JP2005513293A - Solvent treatment of fabric articles - Google Patents

Abstract

  A solvent treatment method for treating fabric articles, more specifically an oxygenated solvent treatment method, is provided by the present invention.

Description

  The present invention relates to a solvent treatment method for treating fabric articles, and more particularly to an oxygenated solvent treatment method.

  The use of solvents to treat fabric articles, particularly the use of solvents in dry cleaning applications, is well known. For example, perchlorethylene (“PERC”), the most commonly used solvent, has been used by dry cleaners for decades. However, due to the environmental problems associated with PERC, there is a need to identify alternative solvents.

  The present invention fulfills the aforementioned needs by providing an environmentally preferred solvent that can be used in a solvent treatment process for treating fabric articles.

In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for treating a fabric article in need of treatment comprising the step of contacting the fabric article with a solvent having an ozone reactivity of less than 0.30 grams O ₃ / gram. To do.

  In another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for treating a fabric article in need of treatment, comprising contacting the fabric article with a solvent having a vapor pressure of 0.1 mmHg or less at 25 ° C. .

In yet another aspect of the invention, contacting the fabric article with a solvent having a vapor pressure greater than 0.1 mm Hg at 25 ° C. and having an ozone reactivity of less than 0.30 grams O ₃ / gram. A method for treating a fabric article in need of treatment is provided.

  In yet another aspect of the invention, a fabric article treated by the method of the invention is provided.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a fabric article processing chamber, a solvent having an ozone reactivity of less than 0.30 grams O ₃ / gram, a solvent having a vapor pressure of 0.1 mmHg or less at 25 ° C., 0 A fabric article comprising: a solvent having a vapor pressure greater than 0.1 mm Hg and having an ozone reactivity of less than about 0.30 grams O ₃ / gram, and a source of solvent selected from the group consisting of mixtures thereof An apparatus is provided for processing.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a solvent treatment method for treating environmentally preferred fabric articles, fabric articles treated by such methods, and fabric articles that can be subjected to such methods. An apparatus for processing is provided.

(Definition)
As used herein, "fabric article" shall mean any article that is typically cleaned in a conventional laundry process or dry cleaning process. Such terms include articles such as garments, linen, garments, and clothing accessories. The term also encompasses other items made entirely or partially of cloth, such as handbags, furniture covers, waterproof fabrics, and the like.

  As used herein, “environmentally favorable” means that the solvents and / or methods of the present invention fall outside the Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) regulations and are It means to qualify for Environmental Protection Agency standards.

  As used herein, “ozone reactivity” is a measure of the ability of a VOC to form ozone in the atmosphere. It is measured as grams of ozone formed per gram of volatile organics. The methodology for determining ozone reactivity is described by William P., University of California (Riverside). L. Developed by Dr. William P.L. Carter. US EPA uses this concept and some compounds (eg, cyclic methylated siloxanes and methyl acetate) are outside the VOC regulations. California has developed an ozone-responsive regulation for VOCs in aerosol coating products.

  See W. P. L. By WPLCarter, “Development of Ozone Reactivity Scales of Volatile Organic Compounds”, Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association (Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association), 44, 881-899, 1994.

  In use, “vapor pressure” can be measured by techniques defined in California Air Resources Board method 310.

(solvent)
Suitable solvents for use in the method and / or apparatus of the present invention include, but are not limited to, carbonate solvents, succinate solvents and / or mixtures thereof. The definition of the solvent used in the present invention as the main solvent specifically excludes cyclic siloxane solvents, perfluorinated solvents and glycol ether solvents. However, such an additive solvent may be used in combination with the solvent of the present invention.

  Suitable carbonate solvents for use in the present invention include, but are not limited to, methyl carbonate, ethyl carbonate, propylene carbonate, glyceryl carbonate, and mixtures thereof.

  Suitable succinate solvents for use in the present invention include, but are not limited to, dimethyl succinate.

(Addition solvent)
The added solvent may be used in combination with the solvent of the present invention. Additive solvents include, but are not limited to, lipophilic fluids.

