Patent ID: 7950254

Claim:
A washing system for use in cleaning or washing a soiled substrate or substrates, the system comprising: a. a washing zone for contacting and washing the soiled substrate with wash liquor; b. a feed supply for providing hot or cold feed water to the washing zone; c. a wash liquor cleanup and recycle zone in fluid communication with the washing zone wherein the wash liquor cleanup and recycle zone comprises a means for recycling the wash liquor from the washing zone; d. an effluent storage and/or discharge zone; e. means for sonically or ultrasonically treating the soiled substrate in the washing zone or in a washing pre-treatment zone; f. an electrolysis zone comprising a feed water electrolysis means and a wash liquor electrolysis means; and one or more of: g. a product dispensing zone; h. a wash liquor disinfection zone; and i. a feed water softening zone; and wherein the wash liquor cleanup and recycle zone comprises an ultrafiltration or microfiltration device comprising one or more tubular membranes and having a cut-off in the range from about 1000 Daltons to about 1 μm, a lumen size of from about 1 to about 10 mm, and a clean water flux of at least about 1000 L/m 2 .h.100 kp (RO water at 25° C.); and wherein the means for sonically or ultrasonically treating the soiled substrate in the washing zone or in a washing pre-treatment zone comprises one or more vibrating cleaning transducers for physically contacting one or more surfaces of the soiled substrate.