ITMI20130697A1 - ECO-SUSTAINABLE DETERGENT PRODUCT BASED ON CITRIC ACID - Google Patents

Description

â € œ ECO-SUSTAINABLE DETERGENT PRODUCT BASED ON

CITRIC ACIDâ €

Description

The present invention refers to a multipurpose detergent product, in particular for washing linen, with sanitizing and anti-limescale properties.

Anti-limescale products are used in the home both for cleaning surfaces and as additives in washing linen. Descaling products are also used in the treatment cycles of household appliances such as dishwashers, kettles, irons and others.

Numerous products with an anti-limescale action are based on the use of strong acids which, in addition to being dangerous and extremely irritating for the mucous membranes, are also highly polluting for the water.

Softeners are also used for washing the laundry. The softeners on the market are products that have the purpose of rebalancing the pH of the clothes after washing following the use of alkaline detergents. However, it is known that, due to a prevalent commercial need, many detergent products are enriched with synthetic perfumed compounds which can often cause skin irritation and allergies.

Furthermore, commercial softeners are polluting both for their composition and for the high concentration in which they are used.

The detergent market has focused on the high specialization of the products even if often the use of different products is not justified as the elements to be removed (dirt) are chemically the same.

The problem faced by the present invention is therefore that of providing a composition which can be used both as a product for the treatment of surfaces and as an additive for washing linen and which is ecologically compatible, i.e. with a low environmental impact both in terms of transport (since distributed dry) and of use.

This problem is solved by means of a composition as defined in the attached claims, the content of which forms an integral part of the present description.

An object of the invention is therefore an anti-limescale composition with a sanitizing effect both for the treatment of surfaces and as an additive for washing linen.

Another object of the invention is a softening composition that can be used in washing laundry.

A further object is a solid composition, which can be reconstituted to give an aqueous solution, effective as an anti-limescale, softener and / or sanitizer and a kit that includes it.

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the description of some embodiment examples, given below by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the following figures, in which:

- figure 1 represents a side view of a container-dispenser according to the invention.

The composition according to the present invention comprises:

- citric acid,

- cellulose,

- essential oils or plant extracts.

The composition according to the invention is in solid form and can be reconstituted in an aqueous solution.

The term â € œaqueous solutionâ € means both water and a hydroalcoholic solution up to a maximum content of 20% v / v of ethyl alcohol.

In certain embodiments, the composition comprises:

- cellulose in a quantity comprised between 0.1 and 2% by weight on the total weight of the composition;

- essential oils or plant extracts in quantities ranging from 0.05 to 1% by weight, preferably not more than 0.5% by weight of the total weight of the composition,

the remainder being made up of citric acid.

Citric acid is preferably anhydrous and has the function of both acting as an anti-limescale and balancing the pH of the laundry, thus acting as a softener.

Cellulose is used as a powder and acts as a viscosifier for the composition.

The plant extracts or essential oils are used singly or in mixture and are preferably chosen from extracts or oils having antibacterial activity.

More preferably, the extracts or oils are chosen from sweet or bitter orange essential oil, lemon essential oil, extracts containing triterpenes, eucalyptus oil, sage oil and mint oil.

The composition of the invention can be prepared by simple mixing in solid form of the various components. The plant extracts and essential oils will be previously nebulized and dried or freeze-dried or otherwise treated according to conventional methods, in order to obtain them in solid form.

The composition of the invention is preferably marketed in solid form so that it can be reconstituted by the end user to give an aqueous solution. The reconstitution can take place by simply adding the solid composition to an aqueous medium in a suitable container or vice versa by adding an aqueous solution to the solid present in a container, followed by mixing or stirring.

In certain embodiments, the solution has a concentration of between 5% and 10% w / v, preferably between 7 and 8% w / v. This solution can for example be used as an anti-limescale detergent or as an anti-limescale composition for the treatment of surfaces.

The composition defined above, in the concentrations indicated, has a detergent, descaling and sanitizing activity and is therefore suitable for a series of applications.

Examples of surfaces that can be treated with such a solution are:

- domestic surfaces such as sinks, hobs and kitchen countertops in resinous, lithic or mixed material; crockery and cutlery; bathroom fixtures; the internal surfaces of refrigerators and freezers; the internal surfaces of traditional or microwave ovens and similar; floors and walls in bathrooms and kitchens, etc .;

- surfaces in commercial or industrial premises, such as counters, refrigerated compartments, shelves, etc.

In other embodiments, the solution has a concentration greater than 10% w / v, preferably between 11% and 20% w / v, more preferably between 13% and 17% w / v.

In these embodiments, the solution is particularly effective as an anti-limescale product and can be used on all the surfaces exemplified above, where it is necessary to remove larger limestone deposits. This solution can also be used for the periodic treatment of the internal surfaces of dishwashers (the so-called â € œdishwashing-careâ €).

