Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C11—ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
  • C11D—DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
  • C11D3/00—Other compounding ingredients of detergent compositions covered in group C11D1/00
  • C11D3/39—Organic or inorganic per-compounds
  • C11D3/3947—Liquid compositions
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C11—ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
  • C11D—DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
  • C11D3/00—Other compounding ingredients of detergent compositions covered in group C11D1/00
  • C11D3/39—Organic or inorganic per-compounds
  • C11D3/3945—Organic per-compounds
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • D06L—DRY-CLEANING, WASHING OR BLEACHING FIBRES, FILAMENTS, THREADS, YARNS, FABRICS, FEATHERS OR MADE-UP FIBROUS GOODS; BLEACHING LEATHER OR FURS
  • D06L4/00—Bleaching fibres, filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics, feathers or made-up fibrous goods; Bleaching leather or furs
  • D06L4/10—Bleaching fibres, filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics, feathers or made-up fibrous goods; Bleaching leather or furs using agents which develop oxygen
  • D06L4/12—Bleaching fibres, filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics, feathers or made-up fibrous goods; Bleaching leather or furs using agents which develop oxygen combined with specific additives

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the bleaching of fabrics.
• Peroxygen bleach-containing compositions have been described in laundry applications as laundry detergents, laundry additives or even laundry pretreaters.
• peroxygen bleach-containing compositions in laundry treatment applications to boost the removal of encrustated stains/soils which are otherwise particularly difficult to remove, such as grease, coffee, tea, grass, mud/clay-containing soils and the like.
• peroxygen bleach-containing compositions may damage fabrics, resulting in loss of tensile strength, especially when used in pretreatment application, i.e. when applied directly (neat) onto the fabrics, and left to act onto said fabrics for prolonged periods of time before washing the fabrics.
• US 5,284,597 discloses a composition for treating soft surfaces, essentially carpets, which comprise amongst other things tertiary alkyl hydroperoxide.
• the compositions are said to be safer to colors.
• BE 831.277 discloses the bleaching of textiles with the help of a mixtures of bleach activators, one of which being from the class of triazine hydroperoxides. Triazine hydroperoxides are said to be potentially damaging to the colors of fabrics. '277 does not discuss the problem of safety to fabrics.
• US 3,753,915 discloses the bleaching of fabrics with a granular composition comprising salts of hydroperoxides. '915 does not discuss the problem of safety to fabrics.
• the present invention encompasses the use of hydroperoxides for the bleaching of fabrics, for reducing the loss of tensile strength in said fabrics.
• the present invention further encompasses processes of bleaching fabrics, starting from a liquid composition comprising a hydroperoxide.
• the processes include the steps of contacting said fabrics with the liquid bleaching composition neat or diluted, and subsequently rinsing said fabrics.
• the fabrics are "pretreated"
• the composition is applied neat on the fabrics, and the fabrics are subsequently washed in a normal wash cycle.
• the present invention encompasses the use of a hydroperoxide as a bleaching agent in a process of bleaching fabrics for reducing the loss of tensile strength in said fabrics.
• the present invention is based on the finding that fabric damage resulting in tensile strength loss is reduced, when a composition comprising a hydroperoxide, or mixtures thereof, is used to bleach fabrics, as compared to the same composition where hydrogen peroxide is used instead of hydroperoxide.
• the tensile strength in a fabric may be measured by stretching said fabric until it breaks.
• the force needed to break the fabric is the "Ultimate Tensile Stress” and may be measured with a stress-strain INSTRON ® machine available from INSTRON.
• the loss of tensile strength is the difference between the tensile strength of a fabric taken as a reference, i.e. a fabric which has not been bleached, and the tensile strength of the same fabric after having been bleached. A tensile strength loss of zero means that no fabric damage is observed.
• the liquid compositions suitable to be used according to the present invention comprise a hydroperoxide, or mixtures thereof, as the bleaching agent.
• Suitable hydroperoxides for use herein include alkyl hydroperoxides and organomineral hydroperoxides.
• Suitable alkyl hydroperoxides for use herein are according to the formula in which each R1, R2 and R3 is, independently, a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon radical having from 1 to 30 carbon atoms.
