EP0651828A1

EP0651828A1 - Use of guerbet alcohols to prevent the formation of fatty spew on leather.

Info

Publication number: EP0651828A1
Application number: EP93915869A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Huber Rudolf Zauns; Emil Ruscheinsky; Fredi Wolter
Original assignee: Henkel AG and Co KGaA
Current assignee: Henkel AG and Co KGaA
Priority date: 1992-07-18
Filing date: 1993-07-10
Publication date: 1995-05-10
Anticipated expiration: 2013-07-10
Also published as: ATE138693T1; ES2087752T3; US5476517A; DE59302762D1; EP0651828B1; DE4223706A1; WO1994002651A1; JPH07509509A

Abstract

PCT No. PCT/EP93/01806 Sec. 371 Date Feb. 17, 1995 Sec. 102(e) Date Feb. 17, 1995 PCT Filed Jul. 10, 1993 PCT Pub. No. WO94/02651 PCT Pub. Date Feb. 3, 1994.The present invention relates to a composition and process for inhibiting fatty spew on leather comprising an oiling component in combination with a Guerbet alcohol having the general formula I: R1-CH(CH2OH)-R2(I) wherein R1 and R2, independently of one another represent an alkyl group containing from 6 to 12 carbon atoms, and wherein the total number of carbon atoms per Guerbet alcohol molecule is in the range from 16 to 24.

Description

"Use of Guerbet alcohols to prevent fat rash on leather"

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to the use of special nonionic organic dialkyl compounds for preventing fat rash on leather.

State of the art

In addition to the tannins, greasing agents are the most important tools to shape the character of leather. The effect of the fatliquoring agents comes about through fiber-insulating lubrication and through hydrophobization. By covering the leather fibers with a grease film, the mutual friction is reduced and, consequently, the suppleness and stretchability of the fabric are improved. This has positive effects on the tensile strength of the leather, because in a stretchable material, many fibers align in the direction of tension when subjected to tensile stress and then resist tearing more than the same fibers within a brittle material.

Vegetable and animal oils, fats and waxes are generally used as leather greasing agents, furthermore the hydrolysis, sulfation, oxidation and hardening products obtained from these substances by chemical conversion and finally mineral greasing agents; in detail:

The saponifiable fats and oils as well as the natural waxes and resins belong to the esters. Among the oils and fats are the leather specialist Designated esters of glycerin and fatty acids that are solid or liquid at room temperature. For leather greasing, from the group of animal fats in particular trane, fish oil, beef tallow and beef claw oil, from the group of vegetable fats castor oil, rape oil and linseed oil are used. In waxes and resins, the fatty acids are esterified with higher molecular weight alcohols instead of glycerin. Examples of waxes are bees wax, Chinese wax, carnauba wax, montan wax and wool fat; The most important resins include rosin, yeast oil and shellac.

The chemical conversion of vegetable and animal fats gives products which are water-soluble and which, moreover, have a different effect on water-insoluble fatty substances. For example, the sulfated water-soluble oils of various types are known, the tears modified by oxidation, which are referred to as degras or moellon, the soaps which are formed during the hydrolytic splitting of natural fats, hardened fats and finally free fatty acids such as stearic acid as stoving fats. Most animal and vegetable fats have a certain affinity for the leather substance, which is considerably increased by the introduction or exposure of hydrophilic groups.

Mineral greasing agents are also important for leather production. These hydrocarbons are similar to natural fats and oils in some properties, but cannot be saponified. These are fractions from petroleum distillation, which are called mineral oil in liquid form, petroleum jelly in pasty form and paraffin in solid form.

In many cases, however, undesirable stains form on the surface of the tanned and greased leather over time. In this case, the person skilled in the art speaks of "fatty spew". Grease rashes occur primarily on chrome-tanned leather after shorter or longer storage as a white, often egg-like covering that only covers individual areas or the entire leather surface. The rash is due to the emergence of solid fatty substances from the leather. It can be due to the natural fat or in the leather itself be caused by fatty substances that were only incorporated into the leather during the course of leather greasing.

Fat mixtures used to grease leather tend to develop a rash if they contain a lot of free fatty acids. Free fatty acids generally have a higher melting point than their glycerides. The hydrolytic cleavage of fatty substances during the storage of the leather increases the risk of fat rashes accordingly (cf. B. Kohnstein, Collegium 1913. 68; W. Fahrion, Chem. Umschau 1917. 29), but such fat rashes by no means only need to be free To consist of fatty acids. Oxy fatty acids can also give rise to fat rashes (C. Riess, Collegium 1926, 419).

Soaps and licker greases are split in chrome leather, especially in insufficiently deacidified chrome leather, with the release of fatty acids. Sulphated oils and fats show a different tendency to form fat rashes, the tendency to rash declines generally with longer lifespan (A. Pankhurst, RGMitton, RFInnes, N. Johnson, Journal of International Society of Leather Trades Che ists 1952. 379).

Greasy rashes occur more easily the more the fatty substances in the leather tend to form rashes. The quantity, composition and location of the fat mixture of natural fat and lickerfat present in the leather are decisive for the extent and the composition of the rash (cf. 0.Grimm, Österr. Lederzeitung 1954, 253). Loosely structured leather is less prone to rash than leather with a dense fiber structure. Grease rashes are observed more often at low temperatures than at warmer outside temperatures.

The crystalline fat rashes develop in the hair holes and gland canals, initially forming small crystals in the depth, which gradually fill the entire hair hole as larger fat crystals, swell out over the leather surface and form a dense crystal film. All fats containing stearin or palmitin derivatives can cause crystalline fat rashes with increasing Concentration increases the risk of a rash (see O. Hagen, Switzerland. Ledertechn. Rundsch. 1949. 1).

In particular, the so-called neutral fats, i.e. substances suitable for leather greasing that do not contain any ionic groups in the molecule, e.g. Fats, waxes and hydrocarbons to form fat rashes. Those neutral fats which represent stearin and / or palmitin derivatives, e.g. corresponding triglycerides. Neutral greases are of particular importance in the so-called licker process of chrome-tanned leather. A licker usually contains about 20 to 40% by weight of an emulsifier and 60 to 80% by weight of a neutral fat. It is a widespread practice in the leather processing industry to use neutral greases for greasing the tanned leather which can be sulfated in a simple manner. If, for example, a triglyceride is reacted with a minor amount of concentrated sulfuric acid or oleum, the reaction mixture obtained can be used directly as a licker since it contains an emulsifier in the form of the sulfated triglyceride and the neutral fat in the form of the unreacted triglyceride contains. In this connection, reference is expressly made to the example part of this application.

In addition to the use of greasing agents from the group of neutral fats, the natural fats already present in the leather play a major role in the occurrence of fat rashes.

Skin fat consists of a mixture of differently structured lipids, the type and proportions of which are summarized in Table 1 for some important animal species (cf. Martin Hollstein, "Leather library; Volume 4: degreasing, greasing and waterproofing in leather production"; p. 116- 136). Scheme 1 shows that the triglycerides represent the most significant group of skin lipids in terms of quantity. From the point of view of the leather technician, it is otherwise critical in connection with the formation of fat rash that these triglycerides are predominantly based on saturated fatty acids: lauric, myristic, palmitic and stearic acid are typical components of this group. The wax esters also contain as Components include these fatty acids, which are particularly critical with regard to their tendency to fat rash.

Scheme 1: Composition of the total lipids of the skin different

Animal species (in% based on total! Ipid of fresh skin)

It is therefore clear that the natural fat already present in the leather represents a constant latent potential for the formation of fat rash. It is also known that the natural fat content of the raw goods has remained consistently high in the past 10 years. The reason, according to Ernst Pfleiderer, can be seen in the changed rearing and feeding methods in livestock farming; The leather processing industry has been complaining about the increased fat content of large skin provinces, veal skins and pigskins for years (cf. Das Leder, 1983 [34] 181-185).