The composition of the invention can also be used as it is in solid form. In this form, the composition can be used as an additive for washing linen, both by hand and in the washing machine, effective both as a softener and as a sanitizer. The solid form composition can also be used directly for the treatment of washing machines and dishwashers.

In this case, single doses can be prepared, for example in the form of a sachet, bag or the like. In certain embodiments said single-dose will comprise a predefined quantity of composition of the invention comprised between 5 and 10 g.

In certain embodiments, the aforesaid single-dose is contained in a container, such as for example a sachet, a bag or the like, of the type that can be disintegrated in water, so as to allow the introduction of the container as it is in the household appliance.

In other embodiments, the solid composition is contained in a box, drum or similar container, from which it can be dosed by means of a suitable dispenser.

The single doses of the solid composition of the invention can also be used for the reconstitution of the solution before the final use.

A further object of the invention is a kit that contains a plurality of single doses of the solid composition of the invention, in which each single dose preferably comprises a quantity comprised between 5 and 10 g of solid composition, and / or a plurality of single doses in which each single-dose preferably comprises a quantity between 10 and 20 gr.

The kit of the invention may further comprise a container in which the composition can be reconstituted to give an aqueous solution. This container, shown in figure 1, may include level indicators for the water to be added to the solid composition, for example a first level indicator L1 for obtaining a dilute solution (solution at 5-10% p / v as defined above) to be used as a multipurpose, and a second level indicator L2 to obtain a concentrated solution (solution with a concentration between 10 and 20% w / v) to be used as a specific anti-limescale product.

The container 1 according to the invention can also be equipped with a dispensing spout 2 which can be oriented between a vertical position and horizontal positions, so that it can also be used on surfaces that are difficult to reach.

Alternatively, the kit of the invention can comprise a first container with a vertical dispensing spout, comprising a level indicator L2 for obtaining a concentrated solution as defined above and a second container with a horizontal dispensing spout, comprising a level indicator L1 to obtain a diluted solution as defined above.

EXPERIMENTAL PART

Experimental tests were carried out to determine the effective effectiveness of the composition of the invention both in terms of limescale removal and as an antibacterial.

Limescale removal

Laboratory tests yielded the following results.

Theoretical evaluation: a solution of 100 ml of composition of the invention at 15% w / v contains 7.80 mmoles of citric acid and is able to theoretically dissolve 11.71 g of calcium carbonate.

The following table 1 is calculated for 100 ml of product and shows the theoretical values related to limescale removal at various concentrations of the composition.

Table 1

Conc. Dissolved CaCO3 acid

Citric (w / v)% (g)

7.5 5.86

10.0 7.81

15 11.72

Verification tests in the laboratory: in order to verify the stoichiometry of the chemical reaction in practice and to test the possible interaction with the calcium and magnesium carbonate present in a standard water sample, laboratory tests were performed. Three solutions with different concentrations of citric acid were used (7.5%, 10% and 15%). Increasing quantities of anhydrous calcium carbonate (1 gram at a time) were added to each of them and the times for its dissolution were monitored.

The solutions based on citric acid were prepared with spring water having the following characteristics: total hardness 32 ° F, pH 7.8 and conductivity 663 µS. The data are shown in table 2.

Table 2

CaCO3 Dissolution time (min.sec) added (g) Solution Solution Tested solution tested 7.5% 10% 15%

1 1 1 1

2 3 2.50 2.30

3 9 5.40 4.45

4 saturation 11.15 8.40

5 - 25 15.35

6 - Saturation 35 7 - - saturation

The deviations of the data obtained from the laboratory tests compared to the values calculated on a theoretical basis (reaction stoichiometry) are linked to different factors such as the presence of limestone in the water, the hydration of citric acid in the atmosphere and the physical conditions of the reaction .

Based on the data obtained, the effectiveness of the 7.5% solution is approximately 65% of its theoretical value, while for the 15% w / v solution the effectiveness is approximately 55. % of its theoretical level.

The experimental values found are optimal and more than sufficient for the descaling treatments provided by the product at all tested concentrations.

Antibacterial activity

Microbiological tests were performed to estimate the efficiency of the composition according to the invention as an antibacterial product.