• the hydrocarbon radical can be a linear or a cyclic hydrocarbon chain, and the linear and the cyclic hydrocarbon chain can be straight or branched, saturated or unsaturated.
• two of the R groups can be part of the same cyclic hydrocarbon.
• One or more R groups in the above formula can be a single or condensed aromatic radical, alkyl-aryl radical or cycloalkyl-aryl radical.
• R radicals can also be substituted by heteroatoms or group of heteroatoms, such as hydroperoxide (-OOH) groups, halogen atoms, hydroxy groups, nitrates, suphonyls, nitro groups, ethers, carboxylic groups and esters. All these groups can also be present as substituents of one or more positions of the R radicals.
• heteroatoms or group of heteroatoms such as hydroperoxide (-OOH) groups, halogen atoms, hydroxy groups, nitrates, suphonyls, nitro groups, ethers, carboxylic groups and esters. All these groups can also be present as substituents of one or more positions of the R radicals.
• Preferred alkyl hydroperoxides for use herein are tert-butyl hydroperoxide, cumyl hydroperoxide, 2,4,4-trimethylpentyl-2-hydroperoxide, di-isopropylbenzene-monohydroperoxide, tert-amyl hydroperoxide and 2,5-dimethyl-hexane-2,5-dihydroperoxide.
• Suitable organomineral hydroperoxides for use herein are according to the formula R m M(OOH) n where M is a metal atom like Si, Sn, Ge or Sb and R is a radical defined as R1, R2, R3 above.
• Preferred organomineral hydroperoxides for use herein are (CH 3 ) 3 SiOOH, (C 6 H 5 ) 2 CH 3 SiOOH, (C 6 H 5 ) 3 SiOOH, (n-C 6 H 13 ) 3 SiOOH, (CH 3 ) 3 SnOOH, (C 6 H 5 ) 3 Sb(OOH) 2 .
• Most preferred for use herein are (CH 3 ) 3 SiOOH, (C 6 H 5 ) 3 SiOOH.
• compositions herein comprise from 0.01% to 5.0%, preferably 0.015% to 4.0%, most preferably from 0.02% to 2.0% of available oxygen provided by said hydroperoxide.
• compositions to be used according to the present invention must be liquids.
• liquid includes “pasty” compositions, and liquid compositions herein preferably have a viscosity of from 5 cps to 10000 cps at 50 rpm shear rate and at 20°c temperature.
• the compositions to be used herein are aqueous.
• Said aqueous compositions have a pH as is of from 2 to 11, preferably from 3 to 10 and more preferably from 3.5 to 9.5 when optimum chemical stability for the hydroperoxides has been observed.
• the pH of the compositions can be adjusted for instance by using organic or inorganic acids, or alkalinizing agents.
• compositions used in the present invention may further comprise any surfactant including nonionic, anionic, cationic, zwitterionic and/or amphothereic surfactants.
• compositions used in the present invention preferably further comprise a nonionic surfactant, or mixtures thereof.
• the compositions used in the present invention comprise from 0.1% to 50% by weight of the total composition of said nonionic surfactant, or mixtures thereof, preferably from 0.3 % to 30 % and more preferably from 0.4 % to 25 %.
• Suitable nonionic surfactants to be used herein are fatty alcohol ethoxylates and/or propoxylates which are commercially available with a variety of fatty alcohol chain lengths and a variety of ethoxylation degrees. Indeed, the HLB values of such alkoxylated nonionic surfactants depend essentially on the chain length of the fatty alcohol, the nature of the alkoxylation and the degree of alkoxylation. Surfactant catalogues are available which list a number of surfactants, including nonionics, together with their respective HLB values.
• Suitable chemical processes for preparing the nonionic surfactants for use herein include condensation of corresponding alcohols with alkylene oxide, in the desired proportions. Such processes are well known to the man skilled in the art and have been extensively described in the art. As an alternative, a great variety of alkoxylated alcohols suitable for use herein is commercially available from various suppliers.
• nonionic surfactants Particularly suitable to be used herein as nonionic surfactants are hydrophobic nonionic surfactants having an HLB (hydrophilic-lipophilic balance) below 16, preferably below 15, more preferably below 12, and most preferably below 10. Those hydrophobic nonionic surfactants have been found to provide good grease cutting properties.