The statements made by Pfleiderer could be confirmed in our own probing investigations on ashes and split beef scars. Natural fat portions of up to 8% and more were found in the abdominal parts.

Leather with a high natural fat content therefore requires special measures to suppress the tendency to form fat rashes. For example, it is possible and quite common in practice, the leather degreasing accordingly, but this requires a special operation. Other options are almost meaningless in practice.

Fat swings, which can be clearly distinguished from mineral rashes by their disappearance when heated with a burning match, can e.g. be removed by rubbing the leather with a cloth soaked in petrol; In order to prevent a rash from developing again, it has been recommended to oil the scars with a neutral mineral oil (see F. Stather, "Tannery Chemistry and Tanning Technology", Berlin 1967, p. 740). A.Gluszcak and KJBienkiewicz report on the use of a mixture of wood dust, water, hexane and carbon tetrachloride to remove fat rash (cf. Przegl. Skorzany 1985. 40 (11-12), 232; cited from Chem. Abstracts 105 ( 6): 45160e).

The formation of fat rash on commercially available clothing and glove leather observed over a period of two to four weeks could be prevented by using glutaraldehyde in the tanning process or by using a mineral oil-containing licker (see A.Gluszcak, KJBienkiewicz, Przegl. Skorzany 1985. 40 (11-12), 232; quoted in Chem. Abstracts 105 (6): 45160e). However, the Gluszcak and Bienkiewicz method has the disadvantage of being limited to a special tanning method; however, it does not affect chrome-tanned leather, which is still by far the largest share of all leather on the market.

However, since in the course of leather processing, after tanning, greasing is required as an almost obligatory step in order to achieve the desired product properties, it has become common practice to work with special synthetic greasing agents whose tendency to form a fat rash is low is.

A class of fatliquoring agents commonly used in this regard is halogenated compounds such as chlorinated hydrocarbons. However, the increasing ecological and toxicological requirements for agents that get into the environment or with which the consumer comes into contact make this class of substances increasingly unattractive. The use of chlorinated paraffins as additives to lipid emulsions to the J.Golonka (Przegl. Skorzany 42 (2), 35; cited from Chem. Abstracts 107 (18): 156865z) describes how to prevent rash formation on chrome-tanned pig fields.

The methods known from the prior art for preventing fat rash are therefore unsatisfactory overall.

From the context described it is clear that the leather industry has a constant need for additives or fatliquoring agents, which effectively prevent fat rashes and thereby supplement the range of commercially available products and flexibly to the changing requirements ¬ to be able to react to market changes. In particular, there is a need for ecologically or toxicologically safe additives and fatliquoring agents which, when used, do not lead to an undesirable formation of fat rash.

Description of the invention

It has now been found that certain compounds of the general formula (I) meet the abovementioned requirements excellently in all respects and can advantageously be used as additives which prevent fat exchange in the greasing of leather.

The present invention therefore relates to the use of Guerbet alcohols to prevent fat rash on leather, one or more Guerbet alcohols of the general formula (I) being used in the oiling of leather

R1-CH (CH ₂ 0H) -R2 (I)

wherein the radicals R ¹ and R2 independently of one another represent an alkyl group with 6 to 12 carbon atoms, with the proviso that the total number of carbon atoms per alcohol molecule is in the range from 16 to 24, with a pour point below 6 ° C. .

In a preferred embodiment, those Guerbet alcohols are used whose pour point is below -10 ° C. Very particularly suitable Guerbet alcohols (I) with a pour point below -10 ° C. are 2-hexyldecan-l-ol and 2-0ctyldodecan-1-ol for the purposes of the invention.