Direct contamination test

The direct contamination tests included the addition of a bacterial inoculum to the three citric acid solutions at different concentrations (7.5%, 10% and 15% w / v). The bacteria tested are Escherichia coli ATCC15536, Sthaphylococcus aureus ATCC6538 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC15442. The bacteria were kept in plate with Mueller Hinton Agar medium at 37 ° C, the day before the environmental contamination test they were transferred to a liquid solution (Mueller-Hinton Broth) and grown for 24 hours at 37 ° C under stirring. The optical densities were determined for each bacterial strain by means of a spectrophotometer at a wavelength of 600 nm. In order to determine the number of bacteria actually present in the starting inoculum, 1 ml of this inoculum was included in Mueller-Hinton Agar and grown at 37 ° C. After 24 hours the credits were counted. Direct contamination tests were carried out in microtitre using 500 µl of solution and 2 ml of bacterial inoculum with an optical density of about 0.5. 2 ml of Mueller-Hinton Broth was used as a negative control. The tests were carried out in triple replicates. The microtitre were incubated at 37 ° C, after 24 hours for each replicate 1 ml of solution was included in a plate containing Mueller-Hinton Agar. This operation was carried out in order to determine the number of live bacteria actually present in the three solutions. The results obtained, expressed as CFU (mean ± standard deviation) are shown in table 3 below.

Table 3

CFU bacteria

Inoculum Solution Solution 7.5% 10% 15% Solution

E. coli 5.1 * 10 <8> ± 0 ± 0 0 ± 0 0 ± 0 0.1 * 10 <8>

P. 5.3 * 10 <8> ± 0 ± 0 0 ± 0 0 ± 0 aeruginosa 0.2 * 10 <8>

S. aureus 1.9 * 10 <8> ± 0 ± 0 0 ± 0 0 ± 0 0.3 * 10 <8>

As can be seen from the table, the composition is able to act on both gram negative and positive bacteria.

Bactericidal - bacteriostatic activity

In order to verify whether the citric acid solutions used for the treatment of the different surfaces develop bactericidal or bacteriostatic actions, tests were carried out using antiobiograms.

Tests to estimate the disinfectant capacity (bactericidal and bacteriostatic) of the solutions of the invention were performed on the following bacterial strains: Escherichia coli ATCC15536, Sthaphylococcus aureus ATCC6538 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC15442. The bacteria were kept in plate with Mueller Hinton Agar medium at 37 ° C, the day before the test they were transferred to a liquid solution (Mueller-Hinton Broth) and grown for 24 hours at 37 ° C under stirring. The optical densities were determined for each bacterial strain by means of a spectrophotometer at a wavelength of 600 nm. In order to determine the number of bacteria actually present in the starting inoculum, 1 ml of this inoculum was included in Mueller-Hinton Agar and grown at 37 ° C. After 24 hours the credits were counted. The antibiograms were carried out with decreasing concentrations of solutions according to the inventions between 5% and 0.46% w / v. Table 4 below shows all the values of the tested concentrations. The antibiograms were performed in microtitre using 500 µl of solution and 2 ml of bacterial inoculum with an optical density of about 0.5. A negative control (Mueller-Hinton Broth, 2 ml) and a positive control (streptomycin sulfate) were performed. The tests were carried out in triple replicates. The microtitre were incubated at 37 ° C, after 24 hours for each replicate 1 ml of solution was included in a plate containing Mueller-Hinton Agar. This operation was carried out in order to determine the number of live bacteria actually present.

Using the antibiograms it was possible to determine the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) for each bacterial strain. The results obtained, expressed as CFU (mean ± standard deviation) are shown in table 4 below.

Table 4

CFU bacteria

Inoculum Sol. Sol. Sol. Sol. Sol. Sol.

5% 2.5% 1.25% 0.93% 0.62% 0.46% E. coli 5.1 * 10 <8> ± 0 ± 0 0 ± 0 694 ± 20> 1000> 1000> 1000

0.1 * 10 <8>

P. 5.3 * 10 <8> ± 0 ± 0 0 ± 0 238 ± 27> 1000> 1000> 1000 aeruginosa 0.2 * 10 <8>

S. aureus 1.9 * 10 <8> ± 20 ± 5 17 ± 3 680 ± 26> 1000> 1000> 1000

0.3 * 10 <8>

Also for this second test the bactericidal efficacy of the product is confirmed.

Acidifying action on linen

The composition of the invention as described above has also been evaluated for its acidifying action for the laundry after washing in the washing machine. The results show that an average quantity equal to 15 g of product is sufficient to rebalance the pH of the cloths after washing. On the basis of this acidifying effect, the composition of the invention can be used as a fabric softener.

COMPOSITION EXAMPLES

Example 1 - fabric softener composition

The following components are mixed dry: citric acid anhydrous 150 g cellulose powder 0.3 g essential oil bitter orange 0.15 g freeze-dried

The solid composition thus obtained is divided into 10 sachets, each containing a dose of 15 g of citric acid.

The contents of a sachet can be loaded into the special compartment of a washing machine for use as a softener.

Example 2 - multipurpose formulation for cleaning surfaces

The following components are mixed dry: citric acid anhydrous 75 g cellulose powder 0.15 g essential oil 0.075 g freeze-dried

The solid composition thus obtained is divided into 10 sachets, each containing a dose of 7.5 g of citric acid.

