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
  • C11D1/00—Detergent compositions based essentially on surface-active compounds; Use of these compounds as a detergent
  • C11D1/38—Cationic compounds
  • C11D1/65—Mixtures of anionic with cationic compounds
• • 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
  • C11D1/00—Detergent compositions based essentially on surface-active compounds; Use of these compounds as a detergent
  • C11D1/86—Mixtures of anionic, cationic, and non-ionic compounds
• • 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
  • C11D17/00—Detergent materials or soaps characterised by their shape or physical properties
  • C11D17/0047—Detergents in the form of bars or tablets
  • C11D17/0065—Solid detergents containing builders
  • C11D17/0073—Tablets
• • 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
  • C11D3/02—Inorganic compounds ; Elemental compounds
  • C11D3/04—Water-soluble compounds
  • C11D3/06—Phosphates, including polyphosphates
• • 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
  • C11D3/02—Inorganic compounds ; Elemental compounds
  • C11D3/12—Water-insoluble compounds
  • C11D3/124—Silicon containing, e.g. silica, silex, quartz or glass beads
  • C11D3/1246—Silicates, e.g. diatomaceous earth
  • C11D3/128—Aluminium silicates, e.g. zeolites
• • 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
  • C11D1/00—Detergent compositions based essentially on surface-active compounds; Use of these compounds as a detergent
  • C11D1/02—Anionic compounds
  • C11D1/04—Carboxylic acids or salts thereof
• • 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
  • C11D1/00—Detergent compositions based essentially on surface-active compounds; Use of these compounds as a detergent
  • C11D1/02—Anionic compounds
  • C11D1/12—Sulfonic acids or sulfuric acid esters; Salts thereof
  • C11D1/22—Sulfonic acids or sulfuric acid esters; Salts thereof derived from aromatic compounds
• • 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
  • C11D1/00—Detergent compositions based essentially on surface-active compounds; Use of these compounds as a detergent
  • C11D1/38—Cationic compounds
  • C11D1/62—Quaternary ammonium compounds
• • 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
  • C11D1/00—Detergent compositions based essentially on surface-active compounds; Use of these compounds as a detergent
  • C11D1/66—Non-ionic compounds
  • C11D1/72—Ethers of polyoxyalkylene glycols

Definitions

• This invention relates to detergent compositions in the form of tablets for cleaning, and in particular tablets for fabric washing. It is known to make such tablets for example by compressing or compacting a quantity of detergent composition in particulate form.
• Such tablets have been marketed commercially.
• one or two tablets may for example be placed in a net bag, closed with a drawstring.
• the bag containing these tablets is placed in the washing machine, with fabrics to be washed.
• tablets should have adequate mechanical strength when dry, before use, yet disintegrate and disperse/dissolve quickly when added to wash water. Also it is desirable that tablets should provide good cleaning properties. It has not proved simple to achieve these properties simultaneously. For example as more pressure is used when a tablet is compacted, so the tablet density and strength rise, but the speed of disintegration/dissolution when the tablet comes into contact with wash water goes down. Also ingredients which aid the cleaning performance of tablets can often adverserly affect the cost of production and/or the strength and/or the disintegration properties of the tablet.
• the invention relates to a cleaning tablet comprising
• Tablets of the invention preferably comprise a compressed particulate composition having the selected composition as described above.
• the compressed particulate composition may form all or most of the cleaning tablet, say 95wt% or more.
• the compressed particulate composition may form one or more discrete regions of the tablet.
• each of said regions has a weight of at least 5 grammes.
• at least 30 wt%, more preferred at least 50 wt%, most preferred more than 75 wt% of the tablet is formed by the compressed particulate composition of the invention.
• the tablet may comprise in addition to the compressed particulate composition other parts e.g. coatings, non-particulate and/or non-compressed parts e.g. melts, gelatinous materials etc.
• other parts e.g. coatings, non-particulate and/or non-compressed parts e.g. melts, gelatinous materials etc.