The invention further relates to compositions which prevent a fat rash and which contain a fatliquor and an additive preventing a fat rash, the additive comprising one or more Guerbet alcohols of the general formula (I)

R1-CH (CH ₂ 0H) -R2 (I)

wherein the radicals R and R2 independently of one another represent an alkyl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, with the proviso that the total number of carbon atoms per alcohol molecule is in the range from 16 to 24, with a pour point below 6 ° C. .

Preferred compositions are those in which the fatliquor is a neutral fat. Neutral fat is understood in the sense of the nomenclature common in leather technology to mean any greasy and slightly water-soluble substance. Examples of neutral oils are triglycerides, alkanes and fatty acids.

The invention furthermore relates to a process for greasing leather, in which tanned leather is treated with an additive which prevents fat and a fat rash, one or more Guerbet alcohols of the general formula (I) being used as the additive.

R1-CH (CH 0H) -R2 (I)

wherein the radicals R1 and R2 independently of one another represent an alkyl group with 6 to 12 carbon atoms, with the proviso that the total number of carbon atoms per alcohol molecule is in the range from 16 to 24, with a pour point below 6 ° C. In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, a neutral fat is used as the fatliquor. The method according to the invention is particularly suitable for greasing chrome-tanned leather.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the process according to the invention, Guerbet alcohols of the formula (I) which have a pour point below -10 ° C. are used as additives.

The greasing process is carried out in a conventional manner. In the course of the greasing process, the grease must be transported into the capillary spaces between the leather fibers and the fibrils, and fibers and fibrils must be coated with a grease film as uniformly as possible. Apart from the stoving method, the greasing process is always carried out on moist leather, because the leather fibers are separated from one another by water in the moist state. The fat then penetrates slowly, but very evenly into the damp leather.

The amount of fatty substances deposited in the leather is not subject to any particular restrictions and depends essentially on the particular type of leather. For example, vegetable-tanned floor leather and insole leather contain only a little fat (approx. 0.5-2%), vegetable-tanned pale leather 15-23%, drive belt leather 5-20%, harness leather and some technical special leather 25% and more. Chrome-garment upper leather usually contain only 2-6% fat, chrome-garment leather a little more (4-10%), waterproof leather about 15-21%.

The practical implementation of leather greasing can be done by simply oiling the wet leather before drying, also by lubricating the wet leather on the board ("cold greasing"), by greasing the wet leather in the drum ("War greasing"), by baking the dry Leather and by treating the wet leather with an aqueous fat emulsion, the so-called fat licker. The latter process plays a major role in particular in the case of chrome-tanned leathers. It is therefore the preferred form of leather greasing in the context of the present invention. The Guerbet alcohols (I) are prepared by conventional synthetic methods of organic chemistry. In addition, many of them are commercially available.

The extent to which fat rash is suppressed by the Guerbet alcohols (I) is original and novel compared to the prior art mentioned. The effectiveness of the compounds according to the invention is not based on individual parameters such as, for example, pour point, but rather results only from the combination of all ^ kmale.

The usable proportions of the Guerbet alcohols (I) according to the invention or their total. The amount in fatliquoring agents ranges from 5 to 70 percent by weight, preferably from 5 to 30 percent by weight, based on the mixture as a whole.

The following examples are intended to explain the subject matter of the invention and are not to be interpreted as restrictive.

B e i s p e l e

1. Substances used

The examples and comparative examples described under No. 2 and No. 3 were carried out on the basis of commercially available products, which are listed in Table 1:

Table 1:

1) AS = active substance

2. Preparation of the leather

Chrome-tanned cowhide leather (wet-blue) with a thickness of 1.7 mm was used for all tests. The individual steps can be found in Table 2. The pH of the liquor was 3.8 at the beginning. All percentages in Table 2 relate to the fold weight. Table 2;

1) Sulphated palm oil was always used as a fatliquor; This was obtained in the usual way by reacting 100 parts by weight of palm oil (iodine number range: 41-50; C chain distribution: C16 = 45-54%; C18 = 5-10%) with 18 parts by weight of conc. Sulfuric acid. The fatliquor was first mixed with the respective additive (see Table 3) and this mixture was emulsified in water. 3. Assessment of fat rashes