  The lipophilic fluid herein has a liquid phase under the operating conditions of the fabric article processing equipment, in other words during the processing of the fabric article according to the invention. In general, such lipophilic fluids can be completely liquid at ambient temperature and pressure, can be readily soluble solids, such as those that become liquid at temperatures ranging from about 0 ° C. to about 60 ° C., or for example It may contain a mixture of liquid and vapor phases at 25 ° C. and an ambient temperature and pressure of 1 atmosphere. Thus, the lipophilic fluid is not a compressible gas such as carbon dioxide. The lipophilic fluids of the present invention are preferably flammable or have a relatively high flash point and / or low VOC properties that are equal to, preferably above, those of known conventional dry cleaning fluids, Here these terms have the conventional meaning used in the dry cleaning industry. Furthermore, the preferred lipophilic fluids herein are easy to flow and not viscous. In general, the lipophilic fluid herein should be a fluid that can at least partially dissolve sebum or body dirt, as defined in the tests described herein below. Mixtures of lipophilic fluids are also suitable, provided that the lipophilic fluid contains any fraction of dry cleaning solvent, particularly fluorinated solvents, or excess, provided that the following lipophilic fluid test requirements are met. Newer types can be included, including fluorinated amines. Some perfluorinated amines such as perfluorotributylamine are not suitable for use as lipophilic fluids, but are one of many possible additives present in compositions containing lipophilic fluids. May exist as Other suitable lipophilic fluids include diol solvent systems such as C6- or C8-higher diols, or higher diols, organosilicone solvents including both cyclic and acyclic types, and the like Examples include, but are not limited to, mixtures. Preferred groups of non-aqueous lipophilic fluids suitable for incorporation as a major component of the compositions of the present invention include low volatility non-fluorinated organics, silicones, especially those other than amino functional silicones, and these A mixture is mentioned. Low volatility non-fluorinated organics include, for example, OLEEAN and other polyol esters, or certain relatively non-volatile biodegradable medium chain branched petroleum fractions. Another preferred group of non-aqueous lipophilic fluids suitable for incorporation as a major component of the compositions of the present invention include glycol ethers such as propylene glycol methyl ether, propylene glycol n-propyl ether, propylene glycol t-butyl ether. , Propylene glycol n-butyl ether, dipropylene glycol methyl ether, dipropylene glycol n-propyl ether, dipropylene glycol t-butyl ether, dipropylene glycol n-butyl ether, tripropylene glycol methyl ether, tripropylene glycol n-propyl ether, tripropylene glycol Although propylene glycol t-butyl ether and tripropylene glycol n-butyl ether are mentioned, it is not limited to these. Suitable silicones used, for example, in excess of 50% as the main component of the composition have cyclopentasiloxane, sometimes referred to as “D5”, and / or substantially similar volatility, Linear analogs optionally supplemented by other compatible silicones. Suitable silicones are well known in the literature, see, for example, Kirk Othmer's Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. It is also available from a number of private sources, including General Electric, Toshiba Silicone Corp., Bayer, and Dow Corning. Other suitable lipophilic fluids are available from Procter & Gamble, or Dow Chemical, and other sources. For example, one suitable silicone is SF-1528 available from GE silicone fluids. It is worth noting that the SF-1528 fluid is 90% cyclopentasiloxane (D5).

(Quality of lipophilic fluid-lipophilic fluid test (LF test))
Any non-aqueous fluid that can meet known requirements (eg, flash point) for dry cleaning fluids and can at least partially dissolve sebum as shown in the test method below. Suitable as a fluid. The ability of a particular substance to remove sebum can be measured by any known technique. As a general guide, D5 dissolves sebum, whereas perfluorobutylamine (Fluorinert FC-43®) by itself (with or without additives) is defined herein by definition. A reference material that is not suitable as a lipophilic fluid (which is essentially non-solvent).

