in 13., wherein the water-soluble layer is adjacent to the resin support;
15. The method described in 13., wherein a layer containing a useful ingredient is provided between the resin support and the sparingly water-soluble layer; the water-soluble layer being the layer containing a useful ingredient, or being a layer provided between the resin support and the layer containing a useful ingredient;
16. The method described in 15., wherein the method comprising:
(a) immersing the image forming material into water,
(b) dissolving the water-soluble layer to form a water-soluble layer solution,
(c) separating a layer including the resin support from a mixture including the sparingly water-soluble layer and the water-soluble layer solution, and
(d) recovering a useful ingredient from the mixture including the sparingly water-soluble layer and the water-soluble layer solution;
17. A method for recovering a resin support from an image forming material comprising a resin support having thereon a sparingly water-soluble layer, wherein the image forming material further comprises a layer (II), which is soluble in an aqueous alkaline solution or an aqueous acid solution and provided between the resin support and the sparingly water-soluble layer;
18. The method described in 17., wherein the layer (II) is adjacent to the resin support;
19. The method described in 17., wherein a layer containing a useful ingredient is provided between the resin support and the sparingly water-soluble layer, the layer (II) being the layer containing a useful ingredient or being a layer provided between the resin support and the layer containing a useful ingredient; and
20. The method described in 19., wherein the method comprising:
(a) immersing the image forming material into an aqueous alkaline solution or an aqueous acid solution,
(b) dissolving the layer (II) to form an aqueous layer (II) solution,
(c) separating a layer including the resin support from a mixture including the sparingly water-soluble layer and the layer (II) solution, and
(d) recovering a useful ingredient from the mixture comprising the sparingly water-soluble layer and the layer (II) solution.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As a result of the inventor's exploration of methods for recovering useful ingredients contained in new types of image forming materials, it was found that the use of hydrophilic organic solvents, i.e., a dipolar aprotic solvent, specifically such as dimethyl sulfoxide, dimethyl formamide or dimethyl acetoamide, or the use of low-priced alkaline alcohols was advantageous, thereby enabling recovery
Goto Kiyoshi
Wada Yasunori
Bierman Jordan B.
Bierman, Muserlian and Lucas
Konica Corporation
Le Hoa Van
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