Green solvent systems for anhydrous fabric cleaning: from prediction to performance

Area of Science:

• Green Chemistry
• Sustainable Materials Science
• Textile Cleaning Technology

Background:

• Perchloroethylene (PERC), a common dry-cleaning solvent, presents significant health and environmental risks.
• The need for sustainable and safer alternatives in the dry-cleaning industry is critical.
• Bio-based solvents offer a promising avenue for reducing the environmental footprint of textile care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically evaluate sixteen bio-based green solvents as alternatives to PERC.
• To assess the efficacy of these solvents in removing various common stains.
• To explore solvent blends for enhanced cleaning performance and broader applicability.

Main Methods:

• Selection of sixteen bio-based solvents based on environmental impact, toxicity, flammability, and Hansen Solubility Parameters (HSPs).
• Experimental evaluation of solvent efficacy against representative contaminants (sebum, blood, cocoa, wine).
• Formulation and testing of binary and ternary solvent blends to optimize cleaning performance.

Main Results:

• Ethyl lactate (EL), dimethyl carbonate (DMC), and γ-terpinene emerged as highly effective individual solvents.
• A 1:1 mixture of EL and γ-terpinene demonstrated balanced efficacy for both hydrophilic and lipophilic stains.
• HSPs (via Relative Energy Difference - RED) showed good correlation with simple stains but limitations with complex soils.

Conclusions:

• Bio-based solvents, particularly EL and γ-terpinene, show significant potential as sustainable dry-cleaning agents.
• Solvent blending is a viable strategy to achieve broad-spectrum stain removal capabilities.
• Integrating theoretical models like HSPs with empirical testing is crucial for developing effective green dry-cleaning systems.