Method for fluid recovery in a semi-aqueous wash process

• US 7,513,004 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2005
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Luckman, Joel A., Wright, Tremitchell L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Douyon; Lorna M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tri V
• Application Number:
  US11/135,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20050263173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: 813/7, 814/1, 814/2, 814/7, 815/8, 134/10, 210/502.1, 210/589, 210/690, 510/280, 510/281, 510/285, 510/286, 510/291, 510/407
• US Class Current: 8/158
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/006 Recovery arrangements, e.g. for the recovery of energy or water
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/20 Arrangements for water recovery
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 43/00 Dry-cleaning apparatus or methods using volatile solvents D06F9/00 - D06F41/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 43/007 Dry cleaning methods
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 43/08 Associated apparatus for handling and recovering the solvents
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 43/081 Reclaiming or recovering the solvent from a mixture of solvent and contaminants, e.g. by distilling
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 43/085 Filtering arrangements; Filter cleaning; Filter-aid powder dispensers

Abstract

A method for fluid recovery in a semi-aqueous wash process including the steps of receiving semi-aqueous wash liquor from a wash container; pretreating the semi-aqueous wash liquor and separating it into aqueous-rich working fluid phase and non-aqueous working fluid phase, treating the aqueous-rich working fluid phase to remove remaining non-aqueous working fluid, and treating the non-aqueous-rich working fluid phase for recovery and reuse.

Claims

1. A method for recovery of fluid from a laundering apparatus comprising the steps of:

receiving semi-aqueous wash liquor from a wash container;

pre-treating said semi-aqueous wash liquor to separate said semi-aqueous wash liquor into an aqueous-rich working fluid phase comprising a non-aqueous working fluid and a non-aqueous-rich working fluid phase comprising a non-aqueous working fluid;

treating said aqueous-rich working fluid phase for recovery and reuse of the non-aqueous working fluid;

treating said non-aqueous-rich working fluid phase for recovery and reuse of the non-aqueous working fluid; and

reusing the non-aqueous working fluid recovered from the aqueous-rich working fluid phase and the non-aqueous rich working fluid phase in the laundering apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the semi-aqueous wash liquor comprises a non-aqueous working fluid selected from the group terpenes, halohydrocarbons, glycol ethers, polyols, ethers, esters of glycol ethers, long chain carboxylic acids, long chain alcohols, short-chain alcohols, polar aprotic solvents, siloxanes, fluorinated solvents, hydrofluoroethers, dibasic esters, aliphatic hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, ionic liquids, water, glycol ether acetates, and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein pre-treating the semi-aqueous wash liquor comprises at least one of the following techniques:

liquid extraction, temperature shifts, pervaporation, pressure shifts, adsorption, absorption, filtration, flocculation, evaporation, chemisorption, osmosis, ion exchange, gravimetric, endothermic reactions, exothermic reactions, and distillation.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the aqueous-rich phase is treated via at least one of the following techniques:

liquid extraction, temperature shifts, pervaporation, pressure shifts, adsorption, absorption, filtration, flocculation, evaporation, chemisorption, osmosis, ion exchange, gravimetric, endothermic reactions, exothermic reactions, and distillation.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein treating the aqueous-rich working fluid phase is characterized by removing a substantial portion of the non-aqueous working fluid.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein removing the non-aqueous working fluid is accomplished by at least one of the following techniques:

distillation, filtration, adsorption, absorption, temperature reduction, flocculation, ion exchange resins, chemisorption, endothermic reactions, exothermic reactions, pervaporation, osmosis, gravimetric, pressure shifts, pH shifts, and temperature shifts.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising sanitizing the non-aqueous working fluid for reuse.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein treating the non-aqueous-rich working fluid phases involves completing at least one of the following steps in any order:

a. removing insoluble soils;

b. separating low boiling working fluids;

c. removing dissolved soils; and

d. concentrating the impurities.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein treating the non-aqueous rich working fluid phase comprises removing insoluble soils according to at least one of the following techniques:

adding dissolvers, flocculation, filtration, caking/drying, gravimetric, vortex separation, distillation, freeze distillation, and combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein treating the non-aqueous rich working fluid phase comprises separating the low boiling non-aqueous fluids, according to at least one of the following techniques:

