EP2552611B1 - Method for wet-treating, in particular cleaning, objects - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a method for the wet treatment of laundry items in a cleaning device designed as a continuous washing machine according to the preamble of claim 1.

In the wet treatment of laundry items at least one treatment additive having treatment liquid is used. From an environmental point of view, efforts are made to use the treatment fluid several times, because even used treatment fluid still has unused treatment additives. However, the prerequisite for the reuse of used washing liquid is that it still has sufficient treatment additives so that the objects to be treated next can be sufficiently treated, in particular washed.

It is from the EP 1 983 087 A2 It is known to measure the concentration of at least one treatment additive still present in the treatment liquid before reusing the treatment liquid in order to determine whether the at least one treatment additive in the treatment liquid is sufficient for the reuse thereof. If necessary, it is possible by means of the measurement to replenish the relevant treatment additive in a targeted manner before the reuse of the treatment liquid. The measurement of the at least one treatment additive takes place after filtration of the entire treatment liquid. This has proved unfavorable in practice.

The US 5,272,893 A is concerned with maintaining an enzyme cycle for textile treatment, such as stonewashing. Here, the bath parameters such as the pH value and the temperature are monitored by appropriate measurements. Quite different requirements are made in continuous washing machines, where the amount of unused treatment additives in the reusable treatment liquid to be determined.

The invention has for its object to provide a method for wet treatment of laundry in a designed as a continuous washing machine cleaning device, whereby a simpler measurement of used treatment liquid in terms of their at least one treatment additive is possible.

A method for achieving this object comprises the measures of claim 1. In this method, used treatment liquid is reused from a continuous washing machine for prewashing and / or clear washing. In the pre-wash and, where appropriate, the clear wash, used treatment liquid can be used particularly effectively repeatedly. During the operation of the cleaning device, the sample is branched off from the treatment liquid and measured. It is thus possible at an appropriate time to determine the condition of the treatment liquid. Accordingly, it is intended to divert a small amount of the used and reusable treatment liquid as a sample and to measure only this sample. This can be done "in situ". Since the treatment liquid is separated from the objects to be treated before reuse, the sample can be easily measured from the treatment liquid outside the purifier. By diverting the sample from the treatment liquid prior to reuse, the measurement provides, in good time prior to reuse of the treatment liquid, the condition of the same giving measurement results. It is no longer necessary to measure the entire treatment liquid. As a result, a simple measurement technique can be used, which is geared to small amounts of sample.

The sample is filtered by microfiltration prior to measurement. By filtering only the small amount of sample, the process can be simplified. In particular, the measurement is reliable and more accurate possible. Because the sample contains only a small amount of the treatment liquid, it does not take all the treatment liquid before Measure to be filtered. The filtration of the sample containing only a small amount of liquid can be carried out quickly and economically. The sample can also be filtered using filtration techniques that are relatively slow but reliable.

The method provides for determining the remaining portion of the at least one treatment additive in the treatment liquid used and for metering the respective treatment additive in a targeted manner when a minimum proportion of the at least one treatment additive in the treatment liquid is not reached. In this way, it is ensured that the reused treatment liquid still has a sufficient proportion of the at least one treatment additive which is sufficient to clean the items of laundry with the reused treatment liquid.

The proportion of cleaning active substances, disinfectants and / or bleach-active substances still present in the used treatment liquid is determined during the ongoing treatment process. These are the essential treatment additives that must be present in the treatment fluid in a sufficient concentration to allow the treatment fluid to be reused.

An advantageous embodiment of the method provides that the sample is taken from the treatment liquid to be reused, after it has been returned to the cleaning device and / or a preparation tank for providing the treatment liquid to be reused for use in the cleaning device. This procedure ensures that the treatment liquid in the state in which it is reused is measured for the desired properties. In particular, when the treatment liquid to be reused is mixed from differently used treatment liquids or both used and unused treatment liquids, the mixture resulting therefrom can be checked for suitability by the measurement described above immediately before the treatment of objects to be cleaned.

