Green solvent, laundry composition comprising same, and washing machine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dry cleaning solvents, such as petroleum-based and chlorine-based solvents, pose environmental and health risks, and solvents like solketal decompose when exposed to water, making them difficult to reuse.
Innovation Solution
A laundry composition using solketal as a solvent, combined with a fragrance having a specific log P value, and a washing machine design that collects and recycles the solvent by removing moisture, preventing decomposition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If solketal is used as a solvent in laundry composition, then cleaning power and safety are improved, but odor on fibers and wrinkle formation worsen
Solution Approach 1:
A fragrance composition is introduced as an intermediary substance to mask or neutralize the unpleasant odor of solketal on fibers. The fragrance acts as a mediator between the solvent and the final sensory experience, allowing the beneficial properties of solketal to remain while eliminating its negative olfactory impact.
2Reliability
If solketal is used as a solvent in laundry composition, then cleaning power and safety are improved, but wrinkle formation on fibers worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The fragrance composition serves as an intermediary that not only addresses odor but also influences fiber behavior during and after washing. Certain fragrance components may act as temporary conditioning agents that reduce friction and prevent wrinkle formation, thus mediating between the solvent's cleaning action and the fiber's final appearance.
3Productivity
If solketal is exposed to water during washing, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but solvent decomposition worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The system is designed to recover and reuse solketal before it decomposes completely. Preliminary action is taken by collecting the solvent after washing, removing water through distillation or other separation methods, and reusing the recovered solvent, thus preventing decomposition and maintaining solvent stability over multiple wash cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding the solvent after use, the system recovers solketal from the wash water through separation processes. The recovered solvent is then reused in subsequent washing cycles, transforming a potentially decomposing waste stream into a reusable resource and maintaining solvent stability.
4Productivity
If conventional petroleum-based or chlorine-based solvents are used, then cleaning power and volatility are improved, but environmental pollution and health risks worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical parameters of the solvent system by replacing petroleum-based or chlorine-based solvents with solketal, a bio-based solvent derived from renewable resources. This parameter change maintains cleaning effectiveness while eliminating the harmful environmental and health effects associated with conventional solvents.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution reduces the odor of solketal on fibers, minimizes wrinkle formation, and enables the reuse of solketal by preventing its decomposition, offering an environmentally friendly and safe cleaning process.
Implementation Method 1
A laundry composition using solketal as a solvent, combined with a fragrance having a specific log P value
Implementation Method 2
a washing machine design that collects and recycles the solvent by removing moisture, preventing decomposition
Data Source
AI summary
A laundry composition according to the present disclosure includes a solvent selected from the group consisting of solketal and derivatives thereof and a fragrance, wherein the fragrance has a log P value of −1.0 to 4.5, and a washing machine includes a washing unit configured to receive a solvent to wash accommodated fibers; a steam collector configured to condense a gaseous phase discharged from the washing unit and supply the same to a solvent collector; and the solvent collector configured to collect a liquid phase discharged from the washing unit and supply the solvent to a solvent supplier, wherein the solvent collector includes a filter unit configured to remove foreign substances from the solvent supplied from at least one of the steam collector and the washing unit; and a solvent storage configured to store the solvent supplied from the filter unit.