• surfactant compounds are suitably present in an amount of from 2% or 5% up to 50 wt%, more preferably from 5% or 8% up to 40 wt% of the whole tablet.
• the surfactant materials will most be anionic and cationic optionally though preferably supplemented with nonionic surfactants.
• the weight ratio of anionic surfactants to cationic surfactants in the tablet is from 50 : 1 to 2 : 1, more preferred from 25 : 1 to 3 : 1, most preferred from 20 : 1 to 5 : 1.
• the total level of anionic surfactants in the tablet is from 2 to 30 wt%, more preferred 3 to 20 wt%, most preferred from 5 to 15 wt%.
• the total level of cationic surfactants in the tablet is from 0.2 to 3 wt%, more preferred 0.3 to 2 wt%, most preferred from 0.5 to 1.5 wt%.
• the tablet may also comprise nonionic surfactants.
• the weight ratio of nonionic surfactants to anionic surfactants is from 5 : 1 to 1 : 5.
• the total level of nonionic surfactants in the tablet is from 1 to 15 wt%, more preferred 1.5 to 10 wt%, most preferred from 2 to 7.5 wt%.
• anionic surfactants are well known to those skilled in the art.
• the anionic surfactant may comprise, wholly or predominantly, linear alkyl benzene sulphonate of the formula where R is linear alkyl of 8 to 15 carbon atoms and M + is a solubilising cation, especially sodium.
• Primary alkyl sulphate having the formula ROSO 3 - M + in which R is an alkyl or alkenyl chain of 8 to 18 carbon atoms especially 10 to 14 carbon atoms and M + is a solubilising cation, is also commercially significant as an anionic surfactant and may be used in this invention.
• such linear alkyl benzene sulphonate or primary alkyl sulphate of the formula above, or a mixture thereof will be the desired non-soap anionic surfactant and may provide 75 to 100 wt% of any anionic non-soap surfactant in the composition.
• non-soap anionic surfactants examples include olefin sulphonates; alkane sulphonates; dialkyl sulphosuccinates; and fatty acid ester sulphonates.
• One or more soaps of fatty acids may also be included in addition to non-soap anionic surfactant.
• Examples are sodium soaps derived from the fatty acids from coconut oil, beef tallow, sunflower or hardened rapeseed oil.
• Nonionic surfactant compounds include in particular the reaction products of compounds having a hydrophobic group and a reactive hydrogen atom, for example, aliphatic alcohols, acids, amides or alkyl phenols with alkylene oxides, especially ethylene oxide.
• Nonionic surfactant compounds are alkyl (C 8-22 ) phenol-ethylene oxide condensates, the condensation products of linear or branched aliphatic C 8-20 primary or secondary alcohols with ethylene oxide, and products made by condensation of ethylene oxide with the reaction products of propylene oxide and ethylene-diamine.
• the primary and secondary alcohol ethoxylates especially the C 9-11 and C 12-15 primary and secondary alcohols ethoxylated with an average of from 3 to 20 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol.
• Preferred cationic surfactants are quaternary ammonium salts of the general formula R 1 R 2 R 3 R 4 N + X - , wherein all of the R-substituents are hydrocarbons with or without hydroxy substitution, at least one of the substituents R1-R4 is a C6-C22 alkyl, alkaryl or hydroxyalkyl, at least one of the substituents R1-R4 is a C1-C4 alkyl or hydroxy alkyl and X is a monovalent anion equivalent.
• the cationic surfactants are preferably the quaternary nitrogen compounds wherein R1 and R2 are the same or different C1-C4 alkyl or hydroxy alkyl, R3 is a C6-C22 alkyl, alkaryl or hydroxyalkyl, R4 is a C1-C22 alkyl, alkaryl or hydroxyalkyl and X is a monovalent anion equivalent.
• X is a halogen, most preferably chloride or bromide.
• R1 and R2 are methyl.
• R3 is preferably C8-C18 alkyl, more preferably C10-C16 alkyl.
• R4 is preferably methyl, C8-C18 alkyl or benzyl.
• the cationic surfactants used can have three 'short chain' radicals such as methyl and one fatty-soluble 'long chain' radical or two 'short' chains and two fatty-soluble 'long chains', wherein the 'long chains' can be either linear or branched hydrocarbons or contain aromatic rings.
• Particularly suitable cationic detergent-active compounds include Praepagen HY ex Clariant.
• the detergent tablets of the invention contain a mixture of a water-insoluble and a water soluble detergency builders.
• the weight ratio of water-insoluble builder material to water-soluble builder material in the tablet is from 5 : 1 to 1 : 5, more preferred from 2 : 1 to 1 : 4, most preferred from 1 : 1 to 1 : 3.
• the level of water-insoluble builder in the tablet is from 5 to 40 wt%, more preferred from 10 to 30 wt%, most preferred from 12 to 24 wt%.
• the level of water-soluble builder in the tablet is from 10 to 70 wt%, more preferred 20 to 50 wt%, most preferred from 30 to 40 wt%.
• Alkali metal aluminosilicates are strongly favoured as environmentally acceptable water-insoluble builders for fabric washing.
• Alkali metal (preferably sodium) aluminosilicates may be either crystalline or amorphous or mixtures thereof, having the general formula: 0.8 - 1.5 Na 2 O.Al 2 O 3 . 0.8 - 6 SiO 2 . xH 2 O
• xH2O xH2O
• xH2O calcium ion exchange capacity
• the preferred sodium aluminosilicates contain 1.5-3.5 SiO 2 units (in the formula above). Both the amorphous and the crystalline materials can be prepared readily by reaction between sodium silicate and sodium aluminate, as amply described in the literature.
• Suitable crystalline sodium aluminosilicate ion-exchange detergency builders are described, for example, in GB 1429143 (Procter & Gamble).
• the preferred sodium aluminosilicates of this type are the well known commercially available zeolites A and X, the zeolite P described and claimed in EP 384070 (Unilever) which is also referred to as zeolite MAP and mixtures thereof.
• Zeolite MAP is available from Ineos Chemicals under their designation Zeolite A24.
• water-insoluble detergency builder could be a crystalline layered sodium silicate as described in US 4664839.
• Crystalline layered silicate may be used in the form of granules which also contain citric acid.
• the water-insoluble builder is zeolite.
• Suitable organic builders include the carboxylate or polycarboxylate builders containing from one to four carboxy groups, particularly selected from monomeric polycarboxylates or their acid forms, homo or copolymeric polycarboxylic acids or there salts in which the polycarboxylate comprises at least two carboxylic radicals selected from each other by not more than two carbon atoms.
• Preferred carboxylates include the polycarboxylate materials described in US-A-2,264,103, including the water-soluble alkali metal salts of mellitic acid and citric acid (citrate), gluconic acid, dipicolinic acid, oxydisuccinic acid and alkenyl succinates, glycerol mono- di- and trisuccinates, carboxymethyloxysuccinates, carboxymethyloxymalonates, dipicolinates and hydroxyethyliminodiacetates.
• polycarboxylate polymers and copolymers such as are described in US-A-3,308,067 are also be suitable for use with the invention.
• the preferred polycarboxylates are hydroxycarboxylates containing up to three carboxy groups per molecule, especially citric acid or its salt, particularly sodium citrate.
• Further soluble detergency builder salts which can be used with the present invention are poly-valent inorganic and poly-valent organic builders, or mixtures thereof.
• suitable water-soluble, inorganic alkaline detergency builder salts include the alkali metal (generally sodium) carbonates (see above), bicarbonates, borates, phosphates, and polyphosphates, phosphono carboxylates. Specific examples of such salts include the sodium and potassium tetraborates, carbonates, bicarbonates, orthophosphates and hexametaphosphates.