It is also preferably after the single or after each replenishment of the treatment liquid to be re-taken a small sample thereof and measured. It can thus be determined whether the dosing If necessary, it can be successively or iteratively determined by several targeted replenishment, whether the subsequent dosing is sufficient, and so the subsequent dosing is made targeted, without resulting in excessive replenishment.

The sample is derived according to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention after the measurement, in particular the proportion of at least one treatment additive still present in the treatment liquid, for example in an outflow.

Preferably, in a continuous washing machine, the treatment liquid from the pre-wash, the clear wash and / or from the rinsing process, at least partially reused. Treatment liquids from these treatment stages of the continuous washing machine are particularly suitable for reuse because they usually still contain a large proportion of unused washing-active substances.

Fig. 1

eine Durchlaufwaschmaschine mit einer nachfolgenden Entwässerungseinrichtung, in der die gewaschene Wäsche gespült und entwässert wird,

Fig. 2

ein alternatives Ausführungsbeispiel einer Durchlaufwaschmaschine mit einer nachfolgenden Entwässerungseinrichtung zum Spülen und Entwässern gewaschener Wäsche,

Fig. 3

eine Durchlaufwaschmaschine, in der Wäsche gewaschen und gespült wird,

Fig. 4

ein weiteres Ausführungsbeispiel der Durchlaufwaschmaschine zum Waschen und Spülen der Wäsche, und

Fig. 5

ein weiteres alternatives Ausführungsbeispiel einer Durchlaufwaschmaschine zum Waschen und Spülen von Wäsche.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawing. In this show:

Fig. 1

a continuous washing machine with a subsequent dewatering device, in which the washed laundry is rinsed and dewatered,

Fig. 2

an alternative embodiment of a continuous washing machine with a subsequent dewatering device for rinsing and draining washed laundry,

Fig. 3

a continuous washing machine, in which laundry is washed and rinsed,

Fig. 4

Another embodiment of the continuous washing machine for washing and rinsing the laundry, and

Fig. 5

another alternative embodiment of a continuous washing machine for washing and rinsing laundry.

The invention is described below in connection with the wet treatment of laundry in commercial laundries with a continuous washing machine 10 and a drainage device 11 (FIG. Fig. 1 to 3 ).

The in the Fig. 1 shown continuous washing machine 10 has a about a preferably horizontal axis of rotation rotatably driven drum 12. The laundry to be washed is by the post (based on the Fig. 1 ) is transported from left to right in the treatment direction 13 by the rotationally driven drum 12. In the drum 12 a plurality of successive chambers 15 are formed by transverse partition walls 14 in the treatment direction. The chambers 15 may be the same size, but also be different sizes. The in the Fig. 1 shown continuous washing machine 10 has four successive chambers 15, wherein seen in the treatment direction 13 first and front chamber 15 forms a prewash zone 16. The three subsequent chambers 15 form a final wash zone 17.

The in the Fig. 1 shown continuous washing machine 10 has no washing chamber. The rinsing of the laundry therefore takes place in the at least one downstream of the continuous washing machine 10 arranged dewatering device 11. The dewatering device 11 shown here is a dewatering centrifuge. The drainage device 11 may also be a drainage press. The dewatering device 11 serves for rinsing and for dewatering the laundry, which is only washed in the continuous washing machine 10.

The continuous washing machine 10 allows a so-called bath change in the first chamber 15 of the final wash zone 17, to which the second chamber 15, viewed in the treatment direction 13, is assigned a water-impermeable, stationary outer drum 19. The outer drum 19 is used to drain treatment liquid, in the present case Vorwaschflüssigkeit. If appropriate, the prewash liquid can also be discharged at the end of the prewash zone 16, that is to say in the first chamber 15. Then this (first) chamber 15 is assigned to the outer drum 19. It is also conceivable to assign an outer drum 19 to one or more further chambers 15 of the final wash zone 17. This is especially true when the continuous washing machine 10 operates on the countercurrent principle or even equipment in the continuous washing machine 10 is to take place. Where the outer drum 19 is provided, the drum 12 has at least one partially liquid-permeable, for example perforated, drum shell.

