Non-aqueous washing machine & methods
First Claim
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1. A method of cleaning fabrics comprising:
- providing a wash chamber for receiving a substantially non-reactive, non-aqueous, non-oleophilic, apolar working fluid and the fabrics to be cleaned, and at least one washing adjuvant, and wherein the wash chamber is rotated in one direction for a period of time and is then rotated in the opposite direction for a period of time to complete an agitation cycle;
removing said working fluid from the fabric in said washing chamber;
repeating the agitation cycle and the removal of said working fluid; and
providing a stream of air through the wash chamber to substantially remove remaining working fluid from the fabric.
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Abstract
The invention relates to a non-aqueous washing machine, methods of using the machine, methods of washing, and recycling and in particular provides novel filtering, reclamation and recycling methods and apparati.
84 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method of cleaning fabrics comprising:
- providing a wash chamber for receiving a substantially non-reactive, non-aqueous, non-oleophilic, apolar working fluid and the fabrics to be cleaned, and at least one washing adjuvant, and wherein the wash chamber is rotated in one direction for a period of time and is then rotated in the opposite direction for a period of time to complete an agitation cycle;
removing said working fluid from the fabric in said washing chamber;
repeating the agitation cycle and the removal of said working fluid; and
providing a stream of air through the wash chamber to substantially remove remaining working fluid from the fabric. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
- providing a wash chamber for receiving a substantially non-reactive, non-aqueous, non-oleophilic, apolar working fluid and the fabrics to be cleaned, and at least one washing adjuvant, and wherein the wash chamber is rotated in one direction for a period of time and is then rotated in the opposite direction for a period of time to complete an agitation cycle;
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14. The method of recovering working fluid from a wash liquor by sequentially performing the following treatments:
- treating the wash liquor either with carbon dioxide under pressure, performing temperature reduction, contacting it with a flocculating agent, adjusting its pH or contacting it with an ion exchange resin; and
treating the effluent from the above step by means of one of the following materials;
a dissolver, an emulsifiers, an adsorption agent, an absorption agent, a soap, a pH shifter, a flocculating agent, a filtration material, a cake/drying material agent, by gravimetric means, by vortex separation, by distillation, by freeze distillation;
treating the effluent from the above step with one of the following a coalescence agent, an absorption agent, an adsorption agent, a pH adjustment agent, an ion exchange resin; and
treating the effluent from the above step by means of one of the following carbon dioxide under pressure, a flocculating agent, a pH adjuster, performing temperature reduction, an adsorption agent, an absorption agent, an ion exchange resin. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
- treating the wash liquor either with carbon dioxide under pressure, performing temperature reduction, contacting it with a flocculating agent, adjusting its pH or contacting it with an ion exchange resin; and
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19. The method of recovering working fluid from a wash liquor by sequentially performing the following treatments:
- treating the wash liquor either with carbon dioxide under pressure, performing temperature reduction, contacting it with a flocculating agent, adjusting its pH or contacting it with an ion exchange resin;
treating the effluent from the above step with one of the following;
a coalescence agent, an absorption agent, an adsorption agent, a pH adjustment agent, an ion exchange resin;
then treating the effluent from the above step by means of one of the following materials;
a dissolver, an emulsifiers, an adsorption agent, an absorption agent, a soap, a pH shifter, a flocculating agent, a filtration material, a cake/drying material agent, by gravimetric means, by vortex separation, by distillation, by freeze distillation; and
then treating the effluent by means of one of the following carbon dioxide under pressure, a flocculating agent, a pH adjuster, temperature reduction, an adsorption agent, an absorption agent, an ion exchange resin. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
- treating the wash liquor either with carbon dioxide under pressure, performing temperature reduction, contacting it with a flocculating agent, adjusting its pH or contacting it with an ion exchange resin;
Specification