  The following are methods for investigating and qualifying other materials for use as lipophilic fluids, such as other low viscosity, free flowing silicones. This method includes commercially available Crisco® canola oil, oleic acid (purity 95%, available from Sigma Aldrich Co.) and squalene as model soils for sebum. (99% purity, available from JT Baker). The test substance is substantially anhydrous and should not contain any added additives or other materials under evaluation.

  Prepare three vials. Place 1.0 g of canola oil in the first vial, 1.0 g of the oleic acid (95%) in the second vial, 1.0 g of the squalene (95%) in the third and final vials. 99%). In each vial is placed 1 g of the fluid to be tested for lipophilicity. In a standard stirred mixer at room temperature and room pressure, each vial containing the lipophilic soil and fluid to be tested is mixed individually for a maximum setting of 20 seconds. The vial is placed on a workbench and allowed to settle for 15 minutes at room temperature and room pressure. If a single phase is formed in any vial that has lipophilic soil when stationary, the fluid is rated as suitable for use as a “lipophilic fluid” according to the present invention. Is done. However, when more than one separate phase is formed in all three vials, the amount of fluid dissolved in the oil phase is rejected or accepted as graded. Need to be further determined.

  In such a case, a 200 ml sample is carefully extracted from each layer of each vial with a syringe. After each three model soil calibration sample and the retention time of the fluid being tested are determined, the phase sample collected with the syringe is placed in a GC autosampler vial and subjected to conventional GC analysis. If any one of the oleic acid layer, canola oil layer, or squalane layer contains more than 1%, preferably more, of the test fluid, if it is found by GC, the test fluid is also Rated as suitable for use as a lipophilic fluid. If necessary, the above method can be further calibrated using heptacosafluorotributylamine, ie Fluorinert FC-43 (fail) and cyclopentasiloxane (pass).

A suitable GC is a Hewlett Packard gas chromatograph HP5890 series II equipped with a split / splitless injector and FID. A suitable column used to determine the abundance of the lipophilic fluid is J & W Scientific's 30 meter, 0.25 mm ID, 0.1 μm film thickness, Cat. No. 1221131 capillary column DB. -1HT. The GC is preferably operated under the following conditions:

  Typical lipophilic fluids suitable for use herein can be further graded for use based on having superior garment care properties. Garment care property tests are well known in the art and are to be identified using fabric article components and various buttons, including fabrics, yarns and elastics, used in a wide range of clothing or seams, etc. Testing. Typical lipophilic fluids for use in the present invention have excellent garment protection properties, for example, good shrinkage or cloth-wetting properties and do not significantly damage plastic buttons.

  Certain oleophilic fluids used in lipophilic fluids may be present in a mixture, for example a mixture with water, for clothing protection testing, or other qualities such as flammability, the ratio of which Approximate ratio used in the final lipophilic fluid to be contacted. Certain substances that remove sebum are eligible to be used as lipophilic fluids, for example, ethyl lactate may be totally undesirable due to its tendency to dissolve buttons, and such substances may be present in lipophilic fluids. In combination with water and / or other solvents, the entire mixture is formulated so that it does not substantially damage the button. Other lipophilic fluids, such as D5, adequately meet garment care requirements. Some suitable lipophilic fluids are given in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,865,852, 5,942,007, 6,042,617, 6,042,618, 6, 056,789, 6,059,845, and 6,063,135, which are incorporated herein by reference.

  Lipophilic solvents can include linear and cyclic polysiloxanes, hydrocarbons and chlorinated hydrocarbons. More preferred are linear and cyclic polysiloxanes, and hydrocarbon glycol ethers, hydrocarbon acetates, and hydrocarbon lactates. Preferred lipophilic solvents include cyclic siloxanes having a boiling point of less than about 250 ° C. at 760 mmHg. Particularly preferred cyclic siloxanes for use in the present invention are octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, decamethylcyclopentasiloxane and dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane. It should be understood that mixtures of useful cyclic siloxanes may contain small amounts of other cyclic siloxanes in addition to the preferred cyclic siloxanes, such as hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane. Or higher cyclics such as tetradecamethylcycloheptasiloxane. In general, the amount of these other cyclic siloxanes in useful cyclic siloxane mixtures is less than about 10% by weight of the total mixture.