• Other suitable detergency builders include organic alkaline compounds such as water-soluble amino polyacetates, e.g. nitrilotriacetates and N-(2-hydroxyethyl)nitrilodiacetates; and water-soluble salts of phytic acid, e.g. sodium and potassium phytates.
• the water-soluble builder is a phosphate containing builder especially a sodium tripolyphosphate especially a sodium tripolyphosphate which is predominantly (e.g. more than 50 %) in Phase I.
• Cleaning tablets of the invention are substantially free from clay.
• the level of clay is less than 2.5 wt%, more preferred less than 1 wt%, most preferred less than 0.5 wt%.
• Clay levels of 0 wt% are especially preffered.
• Bleach material may preferably be incorporated in composition for use according to the present invention. These materials may be incorporated in solid form or in the form of encapsulates and less preferably in dissolved form.
• the bleach material may be a chlorine- or bromine-releasing agent or a peroxygen compound.
• Peroxygen based bleach materials are however preferred for use in detergent tablets of the invention, especially preferred are perborate and percarbonate bleaches.
• Detergent tablets of the present invention which contain an inorganic peroxygen bleaching material such as sodium percarbonate or sodium perborate preferably also may contain a bleach activator.
• Bleach activators have been widely disclosed in the art.
• Preferred examples include peracetic acid precursors, for example tetraacetylethylene diamine (TAED), SNOBS and perbenzoic acid precursors
• a detergent tablet of the invention may also include a heavy metal chelating agent, which may act as a bleach stabiliser.
• a heavy metal chelating agent which may act as a bleach stabiliser.
• Such components will also chelate non-heavy metals to a limited extent, and similarly builders such as tripolyphosphate will chelate heavy metals to a limited extent.
• Preferred chelating agents include organic phosphonates, amino carboxylates, polyfunctionally-substituted compounds, and mixtures thereof.
• the tablet may contain a disintegrant system. This is particularly preferred in discrete regions which contain more than 5% detergent active compounds, which is generally the case for laundry detergent tablets.
• the further disintegrant system helps such regions to disperse quickly, which counters the binding effect of the detergent active compound.
• Suitable disintegrants may be grouped into the following classes: swelling (physical) disintegrants; effervescent disintegrants; and materials of high solubility.
• the detergent tablets of the invention may also contain one of the detergency enzymes well known in the art for their ability to degrade and aid in the removal of various soils and stains.
• Suitable enzymes include the various proteases, cellulases, lipases, amylases, and mixtures thereof, which are designed to remove a variety of soils and stains from fabrics and dishes. Examples of suitable proteases are Maxatase (Trade Mark) and Alcalase (Trade Mark), and Savinase (Trade Mark).
• Detergency enzymes are commonly employed in the form of granules or marumes, optionally with a protective coating, in amount of from about 0.05% to about 3.0% by weight of the composition; and these granules or marumes present no problems with respect to compaction to form a tablet.
• the laundry detergent tablets of the invention may also contain a fluorescer (optical brightener), for example, Tinopal (Trade Mark) DMS or Tinopal CBS available from Ciba-Geigy AG, Basel, Switzerland.
• Tinopal DMS is disodium 4,4'bis-(2-morpholino-4-anilino-s-triazin-6-ylamino) stilbene disulphonate
• Tinopal CBS is disodium 2,2'-bis-(phenyl-styryl) disulphonate.
• An antifoam material is advantageously included, especially if the detergent tablet is primarily intended for use in front-loading drum-type automatic washing machines.
• Suitable antifoam materials are usually in granular form, such as those described in EP 266863A (Unilever).
• Such antifoam granules typically comprise a mixture of silicone oil, petroleum jelly, hydrophobic silica and alkyl phosphate as antifoam active material, sorbed onto a porous absorbed water-soluble carbonate-based inorganic carrier material.
• Antifoam granules may be present in an amount up to 5% by weight of the composition.