The dewatering device 11 shown here has a collecting tank 20 formed by the base of the dewatering device 11. Furthermore, two separate storage tanks 21 and 22 are provided. Each storage tank 21, 22 is connected via a supply line 23 to the collection tank 20 of the drainage device 11. The supply line 23 is shut off before each storage tank 21, 22 by a separate valve 24. However, it is also conceivable that the drainage device 11 does not have a collecting tank 20. Then, the treatment liquid from the dehydrator 11 passes directly into the storage tank 21 and / or 22.

From the storage tank 21, a drain line 25 leads to the first chamber 15 of the continuous washing machine 10, namely to the single chamber 15 of the prewash zone 16. In the illustrated embodiment, the drain line 25 is guided to a feed hopper 18 in front of the drum 12 of the continuous washing machine 10.

A second discharge line 26 leads from the storage tank 21 to the first chamber 15 of the final wash zone 17.

From the second storage tank 22, only the discharge line 25 leads to the feed hopper 18 at the beginning of the continuous washing machine 10. The discharge lines 25, 26 are each assigned a valve 27. By appropriate actuation of the valves 27, the storage tanks 21 and 22 are selectively emptied.

From the discharge line 25, which leads to the feed hopper 18, and from the discharge line 26, which leads to the second chamber 15, each branches off a bypass line 28 from. This leads to a pump 33 which supplies treatment liquid through the bypass line 28 to a measuring device 29. From the measuring device 29 leads a derivative 30 to a drain, not shown. The bypass line 28 has at the point where it branches off from the drain line 25 and at the point where it branches off from the drain line 26 in each case a valve 31 and 32, respectively. By appropriately opening and closing the valves 31 and 32, treatment liquid can be selectively diverted from the drain lines 25 and 26 as a sample. It is also conceivable to design the pump 33 as a metering pump. Then, the valves 31 and 32 can be omitted, because the metering pump only a certain amount of treatment liquid as a sample from the drain lines 25 and 26 branches off when it is in operation.

Behind the pump 33, a filter 34 is arranged, with which the treatment line flowing through the bypass line 28 can be filtered with at least one treatment additive contained therein. With this filter 34, the measurement with the measuring device 29 impairing fine components of the used treatment liquid before the measuring device 29 are ausfilterbar. This can be done for example by a micro- and / or ultrafiltration. It is also conceivable to arrange several filters 34 in succession, the different substances, in particular different coarse substances, filter out of the used treatment liquid. The substances to be filtered out may be lint and other foreign substances, but also undissolved constituents, preferably consumed constituents, of at least one treatment additive. In the latter case reaches the measuring device 29 only treatment liquid with unused treatment additives, which is still reusable for the treatment of the subsequent Wäschepostens with the used treatment liquid.

The measuring device 29 has at least one sensor (not shown) for measuring the concentration of at least one treatment additive in the treatment liquid branched off via the bypass line 28. Preferably, the measuring device 29 has a plurality of different sensors, whereby different properties of the used treatment liquid can be measured, which allow at least reliable conclusions about the proportion of unused washing-active substances in the re-use treatment liquid. The sensors may, for example, be a tensiometer for determining the concentration of washing-active substances in the treatment liquid. Alternatively or additionally, the sensor may be designed as an active chlorine sensor, with which disinfectant-active substances in the treatment liquid can be determined. Finally, it is alternatively or additionally also conceivable to form a sensor as a so-called H ₂ O ₂ sensor. Hereby, the content of bleaching-active substances in the treatment liquid can be determined.

It is also conceivable that the measuring device 29 additionally or alternatively color sensors, turbidity sensors or means for detecting a color change, to determine the concentration of at least one treatment additive in the used treatment liquid.

