EP2836580B1 - Microfibrillar cellulose as dirt-removing active substance - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the use of certain soil release agents to enhance detergency of laundry detergents in laundry and hard surface cleaning, and to the use of such soil release agents to form a protective layer on fabrics.
Detergents contain in addition to the indispensable for the washing process ingredients such as surfactants and builder materials usually further ingredients that can be summarized by the term washing aids and include as different drug groups such as foam regulators, grayness inhibitors, bleach, bleach activators and dye transfer inhibitors. Such adjuvants also include substances which impart soil repellency properties to the laundry fiber and, if present during the wash, aid the soil release properties of the remaining detergent ingredients. The same applies mutatis mutandis to cleaners for hard surfaces. Such soil release agents are often referred to as "soil release" agents or because of their ability to impart soil repellency to the treated surface, such as the fiber, as "soil repellents". For example, from the US patent US 4,136,038 the soil release ability of methyl cellulose is known. The European patent application EP 0 213 729 discloses the reduced redeposition when using detergents containing a combination of soap and nonionic surfactant with alkyl hydroxyalkyl cellulose. From the European patent application EP 0 213 730 Textile treatment agents are known which contain cationic surfactants and nonionic cellulose ethers with HLB values of 3.1 to 3.8. The US patent US 4,000,093 discloses detergents containing from 0.1% to 3% by weight of alkyl cellulose, hydroxyalkyl cellulose or alkyl hydroxyalkyl cellulose and from 5% to 50% by weight surfactant, wherein the surfactant component is substantially consists of C ₁₀ - to C ₁₃ -alkyl sulfate and up to 5 wt .-% C ₁₄ alkyl sulfate and less than 5 wt .-% alkyl sulfate having alkyl radicals of C ₁₅ and higher.
Because of their chemical similarity to polyester fibers in textiles of this material particularly effective soil release agents are copolyesters containing dicarboxylic acid units such as terephthalic acid or sulfoisophthalic acid, alkylene glycol units such as ethylene glycol or propylene glycol and polyalkylene glycol units such as polyethylene glycol. Soil release Copolyesters of the type mentioned as well as their use in detergents have been known for a long time.
The polymers known from the prior art have the disadvantage that they have no or only insufficient effectiveness, in particular for textiles which are not or at least not predominantly made of polyester. However, a large part of today's textiles is made of cotton or cotton-polyester blend fabrics, so that there is a need for greasy soiling on especially such textiles more effective soil release agents.
Surprisingly, it has been found that this object can be achieved by the use of certain celluloses. In addition, these celluloses have a corresponding cleaning reinforcement even when cleaning hard surfaces.
The invention relates to the use of microfibrillar cellulose to enhance the cleaning performance of detergents in the washing of textiles and detergents in the cleaning of hard surfaces.
Another object of the invention is the use of microfibrillar cellulose to form a protective layer on textile fabrics.
In this case, microfibrillar celluloses are to be understood as meaning celluloses in the form of microfibrils. Cellulosic fibers consist of macrofibrils, which in turn consist of a plurality of microfibrils. The microfibrils have a diameter of preferably 20 nm to 600 nm, in particular 100 nm to 200 nm and in a preferred embodiment, a number average length of 50 .mu.m to 500 .mu.m, in particular 80 .mu.m to 200 .mu.m, and in another preferred embodiment, a length from 1 .mu.m to 20 .mu.m, in particular from 3 .mu.m to 5 .mu.m. Microfibrillated cellulose is commercially available, for example, under the trade name Vitacel®. Also disclosed is a process for laundering textiles or for cleaning hard surfaces, which uses a detergent or cleaning agent and a soil release agent in the form of microfibrillar cellulose. These methods can be carried out manually or optionally with the aid of a conventional household washing machine or a dishwasher. It is possible to use the particular bleach-containing detergent or cleaning agent and the soil release agent simultaneously or sequentially. The simultaneous application is particularly advantageously by the use of a washing or cleaning agent containing the soil release agent, perform.

The effect of the active substance to be used according to the invention with multiple applications, ie, in particular for the removal of stains from hard surfaces or textiles, which had already been cleaned or washed and / or post-treated in the presence of the active substance before they were provided with the stain, is particularly pronounced , In connection with the aftertreatment, it should be pointed out that the designated positive aspect can also be achieved by a washing process in which the textile is free after the actual washing process, with the aid of a detergent which may contain a named active substance may be carried out by this, with an aftertreatment agent, for example in the context of a fabric softening step, which contains an active substance to be used according to the invention is brought into contact. In this procedure as well, if desired again a detergent without an active ingredient to be used according to the invention is used in the next washing process, the washing performance-enhancing effect of the active ingredients to be used according to the invention occurs. This is significantly higher than that resulting from the use of a conventional SRP active ingredient. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the addition of the active ingredient essential to the invention takes place in the fabric softening cycle of the textile washing.

The active ingredient used according to the invention leads to a significantly better detachment of, in particular, fatty and cosmetic stains on textiles, in particular those made of cotton or cotton-containing fabric, than is the case when compounds previously known for this purpose are used. Alternatively, significant amounts of surfactants can be saved while maintaining fat removal capability.

In the context of a washing or cleaning process, the use according to the invention can be carried out by adding the soil release agent to a washing or detergent-containing liquor, or preferably introducing the active ingredient as a constituent of a washing or cleaning agent into the liquor containing the object to be cleaned or the is contacted with this. Further objects of the invention are therefore detergents or cleaners containing microfibrillar cellulose.

