METHOD OF CONCENTRATING PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESS WASTE LIQUOR BY EVAPORATION

Abstract: Disclosed are a method of treating photographic process waste liquor through concentration by evaporation, comprising heating an upper part of photographic process waste liquor to concentrate by evaporation the photo­ graphic process waste liquor in such a manner that the difference between the temperature of the photographic process waste liquor in the vicinity of the heated part and the temperature at a bottom part of the photographic process waste liquor may become 5°C or more, and causing a solute in the photographic process waste liquor to settle, and an apparatus for preforming the method.

Description: This invention relates to a method of concentrating photographic process waste liquor by evaporation, particularly a method that is suited for treating waste liquor produced along with development processing of light-sensitive photographic materials using an automatic processing machine, inside the automatic processing machine or in the vicinity thereof without the need of collection thereof. In general, in the case of black and white silver halide light-sensitive photographic materials, photographic processing of the materials is carried in steps comprising developing, fixing and washing, and in the case of light-sensitive color photographic materials, in steps comprising color developing, bleach-fixing (or bleaching and fixing), washing and stabilizing. In photographic processing of a large quantity of light-sensitive materials, the performance of processing solutions is constantly maintained by removing components that are concentrated during the processing by precipitating out in the processing solution or by evaporation (for example, bromide ions in the developing solution, silver ions in the fixing solution), while replenishing components consumed in the processing. A replenishing solution is used for the above replenishing, and a part of the processing solution is thrown away to remove the concentrated components in the photographic processing. In recent years, because of environmental pollution or for economical reasons, the processing solutions and washing water as well are undergoing a change in that the the quantity of replenishment has been greatly decreased. The photographic process waste liquor is led from a processing tank of the automatic processing machine through a waste liquor pipe and discarded in the sewerage system after having been diluted with washing water waste liquor or cooling water for the automatic processing machine. However, because of tightened control in recent years against the environmental pollution, although it is possible to discard washing water or cooling water in the sewerage system or rivers, it has been made substantially impossible to discard photographic processing solutions other than these [for example, developing solutions, fixing solutions, color-developing solutions, bleach-fixing solutions (or bleaching solutions or fixing solutions) and stabilizing solutions]. Known methods for pollution-preventive treatment to decrease the burden to environmental pollution caused by photographic process waste liquor include, for example, an activated sludge method (JP-B-7952/1976, JP-B-12943/1976), an evaporation method (JP-A-89437/1974, JP-B-33996/1981), an electrolytic oxidation method (JP-A-84462/1973, JP-A-119457/1974, JP-A-119458/1974 and JP-B-43478/1978), an ion-exchange method (JP-B-37704/1976, JP-B-43271/1978 and JP-A-383/1978), a reverse osmosis method (JP-A-22463/1975), a chemical treatment method (JP-A-64257/1974, JP-A-12152/1978, JP-A-58833/1974, JP-A-63763/1978, JP-B-37395/1982 and JP-B-37396/1982), which, however, cannot be said to be sufficient. Accordingly, in general, the waste liquor is collected by waste liquor collecting dealers, and made harmless after secondary and tertiary treatments. However, because of the increase in collection costs, not only are the fees for taking the waste liquor increased year by year, but also the dealers are not willing to come to miniature photofinishing laboratories to collect the waste liquor because of its low collection efficiency, thus causing problems in that the shops are full of waste liquor. To solve these problems and to make it possible to readily carry out treatment of photographic process waste liquor in miniature photofinishing laboratories, studies have been made on heating the photographic process waste liquor to evaporate all the water or to effect solidification as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Unexamined Publication No. 70841/1985. The inventors, have discovered that harmful or very ill-smelling gases such as sulfite gas, hydrogen sulfide and ammonia may be generated when photographic process waste liquor is subjected to the evaporation treatment. These were found to be generated because ammonium thiosulfate and sulfites (the ammonium, sodium or potassium salt) frequently used in the fixing solution or bleach-fixing solution decompose due to the high temperature. Moreover, during the evaporation