Hereinafter, the inventive method in connection with the device of Fig. 1 explains:
With the method, at least one treatment additive in the used treatment liquid is measured online during operation of the continuous washing machine 10 and / or the dehydrator 11. Preferably, the amount and / or concentration of the respective treatment additive in the treatment liquid is continuously measured. This is done according to the method of the invention thus "in situ". This measurement takes place before and / or after the renewed supply of the treatment liquid to the continuous washing machine 10, but before the start of treatment of a subsequent Wäschepostens with the reusable treatment liquid.

In the continuous washing machine 10 shown here, the laundry with the clear wash liquid from the final wash zone 17 enters the dewatering device 11. In this case, the final wash liquid is initially collected in the collection tank 20 of the dewatering device 11 and then fed to a storage tank 21 or 22, preferably the storage tank 21. Subsequently, the laundry is rinsed in the dewatering device 11 and dehydrated. The resulting rinsing and dewatering liquid is also collected in one of the storage tanks 21 or 22, preferably in the storage tank 22.

According to the method of the invention, not all of the used treatment liquid, ie clear wash liquid and rinse or drainage liquid, is measured in terms of content and concentration of treatment additives still present therein, but rather a small portion of the used treatment liquid with at least one treatment additive contained therein is sampled branched off and only this a small portion of the treatment liquid making sample filtered in the filter 34 and measured in the measuring device 29.

In the embodiment of Fig. 1 At the beginning of the discharge of the treatment liquid from the respective storage tank 21 or 22, the respective valve 31 or 32 is briefly opened until a sufficient (small) amount of the used treatment liquid is branched off to form the sample to be measured. Thereafter, the respective valve 31 or 32 is closed again. By the pump 33, the sample is pumped through the bypass line 28, first through the filter 34 for micro- or ultrafiltration and then through the measuring device 29. After the sample is measured, it leaves the measuring device 29 through the derivative 30. The measured Sample can then be discharged, for example, into a drain. The substance filtered out from the sample by the filter 34 is discharged through the discharge line 49, either for recycling to the treatment liquid or into a drain.

Preferably, a measurement of the at least one treatment additive in the used treatment liquid is selectively carried out. Separately, the treatment liquid is measured from the storage tank 21 or the storage tank 22. In this case, by opening either the valve 31 or 32 of the treatment liquid from the storage tank 21 or 22, a sample is branched off and thereby targeted the concentration or the proportion of at least one unused treatment additive in the treatment liquid is determined from the storage tank 21 or 22 after filtering by the measuring device 29.

If, during the measurement of the treatment liquid, it has been determined that an insufficient quantity of the respective treatment additive or a specific treatment additive is contained in the used treatment liquid, a metered addition of the respective treatment additive can take place. This happens, for example, directly at the feed hopper 18 or during the supply of the treatment liquid via the drain line 26 into the second chamber 15. However, it is also conceivable to provide at least one metering device for additions to be metered in the drain line 25 and / or 26, so that targeted at Supplying the used treatment liquid to the feed hopper 18 or the second chamber 15, the concentration of the at least one treatment additive or several treatment additives in the used treatment liquid in the necessary or desired manner can be increased.

The measuring device 29 has various sensors, with which at least the interfacial tension, the oxidation-reduction potential, the alkalinity, the turbidity, the ph value, conductance, peracetic acid, hydrogen peroxide and / or chlorine are taken from the previously used treatment liquid and previously filtered Sample is measured.

The Fig. 2 shows a further embodiment of the invention with a continuous washing machine 10 and a subsequent dewatering device 11, which is designed here as a dewatering press. The continuous washing machine 10 corresponds in principle to that of Fig. 1 , therefore, the same reference numerals are used for the same parts. The continuous washing machine 10 of the Fig. 2 The fourth chamber 15, which is assigned an outer drum 19, immediately defines the end of the prewash zone 16 and the beginning of the final wash zone 17 such that the last chamber of the prewash zone 16 and the first chamber of the final wash zone 17 have their own outer drums 19.

The dewatering press 11 are arranged downstream of two storage tanks 50, 51 in the illustrated embodiment. The storage tank 50 receives treatment liquid from the final wash zone 17, which is transferred together with the laundry from the continuous washing machine 10 in the dewatering press 11 and is separated from the laundry only here.

