The present invention relates to a method of reducing
the quantity of harmful material which passes into the This object, and other objects and advantages of the
waste water from a container cleaning machine which present invention, will appear more clearly from the
comprises a preliminary soaking tank, a subsequently following specification in connection with the accom
arranged soaking and washing solution bath which 10 panying drawings, in which:
includes at least one bath, and spraying sections which FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of an inventive conare arranged downstream or after the soaking and tainer cleaning machine having a preliminary soaking washing solution bath. The present invention also re- tank of one bath; and
lates to a container cleaning machine for carrying out FIG. 2 shows an embodiment ^of an inventive con
this method. 15 tainer cleaning machine having a double preliminary
Field of the Invention soaking tank.
With container cleaning machines, e.g. bottle clean- DETAILED DESCRIPTION
ing machines, having a soaking and washing solution The method of the present invention is characterized
bath which includes one or more baths, it is customary 20 primarily in that soaking solution is used as bath solu
ahead of the soaking and washing solution bath to ar- tion for the preliminary soaking tank; in that at least a
range a preliminary soaking tank which contains water partiai flow of the soaking solution from the prelimi
and into which flows the used spray water from the nary soaking tank is cleaned and is returned to a soaking
spraying zones which follow the soaking and washing bath of comparable wash solution concentration for
solution bath, and which leaves the preliminary soaking 25 further treatment of the containers while taking into
tank as waste water. This waste water is heavily loaded account bath solution levels which are to be maintained,
with harmful materials which essentially pass into the and during sufficient regeneration of the wash solution;
preliminary soaking tank with the containers e g. bot- and m that the used water from {he ...
ties, which are to be cleaned, as well as with the used js ... off from ^ ... whfle h { the
spray water which flows out of the spray section. The 30 ,imm SQaki t£mk
residue of beverages and loose dlrt particles which ad- ... {o ... als of the ent inve„.
here to the walls of the bottles are carried in with the .. , . ,. r , ,. ■ , ■ ...
, x, ... it_ , it_ ... ,. tion, during the operation of the machine the partial
bottles which pass through the preliminary soaking „ ,= . v . .... , , *\ ,
. i «7 u i_ • i u- u • J i J J-z flow can be continuously withdrawn and cleaned, and
tank. Wash chemicals which are carried along, and dirt , .,_.■.« i. * J * A . i ■
particles of all types, pass into the preliminary soaking 35 clean*d Part'al flow,can be. returf d to S0^"g
lank with the used spray water from the soaking and bath of the s°akmS »»d washmS solution bath which,
washing solution bath. The thus formed quantity of whe= v,ewed ,n the direction in which the containers
harmful material, essentially comprises materials which are being transported, follows the preliminary soaking
can be deposited and oxidized; thus, depending upon tank- A <iuantlty. of bath solut,°n TMhlch corresponds to
how dirty the bottles are, such harmful materials are 40 the cleaned partial flow and which includes the amount
present in the waste water in such a concentration that camed alonS can be withdrawn from the soaking bath
this waste water, for example if directly introduced into and can be supplied to the preliminary soaking tank,
a stream or other body of water, leads to considerable, The cleaned partial flow may be returned to the pre
and often undue, environmental pollution. Further- limmary soaking tank, and the missing amount can be
more, depending on the harmfulness and pollution of 45 replenished at a comparable wash solution concentra
the waste water, statutorially set fees may have to be tion from the soaking bath of the soaking and washing
paid, which puts a heavy finanical burden on the bot- solution bath. In order to effect an adequate wash solu
tling operation. tion regeneration of the soaking and washing solution
bath, a partial quantity of bath solution can be with
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 50 drawn from the soaking bath, cleaned, and returned to
It is already known from the bottle cleaning machines the soaking bath. The partial flow removed from the
of German Offenlegungsschrift No. 29 43 110 Ruppell preliminary soaking tank, and the partial quantity re
of May 5, 1981 to supply the waste water flowing out of moved from the soaking bath, at predetermined time
the preliminary soaking tank to a filtering or cleaning intervals, can be alternately supplied to a common wash
container prior to supplying it to a heat exchanger; such 55 solution cleaning device. If the container cleaning ma
a filtering or cleaning container serves chiefly to handle chine is provided with a preliminary soaking tank
coarse material, and is intended apparently only to as- which is divided into at least two baths which, when
sure the function of the heat exchanger with a view viewed in the direction in which the containers are
toward the heat exchanger which is to be effected. transported, are arranged one after the other, then the
60 partial flow which is to be cleaned may be removed
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION from the first bath when viewed m the direction of
It is an object of the present invention to provide a transport, and the cleaned partial flow may be returned simple and economical method and container cleaning to the last bath when viewed in the direction of transmachine in order to reduce the quantity of harmful port.
materials which up to now have been carried off from 65 The cleaned partial flow may be returned to that
the container cleaning machine by the waste water of soaking bath of the soaking and washing solution bath
the preliminary soaking tank to such an extent that this which has the lower wash solution concentration, and a
quantity of harmful material does not exceed the quan- quantity of bath solution which corresponds to the
