JP2023163439A - surfactant composition - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a surfactant composition that can suppress foaming caused by a surfactant and exhibits superior storage stability, and a method for controlling the foamability of a surfactant composition.SOLUTION: A surfactant composition includes a component (a): a surfactant with a C8-18 hydrocarbon group of more than 10 mass% to 30 mass% or less, a component (b): benzenesulfonate optionally substituted with one to three C1-3 alkyl groups or a salt thereof, and water. The mass ratio between the component (a) and the component (b), (a)/(b), is 0.30 or more and 2.00 or less.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

The present invention relates to a surfactant composition and a method for controlling the foaming properties of a surfactant composition.

Surfactants are commonly used in household and industrial cleaning products. In addition, in recent years, for the purpose of ease of use and reducing environmental impact, environmentally friendly cleaning agents that have concentrated surfactants to a high concentration to improve ease of use, have compact containers, and reduce the amount of resin have become popular. It will be done.
On the other hand, surfactants have foaming properties as a general property, but for example, in the case of detergents used in automatic dishwashers, there are problems such as foaming causing the machine to stop. In addition, when foaming occurs violently, the rinsing load becomes large and it becomes necessary to use a large amount of water, which may increase the environmental burden. For this reason, a technology that suppresses foaming at the concentration used may be required. In such cases, it is common to use antifoaming agents such as silicone, but cleaning agents that are highly concentrated surfactants and diluted with a large excess of water before use are not effective when diluted. In order to obtain an effective defoaming effect, it is necessary to incorporate the defoaming agent into the concentrated formulation at a relatively high concentration.

Patent Document 1 discloses a drying finish composition for automatic dishwashers that contains two types of nonionic surfactants, (B) a solubilizer, and (C) water in predetermined amounts.
Further, Patent Document 2 describes (a) a predetermined anionic surfactant, (b) a predetermined polymer, (c) one or more selected from aromatic sulfonic acids, aromatic carboxylic acids, and salts thereof; Also disclosed are liquid dishwashing compositions containing water.
Further, Patent Document 3 describes: (A) a surfactant, (B) a chelating agent, (C) a water-soluble solvent, and (D) one or more selected from aromatic sulfonic acids and salts thereof; (E) A dishwasher detergent containing a predetermined amount of water is disclosed.

JP 2019-151722 Publication JP 2017-110057 Publication Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-119742

However, many common antifoaming agents are oil-based compounds such as silicones, and if the antifoaming agent is added at a high concentration in order to obtain an effective antifoaming effect upon dilution, storage stability will decrease. For this reason, there is a need for a technique that does not cause problems in storage stability even when a surfactant is blended at a high concentration, and that also provides a high antifoaming effect upon dilution.
The present invention provides a surfactant composition that can suppress foaming caused by a surfactant and has excellent storage stability, and a method for controlling foaming properties of the surfactant composition.

The present invention requires (a) more than 10% by mass to 30% by mass of a surfactant having a hydrocarbon group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms [hereinafter referred to as component (a)], and (b) a surfactant having a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms. Contains benzenesulfonic acid or its salt optionally substituted with one or more and three or less alkyl groups [hereinafter referred to as component (b)] and water, the content of component (a) and the content of component (b) The present invention relates to a surfactant composition having a mass ratio (a)/(b) of 0.30 or more and 2.00 or less.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a method for adding component (b) to a surfactant composition containing more than 10% by mass of component (a) and not more than 30% by mass of component (b) and water. The present invention relates to a method for controlling foaming properties of a surfactant composition, in which the mass ratio (a)/(b) of the content is 0.30 or more and 2.00 or less.

According to the present invention, there are provided a surfactant composition that can suppress foaming caused by a surfactant and has excellent storage stability, and a method for controlling foaming properties of the surfactant composition.

The reason why the surfactant composition of the present invention suppresses foaming caused by the surfactant is not necessarily clear, but it is speculated as follows.
By including component (b) in the surfactant composition, the component (b) enters the foam film composed of the surfactant, reducing the stability of the foam film, and as a result, the surfactant It is inferred that foaming caused by component (a) was suppressed when the agent composition was diluted. As a result, even in a surfactant composition containing component (a) at a high concentration, the amount of antifoaming agent conventionally contained for foam suppression can be reduced, and the surfactant composition can be preserved. It is presumed that stability will also be improved.
Furthermore, surfactants having a hydrocarbon group with a carbon number of 8 or more and 18 or less are known to have excellent emulsifying power and high detergency, but even such surfactants can suppress foaming. Therefore, these surfactants can be used in applications where use has been restricted due to foaming properties.
Note that the surfactant composition of the present invention is not limited to the above mechanism of action. Moreover, in the present invention, foaming property may mean that the surfactant composition or a diluted solution of the surfactant composition foams.

