DE102014106441A1 - Apparatus and method for the treatment and / or decontamination of objects, in particular of cultural objects, using dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device and a method for the treatment and / or decontamination of objects, in particular gas-permeable art and cultural goods by means of dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow, and the use thereof.

Description

The invention relates to a device and a method for the treatment and / or decontamination of objects, in particular gas-permeable art and cultural goods by means of dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow, and its use.

Increasing knowledge about the dangers of many, often used in the past, chemical substances and the increasing importance of occupational safety in society, the need for treatment and decontamination of objects developed.

In particular, this relates to cultural assets, as they have been tried over a long period by various methods to preserve.

For many of these objects, certain standards apply. Thus, treatments / procedures must not cause any changes to the object, in particular cultural property, unless these are agreed and wanted. Furthermore, the treatments / procedures may have no or possibly only slight risks with regard to the current state of the object or cultural property and are generally to be carried out without residue. Other standards may need to be considered in detail.

Many technical processes do not fulfill these conditions.

There are already known from the prior art methods for decontamination and germ reduction of textile products that use liquid or supercritical CO2 in pressure chambers. That's how it describes DE 19714302 a method for the removal of pollutant-containing preservatives from captured or unmasked organic objects by extraction with supercritical CO2 at temperatures between 30 ° C and 50 ° C and pressures between 150 and 300 bar. However, these processes are expensive to perform. The volume is limited because of the high pressures lockable containers with large loading opening are expensive to construct. Also, the process times are tedious: pressure build-up and pressure reduction can only happen at moderate pace in cultural goods. The process temperatures are already too high or risky for various materials that make up cultural assets.

The state of the art also includes aerosol processes in which aqueous fine mist mixtures with or without cleaning-active additives are sucked through textile products in order to remove fibrous undesirable substances from the textile. However, the use of aqueous processes is often not possible or undesirable because of a number of side effects (fiber swelling, dissolving color pigments, dissolving binders). At the same time, the decontamination effect of the polar solvent water is often very insufficient with regard to the described contaminations.

Therefore, water as a means of Dekontaminierungsmaßnahmen for cultural assets has limited use, since not all fiber types may be associated with water, fiber swelling processes to be avoided, properties of cultural assets such as color, elasticity, spatial dimensions can be changed by water undesirable and continue to remain in the cultural water residues, which must be degraded in one way or another, removed or eliminated.

Another approach involves the use of dry ice for cleaning. Dry ice can be used to clean surfaces. For this purpose, similar to sandblasting, a pressure stream of air and dry ice is directed onto the surface to be treated, and the abrasive and shock-cooling effect of the dry ice is utilized.

For the decontamination of hard surfaces therefore the blasting by means of pressure flow from air and dry ice particles or carbon dioxide snow particles is known. The effects of these methods only occur on the surface.

Blasting techniques with dry ice use the abrasive effect of the blasted ice crystals. This effect is supported by a selective and temporary cooling of the treated surfaces, since the sublimation of dry ice deprives the environment of heat.

By means of a variable pressure jet containing dry ice and air, the kinetic energy with which the particles are thrown onto the surface of the material to be treated is regulated.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for handling cultural assets which overcomes the disadvantages of the known applications and is capable of incorporating not only surfaces and / or near-surface layers in the treatment.

This object is achieved by a device according to claim 1, a method according to claim 5 and a use according to claim 8 of the present invention.

Surprisingly, it has been found that the passage of a stream of dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow or a mixture of gas and dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow through gas-permeable or at least partially gas-permeable material effective cleaning of this material causes of contaminating substances. As contaminating substances are here all undesirable substances, but especially chlorinated organic biocides such as DDT, dichlorobenzene, lindane, pentachlorophenol, Chlornaphtaline, Chlorpyriphos, Methoxychlor, permethrin and others and inorganic biocides such as heavy metal salts, arsenic compounds, fluorine salts, boron and chromium compounds and others. But also microbial infestation, such as, inter alia, by bacteria, mold or virus and the infestation by arthropods, such as mites or insects are removable or reducible by means of the method according to the invention.