• anti-redeposition agents such as sodium carboxymethylcellulose, straight-chain polyvinyl pyrrolidone and the cellulose ethers such as methyl cellulose and ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose, fabric-softening agents; soil release polymers; bleach catalysts; dye fixative polymers; perfumes; and colorants or coloured speckles.
• the detergent tablet of this invention preferably comprises compacted particles.
• the particulate composition has an average particle size in the range from 10 ⁇ m to 2000 ⁇ m, more preferably from 250 ⁇ m to 1400 ⁇ m. Fine particles, smaller than 180 ⁇ m or 200 ⁇ m may be eliminated by sieving before tableting, if desired.
• the starting particulate composition may in principle have any bulk density
• the present invention is especially relevant to tablets made by compacting powders of relatively high bulk density. Such tablets have the advantage that, as compared with a tablet derived from a low bulk density powder, a given dose of composition can be presented as a smaller tablet.
• the starting particulate composition may suitably have a bulk density of at least 400g/litre, preferably at least 500g/litre, and advantageously at least 700g/litre.
• the size of a tablet will suitably range from 10 to 160 grams, preferably from 15 to 60 g, depending on the conditions of intended use, and whether it represents a dose for an average load in a fabric washing machine or a fractional part of such a dose.
• the tablets may be of any shape. However for ease of packaging they are preferably blocks of substantially uniform cross-section, such as cylinders or cuboids.
• composition of base powder A Ingredient % activity Parts by weight Na-LAS 100 8.31 C13-15 7EO nonionic 100 3.64 Stearate soap 100 0.65 Zeolite A24 90 18.57 Sodium acetate 3aq 99 2.38 Sodium carbonate 99 2.76 SCMC 68 0.37 Non detergent organic matter Up to 40 Total 40
• composition of base Powder B Ingredient % activity Parts by weight Na-LAS 100 9.26 C13-15 7EO nonionic 100 2.65 C13-15 3EO nonionic 100 1.42 Stearate soap 100 0.72 Zeolite A24 90 20.71 Sodium acetate 3aq 99 2.65 Sodium carbonate 99 3.07 SCMC 68 0.41 Non detergent organic matter Up to 44.6 Total 44.6
• Base powders were produced by dry mixing in a high shear mixer and subsequently mixing with the other ingredients to prepare a particulate composition as follows: Ingredient % activity EX 1 (Comp) Weight parts Ex 2 (Comp) Weight parts Ex 3 (Comp) Weight parts Ex 4 Weight parts Base powder A 40 40 Base powder B 44.6 44.6 Antifoam 17 2.1 1.79 1.79 2.1 Fluorescer 15 1.45 1.24 1.24 1.45 PVP polymer 95 0.15 0.10 0.10 0.15 Soil release polymer 63 0.17 0.32 0.32 0.17 STPP 96.5 34.32 34.32 Na-disilicate 80 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 Cocodimethylethyl-hydroxyammonium-chloride on zeolite carrier 33 2.5 2.5 Sodium acetate 3aq 99 24.21 24.21 Sodium citrate 2aq 100 2.5 2.5 TAED 83 2.8 5.06 5.06 2.8 Percarbonate coated 89 14 15 15 14 Dequest 2047 34 1.25 0.74 0.74 1.25 EHDP 60 0.60 0.6 Savinas
• Tablets were produced by compressing 40 grammes of each composition in a tablet press using 4 kN/cm 2 compression force.
• the washing performance on various stains was determined by measuring Delta R460.
• Example 1 The tablets of Examples 1 (comparison) and 4 (invention) were compared in a normal washing cycle in a Zanussi washing machine at 60 C using water of 16 degree FH.
• Tablets in accordance to example 4 showed statistically significant better cleaning (as measured by Delta R460) on fatty stains especially lipstick, shoepolish, make-up, mascara.

Landscapes

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

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=32109143

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (1)

Citations (8)

• 2003
  • 2003-10-21 EP EP20030078329 patent/EP1418226B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (8)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events