<Surfactant composition>
The surfactant composition of the present invention comprises: (a) a surfactant having a hydrocarbon group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms [hereinafter referred to as component (a)]; (b) an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms; Contains benzenesulfonic acid or a salt thereof [hereinafter referred to as component (b)] which may be substituted with 1 or more and 3 or less and water.

<(a) Component>
Component (a) is a surfactant having a hydrocarbon group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms. Component (a) may be a surfactant having a chain hydrocarbon group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms.
Component (a) is (a1) an anionic surfactant having a hydrocarbon group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms [hereinafter referred to as component (a1)], and (a2) having a hydrocarbon group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms. Nonionic surfactant [hereinafter referred to as component (a2)], (a3) cationic surfactant having a hydrocarbon group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms [hereinafter referred to as component (a3)], and (a4) carbon number 8 or more One or more surfactants selected from amphoteric surfactants having 18 or less hydrocarbon groups [hereinafter referred to as component (a4)], preferably one or more surfactants selected from components (a1) and (a2). It is a surfactant. The hydrocarbon group may be an alkyl group or an alkenyl group, with an alkyl group being preferred.

The number of carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon group of component (a) is 8 or more, preferably 9 or more, more preferably 10 or more from the viewpoint of detergency, and 18 or less from the viewpoint of composition stability and detergency. Preferably it is 16 or less, more preferably 14 or less.

<(a1) component>
The anionic surfactant as component (a1) includes a linear or branched saturated fatty acid salt having an alkyl group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms, an unsaturated fatty acid salt having an alkenyl group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms, Linear or branched alkyl sulfate salts having 8 to 18 carbon atoms, linear alkylbenzene sulfonates having 8 to 18 carbon atoms, branched alkylbenzene sulfonates having 8 to 18 carbon atoms, 8 to 18 carbon atoms The following linear or branched alkyl sulfonates, alkenyl sulfonates with 8 to 18 carbon atoms, monoalkyl phosphates with 8 to 18 carbon atoms, monoalkenyl phosphates with 8 to 18 carbon atoms , perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid salts having 8 to 18 carbon atoms, alkylmethyl taurate salts having 8 to 18 carbon atoms, and alkylene oxide adducts thereof.

More specifically, as the component (a1), an anionic surfactant having a hydrocarbon group having 8 or more and 18 or less carbon atoms and a sulfonic acid group or a sulfuric acid ester group can be mentioned. The sulfonic acid group or sulfuric acid ester group may be a salt.

Component (a1) is selected from benzenesulfonic acid and its salt having a hydrocarbon group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms substituting on the benzene ring, and sulfuric acid ester and its salt having a hydrocarbon group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms. One or more selected anionic surfactants may be mentioned.

Examples of benzenesulfonic acids or salts thereof having a hydrocarbon group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms substituting on the benzene ring include alkylbenzenesulfonic acids or salts thereof having a chain alkyl group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms. The alkyl group has carbon atoms of 8 or more, preferably 9 or more, more preferably 10 or more, and 18 or less, preferably 16 or less, more preferably 15 or less, from the viewpoint of oil detergency and storage stability as a formulation. , more preferably an alkyl group of 14 or less.

Examples of the sulfuric esters or salts thereof having a hydrocarbon group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms include alkyl sulfuric esters having an alkyl group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms or salts thereof. From the viewpoint of detergency and storage stability as a preparation, the alkyl group has carbon atoms of 8 or more, preferably 9 or more, more preferably 10 or more, and 18 or less, preferably 16 or less, more preferably 15 or less, More preferably, it is an alkyl group of 14 or less.