In addition to the application of the method according to the invention with respect to the removal of contaminating agents such as DDT, lindane, xylamon, hylotox, Eulan, PCP or heavy metal compounds, the method also has an effect on the removal of soils by organic or inorganic substances. The removal of contaminants without damage to the object is often desired in the context of the treatment of cultural goods. The cleaning of objects from unwanted contamination are thus also realized by the application of the method according to the invention.

Surprisingly, it is possible by means of dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow to withdraw the contaminations enumerated here wholly or partly from the object to be treated. Furthermore, the method is also suitable for removing odors from the treated objects.

Dry ice in the sense of the invention is CO2 dry ice.

The treated objects are cleaned more effectively by this technique in depth than could be achieved with all previously used techniques at a comparable cost so far. The method and the associated device are inexpensive. At the same time, the process is quick and easy to carry out without leaving dangerous or undesirable residues.

According to the invention, therefore, a pressure stream of dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow is optionally sucked through the object to be treated while supplying a gas or gas mixture.

The object is sprayed with dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow and / or a mixture of gas and dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow just to suck the same through the volume of cultural heritage. This is not about the surface, but about the treatment of the entire object.

The pressure difference at the suction funnel to the ambient pressure (normal air pressure) is in the range 0 kPa to 25 kPa. More preferably, the range is 5 kPa to 15 kPa. The volume flow based on this depends very much on the properties of the treated object and thus variable. For example, to treat fine silk fabrics with low suction pressures (e.g., about 5 kPa), heavy wool cloth, on the other hand, is about 15 kPa.

Objects intended for the process are preferably gas-permeable or at least partially gas-permeable. This applies, for example, to materials such as textiles, leather, paper, etc. But also materials such as wood, stone, ceramics, plastics, etc. may be suitable for the construction of gas permeable and suitable for the process of the invention. Even applications in which combined objects are only partially permeable to gas (such as textile-metal combinations) are expressly included. However, the method is particularly preferably applicable to textiles.

Dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow is preferably atomized with compressed air (or gas mixture) and at the same time distributed to the surface and near-surface space. The mixture thus contains dry ice (particles) and / or carbon dioxide snow (particles), CO2 gas (resulting from sublimated dry ice) and possibly air (or gas mixture).

The object lies on a permeable surface. The mixture of dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow and optionally air or gas mixture is sucked through the textile. An abrasive effect is not sought. By contrast, the process is suitable for its non-changing effect, in particular for the field of cultural property handling.

The decontamination effects are effective both on the two surfaces (top and bottom) and within the object structure. The pressures to be applied to the outlet valves for the CO2 and the process gas and to the suction system vary and depend on the treated material, the volume treated and the gas permeability of the cultural material.

The process is designed for temperatures from -20 ° C to + 60 ° C. The usual application is room or ambient temperature and ambient air pressure of the cultural assets to be treated. The method is particularly suitable for the temperature range of 13 ° C to 18 ° C and extremely effective here. This is advantageous because this temperature range is characterized in the treatment of many cultural assets as particularly gentle and tolerable.

The removal of heat by the passage of the dry ice into the gas phase (sublimation) can cause a partial cooling of the material to be treated and the environment. The introduction of dry air into the process reduces the risk of condensation in the process area. Likewise, the process may be operated such that instead of the process gas air another suitable gas or gas mixture is used (for example, nitrogen).

The invention therefore relates to a device for treating and / or decontaminating objects comprising at least one device for suction, at least one suction funnel, at least one permeable surface for supporting the object to be treated and / or decontaminated, at least one supply for dry ice and / or Carbon dioxide snow and / or a mixture of gas and dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow and at least one outlet for dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow and / or a mixture of gas and dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow.

