Method and apparatus for sterilizing bottle

1. A method of sterilizing a bottle, comprising the steps of:

gasifying a hydrogen peroxide solution to a hydrogen peroxide solution gas and discharging the hydrogen peroxide solution gas from a discharge port of a nozzle, which has a discharging direction, the nozzle having a lower end that has an inner annular lower edge surface and an outer annular lower edge surface, which extend along a common plane in a direction perpendicular to the discharging direction, with an annular groove having an approximately semi-circular downwardly curved shaped surface interposed therebetween, such that each surround the discharge port of the nozzle, whereby the lower end of the nozzle is positioned above a preform, which has an opening in a mouth portion of the preform, such that the inner annular lower edge surface and the outer annular lower edge surface, which have the annular groove interposed therebetween, are positioned above the opening in the mouth portion of the preform, thereby discharging and guiding the hydrogen peroxide solution gas toward inner and outer surfaces of the preform made of resin;

letting the preform adsorb 0.001 μL/cm 2 ˜0.013 μL/cm 2 of a condensed film of the hydrogen peroxide solution, with the film of the hydrogen peroxide solution containing a concentration of 35% by mass of hydrogen peroxide, adhering to the surfaces of the preform while an excess of the film of the hydrogen peroxide solution remains on the surfaces of the preform;

blasting an air to the preform before conveying the preform into a heating furnace, only from a blasting nozzle that is at a predetermined distance away from the preform having the film of the hydrogen peroxide solution adhering thereto to remove the excess of the film of the hydrogen peroxide solution from both the inner and outer surfaces of the preform as the preform is adsorbing the hydrogen peroxide solution;

conveying the preform into the heating furnace and sterilizing the preform by heating the preform having adsorbed the hydrogen peroxide solution to a temperature suitable for a blow-molding treatment to activate the hydrogen peroxide solution adsorbed by the preform; and

shaping the preform into the bottle by blowing air into the preform in a mold,

wherein the above-mentioned steps are performed sequentially.

2. The bottle sterilizing method according to claim 1 , wherein the preform is allowed to adsorb the hydrogen peroxide solution by atomizing the hydrogen peroxide solution in an evaporator to gasify the hydrogen peroxide solution and discharging the hydrogen peroxide solution gas toward the surfaces of the preform from the discharge port of the nozzle.

3. The bottle sterilizing method according to claim 1 , wherein, in the step of gasifying the hydrogen peroxide solution to the hydrogen peroxide solution gas, the hydrogen peroxide solution includes at least 1% by mass of a hydrogen peroxide component.

4. The bottle sterilizing method according to claim 1 , wherein an umbrella-shaped member covers above the mouth portion of the preform at a time when the preform is heated to the temperature for the blow-molding step.

5. The bottle sterilizing method according to claim 1 , wherein an aseptic air is blasted to the mouth portion of the preform at a time when the preform is conveyed toward the mold after heating the preform to the temperature for the blow-molding step.

6. The bottle sterilizing method according to claim 2 , wherein, when atomizing the hydrogen peroxide solution in the evaporator to gasify the hydrogen peroxide solution, the hydrogen peroxide solution includes at least 1% by mass of a hydrogen peroxide component.