Dry cleaning system with low HLB surfactant

• US 6,461,387 B1
• Filed: 02/04/2000
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lever Brothers Company, Division Of Conopco, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lever Brothers Company, Division Of Conopco, Inc.
• Inventors: Kerschner, Judith Lynne, Jureller, Sharon Harriott, Murphy, Dennis Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): DELCOTTO, GREGORY R
• Application Number:
  US09/507,483
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• Field of Search: 510/285, 510/289, 510/290, 510/291, 510/466, 813/7, 814/2
• US Class Current: 8/142
• CPC Class Codes: D06L 1/00 Dry-cleaning or washing fibres, filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics, feathers or made-up fibrous goods
• CPC Class Codes: D06L 1/04 combined with specific additives D06L1/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D06L 4/12 combined with specific additives
• CPC Class Codes: D06L 4/17 in an inert solvent

Abstract

A system for dry cleaning soils from fabrics comprising densified carbon dioxide and a surfactant in the densified CO₂. The densified carbon dioxide is in a temperature range of about −78.5° C. to about 100° C. and a pressure range of about 14.7 to about 10,000 psi. At least 0.1% by volume of a modifier is preferably present. The surfactant has a polysiloxane a branched polyalkylene oxide or a halocarbon group which is a functional CO₂-philic moiety connected to a CO₂-phobic functional moiety. The surfantant either exhibits an HLB of less than 15 or has a ratio of siloxyl to substituted siloxyl groups of greater than 0.5:1.

Claims

1. A dry cleaning system for removing soil from fabric comprising:

(a) densified carbon dioxide wherein the densified carbon dioxide is at a temperature from about 0°

C. to about 40°

C. and a pressure from about 500psi to about 10,000 psi;

(b) a hydrocarbon of fluorocarbon containing surfactant having a HLB of less than 15, said HLB being estimated by the formula;

2. The dry cleaning system for removing soil form fabric according to claim 1 wherein the dry cleaning system further comprises the formation of reverse micelles.

3. The dry cleaning system for removing soil from fabric according to claim 2 wherein the reverse micelles are formed by a carbon dioxide phobic portion and a carbon dioxide philic portion on the surfactant.

4. The dry cleaning system for removing soil from fabric according to claim 1 wherein the dry cleaning system further comprises water.

5. The dry cleaning system for removing soil form fabric according to claim 1 wherein the system comprises from about 0.001% to about 10% by weight of the surfactant.

6. A dry cleaning system for removing stains from fabrics comprising:

a) densified carbon dioxide wherein the densified carbon dioxide is at a temperature from about 0°

C. to about 40°

C. and a pressure from about 500psi to about 10,000 psi; and

b) from about 0.001% to about 10% by weight of a hydrocarbon or fluorocarbon containing surfactant having an HLB of less than 15 comprising at least a densified carbon dioxide-philic moiety and a densified carbon dioxide-phobic moiety; and

c) a cleaning vessel

wherein the carbon dioxide philic moiety of the surfactant extends into a continuous phase formed by the densified carbon dioxide and the carbon dioxide-phobic moiety extends into a core of a resulting reverse micelle.

7. The dry cleaning system for removing soil from fabrics according to claim 6, wherein the system further comprises a modifier.

8. The dry cleaning system for removing soil from fabrics according to claim 7 wherein the modifier is water or an organic solvent.

9. The dry cleaning system for removing soil from fabrics according to claim 7 wherein the modifier is present in the core of the reverse micelle.

10. The dry cleaning system for removing soil from fabrics according to claim 6 wherein the densified carbon dioxide-philic moiety is a polysiloxane and the carbon dioxide-phobic moiety is a CO₂-phobic polyalkylene oxide.

11. A method for dry cleaning a substrate in a dry cleaning system comprising the steps of:

(a) contacting the substrate in a cleaning vessel with densified carbon dioxide wherein the densified carbon dioxide is at a temperature from about 0°

C. to about 40°

C. and a pressure from about 500psi to about 10,000 psi, comprising a hydrocarbon or fluorocarbon containing surfactant having a HLB of less than 15, said HLB being estimated by the formula;

12. The method for dry cleaning a substrate according to claim 11 wherein the dry cleaning takes place in a dry cleaning vessel and the substrate is a soiled fabric.