CH707176A1 - Surface treatment of rigid metallic material for cleaning textiles, by ceramicizing or anodizing surface of material to create residual porosity of surface, and impregnating porous surface obtained by bio-based polymers - Google Patents

Abstract

The method comprises ceramicizing or anodizing a surface of a rigid metallic material to create a residual porosity of the surface, and impregnating the porous surface obtained by a bio-based polymers having type of antimicrobial, surfactant and/or odor. The ceramicizing step comprises ceramicizing microarcs. The method further comprises shaping the rigid material, and preforming the material by cutting or by thixoforming method. Independent claims are included for: (1) a rigid metal material; and (2) a method for regenerating cleaning properties of rigid metallic material.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method of surface treatment of a rigid metallic material for cleaning textiles. The invention also relates to a rigid metallic material for cleaning textiles obtained by said surface treatment process as well as a process for regenerating the cleaning properties of said rigid metallic material according to the invention.

DISCUSSION OF THE PRIOR ART

[0002] Perchlorethylene is a widely used solvent in dry cleaners and laundromats with dry cleaning machines. Following poisoning and alerts launched by various associations, governments are increasingly committed to gradually prohibiting its use. In fact, perchloroethylen is a chlorinated solvent used in more than 90% of dry cleaning presses. However, it is classified as a probable carcinogen (CMR 2A) by the ICRC. With frequent and intense exposure, perchlorethylene can be very toxic to the kidneys and nervous system, causing irritation of the eyes and respiratory tract, as well as dizziness and nausea. In 2011, more than 500,000 tonnes of industrial laundry detergents were used in France alone. Of these 500,000 tonnes, more than 8 tonnes of perchloetylene were released into the environment. Beyond the known harmful effects of phosphates, perchloetylene, released as a gas into the air, can cause cancer and many other negative effects on the environment and on humans.

[0003] For 2012, the finding is just as overwhelming, according to François Veillerette, spokesperson for Générations Futures and André Cicolella, spokesperson for RES, it is stated that: "More than 8,200 tonnes of perchloetylene are used each year in our dry cleaners. despite the health risks involved. Our organizations believe that the use of a product whose dangerousness has been officially known for a long time is unacceptable even though alternatives exist (...). We ask that the responsible authorities ban as soon as possible the use of perchloetylene in dry cleaners ".

An object of the present invention, aims to replace the use of conventional chemical detergents by a non-polluting washing system, operating in any type of cleaning system such as for example a washing machine, said system being reusable indefinitely and operating at low temperatures. In addition, the present invention provides an economical and durable solution, in particular in the treatment of antibacterial conditions, which are essential conditions in the context of hospital laundry environments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The present invention relates to a method for the surface treatment of a rigid metallic material intended for cleaning textiles, said surface treatment method comprising the steps of: a) ceramization or anodization of said surface of said rigid metallic material so as to create residual porosity on said surface, b) impregnation of the porous surface obtained with biopolymers exhibiting an antimicrobial, surfactant and / or olfactory type function.

[0006] The invention also relates to a rigid metallic material intended for cleaning textiles obtained by the surface treatment process according to the present invention.

Another object of the invention relates to a process for regenerating the cleaning properties of used rigid metallic materials comprising a step of re-impregnating their porous surfaces with biopolymers exhibiting a function of antimicrobial, surfactant and / or or olfactory.

[0008] Other objects will become apparent on reading the detailed description of the invention and the figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0009] FIG. 1: illustrating the method of surface treatment of a rigid metallic material according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2: examples of rigid molding parts according to the invention. Fig. 3: illustration of the properties of the ceramic layer (thickness, hardness and residual porosity on the surface).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention makes it possible to clean various surfaces, for example fabrics or any type of textile, by using bio-surfactants, bio-polymers with functionalized endings.

[0011] These bio-surfactants are contained in reservoirs, namely the surface porosities of rigid metal objects or materials, the residual porosity of which results from a process of surface treatments of metal alloys. This process consists of the oxidation of the substrate (rigid metallic material) to obtain a surface layer with high-performance mechanical properties (resistance to wear, hardness, etc.).

Said rigid metallic objects or materials may equally well be parts obtained by thermoforming or by a conventional machining process.

By "rigid metallic materials" is meant both washing machine drums as objects of any shape such as spheres, dodecahedra, rods. Said shapes are of any kind and have a solid or hollow volume and a size of the order of a few millimeters to a few centimeters in diameter or long.

The action of biopolymers can be diverse, such as anti-bacterial, surface-active, or olfactory for example.