treatment, the water, for example, contained in the waste liquor is vaporized which increases the volume and pressure in the evaporating vessel. Because of this pressure, the above harmful or ill-smelling gases may leak outside the evaporation apparatus which causes great difficulties in the work environment. To solve these problems, Japanese Utility Model Unexamined Publication No. 70841/1985 discloses a method in which an exhaust gas treating section comprising, for example, activated carbon is provided at an exhaust pipe section of the evaporation treatment apparatus. This method, however, has a serious disadvantage that the vapor from a large quantity of water contained in the waste liquor causes sweating or moisture condensation at the exhaust gas treating section, so that the gas absorption treatment agent is covered with water and instantaneously loses its gas absorption ability. Thus, this method has not been put into practical use. To solve these problems, the present applicants have previously proposed a method of, and an apparatus for, treating photographic process waste liquor, in which when the waste liquor is evaporated, a heat exchange means capable of condensing the vapor generated by the evaporation is provided and further the condensate water generated by the condensation and also uncondensed components are treated, and discharged to the outside. However, there were found the following problems in the above proposal. The vapor generated by the evaporation treatment, which is condensed by the heat exchange means, may leak outside the apparatus before the vapor is led to the heat exchange means with good efficiency because of the increased pressure in the evaporating vessel during the evaporation treatment. Since this vapor contains particularly ill-smelling harmful gases such as hydrogen sulphide, this arrangement is not preferred from the social and labor environment viewpoints. Also, the uncondensed components having passed through the heat exchange means are discharged outside after they are treated by, for example, activated carbon, but in this treatment it is particularly difficult to remove sufficiently the ill-smelling gas and the activated carbon may immediately lose its activity. Thus, there is a danger that the gas is discharged outside as it is. Still further, it has been revealed that when the waste liquor is treated by evaporation, bumping may occur as the waste liquor in the evaporating vessel is more concentrated, which causes the waste liquor to be scattered on the inner wall of the apparatus and become fixed on the inner wall, which impairs the functions of the apparatus (for example due to corrosion and drive failure). The present invention has been made taking account the above problems conventionally involved in the art, and seeks to provide a method of concentrating photographic process waste liquor by evaporation that can decrease the harmful or ill-smelling components normally generated by evaporation treatments and which is free from excess concentration at an evaporating section even if a concentration treatment is continuously carried out, thus reducing accidents such as bumping. The invention also seeks to provide a method that can achieve good thermal efficiency, can achieve good evaporation efficiency, can reduce energy costs, which can be used in a compact apparatus, that may cause less bumping during the evaporation treatment, and that can achieve a very great concentration degree of the residue to dryness and which leaves only a small amount of water contained in the waste (sludge), which waste is thus easy to handle. The present invention provides a method of concentrating photographic process waste liquor through by evaporation, which comprises heating an upper part of the liquor to evaporate the liquor in such a manner that the difference between the temperature of the liquor in the vicinity of the heated part and the temperature at a bottom part of the liquor is 5°C or more, and causing a solute in the photographic process waste liquor to settle. This method may be carried out in an apparatus comprising an evaporating vessel, and a heating means for heating an upper part of photographic process waste liquor. Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of an automatic processing machine; Fig. 2 is a schematic illustration showing an example of an apparatus which can be used in this invention; Fig. 3 to Fig. 13 are schematic illustrations showing other examples; and Fig. 14 is a schematic illustration showing a comparative apparatus. At the stage in which the solute begins to settle, the temperature at the bottom part of the photographic process waste liquor refers to the temperature in the vicinity of the liquor in contact with the bottom of the evaporating vessel, and, when settlings are present after settling begins, it refers to the temperature in the vicinity of the interface between the settlings of solute and the photographic process waste liquor. The effect of this invention is obtained by dehydrating the photographic process waste liquor while preventing the generation of gases such as