The use according to the invention in the context of a laundry aftertreatment process can be carried out in such a way that the soil release agent of the rinse liquor is added separately, which is used after the wash cycle, in particular using a bleach-containing detergent, or as a constituent of the laundry aftertreatment agent, especially a softener, brings. Also described is a laundry aftertreatment, especially a fabric softener containing microfibrillar cellulose. In this aspect of the invention, the laundry detergent used before the laundry aftertreatment agent may also contain an active ingredient to be used according to the invention, but may also be free of it.
The washing or cleaning process is preferably carried out at a temperature of 15 ° C to 60 ° C, more preferably at a temperature of 20 ° C to 40 ° C. The washing or cleaning process is further preferably carried out at a pH of 6 to 11, more preferably at a pH of 7.5 to 9.5.
Agents containing an active ingredient to be used according to the invention in the form of microfibrillar cellulose or used together or used in a corresponding process, may contain all conventional other ingredients of such agents, which do not interact undesirably with the active ingredient essential to the invention, in particular surfactant. Preferably, the above-defined active ingredient in amounts of 0.01 wt .-% to 10 wt .-%, particularly preferably from 0.05 wt .-% to 4 wt .-% and in particular from 0.2 wt .-% to 1 wt .-%, these and the following amounts are based on the total agent, unless otherwise stated.
Surprisingly, it has been found that the active ingredient used according to the invention has a positive effect on the action of certain other detergent ingredients and, conversely, that the effect of the soil-release agent is additionally enhanced by certain other detergent ingredients. These effects occur in particular with bleaching agents, with enzymatic active substances, in particular proteases and lipases, with water-soluble inorganic and / or organic builders, in particular based on oxidized carbohydrates or polymeric polycarboxylates, with synthetic anionic surfactants of the sulphate and sulphonate type, and with color transfer inhibitors, for example vinylpyrrolidone , Vinylpyridin- or vinylimidazole polymers or copolymers or corresponding Polybetainen on, which is why the use of at least one of said further ingredients together with the invention to be used drug is preferred.
An agent which contains an active substance to be used according to the invention or is used together or is used in the process according to the invention preferably contains peroxygen-based bleaching agents, in particular in amounts ranging from 5% by weight to 70% by weight, and optionally Bleach activator, especially in amounts ranging from 2% to 10% by weight, may however also be free of bleach and bleach activator in another preferred embodiment. The eligible ones Bleaching agents are preferably the peroxygen compounds generally used in detergents, such as percarboxylic acids, for example dodecanedioic acid or phthaloylaminoperoxicaproic acid, hydrogen peroxide, alkali metal perborate, which may be present as tetra- or monohydrate, percarbonate, perpyrophosphate and persilicate, which are generally present as alkali metal salts, in particular as sodium salts , Such bleaching agents are in detergents containing an active ingredient according to the invention, preferably in amounts of up to 25 wt .-%, in particular up to 15 wt .-% and particularly preferably from 5 wt .-% to 15 wt .-%, each based on total agent, present, in particular percarbonate is used. The optionally present component of the bleach activators comprises the commonly used N- or O-acyl compounds, for example polyacylated alkylenediamines, in particular tetraacetylethylenediamine, acylated glycolurils, in particular tetraacetylglycoluril, N-acylated hydantoins, hydrazides, triazoles, urazoles, diketopiperazines, sulphurylamides and cyanurates, and also carboxylic anhydrides , in particular phthalic anhydride, carboxylic acid esters, in particular sodium isononanoyl-phenolsulfonate, and acylated sugar derivatives, in particular pentaacetylglucose, as well as cationic nitrile derivatives such as trimethylammoniumacetonitrile salts. The bleach activators may have been coated or granulated in known manner with coating substances in order to avoid the interaction with the per compounds, granulated tetraacetylethylenediamine having a weight-average particle size of 0.01 mm to 0.8 mm, granulated 1.5% by means of carboxymethylcellulose. Diacetyl-2,4-dioxohexahydro-1,3,5-triazine, and / or formulated in particulate trialkylammonium acetonitrile is particularly preferred. Such bleach activators are preferably contained in detergents in amounts of up to 8% by weight, in particular from 2% by weight to 6% by weight, based in each case on the total agent.

In a preferred embodiment, an agent used according to the invention comprises nonionic surfactant selected from fatty alkyl polyglycosides, fatty alkyl polyalkoxylates, in particular ethoxylates and / or propoxylates, fatty acid polyhydroxyamides and / or ethoxylation and / or propoxylation products of fatty alkylamines, vicinal diols, fatty acid alkyl esters and / or fatty acid amides and the like Mixtures, in particular in an amount in the range of 2% by weight to 25% by weight.
Another embodiment of such agents comprises the presence of sulfate and / or sulfonate synthetic anionic surfactant, in particular fatty alkyl sulfate, fatty alkyl ether sulfate, sulfo fatty acid ester and / or sulfo fatty acid salt, in particular in an amount in the range from 2% to 25% by weight. The anionic surfactant is preferably selected from the alkyl or alkenyl sulfates and / or the alkyl or alkenyl ether sulfates in which the alkyl or alkenyl group has 8 to 22, in particular 12 to 18, carbon atoms. These are usually not to individual substances, but to cuts or mixtures. Of these, preference is given to those whose content of compounds having longer-chain radicals in the range from 16 to 18 carbon atoms is more than 20% by weight.

