Method of and apparatus for cleaning garments and soft goods contaminated with nuclear, chemical and/or biological contaminants
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
- OSTI ID:
- 6150124
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
220502* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Environmental Aspects-- Radioactive Effluents
552000 -- Public Health
560160 -- Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
ADDITIVES
ADSORPTION
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ANTIGENS
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CLEANING
CLOTHING
CONTAINERS
DECONTAMINATION
DETERGENTS
DETOXIFICATION
EMULSIFIERS
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXIDES
MATERIALS
OXIDIZERS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
PARTICULATES
POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS
POTASSIUM HYDROXIDES
PUBLIC HEALTH
RADIATION PROTECTION
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
REMOVAL
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
SODIUM HYDROXIDES
SOLVENTS
SORPTION
SURFACTANTS
TEXTILES
TOXIC MATERIALS
TOXINS
WETTING AGENTS