ammonia sulfite gas and hydrogen sulfide, which may be generated because of the heating and evaporating of ammonium thiosulfate and ammonium sulfite or their corresponding sodium salts and potassium salts present in the liquor. The present invention makes it possible to settle these compounds to remove them from the system. The liquor is heated at an upper part of the evaporating vessel, and a section is provided at a lower part in which the concentrated liquor is held while the evaporation is effected. Desirably the temperature difference between the upper and lower parts of the liquor is 10°C or more. As the evaporation proceeds, the concentrated photographic process waste liquor having a greater density goes down to the lower part, and the upper part comprises thin waste liquor. This lowers the concentration of the solute at the higher temperature heated part, and greatly suppresses the generation of rank odor and gas owing to thermal decomposition. In addition, at the lower part of the evaporating vessel the concentration of the solute (compounds) is increased which causes settling to occur. The temperature at the lower part can be made far lower than that at the upper part of the evaporating vessel at which evaporation takes place. Thus compounds may naturally precipitate without thermal decomposition and spontaneously settle near the bottom of the evaporating vessel. Once settling begins, the settling takes place continuously and the compounds accumulate at the lower part even when additional photographic process waste liquor is supplied from the upper part in an amount corresponding to the amount lost by evaporation. Moreover, the settlings begin to solidify at the bottommost part of the evaporating vessel over time, resulting in an increase in the density. In an evaporation treatment using a conventional simple evaporating vessel having no difference in the concentration between the upper part and lower part, the liquor sets to sludge when it is concentrated to about 1/15 of the initial waste liquor, making it difficult evaporate more water. However, in the evaporation deposition process of this invention, the liquor can be concentrated to 1/20 to 1/30 of the initial waste liquor. This phenomenon is presumed to be super-concentration attributable to a spontaneous dehydration reaction of the compounds themselves slowly at a low temperature and the rate being removed to an upper part. In usual evaporation, it is presumed that the evaporation to dryness takes place so rapidly that the internal water content is removed only with extreme difficulty once the liquor turns to sludge, and the volume of the sludge does not decrease. In the method of this invention the concentration of solute components at the high temperature part heated for evaporation is so low that the boiling point is not raised and the evaporation can be effected with very good efficiency. In the conventional vessels used in the evaporation to dryness, as the concentration gradually increases when approaching the sludge state, the boiling point rises, resulting in a lowering of evaporation efficiency. Increase in viscosity and bumping have also been liable to occur in the conventional vessels, but in this invention the concentration of waste liquor at the evaporating part is so low that bumping hardly occurs. The temperature difference required in this invention is at least 5°C, preferably 10°C or more, and particularly preferably 30°C or more. If feasible on account of the apparatus, a more desirable embodiment is such that the temperature difference is 40°C or more, or 50°C or more. The greater the temperature difference, the more effective is the effect of this invention. As the difference in the solute concentration between the upper part and lower part of the evaporating, vessel becomes greater, the evaporation efficiency is improved. Also there is generated less rank odor and harmful gas, and deposit of settlings readily occurs at the lower part of the evaporating vessel. In the evaporation process of this invention, the sludge naturally settles to the lower part of the evaporating vessel. Accordingly, in a preferred example, the settlings are continuously removed from the lower part of the evaporating vessel and thereby the photographic process waste liquor is automatically fed from the upper part, so that a continuous evaporation treatment can be carried out semipermanently. The settlings may be continuously taken out by means of an endless belt, a rotatable spiral sleeve or by any other means. In general, it is desirable to take out the settlings from the bottom part of the evaporating vessel by a batch system after a given quantity of photographic process waste liquor has been treated. As one of remarkable features of this invention, the temperature at the lower part of the evaporating vessel is so low that the settlings can be taken out during operation without danger and without rank order or harmful gas. Thus extremely safe operation can be conducted. In the evaporating vessel used in this invention, the photographic process waste liquor, which is heated by a heating means