In addition, as components (a1) other than these, α-sulfo fatty acid methyl esters or salts thereof in which the hydrocarbon group of the fatty acid moiety has carbon atoms of 8 or more and 18 or less, preferably 10 or more and 16 or less, carbon atoms of the alkyl group is 8 or more and 18 or less (preferably polyoxyethylene, the average number of added moles is 0.5 or more, preferably 1 or more, and 4 or less, preferably 3 or less) alkyl ether sulfuric acid or its salt, alkyl Alkyl glyceryl sulfonates whose group has 8 to 18 carbon atoms, olefin sulfonic acids or salts thereof whose olefin moiety has 8 to 18 carbon atoms, alkanesulfonic acids whose alkane moieties have 8 to 18 carbon atoms, or Salts thereof, alkylsulfosuccinic acids whose alkyl group has 8 to 18 carbon atoms, or salts thereof, and the like.

Component (a1) salts include alkali metal salts such as sodium salts and potassium salts, alkaline earth metal salts such as magnesium salts, and organic amine salts such as ammonium salts, monoethanolamine salts, diethanolamine salts, and triethanolamine salts. Alkali metal salts are preferred, and sodium salts are more preferred.

Component (a1) is a benzenesulfonic acid or a salt thereof having a hydrocarbon group having 8 or more and 18 carbon atoms to be substituted on the benzene ring, or a salt thereof having 8 or more carbon atoms and 18 carbon atoms, from the viewpoint of oil cleaning properties and storage stability as a preparation. Sulfuric esters or salts thereof having the following hydrocarbon groups, alkylbenzenesulfonic acids or salts thereof having alkyl groups having 8 to 18 carbon atoms, and alkyl sulfuric esters or salts thereof having alkyl groups having 8 to 18 carbon atoms. is preferred. Component (a1) is more preferably an alkyl sulfate having an alkyl group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms or a salt thereof.

<(a2) component>
Nonionic surfactants as component (a2) include aliphatic alcohol alkylene oxide adducts with 8 to 18 carbon atoms, fatty acid esters of sorbitan alkylene oxide adducts with 8 to 18 carbon atoms, and 8 to 18 carbon atoms. Examples include alkyl glucosides having 8 to 18 carbon atoms, sucrose fatty acid esters having 8 to 18 carbon atoms, and alkylamine oxides having 8 to 18 carbon atoms.

As the component (a2), there can be mentioned a nonionic surfactant represented by the following general formula (a2-1).
R ^1a (CO) _m O-(AO) _n -R ^2a (a2-1)
[In the formula, R ^1a is an aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms, R ^2a is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, CO is a carbonyl group, m is a number of 0 or 1, The AO group is one or more groups selected from ethyleneoxy groups and propyleneoxy groups, and n is the average number of added moles, which is a number of 1 to 50. ]

In general formula (a2-1), R ^1a is an aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms. From the viewpoint of oil detergency, the number of carbon atoms in R ^1a is 8 or more, preferably 10 or more, more preferably 11 or more, and from the viewpoint of storage stability as a formulation, 18 or less, preferably 16 or less, more preferably is 15 or less, more preferably 14 or less.
The aliphatic hydrocarbon group for R ^1a is preferably a group selected from an alkyl group and an alkenyl group.
Examples of the aliphatic hydrocarbon group for R ^1a include groups selected from primary alkyl groups and secondary alkyl groups. is preferred. A secondary alkyl group refers to an alkyl group in which the carbon atom of R ^1a bonded to CO or O in R ^1a (CO) _m O- in general formula (a2-1) is a secondary carbon atom. say.
In general formula (a2-1), m is preferably 0.
In general formula (a2-1), R ^2a is preferably a hydrogen atom.

In general formula (a2-1), the AO group is one or more groups selected from ethyleneoxy and propyleneoxy groups. When containing an ethyleneoxy group and a propyleneoxy group, the ethyleneoxy group and the propyleneoxy group may be a block type bond or a random type bond. From the viewpoint of oil detergency, the AO group is preferably a group containing an ethyleneoxy group.

In general formula (a2-1), n is the average number of added moles, and is a number of 1 or more and 50 or less. The larger the number of n, the higher the HLB value, and the smaller the number, the lower the HLB value. From the viewpoint of oil detergency, n is 1 or more, preferably 2 or more, more preferably 3 or more, even more preferably 4 or more, even more preferably 5 or more, even more preferably 6 or more, even more preferably 7 or more. And, from the viewpoint of low foaming property and foam breaking property, it is 50 or less, preferably 40 or less, more preferably 30 or less, still more preferably 20 or less.