[0015] The invention can operate equally well in an aqueous or dry medium.

[0016] Furthermore, a hydrophobic functionalization at the end of the polymer chain allows stable grip on the surface of said porosity.

Likewise, the actions of the active functions may be possible at low temperatures, for example at 20 ° C. or at higher temperatures, such as 90 ° C.

[0018] An object of the present invention consists of a process for the surface treatment of a rigid metallic material intended for cleaning textiles, said surface treatment process comprising the steps of: c) ceramization or anodization of said surface of said rigid metal material so as to create a residual porosity on said surface, d) impregnation of the porous surface obtained with biopolymers exhibiting an antimicrobial, surface-active and / or olfactory type function.

Preferably, step a) consists of a step of micro-arc ceramization.

[0020] A rigid metallic material will be chosen consisting of aluminum, titanium or magnesium or of an alloy containing one or more of said metals.

[0021] In a particular embodiment of the invention, the method of surface treatment of the rigid metallic material may include a preliminary step of shaping said rigid metallic material. This preliminary shaping step is carried out for example by thixoforming or by turning.

Preferably, a methacrylic polymer will be chosen as the biopolymer of step b).

The method of surface treatment of a rigid metallic material can be applied to any rigid metallic material, in particular to the washing machine drum or to molding parts of any shape.

[0024] The present invention also relates to a rigid metallic material for cleaning textiles obtained by the surface treatment process of the invention.

[0025] According to a particular embodiment, the rigid metallic material of the invention consists of a molding part.

[0026] According to another embodiment the rigid metallic material consists of a washing machine drum.

The invention also proposes to provide a process for regenerating the cleaning properties of used rigid metallic materials, said regeneration process consisting of re-impregnating the porous surfaces of said rigid metallic materials used with biopolymers exhibiting an antimicrobial type function, surfactant and / or olfactory.

[0028] The cleaning of all types of textiles by using the rigid metallic materials of the invention offers the advantage of being completely non-polluting cleanable. The rigid metallic materials of the invention are reusable because the surface biopolymers can be used for a large number of washes (from 60 to 70 independent washes). These rigid metallic materials can be used in any type of standard washing machine and a simple re-impregnation of the rigid metallic materials used with a solution of bio-polymers allows a reactivation of said rigid metallic materials for a new series of washes.

The present invention may be intended for example for the following categories of users: 1st category: - industrial laundries, - hospital-type institutes, medico-social establishments, restaurants, etc.

[0030] 2nd category: - retailers or manufacturers of washing machines, - resellers of industrial detergents.

[0031] 3rd category: - housewives, individual customers, supermarket consumers.

[0032] According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the process for surface treatment of a rigid metallic material intended for cleaning textiles consists of 2 steps:

Any form whatsoever being a piece or rigid metallic material for example made of aluminum of more or less substantial volume depending on the type of washing machine used. Typically an object of 10cm in diameter will be suitable for an industrial machine and 3 to 5 cm for a washing machine intended for private (particular) uses.

[0034] Preferably, this rigid metal part should optimize and maximize the contact surface between the washing element and the laundry. It can be, for example, in the form of a berlingot, ball, dodecahedron or even more variable shapes (star, tree ... in general for particular uses). This rigid metal part or material is then treated by a 100% ecological process, called ceramization, then giving said part non-wear properties, resistance to scratches and impacts, while respecting its environment (laundry, wall of the drum. machine, etc.). The ceramic obtained at the surface also has residual porosities, said porosities which will act as reservoirs of biopolymer, for example biosurfactants. The rigid metal part or material thus obtained after treatment has an almost timeless life.

A liquid called "sol-gel surfactant" is then integrated into these natural reservoirs created by the residual pores or porosities of the ceramic. Said liquid contains surfactants based on functional bio-polymers. These 100% biodegradable polymers are qualified as functional because the ends of said polymer chains have active terminations. In fact, these biodegradable polymers have a hydrophobic function at one end allowing them to be anchored to the surface of the ceramic coating of said rigid metal part and at its opposite end hydroxyl functions which can be of the antibacterial, antiseptic and / or surfactant type. active. Thus, both a maintenance action at the surface of the ceramic surface and a cleaning and / or antimicrobial action are combined. Finally, olfactory elements can also be integrated, according to various applications and needs.

[0036] It is well known that detergents clean using molecules called surfactants. Surfactants are amphiphilic molecules comprising two parts: a hydrophilic part and a hydrophobic part. Thanks to this structure, they act at the interface to lower the interfacial tension and facilitate the miscibility of two phases. They mainly have foaming, detergent, emulsifying and dispersing properties which are important for cosmetic, pharmaceutical or detergent applications.