provided at the upper part, is concentrated. The concentrated thick liquor goes down to the lower part. Accordingly, the evaporating vessel necessarily requires a distance from the heating means to the bottom part of the photographic process waste liquor. The longer the above distance is, the more easily the temperature difference can be produced to cause a difference in concentration of solute between the heated part and the settling part. The difference also depends on the shape of the evaporating vessel and the size of the heating means, and may be found in advance by experiment. The photographic process waste liquor is preferably fed to an upper part of the evaporating vessel. In this invention, the photographic process waste liquor is preferably provided in an amount which depends on the amount of evaporation. In specific instances, the quantity of evaporated and condensate water may be detected or the variation in the quantity of the liquor in the evaporating vessel may be detected. Means for detecting the liquor quantity include means for detecting the weight of the liquid or the liquid level. Among the means for detecting the liquid level, particularly preferred is a means in the evaporating vessel. As another embodiment, particularly preferred is a system in which the waste liquor is automatically fed in an amount corresponding to the amount decreased by evaporation, according to a bird water-drinking system as shown in Fig. 13, from an external hole 26 connecting through the liquid level in the evaporating vessel. This is preferred as a simple continuous treatment system because it requires no equipment such as the means for detecting the liquid level and thus the apparatus is inexpensive and simple. The heating means includes a heating means disposed outside the evaporating vessel, or a heating means immersed in the photographic process waste liquor held in the evaporating vessel. The heating means disposed outside includes, for example, a far-infrared heater, a hot air type heater, a quartz-sheathed element heater, a pipe heater, a ceramic heater or a plate heater. However, from a viewpoint of evaporation efficiency, particularly preferred is a direct heating system that can directly heat the waste liquor as a whole inside the evaporating vessel. In this instance, the heater is preferably a heater sheathed with a material whose surface is not damaged by the photographic process waste liquor (for example, SUS 316 stainless steel, titanium steel, Hastelloy C, quartz sheath or glass). These heating means are preferably provided with an overheat preventing temperature controller to prevent liquid-empty heating. The evaporating vessel is preferably separated into the upper and lower parts and a settlings-deposit chamber so that the settlings can be taken out during operation. Particularly preferred is a type in which the upper and lower parts of the evaporating vessel are separated from the settlings-deposit chamber by a ball valve or a solenoid valve so that the settlings can be taken out from a lower part during operation. However, still particularly preferred is a type in which, as shown in Fig. 8, the settlings are continuously taken out from a pipe section of the evaporating vessel, having a U-tube shape and containing no heater. Constructing the apparatus in the above manner, the evaporation treatment of the photographic process waste liquor can be continuously carried out, making it possible for users to treat the photographic process waste liquor with very high efficiency and simplicity. In this invention, as a working embodiment of the treatment by the batch process, the means for taking out the settlings comprises taking out them in a bag for discharge of settlings or a screw joint type or instantly detachable type polyethylene bottle provided at a lower part of the evaporating chamber. The settlings can then be thrown away. The bag and bottle are preferably made from an organic resin which can endure a temperature of about 20°C to 90°C, for example nylon 6,5 type, nylon 6,6 type, polyamide type, vinyl chloride type or polyethylene type resin. As a preferred working embodiment of this invention, as shown, for example, in Fig. 2, the vapor generated by evaporation is preferably cooled and thereafter discharged through a gas treating column connected to the open air. This makes it possible to prevent the harmful gas from being vaporized and leaking outside the vessel due to decomposition slightly occurring in the photographic process waste liquor during the evaporation treatment, or to prevent the harmful gas leaking outside because of the evaporating vessel operating in a pressurized state. Moreover, when the process using the treatment apparatus is stopped, the pressure in the evaporating vessel may be reduced because of contraction of the vapor or gas expanded by heating inside the vessel. Thus the evaporating vessel may break due to negative pressure when the vessel is in a perfectly closed state. The above gas treating column makes it possible to prevent this by introducing air from the outside. In the gas treating column, adsorbents