Physics Today: Cambridge Consultants Ltd have developed the world's first virtually waterless washing machine in conjunction with Stephen Burkinshaw, from the University of Leeds who came up with the technique, and a university startup company called Xeros Ltd.
The prototype washing machine saves 90% more efficient in water use than a conventional machine.
The water is replaced by reusable nylon polymer beads which can clean the clothes faster, using 30% less energy and just a drop of detergent.
The machine consists of two drums—an inner drum containing the clothes and the outer drum containing the beads. During the wash both drums rotate, mixing the beads and clothes together. At the end of the cycle, the outer drum stops rotating to that the beads are spun out and captured by centrifugal force, leaving the clothes behind. Nearly 99.95% of the beads are caught using this method, and a vacuum trap that is pulled out of the machine before unloading captures the majority of the remaining beads.
“Whilst we are still at a relatively early stage of this development, we have demonstrated that it is possible to develop a commercially viable washing machine that is capable of delivering all the benefits that Xeros expects from its revolutionary technology,” says Nathan Wrench, programme manager at Cambridge Consultants.
Xeros aims to have a commercially viable product in production by the end of 2010. The company’s first target will be the commercial washing market, including hotels, care homes, and high street washing outlets.
I am sure that the issue of what we do with the dirty beads has come up. are they washed, discarded or become land fill? everything that cleans must itself get dirty