Method and apparatus for neutralizing electrochemically activated liquids
First Claim
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1. A method comprising:
- providing at least one of an acidic liquid having a positive oxidation reduction potential or an alkaline liquid having a negative oxidation reduction potential;
dispensing at least one of the acidic liquid or the alkaline liquid to a surface as a dispensed liquid;
using the dispensed liquid as a working liquid in at least one of a cleaning or sanitizing operation;
recovering at least a portion of the dispensed liquid from the surface; and
treating the recovered liquid by applying an electric potential to an electrode, wherein the electric potential is negative if the oxidation reduction potential of the recovered liquid being treated is positive and the electric potential is positive if the oxidation reduction potential of the recovered liquid is negative, so as to generate ions in the recovered liquid that reduce the magnitude of the oxidation reduction potential.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus are provided for reducing an oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) of an electrochemically activated liquid. The ORP is reduced by emitting ions from an ion generator into the electrochemically activated liquid, wherein the ions have a charge polarity that is opposite to the ORP of the liquid.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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providing at least one of an acidic liquid having a positive oxidation reduction potential or an alkaline liquid having a negative oxidation reduction potential; dispensing at least one of the acidic liquid or the alkaline liquid to a surface as a dispensed liquid; using the dispensed liquid as a working liquid in at least one of a cleaning or sanitizing operation; recovering at least a portion of the dispensed liquid from the surface; and treating the recovered liquid by applying an electric potential to an electrode, wherein the electric potential is negative if the oxidation reduction potential of the recovered liquid being treated is positive and the electric potential is positive if the oxidation reduction potential of the recovered liquid is negative, so as to generate ions in the recovered liquid that reduce the magnitude of the oxidation reduction potential.
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2. A method comprising:
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providing at least one of an acidic liquid having a positive oxidation reduction potential (ORP) of at least +800 millivolts or an alkaline liquid having a negative ORP of less than −
400 millivolts;dispensing at least one of the acidic liquid or the alkaline liquid to a surface as a dispensed liquid; using the dispensed liquid as a working liquid in at least one of a cleaning or sanitizing operation; recovering at least a portion of the dispensed liquid from the surface; and treating the recovered liquid by applying an electric potential to an electrode, wherein the electric potential is negative if the ORP of the recovered liquid being treated is positive and the electric potential is positive if the ORP of the recovered liquid being treated is negative so as to generate ions in the recovered liquid that neutralize the ORP of the recovered liquid being treated to a range of +50 millivolts to −
50 millivolts. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An apparatus comprising:
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a mobile surface cleaner; a dispenser, which is configured to dispense at least one of an acidic liquid having a positive oxidation reduction potential or an alkaline liquid having a negative oxidation reduction potential from the cleaner to a surface as a dispensed liquid; a recovery device carried by the cleaner, which recovers a portion of the dispensed liquid from the surface; a recovery tank for containing the portion of the liquid recovered from the surface; liquid flow paths from the recovery device to the recovery tank and from the recovery tank to an outlet of the cleaner; and an ion generator comprising an electrode positioned to generate the ions in the recovered portion of the liquid onboard the cleaner when the electrode is energized by an electric potential applied to the electrode by the ion generator, wherein the electric potential is negative if the oxidation-reduction potential of the recovered liquid is positive or the electric potential is positive if the oxidation-reduction potential of the recovered liquid is negative so that the ions generated in the recovered liquid at least partially neutralize the oxidation reduction potential of the recovered liquid. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification