Carbon dioxide-based cleaning systems

A carbon dioxide-based cleaning system for a low-gravity human occupancy environment, the carbon dioxide-based cleaning system comprising:

• a holding tank containing a supply of liquid carbon dioxide (CO2);
• a rotary cleaner having an internal drum arranged therein and defining a cleaning cavity, the rotary cleaner fluidly coupled to the holding tank to receive liquid CO2 therefrom, the rotary cleaner configured to output CO2 with contaminants after a cleaning cycle;
• a compressor arranged to receive gaseous CO2 and increase a pressure of the gaseous CO2;
• a condenser arranged to receive the increased pressure gaseous CO2 from the compressor and convert the gaseous CO2 into liquid CO2 and direct the liquid CO2 into the holding tank, and
• a first valve configured to selectively fluidly couple the cleaning cavity of the rotary cleaner with the low-gravity human occupancy environment, wherein the low-gravity human occupancy environment is one of a spacecraft, a space station, or a station on a non-Earth celestial object, wherein the valve is configured to be opened to pressurize the cleaning cavity with air from the low-gravity human occupancy environment, and
• a second valve configured to selectively operate to cause evacuation of gas from the cleaning cavity of the rotary cleaner;
• wherein the rotary cleaner is configured as a rotating centrifuge or rotary phase separator configured to perform an operation for cleaning clothes in the absence of gravity, wherein the rotary cleaner is configured to separate liquids and gases within the rotary cleaner and wherein the internal drum and the rotary cleaner are configured to rotate in tandem resulting in liquid CO2 being forced radially outward through the clothes, through holes of the internal drum, and collect on an internal surface of the rotary cleaner that is external to the internal drum.