A more preferable compound as a compound represented by general formula (a2-1) has an ethyleneoxy group (hereinafter sometimes referred to as EO group) having an average degree of polymerization (or sometimes referred to as average number of added moles) of 1 or more, preferably is 3 or more and 25 or less, preferably 20 or less, and the average degree of polymerization (or the average number of added moles) of propyleneoxy groups (hereinafter sometimes referred to as PO groups) is 1 or more, preferably 3 above, and preferably 25 or less, the EO group and the PO group may be a random bond or a block bond, preferably a block bond, and more preferably have oil detergency and low foaming properties. And from the viewpoint of foam breaking properties, the block bonding is in the order of EOPOEO or EOPO with respect to the alkyl ether, and the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl group is 8 or more, more preferably 12 or more, and 18 or less, more It is preferably a polyoxyethylene (polyoxypropylene) alkyl ether derived from 14 or less, more preferably 12, linear primary or secondary alcohols. Component (a2) is more preferably a polyoxyethylene (polyoxypropylene) alkyl ether derived from a secondary alcohol whose alkyl group has carbon atoms of 8 or more, preferably 12 or more, and 18 or less, preferably 14 or less. preferable.

<(a3) component>
The cationic surfactant as component (a3) includes linear or branched alkylamine salts having 8 to 18 carbon atoms, alkylethylene diamine salts having 8 to 18 carbon atoms, and alkyl trimethyl having 8 to 18 carbon atoms. Examples include ammonium salts, dialkyldimethylammonium salts having 8 or more carbon atoms and 18 or less carbon atoms.

<(a4) component>
Examples of the amphoteric surfactant as component (a4) include alkylcarboxybetaines having 8 to 18 carbon atoms, alkylsulfobetaines having 8 to 18 carbon atoms, and alkylamide amino acid salts having 8 to 18 carbon atoms.

From the viewpoint of oil detergency, component (a) is preferably one or more compounds selected from component (a1) and component (a2), including alkylbenzenesulfonic acids and salts thereof, alkyl sulfate esters having an alkyl group and salts thereof. and one or more selected from polyoxyalkylene alkyl ethers.

<(b) component>
Component (b) is benzenesulfonic acid or a salt thereof which may be substituted with 1 to 3 alkyl groups having 1 to 3 carbon atoms. The surfactant composition of the present invention can contain one or more types of component (b).
Component (b) is preferably one or more selected from p-toluenesulfonic acid, m-xylenesulfonic acid, cumenesulfonic acid, and salts thereof.
Component (b) salts include alkali metal salts such as sodium salts and potassium salts, alkaline earth metal salts such as magnesium salts, ammonium salts, organic amine salts such as monoethanolamine salts, diethanolamine salts, and triethanolamine salts. and the sodium salt is preferred.

<Composition and other ingredients>
The surfactant composition of the present invention contains component (a) in an amount of more than 10% by mass, preferably 10.5% by mass or more, more preferably 11% by mass or more, still more preferably 12% by mass, from the viewpoint of detergency. The content is more preferably 14% by mass or more, and from the viewpoint of low foaming properties and foam breaking properties, 30% by mass or less, preferably 27% by mass or less, more preferably 25% by mass or less. In addition, in the present invention, in the regulations regarding the mass of component (a), the regulations regarding the mass of component (a1) use values converted to sodium salt. Moreover, it is more preferable that the total content of component (a1) and component (a2) is within the above range.

The surfactant composition of the present invention contains component (a1), from the viewpoint of detergency, at least 2% by mass, preferably at least 3% by mass, more preferably at least 4% by mass, even more preferably at least 5% by mass, The content is even more preferably 6% by mass or more, and from the viewpoint of low foaming properties and foam breaking properties, 30% by mass or less, preferably 27% by mass or less, more preferably 25% by mass or less.

The surfactant composition of the present invention contains component (a2) in an amount of more than 10% by mass, preferably 10.5% by mass or more, more preferably 12% by mass or more, still more preferably 13% by mass, from the viewpoint of detergency. The content is more preferably 14% by mass or more, and from the viewpoint of low foaming properties and foam breaking properties, 30% by mass or less, preferably 27% by mass or less, more preferably 25% by mass or less.

When the surfactant composition of the present invention contains component (a1) and component (a2), the mass ratio (a1)/(a2) of the content of component (a1) and the content of component (a2) is , from the viewpoint of detergency, preferably 0.01 or more, more preferably 0.05 or more, even more preferably 0.10 or more, and from the viewpoint of low foaming property and foam breakage property, preferably 50 or less, more It is preferably 40 or less, more preferably 30 or less.

