Overview Background What is GreenEarth? Silicone as a dry cleaning solvent Properties Process Environmental fate Performance The Dry Cleaning Process using liquid silicone The process of dry cleaning Challenge of Hydrophilic Soil Removal Summary
Most dry cleaners using petrochemical solvents Can be dangerous to the environment and to people Often misleadingly marketed as “organic”; organic means something very different when it describes chemicals vs. food “Organic” chemicals are structured on a chain of carbon, the element found in all organic compounds ; gasoline is organic 85% use perchloroethylene, known as PCE or perc EPA classified as air and water toxin, dangerous to human health Exposure can lead to increased risk of cancer, reduced fertility and eye/nose/throat irritation Approximately 10% use hydrocarbon solvents EPA classified as VOCs (volatile air contaminants) and neurotoxins Exposure poses risk of eye and skin irritants for workers
Three green alternatives Professional wet cleaning Uses water like home washing machines Higher labor costs vs. traditional dry cleaning (garments can only be dried to 80%, then must be hand-blocked) Watch out: potential for garment damage (e.g. wools) and toxic effluent (wet cleaning machines drain into city water system—no safeguard against dry cleaners who use detergents or spotting agents with toxic or VOC properties) CO2 Cleaning Coverts CO2 to liquid under high pressure. Uses reclaimed CO2. Process does release CO2 back into atmosphere. Significantly higher equipment costs (2x-3x higher); operational costs also higher Watch out: Solvair system uses gycol-ether (VOC chemical used in antifreeze) during wash cycle GreenEarth Cleaning Uses liquid silicone solvent Comparable equipment costs to traditional dry cleaning. Lower labor costs (garments come out less wrinkled and require less finishing)
GreenEarth® Cleaning Patented technology for liquid silicone (D5) based dry cleaning Silicone used in many industries for many decades; dry cleaning a revolutionary application Eight U.S. patents; many more in 42 countries around the world An “accidental discovery” Scientist working on cosmetic formulation stirred liquid silicone with finger and realized it removed fats and oils from his skin without drying it out…wondered if it could do the same for clothes GreenEarth Cleaning LLC & trademark registered in 1999 GE Silicones and P&G founding members GE a leading manufacturer of silicone, P&G their leading purchaser of silicone Rights to process and trademark require annual license License ~1400 machines globally Austria, Australia, United States, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Ireland, New Zealand, Turkey, UK System uses specially designed detergents P&G pioneered detergency around silicone’s unique chemistry
Silicone (D5) as Dry Cleaning Solvent
Density: Viscosity: Flash Point: Appearance: Vapor Pressure: Supply:
Slightly less than water Similar to water 77 째C Colorless, Odorless liquid Low heat of vaporization Commercially available
GreenEarth meets industry needs Viable alternative to petroleum based solvent systems Safely degrades to sand and trace amounts of water and CO2—eliminates
regulatory and contamination issues Similar equipment costs vs. traditional dry cleaning machines Excellent overall cleaning Able to clean wider variety of garments vs. harsh petrochemicals Marketable difference Science behind the system makes it better for fabrics Solvents are not strong or weak on their own—strength measured on how they work in combination with additives to dissolve soil particulates GreenEarth system uniquely able to clean clothes without damaging fibers Designed to molecularly work with detergents and cleaning action of dry cleaning machines to remove soils without “touching” or chemically interacting with fabric fibers
Environmental Fate: D5 Silicone Antiperspirants, Skin Care, Other Personal Care products
Wastewater Treatment Plant
Air >99%
>1% Landfill Incineration
Note: Silicone is a main ingredient in many personal care products. With dry cleaning, silicone does not go to a water treatment plant, it is recycled within the machine, in a closed loop process.
Sludge
Photodegradation 8-10 days
Soil Hydrolysis and Biodegradation
Various Silanols
SiO2 CO2 H2O Source: GE Silicones.
International Fabricare Institute (IFI) “Based on our overall evaluations, IFI’s findings are that GreenEarth® Cleaning is a viable alternative for the drycleaning industry, and while different in some respects, is comparable to a perc drycleaning process.” GreenEarth
Perc
A. Cleaning Performance B. Handle Garments you currently process C. Affordable/Operating Costs D. Realistic Capital Costs E. Health Issues F. Contamination Issue OVERALL Source: 2002 IFI Fellowship Study
The Machine Process of Dry Cleaning
Detergency Optimization
Cleaning performance
The right detergent dramatically improves cleaning ability in D5
Fabricare Optimization Gentler on fabrics than perc solvent or water 0.0
fH
1.0 0.8
0.2 0.4
0.6 0.8
water
Alcohols
0.
fP
6
0.4
perc
GreenEarth
1.0 0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.2 Oils
0.8
Quantum Mechanics and Cohesive Energy Density explain why silicone chemistry offers better balance of cleaning and care‌molecular interaction with fabric and detergent 0.0
1.0
fD Fractional Hansen Solubility Parameters: fi=di/(dD+dP+dH)
Hydrophilic Cleaning Toughest challenge for cleaning in silicone… thermodynamically “uphill” Destabilizing soil on fabric improves cleaning—why detergent emulsification key
Soil Removed and Kinetically stabilized
Energy
Removal
Fabric Hydrophilic soil
Fabric
D5 Cleaning Process
Successful Cleaning Process
Hydrophilic Cleaning Breaking soil-soil interactions make soils “liquid-like” Delivering some water to hydrophilic soils is key for
effective cleaning
Surfactants that “manage” water – deliver and make available to
soils – are most effective
P&G pioneered the detergency for silicone based dry
cleaning
Maintaining Fabric Care GreenEarth’s chemically inert properties make it especially good
for fabric care in addition to fabric cleaning Water swells fabrics and degrades/damages them; perc rubs on surface fibers and “wears” them out
The more the cleaning process can minimize fiber swelling, the
better it can minimize: Abrasion…looks newer, longer Dye loss and/or transfer…keeps colors bright
Summary GreenEarth Cleaning silicone (D5) based process excellent
for dry cleaning
Advantageous physical properties: cleaning/care balance
Excellent fabricare benefits…look newer, longer
Safe for the environment
Significant advantage over petroleum-based solvents
Affordable equipment costs
Sustainable “green” business model
Successful implementation in the dry cleaning industry
Marketable difference vs. other dry cleaning methods
Not just solvent, optimized cleaning system Based on molecular interactions of detergent, solvent & fabric