The storage tank 51 receives rinsing liquid, which is obtained when rinsing the laundry in the dewatering press 11. After rinsing the laundry takes place in the dewatering press 11, a dewatering of the same, with a large part of the liquor bound in the laundry is pressed out of the laundry. The resulting dewatering liquid is discharged via a drain 52, for example to a drain. Optionally, the dewatering liquid can be collected in one of the storage tanks 50 or 51 or a separate storage tank. The storage tank 51 is connected via a supply line 53 to a preparation tank 54. From the preparation tank 54, treatment liquid to be reused by a closable drain 55 can be supplied via an inlet funnel 56 together with a new batch of laundry to the first chamber 15 of the prewashing zone 16. The tank 50 is connected via a feed line 57 to the fourth chamber 15 at the beginning of the final wash zone 17. In addition, the storage tank 50 is connected to the supply line 53 to the preparation tank 54 with a lockable bypass line 58.

The outer drum 19 of the fourth chamber 15 at the end of the prewash zone 16 and at the beginning of the final wash zone 17 is associated with a valved sampling line 59 leading to a pump 33. The pump 33 is followed by a coarse filter 60 and then a filter 34 for micro- or ultrafiltration of the sample of the treatment liquid to be reused. The filter residue filtered out on the filter 34 is guided via a secondary line 61 past the measuring device 29 to a return line 62 leading to the fourth chamber 15 of the continuous-flow washing machine 10.

The measuring device 29 following the filter 34 is supplied with the filtered sample of the treatment liquid to be reused. The measuring device 29 performs various measurements on the filtered sample, in particular it determines the residual content of unused washing-active substances in the treatment liquid to be reused. Preferably, the measuring device 29 performs the same measurements as in connection with the preceding description of the continuous washing machine 10 of Fig. 1 mentioned.

From the preparation tank 54, a further sampling line 63 leads to a second pump 33 with a following coarse filter 60, a filter 34 for micro- or ultrafiltration and a subsequent measuring device 29, which can perform the same measurements as the measuring device 29 for the sample from the fourth Chamber 15. The measured sample is traceable through a return line 81 to the preparation tank 54. In the return line 81 opens a secondary line 64, what about the filter 34 accumulating filter residue on the secondary line 64 to the preparation tank 54 is traceable.

While in the illustrated embodiment, a sample from the fourth chamber 15 of the continuous washing machine 10 and from the preparation tank 54 each own pump 33 is associated with a coarse filter 60, a filter 34 and a measuring device 29, it is also conceivable only one pump 33, a Coarse filter 60, a filter 34 and a measuring device 29 to provide alternately a sample from the fourth chamber 15 of the continuous washing machine 10 or the preparation tank 54 to measure or investigate.

The inventive method runs in connection with the embodiment of Fig. 2 as follows:
In principle, the method of the embodiment corresponds to Fig. 2 in connection with the embodiment of the Fig. 1 described method. This applies in particular to the structure of the measuring device 29 and the measurements that can be carried out with it.

The procedure of in the Fig. 2 shown continuous washing machine 10 with the dewatering press 11 differs from that of Fig. 1 mainly in that the treatment liquid to be reused is supplied to either the fourth chamber 15 at the beginning of the final wash zone 17 of the continuous washing machine 10 or the preparation tank 54. Alternatively or additionally, clear wash liquid and / or rinse liquid can be supplied to the preparation tank 54 or the fourth chamber from the relevant storage tank 50, 51 as the treatment liquid to be reused. Thus, in the preparation tank 54 and the fourth chamber 15, if necessary, clearing liquid and rinsing liquid are mixed before they are fed as reuse treatment liquid via the inlet funnel 56 of the pre-wash zone 16 or the fourth chamber 15 of the final wash zone.