Suitable nonionic surfactants include the alkoxylates, in particular the ethoxylates and / or propoxylates of saturated or mono- to polyunsaturated linear or branched-chain alcohols having 10 to 22 C atoms, preferably 12 to 18 C atoms. The degree of alkoxylation of the alcohols is generally between 1 and 20, preferably between 3 and 10. They can be prepared in a known manner by reacting the corresponding alcohols with the corresponding alkylene oxides. Particularly suitable are the derivatives of fatty alcohols, although their branched-chain isomers, in particular so-called oxo alcohols, can be used for the preparation of usable alkoxylates. Useful are accordingly the alkoxylates, in particular the ethoxylates, primary alcohols with linear, in particular dodecyl, tetradecyl, hexadecyl or octadecyl radicals and mixtures thereof. In addition, suitable alkoxylation products of alkylamines, vicinal diols and carboxamides, which correspond to the said alcohols with respect to the alkyl part, usable. In addition, the ethylene oxide and / or propylene oxide insertion products of fatty acid alkyl esters and Fettsäurepolyhydroxyamide into consideration. So-called alkylpolyglycosides which are suitable for incorporation in the compositions according to the invention are compounds of the general formula (G) _n -OR ¹² , in which R ^{12 is} an alkyl or alkenyl radical having 8 to 22 C atoms, G is a glycose unit and n is a number between 1 and 10 mean. The glycoside component (G) _n are oligomers or polymers of naturally occurring aldose or ketose monomers, in particular glucose, mannose, fructose, galactose, talose, gulose, altrose, allose, idose, ribose, arabinose, Include xylose and lyxose. The oligomers consisting of such glycosidically linked monomers are characterized not only by the nature of the sugars contained in them by their number, the so-called Oligomerisierungsgrad. The degree of oligomerization n assumes as the value to be determined analytically generally broken numerical values; it is between 1 and 10, with the glycosides preferably used below a value of 1.5, in particular between 1.2 and 1.4. Preferred monomer building block is glucose because of its good availability. The alkyl or alkenyl moiety R ^{12 of} the glycosides preferably also originates from readily available derivatives of renewable raw materials, in particular from fatty alcohols, although their branched-chain isomers, in particular so-called oxoalcohols, can also be used for the preparation of useful glycosides. Accordingly, the primary alcohols having linear octyl, decyl, dodecyl, tetradecyl, hexadecyl or octadecyl radicals and mixtures thereof are particularly suitable. Particularly preferred alkyl glycosides contain a Kokosfettalkylrest, that is, mixtures having substantially R ¹² = dodecyl and R ¹² = tetradecyl.

Nonionic surfactant is used in compositions which comprise a soil-release agent used according to the invention are used according to the invention, preferably in amounts of from 1 wt .-% to 30 wt .-%, in particular from 1 wt .-% to 25 wt .-% , with amounts in the upper part of this range being more likely to be found in liquid detergents and particulate detergents preferably containing rather lower amounts of up to 5% by weight.
The agents may instead or additionally contain other surfactants, preferably synthetic anionic surfactants of the sulfate or sulfonate type, such as, for example, alkylbenzenesulfonates, in amounts of preferably not more than 20% by weight, in particular from 0.1% by weight to 18% by weight. %, in each case based on total resources. Suitable synthetic anionic surfactants which are particularly suitable for use in such compositions are the alkyl and / or alkenyl sulfates having 8 to 22 C atoms which carry an alkali, ammonium or alkyl or hydroxyalkyl-substituted ammonium ion as counter cation. Preference is given to the derivatives of the fatty alcohols having in particular 12 to 18 carbon atoms and their branched-chain analogs, the so-called oxo alcohols. The alkyl and alkenyl sulfates can be prepared in a known manner by reaction of the corresponding alcohol component with a conventional sulfating reagent, in particular sulfur trioxide or chlorosulfonic acid, and subsequent neutralization with alkali metal, ammonium or alkyl or hydroxyalkyl-substituted ammonium bases. Sulfur-type surfactants which can be used also include the sulfated alkoxylation products of the alcohols mentioned, known as ether sulfates. Such ether sulfates preferably contain from 2 to 30, in particular from 4 to 10, ethylene glycol groups per molecule. Suitable anionic surfactants of the sulfonate type include the α-sulfoesters obtainable by reaction of fatty acid esters with sulfur trioxide and subsequent neutralization, in particular those of fatty acids having 8 to 22 C atoms, preferably 12 to 18 C atoms, and linear alcohols having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 4 carbon atoms, derivative sulfonation, as well as the formal saponification resulting from these sulfo fatty acids.
Other optional surface-active ingredients are soaps, suitable being saturated fatty acid soaps, such as the salts of lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid or stearic acid, and soaps derived from natural fatty acid mixtures, for example coconut, palm kernel or tallow fatty acids. In particular, those soap mixtures are preferred which are composed of 50% to 100% by weight of saturated C ₁₂ -C ₁₈ fatty acid soaps and up to 50% by weight of oleic acid soap. Preferably, soap is included in amounts of from 0.1% to 5% by weight. However, especially in liquid compositions containing a polymer used according to the invention, higher amounts of soap, as a rule up to 20% by weight, can also be present.

