Control and remediation of solvent pollution in the dry cleaning industry: a technological assessment

摘要

Dry cleaning is the commercial laundering of clothes using organic solvents rather than water. The most popular solvent, used in about 85 percent of the 4,800 dry cleaning establishments in California, is PCE (perchloroethylene, also known by the more precise name of tetrachloroethylene or the abbreviation, "PERC").~1 PCE is a colorless, organic, nonaqueous-phase liquid (NAPL) that is nonionic, nonpolar, and exhibits negligible photoreactivity. It is heavier than water (specific gravity of 1.6), relatively insoluble in water (solublility of 150 mg/L), and relatively volatile. PCE is also a Class C (possible) human carcinogen.