• HLB hydrophilic-lipophilic balance
• Preferred hydrophobic nonionic surfactants to be used in the compositions according to the present invention are surfactants having an HLB below 16 and being according to the formula RO-(C 2 H 4 O) n (C 3 H 6 O) m H, wherein R is a C 6 to C 22 alkyl chain or a C 6 to C 28 alkyl benzene chain, and wherein n+m is from 0 to 20 and n is from 0 to 15 and m is from 0 to 20, preferably n+m is from 1 to 15 and, n and m are from 0.5 to 15, more preferably n+m is from 1 to 10 and, n and m are from 0 to 10.
• the preferred R chains for use herein are the C 8 to C 22 alkyl chains.
• Dobanol R 91-2.5 or Lutensol R TO3, or Lutensol R AO3, or Tergitol R 25L3, or Dobanol R 23-3, or Dobanol R 23-2, or mixtures thereof.
• Dobanol R surfactants are commercially available from SHELL.
• Lutensol R surfactants are commercially available from BASF and these Tergitol R surfactants are commercially available from UNION CARBIDE.
• compositions to be used herein further comprise an anionic surfactant, or mixtures thereof.
• Said anionic surfactants act as wetting agent, i.e. in laundry application they wet the stains on the fabrics, especially on hydrophilic fabrics, and thus help the hydroperoxide perform its bleaching action thereby contributing to improved laundry performance on bleachable stains.
• anionic surfactants allow to obtain clear compositions even when said compositions comprise hydrophobic ingredients such as hydrophobic surfactants.
• the compositions to be used herein comprise from 0.1 % to 20 % by weight of the total composition of said anionic surfactant, or mixtures thereof, preferably from 0.2 % to 15 % and more preferably from 0.5 % to 13 %.
• anionic surfactants are well-known in the art and have found wide application in commercial detergents. These anionic surfactants include the C8-C22 alkyl benzene sulfonates (LAS), the C8-C22 alkyl sulfates (AS), unsaturated sulfates such as oleyl sulfate, the C10-C18 alkyl alkoxy sulfates (AES) and the C10-C18 alkyl alkoxy carboxylates.
• LAS C8-C22 alkyl benzene sulfonates
• AS C8-C22 alkyl sulfates
• unsaturated sulfates such as oleyl sulfate
• C10-C18 alkyl alkoxy sulfates AES
• the neutralising cation for the anionic synthetic sulfonates and/or sulfates is represented by conventional cations which are widely used in detergent technology such as sodium, potassium or alkanolammonium.
• Preferred herein are the alkyl sulphate, especially coconut alkyl sulphate having from 6 to 18 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain, preferably from 8 to 15, or mixtures thereof.
• compositions for use herein may further comprise a foam suppressor such as 2-alkyl alkanol, or mixtures thereof, as a highly preferred optional ingredient.
• a foam suppressor such as 2-alkyl alkanol, or mixtures thereof, as a highly preferred optional ingredient.
• Particularly suitable to be used in the present invention are the 2-alkyl alkanols having an alkyl chain comprising from 6 to 16 carbon atoms, preferably from 8 to 12 and a terminal hydroxy group, said alkyl chain being substituted in the ⁇ position by an alkyl chain comprising from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, preferably from 2 to 8 and more preferably 3 to 6.
• compositions suitable to be used herein comprise from 0.05 % to 2 % by weight of the total composition of a 2-alkyl alkanol, or mixtures thereof, preferably from 0.1 % to 1.5 % and most preferably from 0.1 % to 0.8 %.
• compositions herein may further comprise a variety of other optional ingredients such as builders, stabilisers, chelants, soil suspenders, dye transfer agents, radical scavengers, solvents, brighteners, perfumes, and dyes.
• the liquid bleaching composition comprising the hydroperoxide needs to be contacted with the fabrics to be bleached.