or deodorizers including, for example, activated carbon or a zeolite, may be used. These adsorbents or deodorizers are required to be gas permeable, and therefore are preferably in the form of grains, including those having a grain size of 0.3 mm to 15 mm. Particularly preferred adsorbents or deodorizers are those having a grain size of 0.8 mm to 6 mm. Granular activated carbon is preferably used in view of its economic advantages and handling properties. Examples of granular activated carbon are granular activated carbon available from Toyo Calgon K.K. (BPL, PCB, FILTRASORB 400, CANECAL, CAL, CPG, SGL, FILTRASORB 300, APC, IVP, HGR, CP-4, FCA), granular activated carbon available from Norit Japan Co., Ltd. (PK, RO, ROW, R-20, PB, R, R. Extra, Sorbonorit, SX, SA, PN, ZN, W. AZO, CA, CN) and granular activated carbon (SHIRASAGI series) available from Takeda Chemical Industries, Ltd. Examples of the deodorizers include Daimushu available from Dainippon Seika Kogyo K.K., porous fiber Anico (TRIGGER, November 1985, pp.62-63) containing iron (III)/phthalocyanine in an amount of several percent (1 to 10 Wt. %). As a result of various studies, the present inventors found that traces of harmful gases generated when the photographic process waste liquor is subjected to the evaporation treatment are dissolved in the condensate water, and, in some cases, components causing great problems in environmental pollution may be mixed therein. For example, in the case of photographic development waste liquor in which sulfite gas, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide gas are dissolved as mentioned above, organic solvents or organic acids such as ethylene glycol, acetic acid, diethylene glycol or benzyl alcohol turned to a gas by azeotropy with water flow out with the condensate water. For this reason, the condensate water causes great problems in environmental pollution such as BOD and COD, and, in many cases, it cannot be discharged as it is into sewerage or rivers. Accordingly, in this invention, oxidizing agents or pH adjusters may be added to the condensate water, or, if necessary, it is preferable to use, as shown in Fig. 2 by an imaginary line, filtering means 16 (particularly containing activated carbon) provided at a later stage of a section for condensing the vapor generated by evaporation. To decompose the harmful gas, for example ozone can be fed to the inside of the filtering means or to a former stage thereof. As another preferable means, means for catalytic combustion using platinum or palladium alloy in place of ozone is used. This means is particularly effective against ammonia gas. The treatment method of this invention is effective when the waste liquor contains a large quantity of thiosulfate, sulfite and ammonium salts, and, in particular, very effective when it contains organic ferric complex salts and thiosulfates. This invention is especially suited for treating the photographic process waste liquor produced along with the development processing of light-sensitive photographic materials in an automatic processing machine, in the automatic processing machine itself or in the vicinity thereof. The automatic processing machine and the photographic process waste liquor will be described below. Automatic processing machine In Fig. 1, the automatic processing machine 100 is one in which a rolled light-sensitive photographic material F is continuously guided to a color developing tank CD, a bleach-fixing tank BF and a stabilizing tank Sb to effect photographic processing, and rolled up after drying D. The numeral 101 denotes replenishing solution tanks. The amount of the light-sensitive photographic material processed F is detected by a sensor 102, and replenishing solutions are supplied to the respective processing tanks through a controlling device 103 according to the detected information. When the replenishing solutions are supplied to the respective photographic processing tank, overflowed waste liquor is discharged from the processing tanks and collected in a stock tank 104. A simple means for transporting the overflowed photographic process waste liquor to the stock tank 104 is to allow it to naturally drop through a guide tube. In some cases it can be forcedly transported, for example by means of a pump. The respective photographic processing tanks CD, BF and Sb have differences in the photographic process waste liquor components, as mentioned above, but in this invention it is preferred to mix and treat as one all the photographic process waste liquor. Photographic process waste liquor The photographic process waste liquor that can be treated by this invention typicaly includes the waste liquor produced when a light-sensitive silver halide color photographic material is processed with photographic processing solutions used in light-sensitive color photography. However, the photographic process waste liquor that can be treated by this invention is not be limited to this, and may include the waste liquor produced when a light-sensitive silver halide color photographic material is processed with other photographic processing