ES352951A1 - Particulate detergents - Google Patents

Abstract

A detergent composition consists essentially of a blend of (1) hollow spray-dried detergent beads and (2) detergent particles of substantially uniform pock-marked spongeous structure containing spheroidal voids and formed of irregularly shaped coherent aggregates of amorphous and crystalline material including unorientated crystalline platelets. In a preferred form of the invention, the beads and the spongeous particles consist essentially of 2-65% water-soluble synthetic organic detergent and 10-75% inorganic builder salt and the blend consists of 90-99% beads and 1-10% spongeous particles made in a darker contrasting colour. Specified anionic detergents which may be employed are alkyl (or hydroxyalkyl + alkenyl) sulphonates, alkyl benzene sulphonates, alkyl and ethoxylated alkyl sulphates and sodium soaps of a mixture of tallow and coconut fatty acids. Specified non-ionic detergents (which may be used in addition to or instead of the anionic detergents) are ethylene oxide condensates with polypropylene glycol, and isooctyl phenoxy polyoxyethylene ethanol. Similarly, cationic and/or ampholytic detergents may be employed in.compatible amounts. Alkyl amine oxide detergents such as lauryl or myristyl dimethylamine oxides may also be present. The inorganic builder salt may be a neutral or alkaline sodium salt which forms a stable hydrate at room temperature and especially Form II pentasodium tripolyphosphate (which may be added direct or formed in situ by the action of an aqueous base on the trimetaphosphate). Other specified builder salts are Form I pentasodium tripolyphosphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, sodium silicate, trisodium orthophosphate, sodium sulphate, sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate. In the preparation of the spongeous particles, a slurry of the ingredients thereof may be foamed by the introduction or generation of a gas or vapour (e.g. nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide or steam) with, if desired, subjection to high shear. Thus, the gas may be generated by the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide or a per-salt such as sodium perborate. Other ingredients which may be present are colouring materials, soilsuspending colloidal materials (e.g. sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol and acidic vinyl polymers such as hydrolyzed maleic anhydride copolymers or their alkali metal salts), hydrotropes (e.g. sodium toluene or xylene sulphonate), foam boosters (e.g. a mono- or diethanolamide of a long chain fatty acid), melamine, optical brighteners, preservatives, fillers and corrosion inhibitors. Reference has been directed by the Comptroller to Specification 993,980.