CN1040022C - Rinse active foam control particle composition and its preparation and application - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides rinse-active foam-control particles for inclusion in a detergent composition in powder form, consisting essentially of a soap of fatty acids of which at least 80 % con tain from 16 to 18 carbon atoms, the geometric mean particle size of the panicles being inferior to 1 mm, preferably inferior to 0.4 mm. The present invention also encompasses a process for making said foam-control agents, as well as high sud and low sud exe cutions of detergent compositions containing said foam-control panicles.

Description

Rinse active foam control particle composition and its preparation and application

The present invention relates to rinse-active foam-controlling particles in detergent compositions, ie foam-controlling particles that are active primarily during the rinse cycle of a laundry process, a process for the preparation of the particles and detergent compositions containing the same.

It has become common practice in the detergent industry to include in detergent compositions materials which control the amount of suds produced during the laundry process.

While it is important to control suds during the wash cycle of a laundry process, it is also known to be desirable to control suds during the rinse cycle of a laundry process in order to avoid the negative disturbing effect of wash liquor on fabrics during the wash cycle of a laundry process.

Excessive suds during the rinse cycle in a washing machine can actually cause the suds to splash and damage the washing machine. The advantage of hand washing is the reduced suds generation during rinsing, so that this step can be shortened.

Fatty acid soaps have the aforementioned rinse active foam control function and they are usually spray dried with the rest of the detergent.

However, there is a need to reduce organic emissions during the preparation of detergents, especially during spray drying.

The present invention provides foam-controlling fatty acid soap particles that can be manufactured separately from spray-dried detergent compositions without generating organic emissions, and methods for their preparation.

The present invention provides rinse-active foam-controlling particles comprised in powdered detergent compositions, the foam-controlling particles consisting essentially of at least 80% fatty acid soaps having 16-18 carbon atoms, the particles having a geometric mean particle size of less than 1mm , preferably below 0.4mm.

The present invention also includes a method for preparing the above-mentioned foam-controlling particles and formulating high-foaming and low-foaming detergent compositions containing the above-mentioned foam-controlling particles.

                                                     

The foam control particles of the present invention consist essentially of at least 80% by weight of fatty acid soaps having 16-18 carbon atoms, the preferred fatty acid being tallow acid or tallow/coconut with a weight ratio of tallow to coconut of not less than 70/30 A mixture of acids, particularly preferred is a 90/10 tallow/coconut acid mixture. Suitable cations for making the soap water soluble and/or dispersible include sodium, potassium, ammonium, monoethanolammonium, diethanolammonium, triethanolammonium, tetramethylammonium, and the like, with sodium ions being preferred.

The granules of the invention are also characterized in that the granules should have a particle size of less than 1 mm, preferably less than 0.4 mm, which is the geometric mean particle size, which is the median of the cumulative weight distribution.

The particle size of an individual particle is the sum of the longest and shortest dimensions of that particle divided by two.

The cumulative weight distribution of the particles is conveniently determined by screening through an air fluidized sieve.

Optional Components

The particles of the present invention optionally include a free-flowing component, such as amorphous silicon, in an amount not exceeding 5% by weight of the particle.

The preparation method of the anti-foaming particles of the present invention

The method basically comprises the steps of: drying the fatty acid soap slurry to a low moisture content, ie a moisture content of not more than 9% by weight of the soap slurry, preferably not more than 5% by weight. The soap slurry is then extruded into bars and the bars are continuously milled to a fine powder of the particle size required herein.

Control of moisture content is a particularly critical feature of the process. Successful milling to the required particle size was not possible because of the undesirable moisture content.

Drying the soap slurry is best done under vacuum. Supplementary drying can be properly performed during the milling process, for example, supplementary drying with an air classifier.

A common method for determining the moisture content in soap slurry and/or bars is by the solvent distillation method using a Bidwell ^R apparatus.

Detergent composition

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a detergent composition comprising a surfactant and the above-mentioned foam control particles. Incorporation of the granules of the present invention into detergent compositions can be accomplished, for example, by dry blending. Foam control particles are typically present at levels of from 0.25 to 5% by weight of the composition, depending on the type of detergent composition used.

Surfactant

The detergent compositions can employ a wide variety of surfactants. Common types of anionic, nonionic, amphoteric, and zwitterionic, and classes of these surfactants are listed in US Patent 3,664,961, issued May 23, 1972 to Norris.

The mixture of anionic surfactants is particularly suitable for the present invention, especially the sulfonate with a weight ratio of 5:1-1:2, preferably 3:1-2:3, more preferably 3:1-1:1 and sulfate surfactant mixtures. Preferred sulfonates include alkylbenzene sulfonates having 9-15, especially 11-13 carbon atoms in the alkyl group and alpha-sulfonated fatty acid methyl esters wherein the fatty acid is derived from a _C12 - _C16 fatty source, Preferably derived from a C ₁₆ -C ₁₈ fat source. The cation in each instance is an alkali metal, preferably sodium. Preferred sulfate surfactants are alkyl sulfates having 12-18 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, selected to have 10-20 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, preferably 10-16 carbon atoms and average ethoxy A mixture of ethoxylated artemisinic sulfates with a concentration of 1-6. Examples of preferred alkyl sulfates in the present invention are tallow alkyl sulfates, coconut alkyl sulfates and _C14-15 alkyl sulfates. The cation in each instance is an alkali metal cation, preferably sodium.