solutions. Examples Fig. 2 is a schematic illustration of an example of an apparatus which can be more specifically used in this invention. In Fig. 2 an evaporating vessel 1 comprises a liquid-holding section (reservoir section) 1a and settlings-holding section 1b. The liquid-holding section 1a and a settlings-holding section 1b may be shut off by a ball valve 2, and the above settlings-holding section is detachably mounted. At an upper part of the liquid-holding section 1a is provided a heating means 3, and, at an upper part of this heating means, provided are an upper limit liquid level sensor 4 and a lower limit liquid level sensor 5 to prevent liquid-empty heating in the evaporating vessel 1. A waste liquor feeding pipe 6 and an agent solution feeding pipe 7 are also provided at the upper part of the liquid-holding section 1a, so that the photographic process waste liquor can be fed from a waste liquor tank 9 to the liquid-holding section 1a through a waste liquid feeding pipe 6 by a waste liquor feeding pump 8. In this waste liquor tank 9, there is provided a liquid level sensor 10 for detecting the residual quantity of the photographic process waste liquor. An agent solution feeding pump 11 is provided on the above agent solution feeding pipe 7, so that an agent solution can be fed from an agent solution tank 12 to the liquid-holding section 1a by operating the agent solution feeding pump 11. To the upper part of the liquid-holding section 1a, a vapor discharging pipe 13 is further connected, and a condenser 14 is provided on this vapor discharging pipe 13, where the water cooled by a refrigeration machine 15 is caused to circulate. From the condenser 14, the condensate water is discharged to a condensate water tank 18 through a condensate water discharging pipe 17 equipped with a filtering means 16. At an upper part of this condensate water tank 18 is provided a gas treating column 19. To describe an outline of the process of carrying out the heating and evaporation treatment with use of this apparatus, the photographic process waste liquor stored in the waste liquor tank 9 is fed to the liquid-holding section 1a of the evaporating vessel 1 through the waste liquor feeding pipe 6 by means of the waste liquor feeding pump 8 until it is detected by the upper limit liquid level sensor 4. The photographic process waste liquor contained in the liquid-holding section 1a is evaporated by heating with the heating means 3, and the waste liquor is again fed until it reaches the level detected by the upper limit liquid level sensor 4, at the time when the liquid level is lowered to the level detected by the lower limit liquid level sensor 5. The vapor generated by evaporation is sent to the condenser 14 through the vapor discharging pipe 13, condensed by cooling and stored in the condensate water tank 18. As the concentration proceeds, settlings 20 generated are deposited at the settlings-holding section 1b, and replace the photographic process waste liquor located at the settlings-holding section 1b. Here, the liquid level sensor 10 in the waste liquor tank 9 detects that the waste liquor has run short, and a notice to that effect is given by means of a warning buzzer or a warning lamp and at the same time the heating means 3 is turned off. Thus, the ball valve is closed to enable exchange of the settlings-holding section 1b and at the same time exchange the waste liquor tank 9. Thereafter the ball valve 2 is opened again to start the concentration. To the evaporating vessel 1, the agent solution used for deodorization, comprising, for example, alkali agents, is optionally fed from the agent solution tank 12 through the agent solution feeding pipe 7 by operating the agent solution feeding pump 11. Fig. 3 to Fig. 8 are illustrations showing various shapes of the evaporating vessel used in the treatment apparatus. In Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 the heating means 3 is mounted on the outside of the evaporating vessel 1. In Fig. 8, a lower part of the evaporating vessel 1 is cooled by a cooler 21. Fig. 9 to Fig. 12 are illustrations showing various ways of taking out the settlings. In Fig. 9 the settlings 20 deposited at the bottom part of the evaporating vessel 1 are transported to a settlings-receiving container 29 through a slurry pump 22. In Fig. 10, the settlings 20 are allowed to fall by gravity to a settlings-receiving container 23 by opening the ball valve 2. In Fig. 11, a flexible bag 24 is disposed in the evaporating vessel 1, and, after completion of the concentration treatment, the upper part of the evaporating vessel 1 is opened to take out the settlings 20 together with the bag 24. In Fig. 12, the settlings 20 deposited at the bottom part of the evaporating vessel 1 are forwarded to the settlings-receiving container 23 through a screw pump 25. In particular, the system shown in Fig. 9, Fig. 10 and Fig. 12, in which the settlings 20 can be continuously taken out, makes it possible to carry out the concentration by evaporation continuously, and thus can be said to be a very advantageous method. Test Examples After imagewise