NO124214B - - Google Patents

Description

Liquid build, synthetic detergent blend

containing max. 5% by weight water.

The invention relates to a liquid, largely anhydrous, built-up, synthetic detergent mixture containing from 20-90% by weight of a liquid, anionic or non-ionic washing-active material, and from 1-70% by weight of an anhydrous, inorganic builder's salt.

Built-in liquid synthetic detergents are well known. Most such commercially available detergents are either based on water or consist of a mixture of water and alcohol and contain a relatively small part of the total volume of the mixture in the form of a surface-active compound. They also contain a number of inorganic building salts. In such constructed liquid synthetic detergents based on water, hydrotropes are usually used in order to prevent phase separation of the components. If, moreover, sodium triphosphate is used in such water-based liquid synthetic detergents, this tends to hydrolyse to the pyrophosphate and especially to the ortho-phosphate form. This results in reduced washing ability.

Furthermore, it is very difficult to incorporate large amounts of inorganic building salts into liquid synthetic detergents, due to the tendency of these salts to form separate phases, even when a hydrotrope is used to prevent phase separation. This is particularly the case for the phosphate building salts.

However, one of the main disadvantages of the built-in liquid synthetic water-based detergents is the price. The transport costs are higher than for the granulated products, due to the water content in the liquid detergents, and furthermore the price of these water-based liquid detergents is high in comparison with the packaging.

It has already been proposed from the prior art to produce non-aqueous structured liquid synthetic detergents. Non-aqueous structured liquid synthetic detergents are prepared by mixing a liquid, non-ionic synthetic detergent with a colloidal dispersion of an anhydrous polyphosphate in a solvent agent consisting of a glycol, glycerol, 1-octanol or monoethanolamine, and by distilling substantially all of the solvent from this mixture, leaving the aqueous polyphosphate back in colloidal suspension in the nonionic detergent.

An alternative method consists of mixing the liquid nonionic detergent with a suspension of hydrated polyphosphate in a dehydrating solvent, dehydrating the polyphosphates and removing the dehydrating solvent to produce a colloidal suspension of anhydrous polyphosphate in the nonionic detergent.

However, these methods are laborious. They necessitate the use of a dehydrating solvent, which must be distilled off. This involves the use of distillation equipment and coolers. All this makes the procedure expensive.

It has now been found that largely water-free, structured, liquid synthetic detergents can be produced by a simple method that does not require special equipment, as is the case with the method according to the state of the art.

According to the invention, a liquid, mostly water-free, built synthetic detergent mixture is provided which contains from 20-90% by weight of a liquid, anionic or non-ionic washing active

material and from 1-70% by weight of an anhydrous, inorganic building salt,

and this detergent mixture is characterized in that it also contains from 0.1-10% by weight of an inorganic carrier material of polyvalent metal or metalloid oxides with a particle size of from 1-100 m,u with a bulk density of from 10-180 g/l , preferably 30-100 g/l, and an average surface from 50-500 m 2 /g, preferably 150-400 m 2 /g, and that the mixture optionally contains sodium perborate, respectively the monohydrate, as well as a proteolytic, amylolytic and/or lipolytic enzyme.

The carrier material of polyvalent metal or metalloid oxides can e.g. be high-volume silica, A^O^, Fe^O^, etc.

These metal and metalloid oxides are known from the prior art. Mixtures of high-volume metal and metalloid oxides can also be used, e.g. SiC>2 + A^O^, etc.

The liquid, synthetic detergent that can be used according to the invention must be liquid at room temperature. Mixtures of synthetic detergents can also be used, provided that the mixture is liquid at room temperature. Furthermore, the lower the viscosity of the liquid detergent, the more suitable it is for use in the composition according to the invention. Suitable liquid detergents are those. non-ionic synthetic detergents that are liquid at room temperature. These nonionic synthetic detergents are well known in the art. They usually consist of a water-solubility-promoting polyoxyalkylene group chemically linked to an organic hydrophobic group, e.g. alkylphenols, aliphatic alcohols, carboxylic acids, polyoxyalkylenes, etc.

The non-ionic synthetic detergent preferably has a molecular weight of from approx. 300 to approx. 11,000.

Also mixtures of non-ionic synthetic detergents can be used, as well as mixtures of non-ionic and other synthetic detergents, e.g. anionic, cationic, soaps and ampholytes, provided the final mixture is liquid.

JThe inorganic building salts that can be used according to the invention are well known from the state of the art. Examples of such are the alkaline poly-, pyro- and metaphosphates, alkaline silicates, alkaline borates, carbonates, sulphates, etc.

The alkaline tripolyphosphates are particularly suitable for built-up, liquid synthetic detergents. The inorganic building salts must be practically anhydrous.

The amount of practically anhydrous inorganic building salts that can be used can be between 1 and 70% by weight of the mixture. If an alkaline polyphosphate is used, the amount of this will depend on the type of liquid synthetic detergent required. For a liquid delicate detergent (light-duty), up to 20% by weight is desirable, while

for a liquid detergent (heavy-duty), higher amounts can be used, up to 70% by weight of the mixture. Mixtures of several inorganic building salts can also be used. The substantially anhydrous inorganic building salts should generally have a particle size of less than 300 µm.

The practically water-free, built-up, liquid synthetic detergents according to the invention have good physical stability. They remain stable on storage, as no noticeable phase separation occurs after 1 month. The inorganic building salts stay in suspension in the liquid synthetic detergent.

It has further been found that when bleaching agents are incorporated into the liquid synthetic detergent mixtures according to the invention, they remain stable. The loss of oxygen is noticeably reduced in these non-ionic liquid synthetic detergents. As suitable bleaching agents, the performance compounds can be used. Examples of these are the perborates, percarbonates, persulphates etc. Sodium perborate is particularly preferred. When per-compounds which can exist in different hydrate forms are used, it is preferred to use such

which has the least amount of hydrated water, e.g. sodium perborate monohydrate or sodium perborate anhydrous. The addition of the per compound should

preferably taking place at a temperature at which the per compound does not appreciably decompose.