The leather pretreated according to No. 2 was tested for its tendency to form fat rashes. The method used here is a modification of the method by H.A. Ollert (see "Das Leder" 1989, p. 256). The good correlation of the test results with the results of long-term storage indicated by Ollert could be confirmed in our own investigations. In particular, it was found that the good effect of agents known from the prior art, such as chlorinated paraffins, was recorded and confirmed in the test. In detail:

The leather to be tested (pretreated according to No. 2) was punched out in a circle - without conditioning - (diameter: 155 mm). The leather washers were then used to cover the opening of a 1 to 1 flat ground cup filled with 300 ml of tap water (outside diameter: 155 mm), the grain side being on the top (outside). The leather was fixed with a tension ring and then the water was heated to boiling and kept at the boiling temperature for 2 minutes. In this way, the treated leather was exposed to a defined thermal load, water vapor escaping from the scars. The clamping ring was then removed, the leather disc covering the flat ground cup was removed and the water poured out. The drops of water stuck to the walls of the vessel when the water was poured out were left in the vessel, i.e. the glass was not additionally dried. The leather, which was still damp due to the steam treatment described, was now transferred directly into the flat ground cup and this was sealed with a glass pane. The leathers were then stored in the closed cup at a temperature of 25 ° C. for 5 days. After this time, the leather was visually checked for fat rash.

The experiments were repeated 10 times for each additive. The results are summarized in Table 3.

It was found that 80% of the leather fat rash was found when using the pure fatliquor (comparison VI). The comparisons V2 and V3 make it clear that when using branched alcohols not according to the invention as Additives the situation in terms of avoiding fat rashes is completely unsatisfactory.

In contrast, the examples based on the additives according to the invention (tests B1 and B2) were free of fat rashes.

Table 3;

a) Dobanol 91, Shell. b) Dobanol 23, Shell c) agent known from the prior art, but to be substituted because of its halogen content

Claims

Patent claims

1. Use of Guerbet alcohols to prevent fat rash on leather, characterized in that one or more Guerbet alcohols of the general formula (I)

R1-CH (CH ₂ 0H) -R2 (I)

wherein the radicals R and R2 independently of one another represent an alkyl group with 6 to 12 carbon atoms, with the proviso that the total number of carbon atoms per alcohol molecule is in the range from 16 to 24, with a pour point below 6 ° C. .

2. Use according to claim 1, wherein the Guerbet alcohols have a pour point below -10 ° C.

3. Use according to claim 1 or 2, wherein 2-hexyl-decan-1-ol and / or 2-0ctyldodecan-l-ol are used as Guerbet alcohols.

4. A fat rash preventing composition comprising a fatliquor and an additive preventing a fat rash, characterized in that the additive has one or more Guerbet alcohols of the general formula (I)

Rl-CH (CH ₂ 0H) -R2 (I)

wherein the radicals R * and R2 independently of one another denote an alkyl group with 6 to 12 carbon atoms, with the proviso that the total number of carbon atoms per alcohol molecule is in the range from 16 to 24, with a pour point below 6 ° C. .

5. The composition according to claim 4, wherein the fatliquor is a neutral fat.

6. A process for greasing leather, wherein tanned leather is treated with an additive which prevents fat and a fat rash, characterized in that one or more Guerbet alcohols of the general formula (I) are used as the additive.

Rl-CH (CH 0H) -R2 (I)

wherein the radicals R ¹ and R independently of one another represent an alkyl group with 6 to 12 carbon atoms, with the proviso that the total number of carbon atoms per alcohol molecule is in the range from 16 to 24, with a pour point below 6 ° C.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein predominantly a neutral fat is used as the fatliquor.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein chromium-tanned leather is used.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the Guerbet alcohols have a pour point below -10 ° C.