A class of anionic surfactants used in the present invention are condensates of ethylene oxide and hydrophobic moieties, which have a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) average value of 8-17, preferably 9.5-13.5, more preferably 10 -12.5 surfactants. The hydrophobic (lipophilic) moiety can be aliphatic or aromatic in nature and the length of the polyoxyethylene group condensed with any particular hydrophobic group can be easily adjusted to obtain the desired balance between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties degree of water-soluble compounds.

A particularly preferred class of nonionic surfactants are _C9 - _C15 primary alcohol ethoxylates containing 3-8 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol, especially 6-8 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of ethanol C ₁₄ -C ₁₅ primary alcohols and C ₁₂ -C ₁₄ primary alcohols containing 3-5 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol.

Another class of nonionic surfactants includes the general formula

Alkyl polyglucoside of RO(C _n H _2N O) _t Zx, wherein Z is a part derived from glucose; R is a saturated hydrophobic alkyl group with 12-18 carbon atoms; t is 0-10, n is 2 or 3; X is 1.3-4, and the compound includes less than 10% unreacted fatty alcohol and less than 50% short-chain alkyl polyglucoside. Such compounds and their use in detergents are disclosed in EP-B0070077, 0075996 and 0094118.

勺多羟基脂肪酸酰胺表面活性剂，式中R¹是H，C_1-4烃基、2-羟乙基、2-羟丙基或其混合物，R²是C_5-31烃基、Z是直链烃基链上至少连有三个羟基的多羟基烃基或其烷氧基化衍生物，优选R¹是甲基，R²是直链C_11-15烷基或链烯基，如椰子烷基或其混合物，Z是衍生于原还性胺化反应中的还原糖，如葡萄糖、果糖、麦芽糖、乳糖。Also suitable as a nonionic surfactant is the formula

Spoon polyhydroxy fatty acid amide surfactant, wherein R ¹ is H, C _1-4 hydrocarbyl, 2-hydroxyethyl, 2-hydroxypropyl or mixture thereof, R ² is C _5-31 hydrocarbyl, Z is straight chain A polyhydroxy hydrocarbon group or an alkoxylated derivative thereof with at least three hydroxyl groups attached to the hydrocarbon chain, preferably R ¹ is a methyl group, and R ² is a straight chain C _11-15 alkyl or alkenyl group, such as coconut alkyl or its Mixture, Z is a reducing sugar derived from a reductive amination reaction, such as glucose, fructose, maltose, lactose.

Another class of surfactants are semi-polar surfactants such as amine oxides. Suitable amine oxides are selected from mono C ₈ -C ₂₀ , preferably C ₁₀ -C ₁₄ , N-alkyl or alkenyl amine oxides and propylene-1,3-diamine dioxides, wherein remaining The N moiety is substituted with methyl, hydroxyethyl or hydroxypropyl.

Another class of surfactants is the amphoteric surfactants such as polyamine based.

Cationic surfactants may also be used in the detergent compositions herein. Suitable quaternary ammonium surfactants are selected from mono C ₈ -C ₁₆ , preferably C ₁₀ -C ₁₄ N-alkyl or alkenyl ammonium surfactants. , wherein the remaining N moieties are substituted by methyl, hydroxyethyl or hydroxypropyl.

Mixtures of surfactant types are preferred, and anionic-nonionic and anionic-nonionic-cationic mixtures are especially preferred. Particularly preferred mixtures are disclosed in UK Patent No. 2040987 and European Published Application 0087914. The detergent composition may contain 1-70% by weight of surfactant, but the surfactant content in the composition is usually 1%-30%, more preferably 10-25% by weight.

Detergent compositions of the present invention also preferably contain builders selected from phosphates, aluminosilicate ion exchangers (zeolites) and water-soluble monomeric or oligomeric carboxylate chelating agents such as citrates , succinates, oxydisuccinates and mixtures of the foregoing.

other suitable builders. These include alkali metal carbonates, bicarbonates and silicates, organic phosphonates, amino polyalkylene phosphonates and amino polycarboxylates, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and nitrilotriacetic acid. Other suitable water-soluble organic salts are homo- or co-polymeric polycarboxylic acids or their salts, wherein the polycarboxylic acid comprises at least two carboxyl groups separated from each other by not more than two carbon atoms. Such polymers are disclosed in GB-A-1,596,756. Examples of such salts are polyacrylates having a molecular weight of 2,000-5,000 and their copolymers with maleic anhydride, the copolymers having a molecular weight of 20,000-70,000, preferably about 40,000.