According to the invention, the liquid to be reused is measured in the preparation tank 54 or in the fourth chamber at the beginning of the final wash zone 17. This is the treatment liquid which is directly recycled and warmed or heated to the required temperature. As a result, the treatment liquid is measured in a state in which it is located, before the treatment liquid to be reused the next batch of laundry is brought into contact. The treatment liquid to be reused in the fourth chamber 15 at the beginning of the final wash zone 17 is diverted as well as the treatment liquid in the preparation tank 54 as a small sample directly from the fourth chamber 15 or the preparation tank 54, and then after coarse and microfiltration from the meter 29 subjected to the desired analysis or measurement. In this case, the treatment liquids from the first chamber 15 of the final wash zone 17 and the preparation tank 54 are measured separately from their own measuring device 29, so that the measurements can take place simultaneously (parallel). Conceivable, however, are also consecutive, separate measurements, for which only a single measuring device 29 is required.

Also in the embodiment of Fig. 2 Among other things, the measurement serves to determine whether the used treatment liquid still has enough residual detergent substances to be reused. If this is not the case, a corresponding metering is carried out and then a new measurement of the content of washing-active substances in the treatment liquid to be reused in order to check whether the metered addition of fresh treatment liquid has taken place sufficiently. If necessary, a further replenishment and a repeated measurement to check whether the replenishment is sufficient.

The Fig. 3 shows a continuous washing machine 35, of which only the three successive treatment zones, namely the pre-wash zone 36, the final wash zone 37 and the rinse zone 38 are shown symbolically. In principle, the continuous washing machine 35 is constructed in the same way as the continuous washing machine 10, in particular has a drum which can be driven in rotation about a horizontal axis of rotation.

Because the continuous washing machine 35 has a rinse zone 38, found in the in the Fig. 3 Not shown drainage device behind the continuous washing machine 35 only a dewatering of washed in the continuous washing machine 35 and rinsed laundry instead. The dewatering device may be designed in the manner of a centrifuge or a laundry press.

In the continuous washing machine 35 shown here is placed by appropriately (in the Fig. 3 not shown) fixed external drums the treatment liquid from the respective zone by a drain line 39 separable from the laundry. Valves 40 can be used by one or more zones used treatment liquid a return line 41 are supplied. The return line 41 makes it possible to return the used treatment liquid with the at least one additional treatment therein to a zone of the continuous washing machine 35. Valves 32 at the end of the return line 41 provide a targeted supply of used treatment liquid with at least one treatment additive to the prewash zone 36, the final wash zone 37 or rinse zone 38 possible.

In the through-flow washing machine 35 shown here, any treatment liquid used by all zones may be derived with at least one treatment additive and selectively returned to the subsequent wet treatment process of at least one selected zone. However, it is also conceivable, at the end of the pre-wash zone 36, ie in the last chamber or at the beginning of the final wash zone, namely the first chamber thereof, used by an external drum prewash liquid with at least one treatment additive remaining therein, preferably at the beginning of the prewashing zone 36th It is likewise conceivable to reuse only the clear wash liquid and / or the rinse liquid by feeding it again to the continuous washing machine 35, in particular the pre-wash zone 36, via the drain line 39 and the return line 41.

To circulate the treatment liquid to be reused with at least one treatment additive present therein, a circulating pump 43 is used in the return line 41. In the Fig. 3 There are no storage tanks for used treatment liquid. However, it is quite conceivable, as in the previous embodiments, to provide at least one storage tank, preferably in such a way that the discharge tank 39 discharges into the storage tank and the return line 41 starts from the bottom of the at least one storage tank.

Also in the embodiment of Fig. 3 a bypass line 44 is provided. This branches off from the drain line 39 and the return line 41, namely at a branch 48. In the bypass line 44, a pump 45, a subsequent filter 46 and a measuring device 47 are also arranged here. The pump 45 is designed here as a metering pump, so that at the junction 48 of the bypass line 44 from the return line 41 no valve needs to be present. Only when the dosing pump is in operation does it divert a sample of the used treatment liquid of the at least one treatment additive still present therein from the recycled treatment liquid in the return line 41. By a corresponding duration of the metering pump, the amount of the main stream of the used treatment liquid branched small partial flow, namely the sample determined. The filter 46 and the measuring device 47 work the same as the filter 34 and the measuring device 29 of the previous embodiments.

