Overview
ARBOK-WASH turns household laundry into a closed physical system. Instead of discharging chemically contaminated water to the sewer every cycle, the machine routes wash water to an internal vacuum cold-evaporation module: water evaporates at low temperature, condenses clean, and returns to the wash loop, while surfactants, microplastics, fibers, fats, and pigments stay behind. Around 65–70 % of surfactants remain active and are reused; the rest is removed as a dry, inactive residue. The result is near-total elimination of laundry wastewater at source.
Applications
Primary use cases: household washing machines; small/commercial laundries; housing in water-stressed or sewer-limited areas.
Industries and users: appliance makers, laundromats, eco-housing, off-grid/remote dwellings.
Scale: single-appliance closed loop; replicable across units.
Operating Principle
After the wash, water is not discharged — it enters an internal ARBOK evaporation module. Under deep vacuum, water evaporates at low temperature (no boiling, no heating) and condenses to distilled-grade water returned to the loop. Particles above ~30 nm cannot enter the vapor phase, so surfactants, microplastics, fibers, salts, fats, and pigments remain in the chamber, separating by density into a paste/solid residue. No membranes, filters, chemicals, or wastewater discharge.
Limitations: periodic residue emptying; appliance integration/cost premium.
Key Parameters
Energy: ~0.6–0.9 kWh per cycle (no heating for evaporation, no hot-water connection).
Particle separation: > 30 nm. Surfactant reuse: 65–70 % active retained; 30–35 % removed with contaminants.
Water: conventional 50–70 L/cycle (9 000–11 000 L/year at 3 cycles/week); ARBOK-WASH internal loop ~50 L, losses 0.5–1.5 L/cycle, annual fresh input 250–400 L → 95–98 % water reduction.
Detergent: sealed solid-tablet cassette, auto top-up of depleted actives → 55–65 % detergent reduction.
Residue: dry/contact-free, biologically inactive; container emptied every 2–4 weeks.
Architecture and Components
Wash drum + internal vacuum evaporation/condensation module; closed water loop; residue chamber (dry); sealed detergent cassette with auto-dosing; control system. Self-contained appliance.
Advantages
Technical: eliminates wastewater by design; >30 nm separation catches microplastics filters miss; no odor/microbial activity in recycled water.
Economic: 95–98 % less water, 55–65 % less detergent; machine costs ~10–25 % more than standard.
Environmental: zero laundry wastewater; stops diffuse surfactant/microplastic pollution at source.
Strategic: enables laundry where sewer/water is scarce; pollution eliminated, not displaced.
Integrations
Self-contained appliance; sealed detergent cassettes; fits standard household utility connections (no hot-water line needed).
Deployment & Operation
Install like a standard washer; operates on the closed loop; user empties the dry residue container every 2–4 weeks. No chemical contact for the user.
TRL
TRL 3 (confirmed by Michael). Proof-of-concept: fully defined process with quantified water/detergent/energy balances on the ARBOK vacuum platform, but no built appliance prototype yet. Remaining: bench prototype, then integrated household-appliance build.
Market Potential
Laundry is one of the largest sources of diffuse household chemical pollution (surfactants, microplastics). Drivers: microplastic regulation, water scarcity, eco-appliance demand. Buyers: appliance OEMs, laundromats, eco-housing.
Typical Project Economics
Value is environmental, not primarily cost: water/detergent savings do not fully offset the ~10–25 % machine price premium. Core benefit is elimination of laundry wastewater and microplastic discharge at source. (OEM cost/pricing to be modelled.)
Risk Factors
Appliance cost premium and consumer adoption; residue handling habit; OEM partnership needed to productize; prototype validation pending.
Related Technologies
ARBOK-MOBILE · ARBOK-POOL RENEWAL · Vacuum Osmosis · ARBOK-VC (Vacuum Cracking)