fractional distillation, temperature reduction, flocculation, adsorption, absorption, liquid extraction, filtration, gravimetric separation, osmosis, evaporation, pervaporation, pressure increase, ion exchange resin, chemisorption, single stage distillation, and multiple stage distillation.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the separated low boiling non-aqueous working fluid contains less than 50% by weight impurities including other working fluids.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein treating the non-aqueous rich working fluid phase comprises removing dissolved soils according to at least one of the following techniques:

membrane filtration, pervaporation, temperature reduction, temperature increase, pressure increase, flocculation, pH changes, ion exchange resins, electric coalescence, absorption, adsorption, endothermic reactions, temperature stratification, third component addition, dielectrophoresis, high performance liquid chromatography, ultrasonic, and thermo-acoustic cooling techniques.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein treating the non-aqueous rich working fluid phase produces a reusable non-aqueous working fluid which contains less than 20% impurities including other working fluids.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the semi-aqueous wash liquor comprises a non-aqueous working fluid comprising a siloxane.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the semi-aqueous wash liquor comprises a non-aqueous working fluid selected from the group of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, dodecamethylpentasiloxane, octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, decamethyltetrasiloxane, and mixtures thereof.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the semi-aqueous wash liquor comprises a non-aqueous working fluid selected from methoxynonafluorobutane, ethoxynonafluorobutane, propoxynonafluorbutane, and mixtures thereof.

14. A method for recovery comprising the steps of:

receiving semi-aqueous wash liquor from a wash container;

pre-treating said semi-aqueous wash liquor to separate said semi-aqueous wash liquor into an aqueous-rich working fluid phase and non-aqueous rich working fluid phase by at least one of the following techniques;

liquid extraction, temperature shifts, pervaporation, pressure shifts, adsorption, absorption, filtration, flocculation, evaporation, chemisorption, osmosis, ion exchange, gravimetric, endothermic reactions, exothermic reactions, distillation, and combinations thereof;

treating said aqueous-rich working fluid phase to remove non-aqueous working fluid, the treating comprises at least one of the following techniques;

distillation, filtration, adsorption, absorption, temperature reduction, flocculation, ion exchange resins, chemisorption, endothermic reactions, exothermic reactions, pervaporation, osmosis, gravimetric, pressure shifts, pH shifts, temperature shifts, and combinations thereof; and

treating said non-aqueous-rich working fluid phase for recovery and reuse by completing at least one of the following steps in any order;

removing insoluble soils, separating low boiling working fluids, removing dissolved soils, or concentrating the impurities.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the semi-aqueous wash liquor comprises a non-aqueous working fluid selected from terpenes, halohydrocarbons, glycol ethers, polyols, ethers, esters of glycol ethers, long chain carboxylic acids, long chain alcohols, short-chain alcohols, polar aprotic solvents, siloxanes, fluorinated solvents, hydrofluoroethers, dibasic esters, aliphatic hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, ionic liquids, water, glycol ether acetates, and combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

sanitizing non-aqueous working fluid separated from the aqueous-rich working fluid phase and storing the non-aqueous working fluid for reuse.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of removing insoluble soils is selected from:

adding dissolvers, flocculation, filtration, caking/drying, gravimetric, vortex separation, distillation, freeze distillation, and combinations thereof.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein treating the non-aqueous-rich working fluid phase for recovery and reuse comprises separating the low boiling non-aqueous fluids according to at least one of the following techniques:

fractional distillation, temperature reduction, flocculation, adsorption, absorption, liquid extraction, filtration, gravimetric separation, osmosis, evaporation, pervaporation, pressure increase, ion exchange resin, chemisorption, single stage distillation, multiple stage distillation, and combinations thereof.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the separated low boiling non-aqueous working fluid should contain less than 25% by weight impurities including other working fluids.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein treating the non-aqueous-rich working fluid comprises removing dissolved soils according to at least one of the following techniques:

membrane filtration, pervaporation, temperature reduction, temperature increase, pressure increase, flocculation, pH changes, ion exchange resins, electric coalescence, absorption, adsorption, endothermic reactions, temperature stratification, third component addition, dielectrophoresis, high performance liquid chromatography, ultrasonic, thermo-acoustic cooling techniques, or combinations thereof.

21. The method of claim 14 wherein treating the non-aqueous rich working fluid phase produces a reusable working fluid which contains less than 20% impurities including other working fluids.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein the semi-aqueous wash liquor comprises a non-aqueous working fluid comprising a siloxane.

26. The method of claim 14, further comprising reusing the non-aqueous working fluid recovered from the aqueous-rich working fluid phase and the non-aqueous rich working fluid phase in the laundering apparatus.