Method of and apparatus for cleaning garments and soft goods contaminated with nuclear, chemical and/or biological contaminants

Patent · Tue Jan 10 00:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:6150124

Fowler, D E

A method is described for decontaminating garments, soft good or mixtures thereof contaminated with radioactive particulates, toxin, chemical, and biological contaminants comprising the steps of: (a) depositing contaminated garments, soft goods or mixtures thereof in a cleaning drum; (b) charging the drum with a cleaning solvent in which the chemical contaminants are soluble; (c) agitating the drum during a wash cycle to separate radioactive, toxin, biological particulate matter of mixtures thereof from the garments; (d) draining the drum of the dry cleaning solvent which contains suspended particulate contaminants and dissolved chemical contaminants; (e) contacting the drained solvent with both a neutralizing agent and an oxidizing agent, the neutralizing agent being selected from the group consisting of sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide and mixtures thereof and having a concentration greater than one (1.0) normal; (f) rinsing the garments, soft goods or mixtures thereof by circulating clean solvent from a solvent tank through the drum thereby effecting additional removal and flushing of particulate and chemical contaminants; (g) filtering the circulated solvent to remove the particulate material suspended in the solvent prior to addition to the drum; and (h) preferentially adsorbing the chemical contaminants dissolved in the circulated solvent prior to addition to the drum.

• Assignee: Quadrex HPS, Inc., Gainesville, FL
• Patent Number(s): US 4797128
• Application Number: TRN: 89-012523
• OSTI ID: 6150124
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: Filed date 10 Dec 1984
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
CLOTHING
DECONTAMINATION
DETERGENTS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
TEXTILES
ADSORPTION
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CONTAINERS
DETOXIFICATION
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
OXIDIZERS
PARTICULATES
POTASSIUM HYDROXIDES
PUBLIC HEALTH
RADIATION PROTECTION
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
REMOVAL
SODIUM HYDROXIDES
SOLVENTS
TOXINS
ADDITIVES
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ANTIGENS
CLEANING
EMULSIFIERS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXIDES
MATERIALS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
SORPTION
SURFACTANTS
TOXIC MATERIALS
WETTING AGENTS
220502* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Environmental Aspects- Radioactive Effluents
552000 - Public Health
560160 - Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology