EP0245760A2 - Stock supply of a cleaning agent for use in an industrial dish-washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

In a stock supply of a cleaning agent for use in an industrial dish-washing machine, the object of suitably manufacturing this supply with a small amount of packaging material and for releasing the product without it coming into contact with the skin is achieved by a solid block of cleaning agent (2), in particular melting-block cleaner, made of an alkali-metal-hydroxide-containing agent which contains alkali metal silicates, water, preferably in the form of water of crystallisation, and optionally penta-alkali metal triphosphate and which furthermore contains organic complexants, or made of an alkali-metal-hydroxide-free agent which contains 65 to 85% by weight, relative to the entire agent, of a mixture of alkali metal silicates and penta-alkali metal triphosphates and containing homogeneously distributed, preferably organic compounds which release active chlorine, or made of an alkali-metal-hydroxide-containing, homogeneous and storage-stable agent which contains alkali metal silicates and water, preferably in the form of water of crystallisation, and, optionally, penta-alkali metal triphosphate, and which furthermore contains compounds which release active chlorine, where the agent in question is first obtained in a molten to plastic state when it is prepared, and a foil wrap (3, 31) which surrounds the block of cleaning agent and can be opened at at least one side. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a storage pack of a cleaner to be used in a commercial dishwasher and to a method for producing the storage pack.

A number of product variants and packaging have been developed in the past for equipping commercially used dishwashers with a supply of cleaning agents from which the dishwashers can be supplied in doses. As a product variant, detergents in powder, liquid and paste form have been provided, which are filled in dosing devices corresponding to the respective product version and applied automatically in accordance with the detergent requirement. The required dosing devices are particularly complex in terms of manufacture and maintenance.

Block-shaped detergents for automatic dishwashing in the household and business have the advantage that they are dimensionally stable and can be dissolved by simply spraying on with water and can be added to the detergent solution.

EP-3769 describes a detergent container suitable for use in dishwashers, which is designed in such a way that a molten detergent is poured into the container and solidified there, and is later to be dispensed again from the container as soon as a stream of aqueous liquid onto a surface of the detergent is directed.

When using this product, however - due to the shape of the container - from a certain residual amount of detergent in the container, an undesirably increased consumption of water used for rinsing was observed.

The reduced dissolution of residual amounts of detergent in the container was so strong in some cases that the user of this detergent was signaled that the container was empty, although there were still significant quantities of product. Such a finding cannot be accepted from both an economic and security perspective. Residual amounts of detergent in the container represent a potential source of danger when the supposedly empty container is replaced by a completely filled container. Another aspect that appears relevant to environmental considerations is the disposal of the detergent container known from EP-3769; this consists of stable, thick-walled plastic and should be thrown away after emptying. Furthermore, a relatively large amount of packaging material is required for this relatively thick-walled plastic container.

EP-20709 describes a distributor for a cleaning agent in solid block form. The block-shaped cleaning agent is positioned with its mold in the receptacle provided for this purpose, the mold surrounding the cast detergent block during the rinsing process and touching all surfaces except an exposed surface. However, the water consumption during rinsing is relatively high and the residual emptying is not ensured.

The invention has for its object to avoid the disadvantages of the prior art and to provide a solution that is characterized by a low consumption of packaging material and enables skin-free product delivery.

The object is achieved in a storage pack of the type mentioned at the outset according to the invention by a solid cleaner block, in particular melt block cleaner, made from an alkali hydroxide-containing agent with a content of alkali silicates, water, preferably in the form of water of crystallization, and optionally pentaalkali metal phosphate and a further content of organic complexing agents or of an alkali hydroxide-free agent with a content of 65 to 85 percent by weight, based on the total agent, of a mixture of alkali silicates and pentaalkalitriphosphates and a homogeneously distributed content of preferably organic active chlorine-releasing compounds or of an alkali hydroxide-containing, homogeneous and storage-stable agent with an alkali silicate content and Water, preferably as water of crystallization, and optionally pentaalkali metal phosphate, with a further content of active chlorine-releasing compounds, the particular agent in its preparation initially molten to plastic, and a film wrap enveloping the cleaner block and opening on one side is released.

By packaging the cleaner block in a film, which can be very thin, you get a storage package that uses little packaging material and is therefore inexpensive to produce, from which the cleaner block can be dispensed skin-free for use in a commercial dishwasher.