In one embodiment of the device according to the invention, the suction device consists of an arrangement which generates a vacuum on the suction funnel, through which the dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow and / or a mixture of gas and dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow passes through the object to be treated is sucked. For this purpose pumps of all kinds can be used.

In a preferred embodiment, the negative pressure to be generated is adjustable and can be adapted to the object to be treated.

In a further preferred embodiment, the suction funnel is provided with a plurality of openings for suction, so that the negative pressure at different points of the suction funnel can be set individually by the at least one device for suction.

Preferably, as objects to be treated cultural assets made of various materials such as textiles, cellulose, but also metals, ceramics, wood, etc. suitable. Often, these materials are also used mixed and the cultural goods highly sensitive, thereby in some cases a finely adjustable device of advantage, which is precisely adaptable to the permeability and the stability of certain materials in different places.

In another preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, at least one feed for a gas or gas mixture is contained. Preferably, the gas or gas mixture is air, but also nitrogen, oxygen and the use of other gases is possible.

By this supply for a gas or gas mixture, both the temperature and the pressure of the mixture of gas and dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow and the concentration of dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow in the mixture of gas and dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow can be regulated.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the device is mounted with a hood over the surface of the object to be treated. It serves to uniformly distribute the dry ice or the dry ice gas mixture and / or the carbon dioxide snow over the object and prevents the mixture from being partially distributed in space without being pulled through the object. The hood is provided with one or more outlet openings for the dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow, the gas and / or the mixture of gas and dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow. So it is on the one hand possible to spray the object to be treated evenly with dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow or with the mixture of gas and dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow, but also the intensity or the concentration, the pressure, the mixing ratio and the Temperature can be set specifically for different areas of the object to be treated.

It is particularly advantageous if the hood extends over the entire bearing surface of the object to be treated, so that it can be uniformly treated with the dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow or mixture of gas and dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the at least one permeable surface for supporting the object to be treated and / or to be decontaminated is configured as a kind of sieve. All CO2-stable materials are suitable for the design of the permeable surface, advantageously metals and plastics are used.

Another preferred embodiment of the invention relates to the described device with which Difference that one or more further suction funnels are installed on the surface of the object analogous to the upper method, so that a suction pressure in the region of the suction can be constructed. At the same time, one or more outlet nozzles for dry ice and / or a gas-dry ice particle mixture are provided, so that other than the suction directions described in the basic method are achieved. Particularly preferred is a variant of the device in which at least two suction funnels are arranged opposite one another, on both sides of the surface of the object to be treated.

In this variant of the method according to the invention, the dry ice and / or a gas-dry ice particle mixture is sucked through the volume of the object several times within a treatment cycle, whereby the suction direction is changed.

In a particularly effective way, the variant is seen in which oppositely located suction funnels alternately build up a suction pressure alternatingly (alternating application), so that the sprayed dry ice and / or dry-ice particle mixture passes several times through the volume of the object located between the two suction funnels is sucked until the process is terminated by the targeted suction of the moving particles and gases. The alternating frequency is approximately in the range of 1 / second to 10 / second. The pressure difference to the ambient pressure (normal air pressure) is in the range 0 kPa to 25 kPa. In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the alternating frequency is approximately in the range of 3 / second to 8 / second. The pressure difference to the ambient pressure (normal air pressure) is in the range 5 kPa to 15 kPa.

Likewise provided by the invention is a process for the treatment and / or decontamination of objects characterized in that the objects sprayed with dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow and / or a mixture of gas and dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow and this sucked through the volume of the object becomes.

Preferably, the gas or gas mixture used is air, oxygen, nitrogen, helium, but other gases or gas mixtures are also conceivable.

Particularly preferably, cultural objects are used as objects in the process. Advantageously, these consist of gas-permeable or partially gas-permeable material. Also, mixed materials of gas-permeable or partially gas-permeable and gas-impermeable material are possible.

In a further particular embodiment of the method according to the invention, an adjustment of the pressure of the suction device as well as the concentration or the mixing ratio of the mixture of gas and dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow is advantageous for the targeted treatment of the objects.

