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CO2 Cleaning in Dry Cleaning Facilities

Dry cleaners have used liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) as a greener alternative to harmful dry cleaning solvents since the late nineties. Liquid CO2 can be used as an environmentally friendly replacement for perchloroethylene (PCE), which is one of the most common chemical dry cleaning solvents used by dry cleaners in the United States. Liquid CO2 has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an eco-friendly alternative to PCE and other chemical-based solvents. Globally, governments have supported the development of alternatives to PCE, which the Toxics Use Reduction Institute says is associated with a list of health problems including liver and central nervous system damage.

  1. How Does CO2 Cleaning Work?

    • Its volatility makes liquid CO2 a good cleaning solvent.

      Its bubbly consistency, even in liquid form, makes CO2 an effective cleaning solvent. CO2 cleaning is typically done using a specialized machine, which can store the CO2 gas used to pressurize the wash tank. CO2 is often mixed with recyclable cleaning detergent to form cleaning fluid, which saturates clothes in a 3-5 to 45-minute cycle. In a similar way to how a washing machine spin cycle removes water from clothes using a centripetal "spinning" force; the liquid CO2 cleaning machine then removes CO2 fluid from the clothes in a spin.

    How Expensive is CO2 Cleaning?

    • The developer of one of the first commercial liquid CO2 cleaning machines, Micell Technologies, says the overall cost of using the system is competitive with conventional chemical dry cleaning. In support of this, the 2004 European DETECTIVE LIFE project found that the overall cost of CO2 cleaning averaged about 20 percent cheaper than chemical solvent-based processes. CO2 dry cleaning machines have low operating costs and high productivity. A liquid CO2 wash cycle takes nearly half the time a solvent-based cycle takes.The cost of installing a CO2 dry cleaning machine, however, can be up to four times more expensive than a regular machine.

    History

    • Micell Technologies developed one of the first liquid CO2 products to hit the U.S. market in partnership with North Carolina State University. Its CO2 dry cleaning machines were introduced at Hangers dry cleaning facilities in North Carolina in 1998. Global gas company The Linde Group marketed a liquid CO2 dry cleaning process several years later in Europe. It launched the Fred Butler dry cleaning service in 2006, which even offers a CO2 cleaning service for shoes.

    Advantages

    • Studies by Micell Technologies and the DETECTIVE project, which is part of Europe's Environmental Technologies Action Plans, have highlighted the advantages of CO2 cleaning methods. One practical advantage of CO2 cleaning compared to other forms of dry cleaning is that it does not require energy-sapping high temperatures that can damage fragile garments, according to MIcell Technologies. The liquid CO2 solution used in its machines can be recycled and reused, as can any excess CO2 produced. Cleaning with CO2 is also proven to be better for asthmatics and allergy sufferers, according to Fred Butler, which offers a deep cleaning service to combat dust mites.

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