WO1992001772A1

WO1992001772A1 - Pumpable fluid surfactant concentrate

Info

Publication number: WO1992001772A1
Application number: PCT/EP1991/001325
Authority: WO
Inventors: Brigitte Giesen
Original assignee: Henkel Kommanditgesellschaft Auf Aktien
Priority date: 1990-07-23
Filing date: 1991-07-15
Publication date: 1992-02-06
Also published as: BR9106664A; CA2088067A1; DE4023334A1; CN1058424A; JPH05509117A; EP0540568A1; MX9100335A

Abstract

The concentrate disclosed consists substantially of 30-70 % by wt. of water, 15-50 % by wt. of an alkyl glucoside of the formula R1-O(G)n in which R1 is an alkyl group with 8-22 C-atoms, G is a glucose unit and n is a number between 1 and 10, 3-25 % by wt. of an ethoxylated amide of the formula R2-CO-NH-(CH¿2?CH2O)p-H in which R?2¿ is an alkyl group with 7-21 C-atoms and p is a number between 3 and 11, and optionally 10-20 % by wt. of an alkyl sulphate of the formula R3-O-SO3X in which R3 is an alkyl group with 8-22 C-atoms and X is an alkali-metal ion or the ammonium ion. Mixtures of such surfactants are fluid, pumpable compounds with a long shelf life, used preferably for the manufacture of washing or cleaning agents.

Description

"Liquid, flowable and pumpable surfactant concentrate"

The present invention relates to concentrated surfactant mixtures of alkyl glycosides, ethoxylated a ides and optionally alkyl sulfates as stable, flowable and pumpable liquids and their use as premixes (compounds) for the production of liquid detergents and cleaners.

It has long been known that alkyl glycosides with long-chain alkyl groups belong to the nonionic surfactants. The person skilled in the art also knows, for example in A.M. Schwartz, J.W. Perry, Surface Active Agents, Vol. I, Interscience Publishers, 1949, page 372, describe that surfactant mixtures generally have synergistic effects and often have better cleaning properties than would result from the sum of the values of the individual components.

Liquid agents which contain alkyl glycosides in combination with at least one common anionic surfactant and an alkanolamide are described in European patent application EP 070076. Liquid cleaning agents containing alkyl glycosides, anionic surfactants and fatty acid alkanolamides are also known from European patent application EP 216301.

In the production of liquid detergents and cleaning agents, the individual components are generally used as flowable solutions which each contain a substance or which, as premixes, so-called compounds, consist of several substances which are customary in the finished agents. The components provided for the mixture into the finished agent should have the highest possible active substance content and at the same time be easy to handle, that is to say they should be as flowable and easy to pump as possible and have the highest possible storage stability. Alkyl glycosides are usually obtained as highly viscous pastes.

The object of the present invention was to develop a storage-stable, liquid, flowable and pumpable surfactant mixture from an alkylglycoside paste. This object is achieved by an aqueous mixture of certain amounts of alkyl glycoside and ethoxylated amide.

The compounds according to the invention are aqueous mixtures which essentially consist of an alkyl glycoside and a synthetic nonionic surfactant in the form of an ethoxylated amide, the alkyl glycoside having the formula I,

Ri-OCGJn (I)

in which R ^{1 is} an alkyl radical with 8 to 22 C atoms, G is a glycose unit and n is a number between 1 and 10, and the ethoxylated amide has the formula II,

R2-C0-NH- (CH ₂ CH ₂ 0) _p -H (II)

in which R ^{2 is} an alkyl radical having 7 to 21 carbon atoms and p is a number between 3 and 11, and the compounds 30 to 70% by weight, preferably 35 to 55% by weight of water, 15 contain up to 50 wt .-%, preferably 25 to 45 wt .-% alkyl glycoside and 3 to 25 wt .-%, preferably 5 to 20 wt .-% ethoxylated amide.

The surfactant mixtures according to the invention preferably additionally contain 10 to 20% by weight, in particular 12 to 18% by weight, of an alkyl sulfate of the formula III,

R3-0-S0 ₃ X (III)

in which R3 is an alkyl radical having 8 to 22 carbon atoms and X is an alkali metal or ammonium ion.

The alkyl glycosides suitable for the surfactant mixtures according to the invention and their preparation are described, for example, in European Patent Applications EP 92355, EP 301 298, EP 357 969 and EP 362 671 or the US Pat. No. 3547828. The glycoside components ((G) _n in formula I) of such alkyl glycosides are to oligomers or polymers from naturally occurring aldose or ketose monomers, which include in particular glucose, mannose, fructose, galactose, talose, gulose, altrose, allos, idose, ribose, arabinose, xylose and lyxose. The oligomers consisting of such glycosidically linked monomers are characterized not only by the type of sugar they contain, but also by their number, the so-called degree of oligomerization. The degree of oligomerization (n in formula I) generally assumes fractional numerical values as the quantity to be determined analytically; it is between 1 and 10, for the alkyl glycosides preferably used below 1.5, in particular between 1.2 and 1.4. The preferred monomer building block is glucose because of its good availability.