The invention further relates to the use of said method for the treatment and / or decontamination of objects. The objects are preferably cultural assets.

More preferably, the method is used for Schadstoffdekontamination of cultural goods. As contaminating substances are here all undesirable substances, but especially chlorine organic biocides such as DDT, dichlorobenzene, lindane, pentachlorophenol, Chlornaphtaline, Chlorpyriphos, Methoxychlor, permethrin and other or inorganic biocides such as heavy metal salts, arsenic compounds, fluorine salts, boron and chromium compounds and others, but Also microbial infestation, such as, inter alia, by bacteria, mold or virus as well as infestation by arthropods such as mites or insects is removable or reducible by means of the method according to the invention.

Also preferably, the method for Schadstoffdekontamination of textiles are used, particularly preferred here is the decontamination of firefighters, military or civil protection clothing, which is often contaminated after use with toxins.

In another embodiment of the invention, the method of the invention is applicable to remove or reduce contaminants such as soils, germs and odors. Thus, the method is also suitable for the general cleaning of textiles of all kinds in particular for the removal of mold and odors in these textiles.

In particular, the inventive method for removing contaminants by biocides, contamination, stains, overlying or in the volume of the object particles, germs, odor-causing substances as well as fouling such as mold or sponge is applicable.

With the use of dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow or the mixture of gas and dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow eliminates the known, working with water wet process disadvantages. The process can be carried out without residue, since the CO2 as well the gas mixture used can escape from the cultural property in gaseous form.

The leached substances are removed by the suction device. In addition to this, further escaping gases can be sucked off through a supplementary suction device over the bearing surface of the object to be treated.

Dangerous toxins can thus be collected and supplied to a professional disposal without further contact with the object or the cultural property and the people working on it.

The device according to the invention is in shown. The figure shows an example of the structure of a simple variant of the device according to the invention for the treatment of objects.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

 Feed air / gas mixture

2

Feed CO ₂ dry ice

3

 outlet opening

4

 Hood

5

 cultural

6

 Permeable area

7

 suction funnel

8th

 suction

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE19714302 [0006]

Claims (10)

 Device for treatment and / or decontamination of objects comprising at least one device for suction, at least one suction funnel, at least one permeable surface for supporting the object to be treated and / or decontaminated, at least one supply for dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow and / or a mixture from gas and dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow and at least one outlet opening for dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow and / or the mixture of gas and dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one supply for a gas or gas mixture is contained. Device according to one of claims 1-2, characterized in that it comprises at least one hood, said hood with one or more outlet openings for the dry ice and / or the carbon dioxide snow, the gas and / or the mixture of gas and dry ice and / or Carbon dioxide snow is provided. Device according to one of claims 1-3, characterized in that at least one further suction funnel is attached to the surface of the object and at least one outlet nozzle for dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow and / or a gas-dry ice particle mixture. Process for the treatment and / or decontamination of objects characterized in that the objects sprayed with dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow and / or a mixture of gas and dry ice and / or carbon dioxide snow and this is sucked through the volume of the object. A method according to claim 5, characterized in that the objects are cultural assets. Method according to one of claims 5-6, characterized in that oppositely located suction funnels alternately build up a suction pressure alternatingly (alternating application) so that the sprayed-on dry ice and / or gas-dry ice particle mixture passes several times through the volume of the object located between the two suction funnels is sucked until the process is terminated by the targeted suction of the moving particles and gases.  Use of the method according to claims 5-7 for the treatment and / or decontamination of objects.  Use according to claim 8 for the removal of contaminations such as soiling, organochlorine biocides, inorganic biocides, microbial infestation, infestation by arthropods and odors.  Use according to any one of claims 8-9 for the removal of contaminants such as biocides, dirt, stains, overlying or in the volume of the object embedded particles, germs, odor-causing substances and fouling such as mold or sponge.

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