The fact that the film wrap is designed to be openable at least on one side enables skin-free product removal. For example, the supply pack is held with one hand while the dispensing opening is exposed with the other hand. Subsequently, the melting block is held by the remaining film wrap in the dosing or rinsing device of a commercial dishwasher and then the film wrap pulled off, so that the Foil-free melt block is to be dissolved by the water rinsing in the dishwasher. This avoids the disadvantages of the prior art according to the invention.

As a rule, a single detergent block each comprises a detergent unit to be metered in and is added to the dishwasher by water rinsing from the metering device, the amount of the detergent block generally being greater than the detergent requirement required for a cleaning cycle. For handling reasons, cleaning blocks of 0.5 to 4 kg mass are preferred.

Thus, the form of presentation of the cleaner according to the invention additionally enables a product to be metered via a rinsing device of the simplest type, since it is only supplied to the metering device of commercial dishwashers as an essentially unpacked cleaner block after removal of the film wrap. Several melting blocks can be stacked horizontally or upright as storage in a shaft, for example a lattice shaft, and refilled from above. The metering can be provided by introducing a corresponding number of cleaning blocks, depending on the size of the metering device, into the rinsing device without complicated measuring, spouting or valve devices etc. For example, the cleaner blocks can be sprayed and released using a suitable metering arrangement, for example an annular nozzle. To minimize water consumption, it is advantageous if the water has free access to as many surfaces of the cleaning block as possible.

The cross section of the individual cleaner block can be adapted according to the requirements of the metering device to be supplied. Rectangular or square shapes are generally more suitable for handling than round or cylindrical blocks.

To protect the hygroscopic cleaning material, it is advantageous if the film wrap is formed from a monofilm, in particular a polypropylene film or from a single or multi-layer composite film, in particular a film made of polyester and polyethylene, or a film made of paper and polyethylene, as is the invention provides in a further embodiment.

In training, the invention provides that the film wrap has at least one tear perforation or weld. This makes it easier to eject the block from the storage pack.

In the method for producing a supply pack of a cleaner to be used in a commercial dishwasher, the object is achieved according to the invention in that the cleaner block, in particular a melt block, which is produced during its production in a molten to plastic state, consists of an alkali hydroxide-containing agent containing alkali silicates, water, preferably in the form of water of crystallization, and optionally pentaalkali metal triphosphate and a further content of organic complexing agents or from an alkali hydroxide-free agent with a content of 65 to 85 percent by weight, based on the total agent, of a mixture of alkali silicates and pentaalkali metal triphosphates and a homogeneously distributed content of preferably organic active chlorine-releasing compounds or from an alkali hydroxide-containing, homogeneous and storage-stable agent with a content of alkali silicates and water, preferably as water of crystallization, and optionally Pentaalkali nitride phosphate, with a further content of active chlorine-releasing compounds, is initially filled into a casting mold and, after at least partial solidification, is packaged in a moisture-impermeable film wrap.

This gives you an inexpensive sales package, because due to the thin film packaging, there is little packaging material required.

In the case of the alkali hydroxide-containing agent filled in the molten to plastic state with a content of alkali silicates, water, preferably in the form of water of crystallization, and optionally pentaalkali metal triphosphate with a further content of organic complexing agents, the sodium salt, for example sodium citrate dihydrate, can be used in the agent as an organic complexing agent nitrilotriacetic acid, the sodium salt of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, the sodium salt of ethylenediaminetetramethylenetetraphosphonic acid, the sodium salt of diethylenetriaminepentaphosphonic acid, the sodium salt of 1-hydroxyethane-1, 1-diphosphonic acid and the sodium salt of 2-phosphonobutane-1,2-4-trinate.

It is expedient if these agents contain an organic complexing agent content of 0.1 to 10, preferably 0.5 to 5 percent by weight, based on the total agent.

Such a cleaning agent is produced, for example, by first heating the alkali silicate as a metasilicate hydrate or water glass solution, alone or together with solid alkali hydroxide or its monohydrate, to 45 to 48 ° C. without influencing the automatic heating that occurs at 60 to 65 ° C. , then, with stirring or kneading, add all further components which preferably contain water of hydration, of which the pentasodium triphosphate and / or its hexahydrate and / or the organic complexing agent are stirred in at 60 to 70 ° C. and the molten melt is then fed into casting molds or packaging molds.

The alkali hydroxide-free agent with a content of 65 to 85 weight percent based on the total agent, a mixture from alkali silicates and pentaalkali metal triphosphates and a homogeneously distributed content of preferably organic compounds which release active chlorine, for example, a ratio of pentasodium triphosphate as alkali metal phosphate to sodium metasilicate as alkali metal silicate, in each case anhydrous, from 1: 1 to 1: 2, preferably from 1: 1 to 1: 1.7 , wherein, for example, the content of active chlorine-releasing compounds in amounts of 0.2 to 4, preferably 0.5 to 2 percent by weight, based on the active chlorine content and the total agent.