In the surfactant composition of the present invention, component (b) is preferably 3.5% by mass or more, more preferably 5% by mass or more, from the viewpoint of storage stability, low foaming property, and foam breakage property of the preparation. , more preferably 8% by mass or more, and from the viewpoint of performance balance and economy, for example, 60% by mass or less, further 50% by mass or less, further still 40% by mass or less. From the viewpoint of low foaming properties and foam breaking properties, it is preferable that the amount of component (b) contained in the surfactant composition of the present invention is as large as possible. In the present invention, the mass of the component (b) is specified using an acid form conversion value.

In the surfactant composition of the present invention, the mass ratio (a)/(b) of the content of component (a) to the content of component (b) is 0 from the viewpoint of oil detergency and storage stability. .30 or more, preferably 0.50 or more, more preferably 0.70 or more, even more preferably 1.00 or more, and 2.00 or less, preferably 1.00 or more from the viewpoint of low foaming property and foam breaking property. It is 90 or less, more preferably 1.80 or less, even more preferably 1.70 or less.

Since the surfactant composition of the present invention can obtain the effects of the present invention over a wide pH range, it can be used at a suitable pH depending on the intended use. The surfactant composition of the present invention has a pH at 25° C. of, for example, 1 or more, further 2 or more, further 3 or more, even 6 or more, and 14 or less, further 13 or less, and even 12 or less. , and further may be 8 or less. This pH is determined by the following measurement method.
<pH measurement method>
A composite electrode for pH measurement (manufactured by Horiba, Ltd., glass Connect the sliding sleeve type). Next, fill a 100 mL beaker with each of pH 4.01 standard solution (phthalate standard solution), pH 6.86 (neutral phosphate standard solution), and pH 9.18 standard solution (borate standard solution), Immerse in a constant temperature bath at ℃ for 30 minutes. The pH measurement electrode is immersed in a standard solution adjusted to a constant temperature for 3 minutes, and the calibration operation is performed in the order of pH 6.86 → pH 9.18 → pH 4.01. The surfactant composition to be measured is adjusted to 25° C., the electrode of the pH meter is immersed in the sample, and the pH is measured after 1 minute.

The surfactant composition of the present invention is not particularly limited; may be 3 or more, further 6 or more, and 14 or less, further 12 or less, and even 8 or less. This pH is determined by the above-mentioned measuring method (however, the surfactant composition is read as a diluted surfactant composition).

The surfactant composition of the present invention may contain water from the viewpoint of storage stability. Examples of water include, but are not limited to, tap water, well water, ion exchange water, distilled water, and the like. Water is preferably used in an amount that accounts for the balance of the composition (an amount that adds up to 100% by weight). The surfactant composition of the present invention contains water in the composition, for example, 5% by mass or more, further 10% by mass or more, further 15% by mass or more, further still 20% by mass or more, further still 25% by mass or more, The content can be 85% by mass or less, further 60% by mass or less. The surfactant composition of the present invention may be a liquid surfactant composition.

Moreover, the surfactant composition of the present invention can also be made into a powder formulation from the viewpoint of suppressing the foaming property of a diluted solution during use. The present invention requires (a) more than 10% by mass to 30% by mass of a surfactant having a hydrocarbon group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms, and (b) 1 to 3 alkyl groups having 1 to 3 carbon atoms. contains benzenesulfonic acid or a salt thereof which may be substituted with less than or equal to 0.00 or less.

The surfactant composition of the present invention includes a solvent, a hydrotrope, a chelating agent, a dispersant, a pH adjuster, a thickener, a viscosity modifier, a fragrance, a coloring agent, and the like, as long as the object of the present invention is not impaired. Components such as foam suppressants and enzymes (excluding those corresponding to components (a) and (b)) can be blended. In addition, the surfactant composition of the present invention can obtain a sufficient foam-inhibiting effect without using a silicone foam-inhibiting agent. The silicone foam inhibitor in the surfactant composition of the present invention is preferably 0.05% by mass or less, more preferably 0.02% by mass or less, still more preferably 0.01% by mass or less, even more preferably substantially Contains no.