(Additive component)
The additive material can be very wide and can be used in a wide range of concentrations. For example, bleach catalysts that contain detersive enzymes such as proteases, amylases, cellulases, lipases and the like, and macrocyclic species with manganese or similar transition metals all useful in laundry and cleaning products, It can be used herein at low concentrations, or less commonly but higher concentrations. Catalytic additive materials, such as enzymes, can be used in a “forward” or “reverse” mode, which is a useful discovery regardless of the particular instrument of the present invention. For example, lipolase or other hydrolase may optionally be used in the presence of alcohols as adjuvants, converting fatty acids to esters, thereby increasing solubility in solvents. This is a “reverse” operation, as opposed to the normal use of hydrolytic enzymes in water to convert fatty acid esters with lower water solubility into substances with higher water solubility. . In any case, any additive component must be suitable for use in combination with a solvent.

  The composition may contain an emulsifier. Emulsifiers are known in the chemical field. In essence, an emulsifier acts to combine two or more insoluble or semi-soluble phases to provide a stable or meta-stable emulsion. In the claimed invention, it is preferred that the emulsifier serves a dual purpose that can act not only as an emulsifier but also as a treatment performance enhancer. For example, the emulsifier also acts as a surfactant, resulting in enhanced cleaning performance. Both conventional emulsifiers and emulsifier / surfactants are commercially available.

  Some suitable detersive additives include builders, surfactants, enzymes, bleach activators, bleach catalysts, bleach enhancers, bleaches, alkaline sources, antibacterial agents, colorants, perfumes, perfume precursors. Body, finishing aid, lime soap dispersant, composition malodor inhibitor, odor neutralizer, polymer dye migration inhibitor, crystal growth inhibitor, photobleaching agent, heavy metal ion sequestering agent, anti-discoloring agent, antibacterial agent, Antioxidants, anti-redeposition agents, soil release polymers, electrolytes, pH adjusters, thickeners, abrasion agents, divalent or trivalent ions, metal ion salts, enzyme stabilizers, corrosion inhibitors, diamines or polyamines and / Or its alkoxylates, foam stabilizing polymers, solvents, processing aids, fabric softeners, optical brighteners, hydrophobizing agents, foams or antifoaming agents, foams or antifoaming agents, fabric softeners, antistatic agents, Dye fixing agent, dye abrasion inhibitor, peeling Inhibitor Chi, wrinkle agents, anti-wrinkle agents, soil release polymers, soil repellants, sunscreens, anti-fading agents, and mixtures thereof, without limitation.

The term “surfactant” conventionally refers to a substance that is surface active in either water, a lipophilic fluid, or a mixture of the two. Some exemplary surfactants include nonionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, and silicone surfactants, as used in conventional aqueous detergent systems. Suitable nonionic surfactants include
a) Polyethylene oxide condensates of nonylphenol and myristyl alcohol, such as US Pat. No. 4,685,930, Kasprzak; and b) aliphatic alcohol ethoxylates, R— (OCH ₂ CH ₂ ) _a OH, a = 1-100, typically 12-40, and include, but are not limited to, hydrocarbon residues of R = 8-20C atoms, typically linear alkyl. Examples include polyoxyethylene lauryl ether having 4 or 23 oxyethylene groups; polyoxyethylene cetyl ether having 2, 10, or 20 oxyethylene groups; 2, 10, 20 Polyoxyethylene stearyl ether having 21 or 100 oxyethylene groups; Lepolyoxyethylene having 2 or 10 oxyethylene groups (2), (10) oleyl ether. Commercially available examples include, but are not limited to, ALFONIC, BRIJ, GENAPOL, NEODOL, NEODOL, SURFONIC, and TRYCOL. See also US Pat. No. 6,013,683, Hill et al.

Suitable cationic surfactants have the following formula:
R′R ″ N ⁺ (CH ₃ ) ₂ X ⁻
The dialkyl dimethyl ammonium salt which has this is mentioned, It is not limited to these.