• This can be done either in a so-called “pretreatment mode", where the composition is applied neat onto said fabrics before the fabrics are rinsed, or washed then rinsed, or in a "soaking mode” where the liquid composition is first diluted in an aqueous bath and the fabrics are immersed and soaked in the bath, before they are rinsed, or in a "through the wash mode", where the liquid composition is added on top of a wash liquor formed by dissolution or dispersion of a typical laundry detergent.
• the composition to perform the processes herein is in the form of a liquid as opposed to a solid or a gas.
• the process comprises the steps of applying said liquid composition in its neat form onto said fabrics, or at least soiled portions thereof, and subsequently rinsing, or washing then rinsing said fabrics.
• the neat compositions can optionally be left to act onto said fabrics for a period of time ranging from 1 min. to 1 hour, before the fabrics are rinsed, or washed then rinsed, provided that the composition is not left to dry onto said fabrics.
• stains it may be appropriate to further rub or brush said fabrics by means of a sponge or a brush, or by rubbing two pieces of fabrics against each other.
• the process comprises the steps of diluting said liquid composition in its neat form in an aqueous bath so as to form a diluted composition, i.e., a composition comprising from 0.0001% to 0.2%, preferably 0.0002% to 0.02% of available oxygen provided by said hydroperoxide.
• a diluted composition i.e., a composition comprising from 0.0001% to 0.2%, preferably 0.0002% to 0.02% of available oxygen provided by said hydroperoxide.
• the fabrics are then contacted with the aqueous bath comprising the liquid composition, and the fabrics are finally rinsed, or washed then rinsed.
• the fabrics are immersed in the aqueous bath comprising the liquid composition, and also preferably, the fabrics are left to soak therein for a period of time ranging from 30 minutes to 48 hours, preferably from 1 hour to 24 hours.
• the liquid composition is used as a so-called laundry additive.
• the aqueous bath is formed by dissolving or dispersing a conventional laundry detergent in water.
• the liquid composition in its neat form is contacted with the aqueous bath, and the fabrics are then contacted with the aqueous bath containing the liquid composition. Finally, the fabrics are rinsed.
• compositions herein can be packaged in a variety of containers including conventional bottles, bottles equipped with roll-on, sponge, brusher or sprayers, or sprayers.
• this composition is applied neat on the stained portion of a fabric and left to act thereon for 5 minutes. Then the fabric is washed with a conventional detergent and rinsed.
• this composition is contacted with an aqueous bath formed by dissolution of a conventional detergent in water. Fabrics are then contacted with the aqueous bath comprising the liquid detergent, and the fabrics are rinsed.
• This composition can also be used in a pretreatment mode, where it is poured neat on the stains on the fabrics, and left to act for 5 minutes, and the fabrics are washed.
• This composition can be used in a pretreatment mode, or in a bleaching-through-the-wash mode, as described in examples 1 and 2. It can also be used in a soaking mode, where 100 ml of the liquid compositions are diluted in 10 liters of water. The fabrics are then contacted with this aqueous bath containing the composition, and left to soak therein for a period of time of 24 hours. The fabrics are eventually rinsed.
• This composition is used in a pretreatment mode, as described in the examples above.
• This composition is used in a pretreatment mode as described in the previous examples.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Inorganic Chemistry (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
• Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Detergent Compositions (AREA)

Priority Applications (12)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

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Cited By (2)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 1996
  • 1996-06-10 EP EP96870074A patent/EP0812907A1/en not_active Withdrawn
• 1997
  • 1997-06-06 BR BR9709775A patent/BR9709775A/pt unknown
  • 1997-06-06 CN CN97196849A patent/CN1226296A/zh active Pending
  • 1997-06-06 CA CA002258101A patent/CA2258101A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1997-06-06 JP JP10501743A patent/JPH11513082A/ja active Pending
  • 1997-06-06 HU HU0003883A patent/HUP0003883A2/hu unknown
  • 1997-06-06 CZ CZ984056A patent/CZ405698A3/cs unknown
  • 1997-06-06 WO PCT/US1997/009965 patent/WO1997047800A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1997-06-06 SK SK1690-98A patent/SK169098A3/sk unknown
  • 1997-06-06 PL PL97330474A patent/PL330474A1/xx unknown
  • 1997-06-06 AU AU33833/97A patent/AU3383397A/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (4)

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