OverviewBackgroundWhat is GreenEarth? Silicone as a dry cleaning solvent

PropertiesProcessEnvironmental fatePerformance

The Dry Cleaning Process using liquid siliconeThe process of dry cleaningChallenge of Hydrophilic Soil Removal

Summary

Most dry cleaners using petrochemical solvents Can be dangerous to the environment and to people

Often misleadingly marketed as “organic”; organic means something very different when it describes chemicals vs. food

“Organic” chemicals are structured on a chain of carbon, the element found in all organic compounds ; gasoline is organic

85% use perchloroethylene, known as PCE or percEPA classified as air and water toxin, dangerous to human

healthExposure can lead to increased risk of cancer, reduced fertility

and eye/nose/throat irritationApproximately 10% use hydrocarbon solvents

EPA classified as VOCs (volatile air contaminants) and neurotoxins

Exposure poses risk of eye and skin irritants for workers

Three green alternatives Professional wet cleaning

Uses water like home washing machines Higher labor costs vs. traditional dry cleaning (garments can only be dried to

80%, then must be hand-blocked) Watch out: potential for garment damage (e.g. wools) and toxic effluent (wet

cleaning machines drain into city water system—no safeguard against dry cleaners who use detergents or spotting agents with toxic or VOC properties)

CO2 Cleaning Coverts CO2 to liquid under high pressure. Uses reclaimed CO2. Process does

release CO2 back into atmosphere. Significantly higher equipment costs (2x-3x higher); operational costs also higher Watch out: Solvair system uses gycol-ether (VOC chemical used in antifreeze)

during wash cycle GreenEarth Cleaning

Uses liquid silicone solvent Comparable equipment costs to traditional dry cleaning. Lower labor costs

(garments come out less wrinkled and require less finishing)

GreenEarth® Cleaning Patented technology for liquid silicone (D5) based dry cleaning

Silicone used in many industries for many decades; dry cleaning a revolutionary application

Eight U.S. patents; many more in 42 countries around the world An “accidental discovery”

Scientist working on cosmetic formulation stirred liquid silicone with finger and realized it removed fats and oils from his skin without drying it out…wondered if it could do the same for clothes

GreenEarth Cleaning LLC & trademark registered in 1999 GE Silicones and P&G founding members GE a leading manufacturer of silicone, P&G their leading purchaser of silicone Rights to process and trademark require annual license

License ~1400 machines globally Austria, Australia, United States, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany,

Japan, Korea, Ireland, New Zealand, Turkey, UK System uses specially designed detergents

P&G pioneered detergency around silicone’s unique chemistry

Silicone (D5) as Dry Cleaning Solvent

Density: Slightly less than waterViscosity: Similar to waterFlash Point: 77 °CAppearance: Colorless, Odorless liquidVapor Pressure: Low heat of vaporizationSupply: Commercially available

GreenEarth meets industry needs Viable alternative to petroleum based solvent systems

Safely degrades to sand and trace amounts of water and CO2—eliminates regulatory and contamination issues

Similar equipment costs vs. traditional dry cleaning machines Excellent overall cleaning Able to clean wider variety of garments vs. harsh petrochemicals Marketable difference

Science behind the system makes it better for fabrics Solvents are not strong or weak on their own—strength measured on how

they work in combination with additives to dissolve soil particulates GreenEarth system uniquely able to clean clothes without damaging fibers Designed to molecularly work with detergents and cleaning action of dry

cleaning machines to remove soils without “touching” or chemically interacting with fabric fibers

Environmental Fate: D5 Silicone

Antiperspirants, Skin Care, Other Personal Care products

>1% >99%

Wastewater Treatment Plant Air

Sludge

Soil

Hydrolysis and Biodegradation

Photodegradation

Various Silanols

SiO2 CO2 H2O

LandfillIncineration

8-10 days

Source: GE Silicones.

Note: Silicone is a main ingredient in many personal care products. With dry cleaning, silicone does not go to a water treatment plant, it is recycled within the machine, in a closed loop process.

International Fabricare Institute (IFI)“Based on our overall evaluations, IFI’s findings are that GreenEarth®

Cleaning is a viable alternative for the drycleaning industry, and while different in some respects, is comparable to a perc drycleaning process.”

Source: 2002 IFI Fellowship Study

GreenEarth Perc

A. Cleaning Performance

B. Handle Garments you currently process

C. Affordable/Operating Costs

D. Realistic Capital Costs

E. Health Issues

F. Contamination Issue

OVERALL

The Machine Process of Dry Cleaning

•

Detergency Optimization The right detergent dramatically improves cleaning ability in D5

Clea

ning

per

form

ance

Fabricare OptimizationGentler on fabrics than perc solvent or water

Fractional Hansen Solubility Parameters:fi=di/(dD+dP+dH)

1.0

1.0

1.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.8

0.

6 0.4

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.4

0.4

0.6

0.6

0.8

0.8

water perc

GreenEarth Oils

Alcohols

fP

fD

fH

Quantum Mechanics and Cohesive Energy Density explain why silicone chemistry offers better balance of cleaning and care…molecular interaction with fabric and detergent

Hydrophilic Cleaning Toughest challenge for cleaning in silicone… thermodynamically “uphill” Destabilizing soil on fabric improves cleaning—why detergent emulsification key

Ener

gy

Soil Removed and Kinetically stabilized

D5 Cleaning Process

Removal

Successful Cleaning Process

Hydrophilic soil

Fabric

Fabric

Hydrophilic CleaningBreaking soil-soil interactions make soils “liquid-like”

Delivering some water to hydrophilic soils is key for effective cleaningSurfactants that “manage” water – deliver and make available

to soils – are most effective

P&G pioneered the detergency for silicone based dry cleaning

Maintaining Fabric Care GreenEarth’s chemically inert properties make it especially good

for fabric care in addition to fabric cleaning Water swells fabrics and degrades/damages them; perc rubs on surface fibers and “wears” them out

The more the cleaning process can minimize fiber swelling, the better it can minimize:

Abrasion…looks newer, longer Dye loss and/or transfer…keeps colors bright

SummaryGreenEarth Cleaning silicone (D5) based process excellent

for dry cleaningAdvantageous physical properties: cleaning/care balance

Excellent fabricare benefits…look newer, longer Safe for the environment

Significant advantage over petroleum-based solventsAffordable equipment costs

Sustainable “green” business modelSuccessful implementation in the dry cleaning industry

Marketable difference vs. other dry cleaning methods

Not just solvent, optimized cleaning system Based on molecular interactions of detergent, solvent & fabric