The surfactant composition of the present invention is used for suppressing and controlling the foaming property of a surfactant to exert its effects.
For example, the surfactant compositions of the present invention may be cleaning compositions, finishing compositions, descaling compositions.
Specifically, the surfactant composition of the present invention is a hard surface cleaning composition, a cleaning composition for tableware and/or hard surfaces around the kitchen, a dishwashing composition, a dishwasher cleaning composition, etc. It may be a cleaning agent composition for automatic dishwashers, a cleaning agent composition for equipment cleaning, a cleaning agent composition for floors, and furthermore a liquid cleaning agent composition for hard surfaces, tableware and/or kitchen. Liquid cleaning compositions for surrounding hard surfaces, liquid cleaning compositions for tableware, liquid cleaning compositions for dishwashers, liquid cleaning compositions for automatic dishwashers, liquid cleaning compositions for equipment cleaning, floors It may be a liquid cleaning composition for use. These cleaning compositions may be finish compositions or descaling compositions.

Hard articles around the kitchen are articles used around the kitchen, specifically:
(1) Storage locations for food, tableware, and cooking utensils such as refrigerators and cupboards;
(2) food preparation areas such as drains, cooking tables, range hoods, sinks, gas ranges, and microwave ovens; and (3) floors and walls around the storage areas and cooking areas. In the present invention, these are referred to as "hard articles around the kitchen" for convenience.
In addition, as tableware, specifically,
(i) So-called tableware such as plates and bowls,
(ii) Storage containers such as Tupperware and bottles;
(iii) Cooking utensils such as knives, cutting boards, pots, frying pans, and fish grills;
(iv) Parts and appliances that come into contact with food, such as cooking appliances such as food processors and mixers. In the present invention, these are referred to as "tableware" for convenience.

Examples of the material of the hard article include natural resin, synthetic resin (including rubber, urethane, silicone resin, etc.), glass, metal, ceramic, wood, and combinations thereof. The surfactant composition of the present invention can clean these tableware and/or hard articles around the kitchen.

When the surfactant composition of the present invention is used as a detergent composition for a dishwasher, it is possible to incorporate surfactants, which were conventionally limited to be included due to the foaming property of the surfactant. . This increases the degree of freedom in selecting the surfactant to be incorporated into the dishwasher detergent composition, and improves the detergency of the dishwasher detergent composition against oil stains and protein stains.
By increasing the degree of freedom in selecting surfactants to be added to detergent compositions for dishwashers, the detergent composition for dishwashers will have good performance even in the neutral to slightly alkaline range, such as pH 6 or higher and pH 11 or lower. Cleanability can be obtained.

<How to clean hard surfaces>
Hereinafter, one aspect of foaming control in the surfactant composition of the present invention will be explained using an example in which the surfactant composition of the present invention is used for cleaning a hard surface. The active agent composition and the foaming control method of the present invention are not limited to this example.

The present invention provides a method for cleaning a hard surface, which comprises contacting the hard surface with a cleaning liquid prepared by diluting the surfactant composition of the present invention with water (hereinafter referred to as the cleaning liquid of the present invention).
The matters described in connection with the surfactant composition of the present invention can be appropriately applied to the hard surface cleaning method of the present invention. Component (a), component (b), mass ratio (a)/(b), etc., pH, and specific examples and preferred examples of the target hard surface are also the same as those of the surfactant composition of the present invention.

The cleaning liquid of the present invention can contain the surfactant composition of the present invention in water, for example, more than 1 times, furthermore, 100 times or more, furthermore, 300 times or more, and up to 10,000 times, furthermore, up to 2,000 times, and even more. It may be prepared by diluting it 1,500 times or less.

From the viewpoint of oil stain cleaning properties and protein stain cleaning properties, the cleaning liquid of the present invention preferably contains component (a) at 0.001% by mass or more, more preferably at least 0.003% by mass, and even more preferably at 0.005% by mass. It can be contained in an amount of at least 0.5% by mass, more preferably at most 0.1% by mass, even more preferably at most 0.05% by mass.

From the viewpoint of low foaming properties and foam breaking properties, the cleaning liquid of the present invention contains component (b) preferably at least 0.0003% by mass, more preferably at least 0.0005% by mass, and even more preferably at least 0.001% by mass. % or more, and preferably 0.06% by mass or less, more preferably 0.04% by mass or less, still more preferably 0.02% by mass or less.

In the present invention, the content ranges of component (a) and component (b) in the cleaning liquid can be set by arbitrarily selecting and combining the above-mentioned values.

The pH of the cleaning liquid of the present invention is preferably 6 or more, more preferably 6.2 or more, still more preferably 6.5 or more, from the viewpoint of reducing the risk of chemical injury and reducing the environmental burden by reducing the pH of wastewater. It is 10.5 or less, more preferably 10.2 or less, even more preferably 10 or less, even more preferably 9 or less.