  Wherein each R′R ″ is independently selected from a group consisting of 12-30 C atoms, or derived from tallow, coconut oil or soy, and X = Cl or Br, for example didodecyl Dimethylammonium bromide (DDAB), dihexadecyldimethylammonium chloride, dihexadecyldimethylammonium bromide, dioctadecyldimethylammonium chloride, dieicosyldimethylammonium chloride, didocosyldimethylammonium chloride, dicoconut dimethylammonium chloride, ditallow dimethyl Examples include, but are not limited to, ammonium bromide (DTAB), commercial examples of which include, but are not limited to, ADOGEN, ARQUAD, TOMAH, VARIQUAT. , 013 683, Hill et al.

Suitable silicone surfactants include polyalkylene oxide polysiloxanes having a dimethylpolysiloxane hydrophobic moiety and one or more hydrophilic polyalkylene side chains, having the following general formula:
R ¹ — (CH ₃ ) ₂ SiO — [(CH ₃ ) ₂ SiO] _a — [(CH ₃ ) (R ¹ ) SiO] _b —Si (CH ₃ ) ₂ —R ¹
However, it is not limited to this.

Wherein a + b is from about 1 to about 50, preferably from about 3 to about 30, more preferably from about 10 to about 25, and each R ¹ is the same or different and is methyl and poly (ethylene oxide / propylene oxide) Selected from the group consisting of copolymer groups and having the following general formula:
_{- (CH 2) n O (} C 2 H 4 O) c (C 3 H 6 O) d R 2
Have

Wherein at least one R ¹ is a poly (ethylene oxide / propylene oxide) copolymer group, where n is 3 or 4, preferably 3, and the sum of c (of all polyalkylene side groups) is 1 to about 100, preferably about 6 to about 100; the total value of d is 0 to about 14, preferably 0 to about 3, more preferably d is 0; and the total value of c + d is About 5 to about 150, preferably about 9 to about 100, and each R ² is the same or different and is hydrogen, an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and an acetyl group, preferably hydrogen and Selected from the group consisting of methyl groups. Examples of these surfactants can be found in US Pat. No. 5,705,562 to Hill and US Pat. No. 5,707,613 to Hill, the two of which are described herein. Quoted in the book.

An example of this type of surfactant is Silwet (R) surfactant available from CK Witco OSi Division of Danbury, Connecticut. A typical Silwet surfactant is as follows.

The molecular weight of the polyalkyleneoxy group (R ¹ ) is about 10,000 or less. Preferably, the molecular weight of the polyalkyleneoxy group is about 8,000 or less, most preferably in the range of about 300 to about 5,000. Thus, the values of c and d can be numbers giving molecular weights within these ranges. However, the number of ethyleneoxy units (—C ₂ H ₄ O) in the polyether chain (R ¹ ) must be sufficient to make the polyalkylene oxide polysiloxane water-dispersible or water-soluble. When propyleneoxy groups are present in the polyalkyleneoxy chain, they can be randomly distributed in the chain or present as blocks. Preferred Silwet surfactants are L-7600, L-7602, L-7604, L-7605, L-7657, and mixtures thereof. In addition to surface activity, polyalkylene oxide polysiloxane surfactants can also provide other effects such as antistatic effects on fabrics and flexibility.

  The preparation of polyalkylene oxide polysiloxanes is known in the art. The polyalkylene oxide polysiloxanes of the present invention can be prepared according to the procedure set forth in US Pat. No. 3,299,112, which is incorporated herein by reference.

  Another suitable silicone surfactant is SF-1488, available from GE silicone fluids.

  These and other surfactants suitable for use as additives in combination with lipophilic fluids are well known in the art and, more particularly, Kirk Othmer's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. of Chemical Technology), 3rd edition, Vol. 22, pp. 360-379, “Surfactants and Detersive Systems”, incorporated herein by reference. Further suitable nonionic detersive surfactants are disclosed in US Pat. No. 3,929,678 issued to Laughlin et al. On Dec. 30, 1975, at column 13, line 14 to column 16, line 6. Generally disclosed and incorporated herein by reference.