The procedure runs in the arrangement of Fig. 3 in principle as well as in connection with in particular the embodiment of Fig. 1 described. The pump 45 designed as a metering pump branches off a sample of the main stream of the used treatment liquid, which is first filtered and then examined in the measuring device 47 on the at least one active treatment additive still present here, "in situ" during operation the continuous washing machine 35.

The used treatment liquid to be examined with at least one treatment additive, in particular washing-active substances, may be prewash liquid, final wash liquid or rinse liquid, but also a combination of a plurality of said treatment liquids or all said treatment liquids.

The Fig. 4 shows like that Fig. 3 a continuous washing machine 35 for pre-washing, clear washing, rinsing and optionally equipping the laundry. In the Fig. 5 all shown in the embodiment shown thirteen chambers 15 of the continuous washing machine 35. The continuous washing machine 35 is followed by a dewatering device 74, in which it in the Fig. 4 is a dewatering press.

The first four chambers 15 seen in the treatment direction of the continuous washing machine 35 form the prewash zone 36. The subsequent chambers 15 five to nine form the final wash zone 37. The chambers 15 ten to twelve comprise the scavenging zone 38. The last, thirteenth, chamber 15 of FIG Fig. 4 shown continuous washing machine 35 forms a finishing zone 75th

The fourth, fifth, ninth, tenth, twelfth and thirteenth chamber 15 of the continuous washing machine 35 of the Fig. 4 are provided with outer drums 19 for draining used treatment liquids. Rinse liquid from the rinse zone 38 is discharged at the end thereof via the outer drum 19 of the twelfth chamber 15 into a storage tank 76. The liquid separated from the dewatered laundry by the dewatering device 74 is collected in the separate storage tank 77.

From the storage tank 76, a feed line 78 leads to the fifth chamber 15 at the beginning of the final wash zone 37. From the storage tank 77, a separate feed line 79 leads to the preparation tank 54 at the inlet funnel 56 of the continuous washing machine 35. A lockable bypass line 80 connects the storage tank 76 to the feed line 79, so that Alternatively rinsing fluid used by the storage tank 76 can be supplied to the preparation tank 54.

In the continuous washing machine 35 can from the first chamber 15 of the final wash zone 37 (which is the fifth chamber in the Fig. 4 shown continuous washing machine 35) and from the preparation tank 54 small amounts of the treatment liquid to be reused are sampled as a sample and fed to the coarse filter 60 and then micro or ultrafilter 34 of a measuring device 29. For this purpose, as in the embodiment of Fig. 2 from the fifth chamber 15 of the continuous washing machine 35 a sampling line 59 to the pump 33 out. The same applies to the sample collection line 63 branching off from the preparation tank 54. With regard to the sampling, sample filtration and measurement, the exemplary embodiment of FIG Fig. 4 with the embodiment of Fig. 2 the same reference numbers are used for the same parts. The method of sampling, filtration and measurement is the embodiment of the Fig. 4 the same as in the embodiment of Fig. 2 , so turn to the explanations of the method of the embodiment of Fig. 2 Reference is made.

The reusable treatment liquid from the rinsing zone 38 and the dewatering device 74 is in the embodiment of the Fig. 4 not filtered and also not examined or measured in particular with regard to the content of unused washing-active substances. In this regard, in the embodiment of the Fig. 4 only small samples of the treatment liquid to be reused from the first chamber 15 of the final wash zone 37, ie the fifth chamber 15 behind the inlet funnel 56, or preparation tank 54 after multiple filtering with different filter grades measured and optionally added additional treatment additives such as particular washing-active substances.

The Fig. 5 shows an embodiment of the invention, which differs from that of the Fig. 4 differs only in that a coarse filtration and then a microfiltration or ultrafiltration of the entire used treatment liquid before reuse and before returning to the preparation tank 54 and the first chamber 15 of the final wash zone 37 takes place. Otherwise, the embodiment corresponds to Fig. 6 that of Fig. 4 , wherein the same reference numerals are again used for the same parts.