In the hard surface cleaning method of the present invention, contact between the hard surface and the cleaning liquid of the present invention is preferably carried out using an automatic dishwasher.
Said hard surface is preferably the hard surface of tableware and/or hard articles around the kitchen, more preferably the hard surface of tableware.

In the hard surface cleaning method of the present invention, the cleaning liquid of the present invention is applied to the hard surface for preferably 20 seconds or more, more preferably 30 seconds or more, still more preferably 40 seconds or more, and even more preferably 60 seconds or more, from the viewpoint of cleaning performance. The contact is made for at least 2 seconds, and from the viewpoint of work efficiency, preferably at most 600 seconds, more preferably at most 300 seconds, even more preferably at most 180 seconds, even more preferably at most 100 seconds.

In the hard surface cleaning method of the present invention, the temperature of the cleaning liquid of the present invention is preferably 30°C or higher, more preferably 35°C or higher, still more preferably 40°C or higher, and even more preferably 50°C, from the viewpoint of cleaning performance. The temperature is preferably 80°C or lower, more preferably 70°C or lower, and even more preferably 65°C or lower.

In the hard surface cleaning method of the present invention, the flow rate when bringing the cleaning liquid into contact with the hard surface of the tableware, etc. is preferably 5 m/min or more, more preferably 10 m/min or more, and even more preferably is 50 m/min or more, and preferably 2,000 m/min or less, more preferably 1,000 m/min or less, more preferably 500 m/min or less, even more preferably 250 m/min or less, even more preferably 150 m/min. It can be as follows.

After contacting the hard surface with the cleaning solution of the present invention, the hard surface is rinsed with water. The temperature of the water rinsing the hard surface is above 50°C, preferably above 55°C, more preferably above 60°C and below 80°C.
The rinsing time for the hard surface is at least 4 seconds, preferably at least 5 seconds, and at most 10 seconds, preferably at most 9 seconds.
The flow rate of the rinse water is preferably 5 m/min or more, more preferably 10 m/min or more, even more preferably 100 m/min or more, and preferably 2,500 m/min or less, more preferably 2,000 m/min or less, More preferably, it is 1,500 m/min or less.

In the present invention, the automatic dishwasher may be any dishwasher that is generally available on the market, and although it is possible to use a home automatic dishwasher, it is preferably a commercial automatic dishwasher. When cleaning with a commercial dishwasher, the cleaning liquid of the present invention is generally prepared by mixing a concentrated composition of the cleaning liquid of the present invention with water. At this time, a certain amount of the concentrated composition is optionally transferred into the commercial dishwasher by a feeding device to maintain an appropriate concentration of the cleaning liquid. The concentrated composition is supplied by, for example, directly inserting a tube specifically designed for commercial dishwashers into a container made of plastic or the like filled with the composition and sucking it up. The cleaning liquid is then supplied inside the commercial dishwasher.

<Method for controlling foamability of foamable composition>
The present invention includes adding component (b) to a surfactant composition containing more than 10% by mass of component (a) and not more than 30% by mass of component (b), and water. Provided is a method for controlling the foaming properties of a surfactant composition, in which the mass ratio (a)/(b) of the surfactant composition is 0.30 or more and 2.00 or less.
The matters described for the surfactant composition of the present invention can be applied to these methods as appropriate. Preferred embodiments of the composition, for example, specific and preferred examples of component (a) and component (b), content of each component, preferred range of mass ratio (a)/(b), etc. are also included in the surfactant of the present invention. It is the same as the agent composition.
Moreover, the method for controlling the foaming property of the surfactant composition of the present invention may be to suppress the foaming property caused by the surfactant contained in the surfactant composition.

In the method for controlling the foaming composition of a surfactant composition of the present invention, from the viewpoint of economy and work efficiency, the surfactant composition is preferably 100 times or more, more preferably 200 times or more, A diluted solution (hereinafter referred to as (referred to as the diluent of the present invention) can be used.

From the viewpoint of detergency, the diluted liquid of the present invention contains component (a) preferably at least 0.001% by mass, more preferably at least 0.003% by mass, even more preferably at least 0.005% by mass, and The content is preferably 0.5% by mass or less, more preferably 0.1% by mass or less, even more preferably 0.05% by mass or less.