[0037] The use of surfactants obtained directly from plants as a washing base such as saponin has already been traced back to antiquity. Gradually, chemistry gave way to synthetic surfactants using various raw materials. With the development of "cracking" in the petroleum industries around the 1950s, new by-products (olefins) became available, promoting the appearance of surfactants of totally petrochemical origin.

The new requirements in terms of biodegradability of surfactants and product safety have meant that the current trend is again moving more and more towards the use of ingredients of plant origin and this in the perspective of '' respect for the environment and a global strategy of sustainable development. The present invention will therefore focus on the use of this type of biopolymer known as "green" polymers.

[0039] There are currently surfactants of entirely plant origin (a sugar + a triglyceride for example) or semi-renewable. They are more and more widely used in the manufacture of detergents or cosmetics, because they have desirable properties, such as, for example, greater respect for linen and also for the skin (reduction of irritation and itching due, for example, to related allergies. to the use of synthetic surfactants).

In the family of so-called “green” or “bio-safe” polymers, we can name: - a surfactant polymer chosen from the group comprising acetylated pectin, propylene glycol alginate, starches modified with octenylsuccinic acid (OSA) or a combination of these, - amphiphilic glycolipids obtained by functionalization of epoxidized vegetable oils. The synthetic issues concerned the competition between the two reactive functions of epoxidized oils (ester and epoxy) and the multifunctionality of sugars and other polyols used as nucleophilic substrates, - a biopolymer obtained from a surfactant obtained from rapeseed meal obtained from two stages: → a step of extracting soluble protein derivatives → a functionalization step to give these molecules their hydrophobic character. Everything can be associated with the use of functionalized peptides. - anionic surfactants, of lipo-amino acids and lipo-oligopeptides type. Lipo-amino acids are derived from certain amino acids such as sarcosine or glutamic acid after several chemical operations such as methylation of the amino function and acidification by an acid derivative to attach a lipophilic chain.

Finally, to facilitate the impregnation process and optimize the viscosity of the biodetergent (biopolymer), a gelling polymer can be used to obtain a sol-gel solution. Sol-gel which may be selected from groups comprising low methoxy pectin or gelling alginate or gelling starch.

In addition, as indicated, each biopolymer has a hydrophobic function in order to attach itself to the ceramic surface (in the porosity), this function is obtained by the length of the carbon chain of the form CH3 (CH2) n with n between 4 and 16 and over.

Finally, odorous functions, or also called olfactory functions can be integrated. Mention will be made, for example, of biopolymers derived from plants called terpene biopolymers. The best known being the monoterpenes functions like geraniol, menthol, citronellal.

[0044] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the method of surface treatment of a rigid metallic material intended for cleaning textiles is carried out in 3 steps:

1. Shaping process: - Choose an alloy based on aluminum, titanium or magnesium - Shaping is carried out by thixoforming (pressure casting of the alloy in the pasty phase), or by turning the parts.

[0046] Surface treatments. Anodizing the substrate alloy Table 1 shows a comparative example between the anodization process (also called peloxing) and the micro-arc ceramization process (DWE). Preferably, the ceramization process will be chosen, the ceramization having no or very little negative impact on the ecology.

Table 1

[0047] - Treatment on alloy: - aluminum makes it possible to produce aluminum oxide AI2O3 with ceramic properties (hardness from 1200 to 2500 Hv), - Titanium: TiO2 - Magnesium: MgO

[0048] We create an oxidation layer of the order of a few tens to a few hundred microns thick, preferably between 50 and 200 microns.

A dense and hard layer is obtained by transformation of the substrate and a porous layer on the surface, this porosity will serve as a reservoir for the bio-polymers.

[0050] 2. Impregnation of biosurfactants. bio-polymers: Integration of bio-polymers on the surface of the oxide layer, AI2O3, TiO2 or MgO. The biopolymer is in all cases on one side functionalized by a hydrophobic function and the other by hydrophilic functions which can be of the antimicrobial, surfactant, olfactory type, etc. → Thus the residual surface porosity of the ceramic layer is used as reservoirs of functionalized bio-polymers. → Polymer chains of 70 to 150 microns in length are integrated, these polymers are on one side of the chain: hydrophobic and on the other hydrophilic of the antibacterial, olfactory and / or surface-active type. → The hydrophobic part will be fixed on the surface of the ceramic and due to its hydrophobic character will remain fixed during the various washing steps (example washing machines). → For an antibacterial action, for example, an antimicrobial methacrylic polymer will be used with an efficiency of 99.99% against viruses and bacteria, non-toxic. Antimierobial bonds are covalently linked to one end of the polymer chain (biguamide unit). → This same principle will be applied with surface-active or olfactory polymers.