If desired, the compositions may also contain betaines and / or cationic surfactants, which, if present, are preferably used in amounts of from 0.5% by weight to 7% by weight. Among them, the esterquats discussed below are particularly preferred.

In a further embodiment, the composition contains water-soluble and / or water-insoluble builder, in particular selected from alkali metal aluminosilicate, crystalline alkali metal silicate with modulus above 1, monomeric polycarboxylate, polymeric polycarboxylate and mixtures thereof, in particular in amounts ranging from 2.5 wt .-% to 60 wt .-%.

The agent preferably contains from 20% to 55% by weight of water-soluble and / or water-insoluble, organic and / or inorganic builders. The water-soluble organic builder substances include, in particular, those from the class of polycarboxylic acids, in particular citric acid and sugar acids, as well as the polymeric (poly) carboxylic acids, in particular the polycarboxylates obtainable by oxidation of polysaccharides, polymeric acrylic acids, methacrylic acids, maleic acids and mixed polymers thereof, which also small amounts of polymerizable substances without carboxylic acid functionality may contain polymerized. The relative molecular mass of the homopolymers of unsaturated carboxylic acids is generally between 5000 g / mol and 200,000 g / mol, of the copolymers between 2000 g / mol and 200,000 g / mol, preferably 50,000 g / mol to 120,000 g / mol, based on the free acid , A particularly preferred acrylic acid-maleic acid copolymer has a molecular weight of 50,000 g / mol to 100,000 g / mol. Suitable, although less preferred, compounds of this class are copolymers of acrylic or methacrylic acid with vinyl ethers, such as vinylmethyl ethers, vinyl esters, ethylene, propylene and styrene, in which the acid content is at least 50% by weight. It is also possible to use as water-soluble organic builder substances terpolymers which contain two carboxylic acids and / or salts thereof as monomers and vinyl alcohol and / or a vinyl alcohol derivative or a carbohydrate as the third monomer. The first acidic monomer or its salt is derived from a monoethylenically unsaturated C ₃ -C ₈ -carboxylic acid and preferably from a C ₃ -C ₄ -monocarboxylic acid, in particular from (meth) acrylic acid. The second acidic monomer or its salt can be a derivative of a C ₄ -C ₈ -dicarboxylic acid, with maleic acid being particularly preferred. The third monomeric unit is formed in this case of vinyl alcohol and / or preferably an esterified vinyl alcohol. In particular, preferred are vinyl alcohol derivatives which are an ester of short-chain carboxylic acids, for example C ₁ -C ₄ carboxylic acids, with vinyl alcohol. Preferred terpolymers contain 60 wt .-% to 95 wt .-%, in particular 70 wt .-% to 90 wt .-% of (meth) acrylic acid or (meth) acrylate, particularly preferably acrylic acid or acrylate, and maleic acid or Maleinate and 5 wt .-% to 40 wt .-%, preferably 10 wt .-% to 30 wt .-% of vinyl alcohol and / or vinyl acetate. Very particularly preferred are terpolymers in which the weight ratio of (meth) acrylic acid or (meth) acrylate to maleic acid or maleate is between 1: 1 and 4: 1, preferably between 2: 1 and 3: 1 and in particular 2: 1 and 2.5: 1. Both the amounts and the weight ratios are based on the acids. The second acidic monomer or its salt can also be a derivative of an allylsulfonic acid which is in the 2-position with an alkyl radical, preferably with a C ₁ -C ₄ -alkyl radical, or an aromatic radical which is preferably derived from benzene or benzene derivatives , is substituted. Preferred terpolymers contain from 40% by weight to 60% by weight, in particular from 45 to 55% by weight, of (meth) acrylic acid or (meth) acrylate, particularly preferably acrylic acid or acrylate, from 10% by weight to 30% by weight. %, preferably 15 wt .-% to 25 wt .-% methallylsulfonic acid or Methallylsulfonat and as the third monomer 15 wt .-% to 40 wt .-%, preferably 20 wt .-% to 40 wt .-% of a carbohydrate. This carbohydrate may be, for example, a mono-, di-, oligo- or polysaccharide, mono-, di- or oligosaccharides being preferred, sucrose being particularly preferred. The use of the third monomer presumably incorporates predetermined breaking points in the polymer which are responsible for the good biodegradability of the polymer. These terpolymers generally have a molecular weight between 1000 g / mol and 200000 g / mol, preferably between 3000 g / mol and 10000 g / mol. They can be used, in particular for the preparation of liquid agents, in the form of aqueous solutions, preferably in the form of 30 to 50 percent by weight aqueous solutions. All the polycarboxylic acids mentioned are generally used in the form of their water-soluble salts, in particular their alkali metal salts.

Such organic builder substances are preferably present in amounts of up to 40% by weight, in particular up to 25% by weight and particularly preferably from 1% by weight to 5% by weight. Quantities close to the stated upper limit are preferably used in pasty or liquid, in particular hydrous, agents.