The diluted liquid of the present invention preferably contains component (b) in an amount of 0.0003% by mass or more, more preferably 0.0005% by mass or more, and still more preferably 0.001% by mass, from the viewpoint of low foaming property and foam breakage property. The content can be at least 0.06% by mass, more preferably at most 0.04% by mass, even more preferably at most 0.02% by mass.

(1) Ingredients The following ingredients were used to prepare the surfactant compositions of Examples and Comparative Examples shown in Table 1.
<(a) Component>
(a1) Ingredient/C10AS: Sodium decyl sulfate (Emar 3F, manufactured by Kao Corporation)
・C12AS: Sodium dodecyl sulfate (manufactured by Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.)
(a2) component/sec-C12-14EO7PO8.5: polyoxyalkylene (average number of added moles of oxyethylene 7, average number of added moles of oxypropylene 8.5) secondary alkyl (number of carbon atoms 12-14) ether ( Softanol EP7085, manufactured by Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.)
<(b) component>
・Para-toluenesulfonic acid (PTS MT-70, manufactured by Meiyu Sangyo Co., Ltd.)
・Meta-xylene sulfonic acid (SXA-60, manufactured by Itochu Chemical Frontier Corporation)
・Cumenesulfonic acid (manufactured by Meiyu Sangyo Co., Ltd.)
<(b') component>
・Silicone antifoaming agent (Antifoam E-20, manufactured by Kao Corporation)

(2) Preparation of surfactant compositions The surfactant compositions shown in Table 1 were prepared and evaluated on the following items.
Components (a) and (b) were mixed in the proportions shown in Table 1, the pH was adjusted to 7 using monoethanolamine and sodium hydroxide, and water was added to prepare a surfactant composition with a total amount of 100 g. . The pH of the surfactant composition is a value measured at 25°C.

(3) Storage stability evaluation method 100 g of the surfactant composition prepared in (2) was added to a transparent standard bottle (mouth inner diameter x body diameter x height: φ31.9 x φ51.5 x 95.5 mm, No. .11, manufactured by AS ONE Co., Ltd.) and allowed to stand at room temperature (25° C.) for one day. Thereafter, the surfactant composition in the standard bottle was visually observed, and the storage stability of the surfactant composition was evaluated based on the following criteria. The results are shown in Table 1.
○: No precipitation or turbidity occurred. ×: Precipitation or turbidity occurred.

(4) Method for evaluating low foaming property and foam breakage property The activator composition was diluted 2,000 times and a cleaning operation was performed. 20 seconds after the start of the washing operation, open the door of the automatic dishwasher and visually check the state of the foam in the cleaning solution in the washing chamber, and check the low foaming property and foam breakage of the surfactant composition based on the following criteria. Gender was evaluated. It can be said that the higher the score, the more suppressed the foaming properties of the surfactant composition.
4: No bubbles at all 3: All bubbles disappear after 5 seconds 2: All bubbles disappear after 10 seconds 1: All bubbles do not disappear even after 10 seconds

Claims (7)

(a) More than 10% by mass and 30% by mass or less of a surfactant having a hydrocarbon group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms [hereinafter referred to as component (a)]; (b) 1 alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms; Contains benzenesulfonic acid or a salt thereof which may be substituted with at least 1 and up to 3 [hereinafter referred to as component (b)] and water, and the mass ratio of the content of component (a) to the content of component (b) ( A surfactant composition in which a)/(b) is 0.30 or more and 2.00 or less. The surfactant composition according to claim 1, wherein component (a) is one or more selected from (a1) anionic surfactants and (a2) nonionic surfactants. The surfactant composition according to claim 1 or 2, which is a hard surface cleaning composition. The surfactant composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is a detergent composition for automatic dishwashers. (a) A surfactant composition containing more than 10% by mass and not more than 30% by mass of a surfactant [hereinafter referred to as component (a)] and water, and (b) one alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms. The benzenesulfonic acid or its salt which may be substituted with three or less of the above [hereinafter referred to as component (b)] is expressed in the mass ratio (a)/(b) of the content of component (a) and the content of component (b). ) is 0.30 or more and 2.00 or less. 6. The method for controlling foaming properties of a surfactant composition according to claim 5, wherein the surfactant composition is diluted with water by 100 times or more and 10,000 times or less. The method for controlling foaming properties of a surfactant composition according to claim 5 or 6, wherein foaming properties caused by the surfactant are suppressed.