  The additive may also be an antistatic agent. Any suitable known antistatic agent used in the laundry and dry cleaning field is suitable for use in the methods and compositions of the present invention. Particularly suitable as antistatic agents are some of the fabric softeners known to provide antistatic effects. For example, fabric softeners having aliphatic acyl groups having an iodine number greater than 20, such as N, N-di (tallowoyl-oxy-ethyl) -N, N-dimethylammonium methyl sulfate. However, it should be understood that the term antistatic agent includes all antistatic agents, not limited to only some of these fabric softeners.

  Although the methods and / or compositions utilized in the present invention are described in detail, it is understood in the art that any composition, method and / or apparatus capable of practicing the present invention can be used. Will be understood by those skilled in the art.

(Method)
The method of the invention relates to obtaining an improved fabric cleaning in a solvent treatment regimen, the step of exposing the fabric to a solvent according to the invention and optionally adding the fabric simultaneously and / or continuously according to the invention. Exposing to a solvent and / or additive ingredients. Optionally but preferably, the method may comprise subjecting the fabric to a polar phase.

  The polar phase may contain water, alcohol, or a mixture thereof. When the polar phase contains water, the polar phase preferably comprises at least about 0.5% and at most about 10% water by weight of the fabric.

  The additive solvent may include linear siloxane, cyclic siloxane, or a mixture thereof. The additive solvent can be a lipophilic fluid selected from the group consisting essentially of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane, and mixtures thereof. The lipophilic fluid may comprise decamethylcyclopentasiloxane. Further, the lipophilic fluid may comprise decamethylcyclopentasiloxane and may be substantially free of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (ie, less than 5%, less than 3%, less than 1%, 0.5% %Less than). Due to the flash point of the aforementioned siloxanes, the above process is usually conducted at less than about 80 ° C.

  While performing the method of the present invention, the fabric may be exposed to emulsifiers and / or surfactants, either separately or as a result of inclusion in the polar phase, solvent, additive solvent, and / or additive component. Enzymes, bleach systems, surfactants, fabric softeners, fragrances, antibacterial agents, antistatic agents, brighteners, dye fixing agents, dye abrasion inhibitors, anti-peeling agents, defatting agents, anti-wrinkle agents, dirt Consisting essentially of release polymer, sunscreen, anti-fading agent, builder, chelating agent, foaming agent, composition malodorous agent, composition colorant, pH buffering agent, water resistant agent, antifouling agent, and mixtures thereof The fabric may be exposed to an additive component selected from the group. Such additives can also be applied either separately or as a result of inclusion in the polar phase, solvent, and / or additive solvent.

(Composition)
The composition of the present invention relates to obtaining an improved fabric cleaning in a solvent treatment regimen, the composition comprising a solvent according to the present invention, optionally an additional solvent, and optionally an additional component. Optionally, the composition can further comprise a polar phase.

  When included, the polar phase may include water, alcohol, and mixtures thereof.

  The polar phase also preferably comprises at least about 0.1% and at most about 5% water by weight of the composition.

  The additive solvent may include linear siloxane, cyclic siloxane, or a mixture thereof. The additive solvent may be a lipophilic fluid comprising a lipophilic fluid selected from the group consisting essentially of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane, and mixtures thereof. The lipophilic fluid may comprise decamethylcyclopentasiloxane. Further, the lipophilic fluid may comprise decamethylcyclopentasiloxane and may be substantially free of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (ie, less than 5%, less than 3%, less than 1%, 0.5% %Less than).

  It will be appreciated that the methods and / or compositions of the present invention may be combined with other fabric treatments. For example, prior to the application of a lipophilic fluid, a fabric article may be co-pending application No. 60 / 191,965 (filed Mar. 24, 2000, Noyes, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). ) Et al) may be subjected to a method for removing fine particles.

  The present invention relates to linen that is part of services such as dry cleaning services, diaper services, uniform cleaning services, or land romats, dry cleaners, hotels, restaurants, convention centers, airports, tourist ships, port facilities, casinos. It may be used for commercial business such as services or at home.