Crystalline or amorphous alkali metal aluminosilicates, in amounts of up to 50% by weight, preferably not more than 40% by weight, and in liquid agents, in particular from 1% by weight to 5% by weight, are particularly suitable as water-insoluble, water-dispersible inorganic builder materials. used. Among these, the detergent-grade crystalline aluminosilicates, especially zeolite NaA and optionally NaX, are preferred. Amounts near the above upper limit are preferably used in solid, particulate agents. In particular, suitable aluminosilicates have no particles with a particle size greater than 30 mm and preferably consist of at least 80% by weight of particles having a size of less than 10 mm. Their calcium binding capacity, according to the information of the German Patent DE 24 12 837 can be determined ranges from 100 to 200 mg CaO per gram. Suitable substitutes or partial substitutes for the said aluminosilicate are crystalline alkali silicates which may be present alone or in a mixture with amorphous silicates. The alkali silicates useful as builders in the compositions preferably have a molar ratio of alkali oxide to SiO ₂ below 0.95, in particular from 1: 1.1 to 1:12, and may be amorphous or crystalline. Preferred alkali metal silicates are the sodium silicates, in particular the amorphous sodium silicates, with a molar ratio of Na ₂ O: SiO ₂ of 1: 2 to 1: 2.8. Such amorphous alkali silicates are commercially available, for example, under the name Portil®. They are preferably added in the course of the production as a solid and not in the form of a solution. The crystalline silicates which may be present alone or in admixture with amorphous silicates, are crystalline layer silicates with the general formula Na ₂ Si _x O _{2x + 1} · are used yH ₂ O, in which x, the so-called module, a number from 1.9 to 4 and y is a number from 0 to 20 and preferred values for x are 2, 3 or 4. Preferred crystalline phyllosilicates are those in which x in the abovementioned general formula assumes the values 2 or 3. In particular, both β- and δ-sodium disilicates (Na ₂ Si ₂ O ₅ .yH ₂ O) are preferred. Also prepared from amorphous alkali metal silicates, practically anhydrous crystalline alkali silicates of the above general formula in which x is a number from 1.9 to 2.1, can be used in agents which contain an active ingredient to be used according to the invention. In a further preferred embodiment of the composition according to the invention, a crystalline sodium layer silicate with a modulus of 2 to 3 is used, as can be prepared from sand and soda. Crystalline sodium silicates with a modulus in the range from 1.9 to 3.5 are used in a further preferred embodiment of detergents containing an active ingredient used according to the invention. Their content of alkali metal silicates is preferably 1 wt .-% to 50 wt .-% and in particular 5 wt .-% to 35 wt .-%, based on anhydrous active substance. If alkali metal aluminosilicate, in particular zeolite, is present as an additional builder substance, the content of alkali silicate is preferably 1% by weight to 15% by weight and in particular 2% by weight to 8% by weight, based on anhydrous active substance. The weight ratio of aluminosilicate to silicate, in each case based on anhydrous active substances, is then preferably 4: 1 to 10: 1. In agents containing both amorphous and crystalline alkali metal silicates, the weight ratio of amorphous alkali metal silicate to crystalline alkali metal silicate is preferably 1: 2 to 2: 1 and especially 1: 1 to 2: 1. In addition to the said inorganic builder, other water-soluble or water-insoluble inorganic substances may be contained in the agents containing an active ingredient to be used in the present invention. Suitable in this context are the alkali metal carbonates, alkali metal bicarbonates and alkali metal sulfates and mixtures thereof. Such additional inorganic material may be present in amounts up to 70% by weight.
In addition, the agents may contain other ingredients customary in detergents and cleaners. These optional ingredients include, in particular, enzymes, enzyme stabilizers, complexing agents for heavy metals, for example aminopolycarboxylic acids, aminohydroxypolycarboxylic acids, Polyphosphonic acids and / or aminopolyphosphonic acids, foam inhibitors, for example organopolysiloxanes or paraffins, solvents and optical brighteners, for example stilbene disulfonic acid derivatives. Preferably, in agents which contain an active substance used according to the invention, up to 1% by weight, in particular 0.01% by weight to 0.5% by weight, of optical brighteners, in particular compounds from the class of the substituted 4,4 ' -Bis (2,4,6-triamino-s-triazinyl) -stilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acids, up to 5 wt .-%, in particular 0.1 wt .-% to 2 wt .-% complexing agent for Heavy metals, in particular Aminoalkylenphosphonsäuren and their salts and up to 2 wt .-%, in particular 0.1 wt .-% to 1 wt .-% foam inhibitors, wherein said weight fractions refer to the total agent.

Solvents which can be used in particular for liquid agents are, in addition to water, preferably those which are water-miscible. These include the lower alcohols, for example, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, and the isomeric butanols, glycerol, lower glycols, such as ethylene and propylene glycol, and the derivable from said classes of compounds ether. In such liquid agents, the active compounds used in the invention are usually dissolved or in suspended form.

Optionally present enzymes are preferably selected from the group comprising protease, amylase, lipase, cellulase, hemicellulase, oxidase, peroxidase or mixtures thereof. First and foremost, proteases derived from microorganisms, such as bacteria or fungi, come into question. It can be obtained in a known manner by fermentation processes from suitable microorganisms. Proteases are commercially available, for example, under the names BLAP®, Savinase®, Esperase®, Maxatase®, Optimase®, Alcalase®, Durazym® or Maxapem®. The lipase which can be used can be obtained, for example, from Humicola lanuginosa, from Bacillus species, from Pseudomonas species, from Fusarium species, from Rhizopus species or from Aspergillus species. Suitable lipases are commercially available, for example, under the names Lipolase®, Lipozym®, Lipomax®, Lipex®, Amano® lipase, Toyo-Jozo® lipase, Meito® lipase and Diosynth® lipase. Suitable amylases are commercially available, for example, under the names Maxamyl®, Termamyl®, Duramyl® and Purafect® OxAm. The usable cellulase may be a recoverable from bacteria or fungi enzyme, which has a pH optimum, preferably in the weakly acidic to slightly alkaline range of 6 to 9.5. Such cellulases are commercially available under the names Celluzyme®, Carezyme® and Ecostone®.