For example, such an agent is prepared by heating sodium metasilicate .9 H₂O to 45 to 55 ° C, with stirring or kneading, adding any other ingredients that may contain hydrate water, including pentasodium triphosphate and the active chlorine-releasing compounds, and then adding the still liquid melt in casting molds or Fills packaging forms.

In the case of the alkali hydroxide-containing, homogeneous and storage-stable agent with a content of alkali silicates and water, preferably as water of crystallization, and optionally pentalkalitriphosphate, with a further content of compounds that release active chlorine, the compounds that release active chlorine have, for example, a hydrolysis constant of 3 × 10 ⁻⁴ or less and are active chlorine-releasing compounds sodium or K-dichloroisocyanurate, Na dichloroisocyanurate, Na dichloroisocyanurate dihydrate, Na-N-monochloramidosulfonic acid, Na-N-chloro-p-toluenesulfonic acid amide, these in amounts of 0.2 to 4, preferably 0, 5 to 2 percent by weight, based on the active chlorine content and the total agent.

Such an agent is produced, for example, by first alkali silicate, anhydrous, as a metasilicate hydrate and / or as a water glass solution, alone or together with solid Alkali hydroxide or its monohydrate heated to 45 to 48 ° C without affecting the automatic heating to 60 to 65 ° C that occurs, then adding with stirring or kneading all other, preferably hydrate-containing components, most recently at 60 to 70 ° C pentasodium triphosphate and / or whose hexahydrate and the active chlorine-releasing compound are stirred in, and the still liquid melt is filled into appropriate casting molds or sales forms.

• Fig. 1 einen folienverpackten Reinigerblock und in
• Fig. 2 eine weitere Ausführungsform eines Folieneinschlages.

The invention is explained below with reference to the drawing, for example. This shows in

• Fig. 1 is a film-packed cleaner block and in
• Fig. 2 shows another embodiment of a film wrap.

The storage package, designated overall by (1) in Fig. 1, consists of a cuboid cleaner block (2), which is surrounded by a film wrap (3).

2 envelops a cuboid-shaped cleaner block (not shown here in more detail) and has embossed closures (32) on the longitudinal end and tear perforations or weld seams (33) on one side surface.

Claims (4)

1. Storage pack of a cleaner to be used in a commercial dishwasher,
marked by
a solid cleaner block (2), in particular a melt block cleaner, made of an alkali hydroxide-containing agent with an alkali silicate content, water, preferably in the form of water of crystallization, and optionally pentaalkali metal phosphate and a further content of organic complexing agents or from an alkali hydroxide-free agent with a content of 65 to 85 % By weight, based on the total composition, of a mixture of alkali silicates and pentaalkali metal phosphates and a homogeneously distributed content of preferably organic compounds which release active chlorine or of an alkali hydroxide-containing, homogeneous and storage-stable composition with a content of alkali silicates and water, preferably as water of crystallization, and, if appropriate Pentaalkali nitrate phosphate, with a further content of active chlorine-releasing compounds, the respective agent initially being produced in a molten to plastic manner, and one which at least unilaterally envelops the detergent block opening foil wrapping (3, 31). 2. Storage package according to claim 1,
characterized,
that the film wrap (3, 31) is formed from a monofilm, in particular a polypropylene film, or from a single or multi-layer composite film, in particular a film made of polyester and polyethylene, or a film made of paper and polyethylene. 3. Storage package according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that
that the film wrap (3, 31) has at least one tear perforation or weld (33). 4. A method for producing a supply pack of a cleaner to be used in a commercial dishwasher, characterized in that
that the cleaning block obtained in its production in the molten to plastic state, in particular the melting block, consists of an alkali hydroxide-containing agent with a content of alkali silicates, water, preferably in the form of water of crystallization, and optionally pentaalkali nitrate phosphate and a further content of organic complexing agents or of an alkali hydroxide-free agent a content of 65 to 85 percent by weight, based on the total agent, of a mixture of alkali silicates and pentaalkali metal phosphates and a homogeneously distributed content of preferably organic active chlorine-releasing compounds or of an alkali hydroxide-containing, homogeneous and storage-stable agent with a content of alkali silicates and water, preferably in the form of water of crystallization, and optionally pentaalkali metal phosphate, with a further content of active chlorine-releasing compounds, first filled into a casting mold and, after at least partial solidification, into an f moisture-proof film wrapping is packed.

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