printing on a commercially available color photographic paper, continuous processing was carried out with the following processing steps and processing solutions. Composition of processing solutions: [Color developing tank solution] Benzyl alcohol 15 ml Ethylene glycol 15 ml Potassium sulfite 2.0 g Potassium bromide 1.3 g Sodium chloride 0.2 g Potassium carbonate 24.0 g 3-Methyl-4-amino-N-ethyl-N-(ß-methanesulfonamideoethyl)aniline sulfate 4.5 g Brightening agent (a 4,4'-diaminostilbenedisulfonic acid derivative) 1.0 g Hydroxylamine sulfate 3.0 g 1-Hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid 0.4 g Hydroxyethyliminodiacetic acid 5.0 g Magnesium chloride·hexahydrate 0.7 g Disodium 1,2-dihydroxybenzene-3,5-disulfonate 0.2 g Made up to 1 litre with water, and adjusted to pH 10.20 with potassium hydroxide and sulfuric acid. [Color developing replenishing solution] Benzyl alcohol 20 ml Ethylene glycol 20 ml Potassium sulfite 3.0 g Potassium carbonate 24.0 g Hydroxylamine sulfate 4.0 g 3-Methyl-4-amino-N-ethyl-N-(ß-methanesulfonamideoethyl)aniline sulfate 6.0 g Brightening agent (a 4,4'-diaminostilbenedisulfonic acid derivative) 2.5 g 1-Hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid 0.5 g Hydroxyethyliminodiacetic acid 5.0 g Magnesium chloride·hexahydrate 0.8 g Disodium 1,2-dihydroxybenzene-3,5-disulfonate 0.3 g Made up to 1 litre with water, and adjusted to pH 10.70 with potassium hydroxide and sulfuric acid. [Bleach-fixing tank solution] Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid ferric ammonium dihydrate 60.0 g Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid 3.0 g Ammonium thiosulfate (a 70 % solution) 100 ml Ammonium sulfite (a 40 % solution) 27.5 ml Made up to 1 litre with water, and adjusted to pH 7.1 with potassium carbonate or glacial acetic acid. [Bleach-fixing replenishing solution A] Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid ferric ammonium dihydrate 260.0 g Potassium carbonate 42.0 g Made up to 1 litre with water. The pH of this solution is adjusted to 6.7 ± 0.1 with acetic acid or ammonia water. [Bleach-fixing replenishing solution B] Ammonium thiosulfate (a 70 % solution) 500.0 ml Ammonium sulfite (a 40 % solution) 250.0 ml Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid 17.0 g Glacial acetic acid. 85.0 ml Made up to 1 litre with water. The pH of this solution is adjusted to 5.3 ± 0.1 with acetic acid or ammonia water. [Washing-substitutive stabilizing tank solution and replenishing solution] Ethylene glycol 1.0 g 2-Methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one 0.20 g 1-Hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid (a 60 % solution) 1.0 g Ammonia water (a 25 % aqueous solution of ammonium hydroxide) 2.0 g Made up to 1 litre with water, and adjusted to pH 7.0 with 50 % sulfuric acid. The tanks of an automatic processing machine were filled with the above color developing tank solution, bleach-fixing tank solution and stabilizing tank solution to carry out a running test while processing the above commercially available color photographic paper sample while supplying the above color developing replenishing solution, bleach-fixing replenishing solutions A and B and stabilizing replenishing solution through a bellows pump at intervals of 3 minutes. The replenishing amount was such that the color developing tank was replenished in an amount of 190 ml, the bleach-fixing tank was replenished in an amount of 50 ml for each of the bleach-fixing replenishing solutions A and B, and the stabilizing tank was replenished with the washing-substitutive stabilizing replenishing solution in an amount of 250 ml, each per 1 m² of the color photographic paper. The stabilizing tank in the automatic processing machine comprised first to third tanks in the direction of the flow of the sample, wherein the replenishing was carried out from the last tank, the solution overflowed from the last tank into the tank anterior thereto and further the solution overflowed therefrom into the tank further anterior thereto (a multi-tank counter-current system). The continuous processing was carried out until the total replenishing amount of the washing-substitutive stabilizing solution reached 3 times the capacity of the stabilizing tank. Twenty (20) litres of photographic process waste liquor in which the three overflowed solutions obtained by the above processing were mixed was treated with the apparatus shown in Fig. 2. The position of the heating means was varied to change the distance between the heating means and the bottom part of the photographic process waste liquor so that five variations of temperature difference were provided. The differences between the temperature of the photographic process waste liquor in the vicinity of the heated part and the temperature at the bottom part of the photographic process waste liquor are shown in Table 1. In the present Example, the concentration by evaporation is carried out by opening the ball valve 2, and therefore the settlings-holding section 1b functions as part of the evaporating vessel 1. A comparative treatment apparatus (treatment apparatus