Abstract:
A process for simultaneous cleaning and finishing of soiled textile material in which the textile is (A) exposed to a cleaning bath consisting essentially of a major amount of a textile dry cleaning solvent and minor amounts of water, and containing (1) a polyfluoroalkyl substituted stain repellent material and (2) an emulsifying agent which does not adversely influence the stain repellency of the treated textile material, and then (B) is dried.
Abstract:
A detergent composition for dry cleaning which comprises (a) a nonionic surfactant, (b) a cyclic polysiloxane and (c) a polyether-modified silicone having a HLB value of 6 or less, in amounts satisfying that, relative to the total amount of the components (a), (b) and (c), the component (a) accounts for 5 to 70 wt %, the sum of the weights of components (b) and (c) is 30 to 95 wt %, and the weight ratio of the components (b) to (c), (b)/(c), is 1/10 to 20/1; and a cleaning solution for dry cleaning using the detergent composition. The detergent composition is excellent in detergency, the capability of preventing re-soiling, and the capability of solubilizing water, is less susceptible to the occurrence of a ring strain in a cloth when a pretreatment agent is used, can impart good softness to a material to be cleaned, and exhibits good stability for a long time.
Abstract:
A cleaning system that utilizes an organic cleaning solvent and pressurized fluid solvent is disclosed. The system has no conventional evaporative hot air drying cycle. Instead, the system utilizes the solubility of the organic solvent in pressurized fluid solvent as well as the physical properties of pressurized fluid solvent. After an organic solvent cleaning cycle, the solvent is extracted from the textiles at high speed in a rotating drum (112, 122) in the same way conventional solvents are extracted from textiles in conventional evaporative hot air dry cleaning machines. Instead of proceeding to a conventional drying cycle, the extracted textiles are then immersed in pressurized fluid solvent to extract the residual organic solvent from the textiles. This is possible because the organic solvent is soluble in pressurized fluid solvent. After the textiles are immersed in pressurized fluid solvent, pressurzed fluid solvent is pumped from the drum (112, 122). Finally, the drum is de-pressurized to atmospheric pressure to evaporate any remaining pressurized fluid solvent, yielding clean, solvent free textiles. The organic solvent is preferably selected from terpenes, halohydrocarbons, certain glycol ethers, polyols, ethers, esters of glycol ethers, esters of fatty acids and other long chain carboxylic acids, fatty alcohols and other long-chain alcohols, short-chain alcohols, polar aprotic solvents, siloxanes, hydrofluoroethers, dibasic esters, and aliphatic hydrocarbons solvents or similar solvents or mixtures of such solvents and the pressurized fluid solvent is preferably densified carbon dioxide.
Abstract:
Processing systems employing one or more divided pressure vessels (653) are described. These systems may allow for multiple solvent baths each having a different chemical composition to be stored and/or processed in a single pressure vessel (653) while maintaining the different chemical compositions of the multiple solvent baths. Thus, such systems employing one or more divided pressure vessels (653) may provide the improved operational efficiency of a carbon dioxide based system having multiple solvent baths while decreasing the capital costs that may be associated with such systems.
Abstract:
A system and method are provided for dry cleaning articles utilizing a siloxane solvent. The system (5) includes a cleaning basket (10) for receiving articles therein and one or more tanks (14, 16) for containing a siloxane solvent. Coupled between the tank and the cleaning basket is a pump (12) for immersing the articles in the cleaning basket with the siloxane solvent. Also included is a still (24) for distilling the dirty siloxane solvent to recover the pure siloxane solvent. A condenser (26) is coupled to the cleaning basket and/or the still for recovering condensed vapors. For decanting any water in the siloxane solvent received from the condenser, a separator (28) is coupled to the condenser. A fan (32) is coupled to the cleaning basket for circulating air past the condenser, then the heater coils (34) and into the cleaning basket for drying and cooling the articles.
Abstract:
A system and method are provided for separating water from solvent during dry cleaning. Included is an inlet (52) capable of receiving a mixture of dry cleaning fluid and water from a basket of a dry cleaning apparatus. The dry cleaning fluid includes a siloxane composition. Also provided is a flow controller (60) for urging flow of the mixture received from the outlet. Coupled to the flow controller (60) is a coalescent media (64) that receives the mixture urged by the flow controller (60). A chamber (68) is coupled to the coalescent media (64) for receiving the mixture from the coalescent media (64) to separate the water and the dry cleaning fluid. Also coupled to the chamber (68) is an outlet (69) to remove the dry cleaning fluid from the chamber (68) in the absence of water.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to processes and systems for treating leather articles, especially lipophilic fluid systems for treating leather articles. More particularly, the present invention relates to processes and systems employing treating agents that treat, for example clean, leather articles without causing damage to the appearance of the leather articles as compared to the leather articles' original appearance prior to treatment.
Abstract:
A detergent composition for dry cleaning which comprises (a) a nonionic surfactant, (b) a cyclic polysiloxane and (c) a polyether−modified silicone having a HLB value of 6 or less, in amounts satisfying that, relative to the total amount of the components (a), (b) and (c), the component (a) accounts for 5 to 70 wt %, the sum of the weights of components (b) and (c) is 30 to 95 wt %, and the weight ratio of the components (b) to (c), (b)/(c), is 1/10 to 20/1; and a cleaning solution for dry cleaning using the detergent composition. The detergent composition is excellent in detergency, the capability of preventing re−soiling, and the capability of solubilizing water, is less susceptible to the occurrence of a ring strain in a cloth when a pretreatment agent is used, can impart good softness to a material to be cleaned, and exhibits good stability for a long time.