The customary enzyme stabilizers present, in particular in liquid agents, include amino alcohols, for example mono-, di-, triethanol- and -propanolamine and mixtures thereof, lower carboxylic acids, boric acid or alkali borates, boric acid-carboxylic acid combinations, Boric acid esters, boronic acid derivatives, calcium salts, for example, Ca-formic acid combination, magnesium salts, and / or sulfur-containing reducing agents.
Suitable foam inhibitors include long-chain soaps, especially behenic soap, fatty acid amides, paraffins, waxes, microcrystalline waxes, organopolysiloxanes and mixtures thereof, which moreover can contain microfine, optionally silanated or otherwise hydrophobicized silica. For use in particulate agents, such foam inhibitors are preferably bound to granular, water-soluble carrier substances.
In a preferred embodiment, an agent to which the active ingredient to be used according to the invention is incorporated is particulate and contains up to 25% by weight, in particular from 5% by weight to 20% by weight, of bleaching agent, in particular alkali percarbonate, up to 15% by weight. %, in particular from 1% by weight to 10% by weight of bleach activator, from 20% by weight to 55% by weight of inorganic builder, up to 10% by weight, in particular from 2% by weight to 8% by weight % water-soluble organic builder, 10 wt.% to 25 wt.% of synthetic anionic surfactant, 1 wt.% to 5 wt.% of nonionic surfactant and up to 25 wt.%, in particular 0.1 wt 25 wt .-% of inorganic salts, in particular alkali carbonate and / or bicarbonate.
In a further preferred embodiment, an agent in which the active ingredient to be used according to the invention is incorporated is liquid and contains from 1% by weight to 25% by weight, in particular from 5% by weight to 15% by weight, of nonionic surfactant, up to 10 wt .-%, in particular 0.5 wt .-% to 8 wt .-% of synthetic anionic surfactant, 3 wt .-% to 15 wt .-%, in particular 5 wt .-% to 10 wt .-% soap, 0 , 5 wt .-% to 5 wt .-%, in particular 1 wt .-% to 4 wt .-% organic builder, especially polycarboxylate such as citrate, up to 1.5 wt .-%, in particular 0.1 wt. % to 1 wt .-% complexing agent for heavy metals, such as phosphonate, and in addition to optionally contained enzyme, enzyme stabilizer, color and / or fragrance water and / or water-miscible solvent.
It is also possible to use a combination of a soil release agent rich in the invention with a soil release polymer of a dicarboxylic acid and an optionally polymeric diol to enhance the cleaning performance of detergents in the washing of textiles. Also in the context of the means and the method, such combinations with a particular polyester-active soil release wealthy polymer are possible.
The well-known polyester-active soil release polymers which can be used in addition to the active substances essential to the invention include copolyesters of dicarboxylic acids, for example, adipic acid, phthalic acid or terephthalic acid, diols, for example ethylene glycol or propylene glycol, and polydiols, for example polyethylene glycol or polypropylene glycol. Preferred soil release polymers include those compounds which are formally accessible by esterification of two monomeric moieties, wherein the first monomer is a dicarboxylic acid HOOC-Ph-COOH and the second monomer is a diol HO- (CHR ¹¹ -) _a OH, also known as polymeric Diol H- (O- (CHR ¹¹ -) _a ) _b OH may be present. Therein, Ph is an o-, m- or p-phenylene radical which can carry 1 to 4 substituents selected from alkyl radicals having 1 to 22 C atoms, sulfonic acid groups, carboxyl groups and mixtures thereof, R ¹¹ denotes hydrogen, an alkyl radical having 1 to 22 C atoms and mixtures thereof, a is a number from 2 to 6 and b is a number from 1 to 300. Preferably, in the polyesters obtainable from these, both monomer diol units -O- (CHR ¹¹ -) _a O- and also polymeric diol units - ( O- (CHR ¹¹ -) _a ) _b O-. The molar ratio of monomer diol units to polymer diol units is preferably 100: 1 to 1: 100, in particular 10: 1 to 1:10. In the polymer diol units, the degree of polymerization b is preferably in the range from 4 to 200, in particular from 12 to 140. The molecular weight or the average molecular weight or the maximum of the molecular weight distribution of preferred soil release polymers is in the range from 250 g / mol to 100,000 g / mol. in particular from 500 g / mol to 50,000 g / mol. The acid underlying the remainder Ph is preferably selected from terephthalic acid, isophthalic acid, phthalic acid, trimellitic acid, mellitic acid, the isomers of sulfophthalic acid, sulfoisophthalic acid and sulfoterephthalic acid and mixtures thereof. If their acid groups are not part of the ester bonds in the polymer, they are preferably in salt form, in particular as alkali or ammonium salt. Among these, the sodium and potassium salts are particularly preferable. If desired, in place of the monomer HOOC-Ph-COOH small proportions, in particular not more than 10 mol% based on the proportion of Ph having the meaning given above, of other acids having at least two carboxyl groups may be included in the soil release-capable polyester. These include, for example, alkylene and alkenylene dicarboxylic acids such as malonic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid, pimelic acid, suberic acid, azelaic acid and sebacic acid. The preferred diols HO- (CHR ¹¹ -) _a OH include those in which R ^{11 is} hydrogen and a is a number from 2 to 6, and those in which a is 2 and R ¹¹ is hydrogen and the alkyl radicals 1 to 10, in particular 1 to 3 C-atoms is selected. Among the latter diols, those of the formula HO-CH ₂ -CHR ¹¹ -OH in which R ^{11 has} the abovementioned meaning are particularly preferred. Examples of diol components are ethylene glycol, 1,2-propylene glycol, 1,3-propylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 1,8-octanediol, 1,2-decanediol, 1, 2-dodecanediol and neopentyl glycol. Particularly preferred among the polymeric diols is polyethylene glycol having an average molecular weight in the range from 1000 g / mol to 6000 g / mol.

