Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification – Cleaning or laundering – Dry cleaning
Patent
1984-04-06
1987-03-17
Albrecht, Dennis L.
Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification
Cleaning or laundering
Dry cleaning
81391, 252162, 252170, 252171, 252172, 25217421, 252550, 252559, C11D 343, D06L 104, D06L 108, D06L 110
Patent
active
046504931
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a method of washing textile articles comprising a washing period during which the articles are treated in a washing liquid composed of an organic dissolvent, preferably perchloroethylene, water and tenside, the liquid forming a microemulsion.
Traditionally, textile clothes can be cleaned either by washing in water or by dry cleaning. Water cleaning is active in normally soiled clothes (pigment dirt) whereas dry cleaning is effective for clothes soiled by oil, grease and the like. Some clothes which are very dirty and soiled by oil, for example garage workers' overalls, often need both washing in water and dry cleaning to become satisfactorily clean.
To be forced to use both washing in water and dry cleaning for cleaning working clothes is a procedure which is both time-consuming and expensive. Furthermore, washing in water requires a treatment temperature during the washing period which amounts to 60.degree. C., or more. This involves a high energy consumption. Therefore, it has been investigated whether it is possible in some way to combine the two washing methods so as to make the washing process more effective and less time consuming. These investigations have led to active detergents composed of mixtures of a tenside, which is normally used for washing in water, an organic dissolvent of the type used for dry cleaning, and water. If, for instance, perchloroethylene is chosen as organic dissolvent, by suitable composition of the said components mixtures are obtained in which the water acts as a microemulsion in perchloroethylene. Characteristic of such a microemulsion is that it is thermodynamically stable, i.e. it is stable without stirring, within a pre-determined temperature range, usually from room temperature up to about 30.degree. C. The microemulsion is also characterized by comparatively high water content, up to 20-30 percentage by weight. The tenside of the emulsion is in principle an emulgator consisting of non-ionic surface active compounds to which, if desired, small quantities of anionic compounds have been added. The tenside also includes a solubility agent which increases the effectivity of the washing liquid on dirt which is soluble in water. Examples of suitable tensides will be set forth hereinafter.
The microemulsions have proved to have a very good cleaning effect on heavily soiled working clothes, both for dissolving pigment dirt and for removing impurities based on mineral oils. Furthermore, the washing process can be performed at room temperature. Thus, there is no need for heating the washing liquid. Hence, the process will be more energy-saving than if common washing in water had to be included.
The invention, which is based on the findings related above, has for its object to provide a method of washing by which textile clothes, for example heavily soiled working clothes, can be freed of pigment dirt and oils in a single process at low temperature, preferably within the range of 20.degree.-30.degree. C. Microemulsion is a comparatively expensive detergent and therefore it is desired to be able to re-utilize it in several successive washings. Another object of the invention is to make such repeated use possible. A further object is to provide a device for performing the said method of washing. The present invention gives a better result than other known arrangements by creating a microemulsion for better washing while preventing high viscous precipitations which will adhere to the fibres of the fabrics being washed.
A description of the invention is set forth in detail hereafter and in that connection technical aspects relating to the method will be discussed and a device be described with reference to the accompanying drawing the single FIGURE of which shows the schematic construction of a washing machine for microemulsion cleaning.
As pointed out above, by washing in microemulsion very good cleaning results are obtained which otherwise, at best, could be reached only by both dry cleaning and cleaning in water. However, when it comes to utilizing the m
REFERENCES:
patent: 3635656 (1972-01-01), Piepmeyer
patent: 3689211 (1975-09-01), Giampalmi et al.
patent: 4115061 (1978-09-01), Grunewalder
Prince, ed. Microemulsions, Academic Press Inc., N.Y., 1977, pp. 31, 92.
Pahlsson Sten-Erik G.
Sandstrom Borje
A.B. Electrolux
Albrecht Dennis L.
Miller Alfred E.
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