Reserved treatment liquid stored in the buffer tank 66 from the prewashing zone 36 is stored while the buffer tank 68 receives used flushing liquid from the scavenging zone 38. Accordingly, here too, selectively or alternately used treatment liquid, namely pre-wash liquid from the buffer tank 66 or rinsing liquid from the buffer tank 68, the pump 69 and pumped from this through the coarse filter 60. From the subsequent pump 33, the coarsely filtered used treatment liquid is pumped through the filter 34 for micro- or ultrafiltration. The coarse and finely filtered used treatment liquid is then stored in either the buffer tank 70 or the buffer tank 71. In the buffer tank 70, the intermediate storage of filtered Vorwaschflüssigkeit takes place and in the buffer tank 71 filtered rinsing liquid is buffered. Coarse-filtered and micro-filtered treatment liquid is pumped out of the buffer tank 70 to the preparation tank 54 at the beginning of the continuous washing machine 35 via the supply line 72. Coarse-filtered and micro-filtered treatment liquid, in particular rinsing liquid, is pumped out of the buffer tank 71 via the supply line 73 to the fifth chamber 15, namely the first chamber of the final wash zone 37.

The removal of small samples from the reuse clear wash liquid at the beginning of the final wash zone 17 and the reusable treatment liquid in the preparation tank 54 is as in the embodiment of Fig. 4 made, namely roughly filtered and subjected to various measurements after microfiltration. In particular, the proportion of unused washing-active substances in the reusable treatment liquid is determined. The measuring device 29 preferably has various sensors, with which the interfacial tension, the oxidation-reduction potential, the alkalinity, the turbidity, the pH, the conductance, the peracetic acid content, hydrogen peroxide and / or chlorine of the re-use sample taken from the continuous washing machine 35 be determined. The sample is preferably taken from the treatment liquid to be measured or analyzed, if this has the temperature required for the respective treatment of the laundry items, that is, has been appropriately heated or warmed up. Thereby, the measurement of the sample can be made in a state that the sample has for the treatment of the laundry items. If the measurement of the filtered sample has shown that a subsequent dosing of at least one treatment additive is required, at least once a subsequent dosing and a subsequent new sampling with a repeated measurement of this new sample.

Claims (6)

1. A method for wet-treating garments using a washing device realized as a continuous-batch washing machine, wherein the garments are treated with a treatment liquid having at least one treatment additive and the used treatment liquid is measured, characterized in that, during the operation of the continuous-batch washing machine, a small part of the used treatment liquid is branched off as a sample prior to the re-use of the used treatment liquid for the pre-wash and/or the final wash and supplied to a measuring device (29) via a bypass line (28), wherein the used proportion of the at least one treatment additive is filtered out from the sample by microfiltration prior to measurement, with the result that the measurement device (29) is provided only with treatment liquid having at least one non-used treatment additive which can still be re-used for the treating of a subsequent batch of garments with the used treatment liquid and it is only from this sample that the still present proportion of the at least one treatment additive, such as active cleaning substances, disinfecting substances and/or active bleaching substances, is determined by measuring the previously filtered sample, wherein the quantity and/or the concentration of the at least one treatment additive is continuously measured and if a minimum proportion of the at least one treatment additive in the treatment liquid is undershot, a targeted additional metering of the relevant treatment additive is effected.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the sample is taken from the treatment liquid to be re-used once said treatment liquid has been returned to the washing device and/or into a preparation tank again for the provision of the treatment liquid to be re-used.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that constituents of the treatment liquid to be re-used that are filtered out from the sample of the treatment liquid to be re-used prior to the measuring, are preferably re-supplied to the treatment liquid to be re-used, prior to and/or in the washing device.
4. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that after the additional metering or after each additional metering of the treatment liquid to be re-used, once again a sample is taken, the sample is filtered and then measured.
5. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sample is drawn off after the measuring process, for example into a drain.
6. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the used treatment liquid is re-used for the pre-wash, final wash and/or for rinsing.

Images