If desired, these polyesters as described above may also be end-capped, alkyl groups having from 1 to 22 carbon atoms and esters of monocarboxylic acids being suitable as end groups. The ester groups bound by end groups alkyl, alkenyl and Arylmonocarbonsäuren with 5 to 32 carbon atoms, in particular 5 to 18 carbon atoms, based. These include valeric acid, caproic acid, enanthic acid, caprylic acid, pelargonic acid, capric acid, undecanoic acid, undecenoic acid, lauric acid, lauroleinic acid, tridecanoic acid, myristic acid, myristoleic acid, pentadecanoic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, petroselinic acid, petroselaidic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolaidic acid, linolenic acid, levostearic acid, arachidic acid , Gadoleic acid, arachidonic acid, behenic acid, erucic acid, brassidic acid, clupanodonic acid, lignoceric acid, cerotic acid, melissic acid, benzoic acid, which may carry 1 to 5 substituents having a total of up to 25 carbon atoms, in particular 1 to 12 carbon atoms, for example tert-butylbenzoic acid , The end groups may also be based on hydroxymonocarboxylic acids having 5 to 22 carbon atoms, which include, for example, hydroxyvaleric acid, hydroxycaproic acid, ricinoleic acid, their hydrogenation product hydroxystearic acid, and o-, m- and p-hydroxybenzoic acid. The hydroxymonocarboxylic acids may in turn be linked to one another via their hydroxyl group and their carboxyl group and thus be present several times in an end group. Preferably, the number of hydroxymonocarboxylic acid units per end group, that is to say their degree of oligomerization, is in the range from 1 to 50, in particular from 1 to 10. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, polymers of ethylene terephthalate and polyethylene oxide terephthalate in which the polyethylene glycol units have molecular weights of 750 to 5000 and the molar ratio of ethylene terephthalate to polyethylene oxide terephthalate is 50:50 to 90:10, used in combination with a combination with an essential ingredient of the invention.

The polyester-active soil release polymers are preferably water-soluble, the term "water-soluble" being understood to mean a solubility of at least 0.01 g, preferably at least 0.1 g, of the polymer per liter of water at room temperature and pH 8. However, preferred polymers have a solubility of at least 1 g per liter, in particular at least 10 g per liter, under these conditions.

Preferred laundry aftertreatment compositions which comprise an active substance to be used according to the invention have, as a laundry softening active ingredient, a so-called esterquat, that is to say a quaternized ester of carboxylic acid and aminoalcohol. These are known substances which can be obtained by the relevant methods of preparative organic chemistry, for example by partially esterifying triethanolamine in the presence of hypophosphorous acid with fatty acids, passing air through and then quaternizing with dimethyl sulfate or ethylene oxide. The production of solid esterquats is known in which the Quaternization of triethanolamine esters in the presence of suitable dispersants, preferably fatty alcohols.

Ester quats preferred in the compositions are quaternized fatty acid triethanolamine ester salts which follow formula (IV),

in the R ¹ CO for an acyl radical having 6 to 22 carbon atoms, R ² and R ^{3 are} independently hydrogen or R ¹ CO, R ^{4 is} an alkyl radical having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a (CH ₂ CH ₂ O) _q H Groups m, n and p in total are 0 or numbers from 1 to 12, q is numbers from 1 to 12 and X is a charge-balancing anion such as halide, alkyl sulfate or alkyl phosphate. Typical examples of esterquats which can be used in the context of the invention are products based on caproic acid, caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, isostearic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, elaidic acid, arachidic acid, behenic acid and erucic acid and their technical mixtures, such as They occur, for example, in the pressure splitting of natural fats and oils. Preferably, technical C _12/18 coconut _fatty acids and, in particular, partially hydrogenated C _16/18 tallow or palm oil fatty acids and also elaidic acid-rich C _16/18 fatty acid cuts are used. To prepare the quaternized esters, the fatty acids and the triethanolamine can generally be used in a molar ratio of 1.1: 1 to 3: 1. In view of the performance properties of the esterquats, an employment ratio of 1.2: 1 to 2.2: 1, preferably 1.5: 1 to 1.9: 1 has proven to be particularly advantageous. The preferred esterquats used are technical mixtures of mono-, di- and triesters having an average degree of esterification of 1.5 to 1.9 and are derived from technical C _16/18 tallow or palm oil fatty acid (iodine number 0 to 40) , Quaternized fatty acid triethanolamine ester salts of the formula (IV) in which R ^{1 is} CO for an acyl radical having 16 to 18 carbon atoms, R ^{2 is} R ¹ CO, R ^{3 is} hydrogen, R ^{4 is} a methyl group, m, n and p is 0 and X is Methyl sulfate is, have proven to be particularly advantageous.