The present invention is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those described below. It is obvious that the invention includes all modifications other than those specifically described. It is further understood that the invention includes all variations and modifications, without departing from the spirit or essential features thereof. The invention also includes all of the steps, features and compounds mentioned or indicated in the present invention, individually or collectively, and in one or more or all or two or more combinations of such steps or features.

[0052] The present invention is hereinafter to be considered as an illustration of all aspects, and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims, and all the changes which enter into it. meaning and scope of equivalence are intended to be adopted there.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the course of the following exemplary embodiments, of course given by way of illustration and not limitation.

EXAMPLE

[0054] 1) Shaping step: Base material being an aluminum of type Al2024, Al6082, Al2618A Al7075. → the aluminum being of low density one can optimize the weight of the object and its large volume, moreover the various colors of alloys indicated make it possible to obtain a layer of ceramic on the surface of good quality (step 2 of ceramization ). → The shapes are arbitrary but allow maximum external contact surface with the laundry (for example). → Rigid aluminum parts or metal materials can be obtained by: a) conventional reaming, b) Thixoforming or Cobapress process (liquid aluminum casting, semi-pasty in molds).

[0055] 2) Step of integration of bio-surfactants: Growth of an aluminum oxide layer in the range of 50 to 200 microns.

Ceramization occurs in an electrolyte with a specific current which flows between an anode and a cathode. Ceramization is a process that differs from the etching technique due to the use of a low-polluting basic bath for ceramization and is therefore non-acidic.

The growth by oxidation of aluminum (AI2O3) is also called ceramic, the layer has different properties: - high hardness> 1500 Hv - non-scratch - Very dense layer for the lower layer and a porous layer on the surface.

[0058] 3) Biopolymer integration step: → The residual surface porosity of the ceramic layer will be used as reservoirs for functionalized polymers. → Polymer chains of 70 to 150 microns in length are integrated, these polymers are on one side of the chain: hydrophobic and on the other anti-bacterial and / or surfactants. → The hydrophobic part will be fixed on the surface of the ceramic and because of its hydrophobic character will remain fixed during the various washing steps (for example washing machines). → Antibacterial actions: for example, the use of antimicrobial methacrylic polymer (antimicrobial methacrylic polymer) makes it possible to obtain an effectiveness of 99.99% against viruses and bacteria, non-toxic. Antimicrobial bonds are covalently linked to one end of the polymer chain (biguamide unit). This principle will work in the same way for surface-active or olfactory polymers.

[0059] Conclusion: In the end, a rigid metallic part or material is obtained which can preferably be light (see Figure 1) and of a controllable volume depending on the field of application. Said rigid metal part has an impact-resistant surface, the porosity of which contains biopolymers with effective surface-active and / or anti-bacterial effects.

Claims (10)

A method of surface treatment of a rigid metal material for cleaning textiles, said surface treatment method comprising the steps of: e) ceramizing or anodizing said surface of said rigid metal material so as to create a residual porosity on said surface, f) impregnation of the porous surface obtained by biopolymers having an antimicrobial, surfactant and / or olfactory function. 2. The method of surface treatment of a rigid metal material according to claim 1, characterized in that step a) consists of a ceramization step microarcs. 3. The method of surface treatment of a rigid metal material according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said rigid metal material is constituted by aluminum, titanium or magnesium or by an alloy containing one or more said metals. 4. The method of surface treatment of a rigid metal material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a preliminary step of shaping said rigid metal material is carried out. 5. The method of surface treatment of a rigid metal material according to claim 4, characterized in that the prior shaping step is performed by thixoforming or by bar turning. 6. The method of surface treatment of a rigid metal material according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the bio-polymer of step b) is a methacrylic polymer. Rigid metal material for textile cleaning obtained according to the surface treatment method according to claims 1 to 6. 8. The rigid metal material according to claim 7, characterized in that it consists of a molding part. 9. The rigid metal material according to claim 7, characterized in that it consists of a drum washing machine. 10. Process for regenerating the cleaning properties of rigid metallic materials according to claims 7 to 9, characterized in that said rigid metal materials once used are impregnated on their porous surface with biopolymers having an antimicrobial type function, tensio -active and / or olfactory.