The contents of a sachet can be reconstituted in a container-dispenser with water to give a 7.5% w / v solution, usable as a multi-purpose descaling / sanitizing detergent for domestic or commercial surfaces.

Example 3 - anti-limescale formulation

The following components are mixed dry: citric acid anhydrous 150 g cellulose powder 0.3 g essential oil 0.15 g freeze-dried

The solid composition thus obtained is divided into 10 sachets, each containing a dose of 15 g of citric acid.

The contents of a sachet can be reconstituted in a container-dispenser with water to give a 15% w / v solution, which can be used as an anti-limescale product for particularly dirty or encrusted surfaces.

The advantages of the invention are manifold.

First, the solid composition of the invention provides at least three products in one. In fact, i) used as it is, it acts as a softening additive for washing linen, ii) reconstituted as an aqueous solution at a low concentration it can be used as a multipurpose detergent also having a sanitizing and descaling effect, and iii) reconstituted as a concentrated aqueous solution. configures as a descaling product comparable, as far as its effect is concerned, to commercial descalers.

In addition, the composition of the invention has a low environmental impact, both because the individual components are easily degradable and have a low toxic potential, and because the package containing the product in solid form, which can be reconstituted by the user. final, it requires less energetic expenditure for its transport.

The composition of the invention is also obtainable through simple, economical and low environmental impact procedures.

It is evident that only some particular embodiments of the present invention have been described, to which the expert in the art will be able to make all the modifications necessary for its adaptation to particular applications, without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims (19)

CLAIMS L. Solid composition, reconstitutable in aqueous solution, comprising: - citric acid, - cellulose, - essential oils or plant extracts. 2. Composition according to claim 1, comprising: - cellulose in a quantity comprised between 0.1 and 2% by weight on the total weight of the composition; - essential oils or plant extracts in quantities ranging from 0.05 to 1% by weight, preferably not more than 0.5% by weight of the total weight of the composition, the remainder being made up of citric acid. 3. Composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the citric acid is in anhydrous form. 4. Composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said plant extracts or essential oils are used individually or in mixture and are selected from extracts or oils having antibacterial activity. 5. Composition according to claim 4, wherein said plant extracts or essential oils are selected from sweet or bitter orange essential oil, lemon essential oil, extracts containing triterpenes, eucalyptus oil, sage oil and mint oil. 6. Aqueous solution comprising the composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said solution has a concentration of between 5% and 10% w / v, preferably between 7 and 8% w / v. 7. Aqueous solution comprising the composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said solution a concentration comprised between more than 10% and 20% w / v, preferably between 13% and 17% w / v. 8. Softening additive in solid form for washing laundry, said additive being constituted by the composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 9. Softening additive according to claim 8, in the form of a dose of 13-17 g of said composition for each washing cycle. 10. Multi-purpose detergent product comprising the solution according to claim 6 and optionally conventional perfumes and additives. 11. Detergent product according to claim 10, having an anti-limescale and sanitizing effect in the treatment of surfaces. 12. Descaling product comprising the solution according to claim 7 and optionally conventional perfumes and additives, having an anti-limescale and sanitizing effect in the treatment of surfaces. 13. Product according to claim 11 or 12, wherein said surfaces are selected from: - domestic surfaces such as sinks, hobs and kitchen countertops in resinous, lithic or mixed material; crockery and cutlery; the bathroom fixtures; the internal surfaces of refrigerators and freezers; the internal surfaces of traditional or microwave ovens and similar; floors and walls in bathrooms and kitchens; - surfaces in commercial or industrial premises, such as counters, refrigerated compartments, shelves. 14. Kit comprising a plurality of single doses of softening additive according to claim 8 or 9, in which each single dose is contained in a container, such as for example a sachet, a bag or the like, of the type that can be disintegrated in water. Kit comprising a plurality of single doses of the solid composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein each single dose preferably comprises an amount comprised between 5 and 10 g of solid composition; and / or a plurality of single doses of the solid composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein each single dose preferably comprises an amount comprised between 10 and 20 g. 16. Kit according to claim 15, comprising a container in which the composition can be reconstituted to give an aqueous solution. 17. Kit according to claim 16, wherein said container (1) comprises a first level indicator (L1) for obtaining a solution diluted at 5-10% w / v to be used as a multipurpose, and a second indicator level (L2) to obtain a 10-20% w / v concentrated solution to be used as an anti-limescale product. 18. Kit according to claim 17, wherein said container (1) is equipped with a dispensing spout (2) which can be oriented between a vertical position and horizontal positions. 19. Kit according to claim 15 or 16, comprising a first container with vertical dispensing spout, comprising a level indicator (L2) for obtaining a concentrated solution at 10-20% w / v and a second container with spout horizontal dispenser, including a level indicator (L1) for obtaining a solution diluted at 5-10% w / v.