The amount of per compound that can be added can be between 5 and 30% by weight of the mixture. Other materials that are considered normal and desirable additions

nings to liquid synthetic detergents, can also be added to the mixtures according to the invention without significantly modifying

the invention's fundamental properties. For example, enzymes, dyes, fluorescent agents, bleach precursors, bleach stabilizers, perfume, bactericides, soil-carrying substances can be added.

and sequestration funds. When enzymes are incorporated into the mixtures according to the invention, e.g. proteolytic, amylolytic, lipolytic enzymes or mixtures thereof, the loss of enzymatic activity is noticeably reduced in comparison with enzyme-containing, liquid synthetic

yahn-based detergents.

The mixtures according to the invention are largely anhydrous. By "largely" is meant that the final product does not contain more than

5% by weight water, preferably less than 1%.

The viscosity of the final product will vary, depending on the components of the detergent.

In order to ensure good pourability from the container, the end product should preferably have a viscosity in the range 300-3000 cP, although higher viscosities, in the range 10,000 cP or higher, are satisfactory.

If necessary, the viscosity of the final product can be brought within a desired viscosity range by adding small amounts of a diluent, e.g. ethyl alcohol, hydrocarbons such as hexane, heptane, benzene, xylene, toluene, cyclohexane, tetrahydrofuran, dimethylsulfoxide, dimethylformamide, etc. Generally, less than 10% of such a diluent should be added. If necessary, small amounts of a hydrotrope, e.g. sodium toluene or xylene sulphonate, is added to the final product to ensure good solubility. In general, less than 10% should be added.

If desired, the end product can be further subjected to mechanical treatment, e.g. is ground in a colloid mill, whereby the physical properties of the final product are improved.

The invention will now be illustrated by means of examples. All viscosity values in the examples were measured by Brookfield viscometer with spindle 4 at 60 rpm at -25°C.

EXAMPLE 1.

The following mixture was prepared by mixing the following ingredients at 70°C:

After cooling to 25°C, 6% ethyl alcohol (100%) was added. The final product viscosity was 3200 cP (Brookfield viscosity with spindle 4 at 60 rpm and 25°C). No measurable loss of oxygen took place. During storage at 20°C, the oxygen loss was 0.2% per week.

The viscosity of this mixture was 1700 cP. After .1 month of storage, no noticeable phase separation could be observed.

The same mixture with 2% high-volume silicon dioxide and

37% sodium triphosphate had a viscosity of 2700 cP.

EXAMPLE 3.

The high-volume silica in example 2 was replaced with a high-volume silica with a particle size of 10-40 nyu, bulk density 30-50 g/l and average surface area 120 m 2 /g.

With 0.5% of this carrier material the final product had a viscosity of 1800 cP, and with 2% a viscosity of 2100 cP.

EXAMPLE 4.

When using respectively 0.5 and 2% of a high-volume silicon dioxide with a particle size 2 e of 5-20 m/, u, bulk density 40-60 g/l and average surface area 300 m /g, in the product from example 2,

the viscosities of the final product were 1600 and 2400 cP respectively. No noticeable phase separation occurred after 1 month.

EXAMPLE 6.

1 the product from example 5 was the mixture of silicon dioxide

and alumina replaced by 1% of a high-volume silica with a particle size 2 e of 3-15 m',u, bulk density 40-60 g/l and average surface area 380 m g. The amount of triphosphate was increased to 38%.

The viscosity of the final product was 2400 cP. After 3 weeks, no sedimentation of the components was observed.

EXAMPLE 7.

The inorganic carrier material in example 5 was replaced with a high-volume magnesium oxide with bulk density 90 g/l, particle size 20-40 nyu and average surface area 200 m 2 /g. This gave a product with a viscosity of 2150 cP. After 3 weeks, no noticeable phase separation was observed.

By replacing the magnesium oxide with aluminum oxide with a bulk density of 50 g/l, a particle size of 5-30 m,u and an average surface area of 100 m 2 /g, a final product with a viscosity of 1750 cP was obtained. No measurable phase separation occurred after 3 weeks of storage.

By using 0.5% alumina, a product with a viscosity of 1900 cP was obtained.

The viscosity of this product was 3700 cP. After 2 months of storage, no noticeable phase separation was observed.

The viscosity of this product was 3200 cP. After 2 months of storage, no significant phase separation could be observed.

The viscosity of the final product was 5000 cP.

The viscosity of this product was 2050 cP.

The viscosity of this product was 2800 cP. No noticeable phase separation occurred after 2 months.

No phase separation was observed after 2 months of storage. The loss of enzymatic activity per week at 20°C and 30°c were:

No noticeable phase separation was observed after 1 month of storage. The products dissolved easily in water.

No significant phase separation could be observed after 2 months of storage.

Claims (1)

Liquid, built-up, synthetic detergent mixture containing max. 5% by weight water, 20 - 90% by weight of a liquid anionic or non-ionic washing-active material and from 1-70% by weight of an anhydrous, inorganic building salt, characterized in that the mixture also contains from 0.1-10% by weight of a inorganic carrier material of polyvalent metal or metalloid oxides with a particle size of 1-100 rryu with a bulk density of 10-180 g/l, preferably 30-100 g/l, and an average surface area of 50-500 m 2 /g, preferably 150-400 m 2 /g, and that the mixture optionally contains sodium perborate, respectively the mono-hydrate, as well as a proteolytic, amylolytic and/or lipolytic enzyme.