in der R¹CO für einen Acylrest mit 6 bis 22 Kohlenstoffatomen, R² für Wasserstoff oder R¹CO, R⁴ und R⁵ unabhängig voneinander für Alkylreste mit 1 bis 4 Kohlenstoffatomen, m und n in Summe für 0 oder Zahlen von 1 bis 12 und X für ein ladungsausgleichendes Anion wie Halogenid, Alkylsulfat oder Alkylphosphat steht.In addition to the quaternized carboxylic acid triethanolamine ester salts, suitable esterquats are quaternized ester salts of carboxylic acids with diethanolalkylamines of the formula (V),

in the R ¹ CO for an acyl radical having 6 to 22 carbon atoms, R ^{2 is} hydrogen or R ¹ CO, R ⁴ and R ^{5 are} independently alkyl radicals having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, m and n in total for 0 or numbers from 1 to 12 and X is a charge-balancing anion such as halide, alkyl sulfate or alkyl phosphate.

in der R¹CO für einen Acylrest mit 6 bis 22 Kohlenstoffatomen, R² für Wasserstoff oder R¹CO, R⁴, R⁶ und R⁷ unabhängig voneinander für Alkylreste mit 1 bis 4 Kohlenstoffatomen, m und n in Summe für 0 oder Zahlen von 1 bis 12 und X für ein ladungsausgleichendes Anion wie Halogenid, Alkylsulfat oder Alkylphosphat steht.Finally, the quaternized ester salts of carboxylic acids with 1,2-dihydroxypropyldialkylamines of the formula (VI) should be mentioned as a further group of suitable esterquats.

in the R ¹ CO for an acyl radical having 6 to 22 carbon atoms, R ^{2 is} hydrogen or R ¹ CO, R ⁴ , R ⁶ and R ^{7 are} independently alkyl radicals having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, m and n in total for 0 or numbers from 1 to 12 and X is a charge-balancing anion such as halide, alkyl sulfate or alkyl phosphate.

With regard to the selection of the preferred fatty acids and the optimum degree of esterification, the exemplary data given for (IV) apply mutatis mutandis to the esterquats of the formulas (V) and (VI). Usually, the esterquats are marketed in the form of 50 to 90 weight percent alcoholic solutions, which can also be easily diluted with water, with ethanol, propanol and isopropanol being the usual alcoholic solvents.

Esterquats are preferably used in amounts of 5% by weight to 25% by weight, in particular 8% by weight to 20% by weight, in each case based on the total laundry aftertreatment agent. If desired, the laundry aftertreatment agents used in the present invention may additionally contain detergent ingredients listed above unless they interact unreasonably with the esterquat. It is preferably a liquid, water-containing agent.

Examples

A detergent composition V containing Fettalkoholpolyethylenoxid 7.0% by weight Fatty acid from coconut oil 9.4% by weight boric acid 3.7% by weight citric acid 2.1% by weight propylene glycol 6.0% by weight Na-diethylenetriamine 0.2% by weight NaOH 3.1% by weight protease 0.7% by weight amylase 0.1% by weight water Remainder to 100% by weight and an otherwise identically composed detergent composition M containing 0.059 wt% microfibrillar cellulose to reduce the water content was used. Clean cotton textiles were made under the following conditions Washer: Miele W 918 Novotronic® Wash program: Leaching procedure standard program Washing temperature: 40 ° C Fleet size: 17 I Water hardness: 16 ° dH filling laundry: 3.5kg clean linen including test textiles (pillows, jersey, tableware, barley grain towels) each washed with 75 g of one of the aforementioned detergent compositions. After the third wash, the textiles were stained with engine oil. The intensity of the soiling was recorded with a Minolta CR 200 camera, then the soiled test textiles were allowed to stand at room temperature for 7 days. Then they were washed again under the conditions mentioned above, then allowed to dry and again determined the intensity values of soiling with the camera Minolta CR 200.

The following table shows the differences in the intensity values (Y) obtained before and after washing the soiled textiles. The greater the value, the stronger lightening achieved by the active ingredient according to the invention. The results are mean values from in each case 5 washing tests carried out in parallel. Table 1: Wash results medium intensity difference V 39 M 50

The results show that by adding the microfibrillar cellulose to the detergent composition, an increase in fat dissolving power was achieved with respect to the engine oil.

Claims (6)

1. Use of microfibrillar cellulose to enhance the cleaning performance of washing agents during the washing of textiles and of cleaning agents during the cleaning of hard surfaces.
2. Use of microfibrillar cellulose to form a protective layer on textile fabrics.
3. The use according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the microfibrillar cellulose has a diameter of 20 nm to 600 nm, in particular 100 nm to 200 nm.
4. The use according to claim 3, characterized in that the microfibrillar cellulose has a number average length of 50 µm to 500 µm, in particular 80 µm to 200 µm.
5. The use according to claim 3, characterized in that the microfibrillar cellulose has a length of 1 µm to 20 µm, in particular 3 µm to 5 µm.
6. The use according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the agents contain microfibrillar cellulose in quantities of 0.01 wt.% to 10 wt.%, in particular of 0.05 wt.% to 4 wt.%.