  The methods and / or compositions of the present invention may be performed on devices that have been modified and that have been modified in such a manner as to perform the methods of the present invention in addition to related methods.

  The method and / or composition of the present invention is not a modified existing device, but may be performed in a device specifically made in a manner that allows the method of the present invention to be performed, or the solvent and Another device may be added as part of the additive solvent treatment system. This includes any associated plumbing such as connections to chemical and water supplies, and sewage equipment for waste cleaning fluids.

  Ultimately, the method of the present invention is not a modified existing device, but in a device that is specifically made in a manner that allows the method of the present invention and related methods to be performed. May be executed.

  The apparatus used to practice the present invention typically contains some type of control system. These include so-called smart control systems, as well as electrical systems such as conventional electromechanical systems. The control system allows the user to select the amount of fabric load to be washed, the type of soil, the degree of soiling, and the duration of the wash cycle. Alternatively, the user can use a preset wash cycle and / or refresh cycle, or the device can control the length of the cycle based on any number of parameters that can be identified. it can. This is especially true for electrical control systems. For example, when the collection rate of the solvent and / or added solvent reaches a certain rate, after a fixed predetermined time, the apparatus itself is stopped or another method for the solvent and / or added solvent is started.

  For electrical control systems, one option is to make the control device a so-called “smart device”. This can be a self-diagnosis system, load type and cycle selection, the user can remotely start the device by connecting the machine to the Internet, and notify the device when it has washed the fabric article, or if the device fails, This includes, but is not limited to, the supplier remotely diagnosing the problem. Moreover, if the apparatus of the present invention is merely part of a cleaning system, so-called “smart systems” are other cleaning devices used to complete the rest of the cleaning process, such as washing machines and dryers. You can contact me.

Claims (12)

For treating a fabric article in need of treatment, comprising contacting the fabric article with a solvent having an ozone reactivity of less than 0.30 grams O ₃ / gram and / or a vapor pressure of 0.1 mmHg or less. Method. The method of claim 1, wherein the solvent has an ozone reactivity of less than 0.30 grams O ₃ / gram.   The solvent is selected from the group consisting of carbonate solvent, succinate solvent and mixtures thereof, preferably the carbonate is selected from the group consisting of methyl carbonate, ethyl carbonate, propylene carbonate, glycerin carbonate and mixtures thereof The process of claim 1 comprising a solvent and / or wherein the solvent comprises a succinate solvent selected from the group consisting of dimethyl succinate and mixtures thereof.   The method further comprises contacting the fabric article with an additive solvent, preferably the additive solvent comprises a lipophilic fluid, more preferably the lipophilic fluid comprises a linear siloxane, a cyclic siloxane, and these And more preferably, the lipophilic fluid comprises a lipophilic fluid selected from the group consisting of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane, and mixtures thereof; Most preferably, the lipophilic fluid comprises decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, the lipophilic fluid comprises decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, and is substantially free of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane. .   The method further comprises contacting the fabric article with a polar phase, preferably the polar phase comprises water, more preferably the polar phase is at least about 0.1% by weight of the fabric article. The method of claim 1, comprising water, more preferably, the polar phase comprising at most about 5% water of the fabric article.   The method of claim 5, wherein the polar phase comprises an alcohol.   The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises contacting the fabric article with an emulsifier.   The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises contacting the fabric article with a surfactant.   The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises contacting the fabric article with an additive component.   The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed at less than about 80 ° C. A fabric article processing chamber; a solvent having an ozone reactivity of less than 0.30 grams O ₃ / gram; a solvent having a vapor pressure of 0.1 mmHg or less; a vapor pressure greater than 0.1 mmHg; solvent having 30 g O _{3 /} g less than the ozone reactivity, and an apparatus for processing a fabric article comprising a source of solvent selected from the group consisting of mixtures, any of claims 1 to 10 An apparatus capable of performing the method according to claim 1 in the apparatus.   Use of the device according to claim 11 for processing fabric articles.