F) is also shown in Fig. 14, wherein the heating means 3 reaches the vicinity of the bottom part of the evaporation vessel 1, and, after completion of the concentration the upper part is open to remove the concentrate from the evaporating vessel 1 together with the bag 24. Only the evaporating vessel 1 is shown in Fig. 14, but the construction other than the evaporating vessel 1 is the same as that of Fig. 2. In treatment apparatus F, the temperature difference between the heating means 3 and the bottom part of the evaporating vessel 1 was found to be 3°C or less as a result of a preliminary test. The capacity of the evaporating vessel 1 at the position lower than the lower limit liquid level sensor 5 was 1.5 litre in every case. In treatment apparatus A to E as used in this invention, the corresponding capacity was 1.5 litre including the capacity of the settlings-holding section 1b. The heating means 3 had a heat capacity of 1.5 kW in every case. The process of evaporation according to treatment apparatus A to F was observed, and the state of how bumping takes place as the concentration proceeds is set out in Table 1. The time until the evaporation treatment was completed is also set out in Table 1. In Table 1, also set out are results obtained by measuring ammonia and hydrogen sulfide on the liquid surface of the condensate water in the condensate water tank 18 when the photographic process waste liquor in the waste liquor tank 9 was reduced to 1 litre. As is clear from Table 1, in treatment apparatus A to E used in this invention, bumping does not readily take place, the time required until the evaporation is completed is short, and gases are generated in lesser amount, as compared with comparative treatment apparatus F. In particular, good results are obtained when the difference between the temperature of the photographic process waste liquor in the vicinity of the heated part and the temperature at the bottom part of the liquor is 5°C or more, and better results are obtained when the temperature difference is greater. The residues obtained after treatment by treatment apparatus F were in the form of sludge concentrated to a degree of 1/13 to 1/14, but the sludge obtained by treatment apparatus A to E was concentrated to a higher degree of 1/20 of the initial waste liquor. Particularly in treatment apparatus E, the settlings were found to be concentrated to 1/30 or more. Also, the settlings-holding section had a low temperature in each of treatment apparatus A to E so that it was possible to detach it in 1 hour, or, particularly in treatment apparatus E, immediately. However, in treatment apparatus F, it was impossible to take away the bag unless it was allowed to stand overnight. Similar tests were also repeated by changing the capacity of the evaporating vessel at the position lower than the lower limit liquid level sensor to 1.0 litre. However, in treatment apparatus F, the waste liquor in the evaporating vessel was solidified when the waste liquor remaining in the waste liquor tank was reduced to 5 litres and further concentration could not be effected. In contrast thereto, in treatment apparatus A to E, no solidification took place and concentration was able to be effected to a much greater extent. In the present invention harmful or ill-smelling components generated by evaporation treatment of photographic process waste liquor can be decreased so that there may be no concentration thereof in the evaporating section even if a concentration treatment is continuously carried out, thus almost eliminating incidents such as bumping. Also, there can be achieved good thermal efficiency, good evaporation efficiency, reduced energy costs, less bumping during evaporation treatment, a very great concentration degree of the residues concentrated to dryness by the evaporation, only a small amount of water contained in the waste (sludge), thus being easy to handle, and the apparatus can be made compact.

Claims: A method of concentrating photographic process waste liquor by evaporation which comprises heating an upper part of the liquor to evaporate the liquor in such a manner that the difference between the temperature of the liquor in the vicinity of the heated part and the temperature at a bottom part of the liquor is 5°C or more, and causing a solute in the photographic process waste liquor to settle. A method according to Claim 1, wherein the temperature difference is 10°C or more. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein additional photographic process waste liquor to be treated is continuously and/or intermittently added in an amount which depends on the decrease in said photographic process waste liquor. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said settled solute is removed. A method according to claim 4, wherein said settled solute liquor is removed during the concentration process.

Inventors: GOTO, NOBUTAKA, KOBAYASHI, KAZUHIRO, KOBOSHI, SHIGEHARU, KUREMATSU, MASAYUKI, TAKABAYASHI, NAOKI
Applicants: KONICA CORPORATION
Application year: 1987
Main classification: C02F1
IPC codes: G03D15, G03C5, G03D3, C02F1, B01D1