Textiles: fluid treating apparatus – Machines – Combined
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-26
2001-12-25
Hardee, John (Department: 1751)
Textiles: fluid treating apparatus
Machines
Combined
C008S142000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06332342
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to methods and systems for carbon dioxide dry cleaning that facilitate the simple distribution of ingredients, and optionally recovery of waste products.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Organic solvents such as perchloroethylene and other low-pressure liquid solvents have long been popular for use in cleaning systems such as dry cleaning systems. As illustrated in
FIG. 1
, a dry cleaning facility employing these systems typically receives solvent and detergent from a supplier or suppliers, and garments or other articles to be cleaned from customers. Garments are returned to the customers, and some solvent escapes to the atmosphere. Lint, filter media, and other still residue (from the distillation of solvent on site) are classified as a hazardous waste and should be disposed of accordingly.
Recently, however, there are growing concerns that these solvents and by products may harm the environment and pose occupational safety hazards. These concerns have led to an extensive search for alternative solvents that are less hazardous and systems for applying such solvents. Some of this research has focused on systems utilizing solvents that are gases at low pressure. These systems may operate either under subcritical conditions such that the solvent is present as a liquid or under supercritical conditions such that the solvent is present as a supercritical fluid. Some of these systems utilize liquid carbon dioxide (CO
2
) as a cleaning solvent.
One such carbon dioxide cleaning system is known as the Drywash™ system, illustrated in
FIG. 2
herein. This system was developed by Hughes Environmental and Global Technologies Inc. In the Drywash™ dry cleaning system, the carbon dioxide is premixed with the necessary detergent formulations and shipped to the customer in bulk form. This approach is cumbersome because it requires shipping large volumes of detergent formulation, tends to increase the cost of the ingredients to the end user, does not permit the cleaning facility to utilize existing carbon dioxide distribution infrastructure, and is not conducive to franchising individual owners of dry cleaning facilities (which would facilitate widespread usage of the technology).
Accordingly, there is a need for alternative processes for implementing carbon dioxide dry cleaning techniques.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention, a carbon dioxide dry cleaning process is carried out in which a concentrated detergent formulation is mixed at the site of the cleaning facility with carbon dioxide. The concentrated detergent formulation preferably includes a cosolvent that makes possible the easy mixing of the concentrated detergent formulation. By facilitating the mixing of a concentrated detergent formulation with the carbon dioxide solvent at the cleaning facility, the present invention makes possible the separate shipping of the carbon dioxide to the cleaning facility. Thus, any convenient source of carbon dioxide can be used at the cleaning facility, including but not limited to beverage grade carbon dioxide (currently distributed for soda fountain use), carbon dioxide produced for industrial purposes, etc.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a dry cleaning process that facilitates distribution of detergent and solvent and (optionally) facilitates recovery of cleaning by-products in conjunction with the cleaning of articles at a dry cleaning facility. The process comprises the steps of:
(a) receiving from a source a dry cleaning solvent at the dry cleaning facility, the solvent consisting essentially of carbon dioxide;
(b) receiving a concentrated detergent formulation (preferably a liquid formulation) at the cleaning facility;
(c) accepting from customers soiled articles to be cleaned at the cleaning facility;
(d) mixing the dry cleaning solvent and the concentrated detergent formulation to provide a dry cleaning formulation comprised of from 30 or 40 to 99 percent by weight of carbon dioxide solvent;
(e) cleaning the articles in a cleaning apparatus to produce cleaned articles;
(f) at least periodically distilling the dry cleaning formulation to produce a still residue comprising surfactant and soil; and then
(g) returning the cleaned articles to the customers. Optionally but preferably, the process further comprises the step of:
(h) returning the still residue to a waste collector or reprocessor for suitable disposal (e.g., for incineration, for reclamation, e.g.. of the detergents contained therein, and or for recycling, with recycling including burning the residue with energy recovery).
The process may be implemented at a plurality of cleaning facilities, each of which can receive the concentrated detergent formulation from a common source or supplier, and each of which may receive the dry cleaning solvent from a common or different source or supplier, which may be the same as or different from the concentrated detergent formulation supplier. Likewise, he plurality of cleaning facilities may return the sill residue to a common or different waste reprocessor.
The present invention is explained in greater detail in the drawings herein and the specification set forth below.
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