Other ingredients that usually form part of powdered detergent compositions include filler salts such as sodium sulfate, bleaching agents such as sodium perborate and sodium percarbonate, bleach activators, anti-redeposition agents such as carboxymethylcellulose, enzymes such as proteases , Amylases, Lipases and Cellulases, Brighteners, Fabric Softening Clays, Fragrances, Dyes, Colors.

The detergent compositions of the present invention can be high sudsing, and designed for hand washing or for use in upright washing machines. In formulating the above composition, the content of the foam control particles is usually 2%-5% by weight.

The compositions of the present invention may also be of the low sudsing type, thus being suitable for use in all types of washing machines; the latter category of detergent compositions includes "concentrated" compositions, usually having a density above 550 g/litre. Filler salts are generally present at less than 5% by weight of the composition.

The content of foam control particles in preparing the above composition is usually 0.25%-2%.

In formulating "low sudsing" compositions according to the present invention, in addition to the rinse active foam control agent of the present invention, a foam control agent which is active in the wash cycle is typically included in the wash cycle. This additional foam control agent is preferably a silicone.

Example

The following examples illustrate and facilitate the understanding of the invention.

The abbreviations for the individual components have the following definitions:

LAS: straight chain + sodium dialkylbenzene sulfonate

TAS: Sodium Tallow Alcohol Sulfate

Nonionic: fatty alcohol (C ₁₄ -C ₁₅ ) ethoxylated with 7 moles of ethylene oxide.

Copolymer AA/MA: Copolymer of acrylic acid and maleic acid.

CMC: carboxymethyl cellulose

Sodium Phosphonate: Ethylenediaminetetramethylenephosphonic acid sodium salt.

TAED: Tetraacetylethylenediamine.

Prepare the following composition

Example 1

(Formulation of "high foam" compositions)

LAS 20%

Sodium Tripolyphosphate 23%

Sodium silicate 6%

CMC 0.15%

Sodium Sulfate 34%

Sodium Phosphonate 0.1%

Sodium Carbonate 5%

Copolymer AA/MA 2.5%

Sodium Soap* Granules* 3%

Enzymes, Brighteners, Fragrances & Rest Balanced to 100%

Density 360g/l

*Prepared as above and dry blended with the rest of the composition.

Example II

(Formulation of concentrated "low-foaming" compositions)

LAS 8%

TAS 2%

Nonionic 6%

Sodium Carbonate 14%

Sodium Citrate 6%

Zeolite 20%

Sodium silicate 3%

CMC 0.5%

Sodium Sulfate 3.5%

Sodium Phosphonate 0.4%

Sodium perborate-hydrate 16%

Sodium Soap* Granules* 1%

Siloxane 0.5%

Copolymer AA/MA sodium salt 4%

TAED 5%

Enzymes, fragrances, brighteners and others Balanced to 100

Density 700g/l

*Prepared as above and dry blended with the rest of the composition.

Claims (10)

1. the foam control particles composition of a rinse-active, it is characterized in that basic composition is be selected from neat soap and butter/coconut weight ratio be not less than butter/coconut soap of 70/30, at least 80% fatty acid soaps with 16-18 carbon atom wherein, this particulate geometric mean particle size is below 1mm, and wherein this foam control particles composition mainly works in the rinse cycle of washing operation.

2. according to the foam control particles composition of claim 1, its particulate geometric mean particle size is below 0.4mm.

3. the foam control particles method for compositions of preparation claim 1 is characterized in that comprising that the fatty acid soaps slurry is dried to moisture is lower than soap slurry 9% (weight), and the soap slurry is pressed into the step that soap bar also is milled into this soap bar fine powder.

4. according to the method for claim 3, wherein the soap slurry is dried to moisture and is no more than soap slurry 5% (weight).

5. according to the method for claim 3, wherein the soap slurry is to use vacuum-drying.

6. the application of the foam control particles composition of claim 1 in powdery high-sudsers composition is characterized in that this detergent composition comprises the foam control particles composition of tensio-active agent and 2-5% (weight) claim 1.

7. according to the purposes of claim 6, wherein this detergent composition also contains the washing assistant that is selected from phosphoric acid salt, phosphonate, silico-aluminate ion-exchanger, Citrate trianion, carbonate, silicate and composition thereof.

8. the application of the foam control particles composition of claim 1 in powdery low-sudsing detergent composition is characterized in that this detergent composition comprises the foam control particles composition of tensio-active agent and 0.25-2% (weight) claim 1.

9. purposes according to Claim 8, wherein this detergent composition also contains and is active siloxanes foam control agent in wash(ing)cycle.

10. purposes according to Claim 8, wherein this detergent composition also contains and is selected from phosphoric acid salt, phosphonate, silico-aluminate ion-exchanger, Citrate trianion, carbonate, silicate and blended washing assistant thereof.