The alkyl part (R ¹ in formula I) of the alkyl glycosides contained in the surfactant mixtures according to the invention preferably also originates from easily accessible derivatives of renewable raw materials, in particular from fatty alcohols, although their branched chain isomers, in particular so-called oxo alcohols, are also suitable for the production of alkyl glycosides can be used. Accordingly, the primary alcohols with linear octyl, decyl, dodecyl, tetradecyl, hexadecyl or octa-decyl radicals and mixtures thereof are particularly useful. Particularly suitable alkyl glycosides contain a coconut fatty alkyl radical, ie mixtures with essentially R ^{1 =} dodecyl and R ¹ = tetradecyl.

The alkyl glycosides can contain small amounts, for example 1 to 2%, of unreacted free fatty alcohol, which does not have a disadvantageous effect on the properties of the surfactant mixtures produced therewith.

The amide ethoxylates which are suitable for use in the compounds according to the invention are ethanolamide derivatives of alkanoic acids having 8 to 22 C atoms, preferably 12 to 16 C atoms. The particularly suitable compounds include the ethoxylates of lauric acid, myristic acid and palmitic acid monoethanolamide. The degree of N-ethoxylation of the amides (p in formula II) is between 3 and 11, preferably between 5 and 9. They can be prepared in a known manner by reacting the corresponding alkanoic acid monoethanolamides with ethylene oxide. Suitable sulfates for use in the surfactant mixtures according to the invention are the sulfation products of the abovementioned alcohols. The derivatives of fatty alcohols with 8 to 22 carbon atoms, in particular with 12 to 16 carbon atoms, are particularly suitable. The alkyl sulfates according to formula III can be prepared in a known manner by reacting the corresponding alcohol component with a conventional sulfating reagent, in particular sulfur trioxide or chlorosulfonic acid, and subsequent neutralization, preferably with alkali, ammonium or alkyl or hydroxyalkyl-substituted ammonium bases.

The preparation of the surfactant mixtures according to the invention presents no difficulties. It can be done easily by simply mixing the individual components, which may be present as such or preferably in aqueous solution.

The mixtures according to the invention are notable for their low viscosities, their easy flowability and pumpability and their high storage stability. The viscosity of the compounds is generally from 1500 mPa.s to 15000 Pa.s.

Another advantage of the compounds according to the invention is that the improvement in the rheological properties of the alkyl glycoside pastes is achieved by the addition of compounds which are biodegradable and can be produced from renewable raw materials and which also have the properties of the surface activity which are relevant for use in end products Influence alkyl glycoside pastes such as cleaning and foaming power.

The compounds according to the invention can be used, directly or after dilution with water, for technical applications, for example as flotation aids or drilling fluids. However, they are preferably used as premixes for the production of liquid detergents and cleaning agents, which include, in particular, mild detergents, wool detergents and dishwashing detergents, but also shampoos. Such agents can be prepared in a simple manner by diluting the compounds with water to the desired active substance concentration. The addition of others in - 3 -

such agents of conventional constituents, in particular builder substances such as zeolites and phyllosilicates, corrosion inhibitors, bleaching agents, bleach activators, optical brighteners, enzymes, graying inhibitors, antimicrobial agents, water-miscible solvents, abrasives, foam stabilizers, preservatives, colorants, pH regulators and fragrances and additional surfactants are possible.

Examples

example 1

By simply mixing the components which were present as aqueous solutions, the surfactant mixtures M1 to M5 according to the invention characterized in Table 1 below by their composition and the compositions VI and V2 used in comparative experiments were prepared.

Table 1: Composition of the surfactant mixtures [% by weight]

Ml M2 M3 M4 M5 VI V2

A 47.5 45.0 40.0 24.0 20.5 50.0 24.0

B 5.0 10.0 20.0 6.0 20.0 -

C - 16.1 13.1 - 16.1

Water ad 100

A: Ci2 / 14 alkyl glucoside, degree of oligomerization 1.4

B: 4-fold ethoxylated coconut fatty acid monoethanolamide

C: Na-Ci2 / i4-alkyl sulfate (Texapon ( ^R ) LS 35, manufacturer Henkel)

The surfactant mixtures M1 to M5 according to the invention had pH values (10% by weight aqueous solution) from 9.2 to 10.0. Table 2: Viscosities (20 ° C, falling ball viscometer according to Höppler)

Ml M2 M3 M4 M5 VI V2

clear clear clear clear cloudy fl. fl. fl. fl. fl.

clear clear clear firm solid fl. fl. fl. mass mass

Samples of the mixtures M1 to M5 according to the invention were stored at 20 ° C. or 40 ° C. for 100 days without a change in their consistency being found. The compounds could be cooled to temperatures of 10 ° C. for 30 days without any changes in viscosity after heating to room temperature compared to the freshly prepared mixtures being observed.

Example 2: Cleaning performance

By dilution with water, solutions were prepared from the mixtures Ml to M5, VI and V2, each containing 0.15 gram of active substance per liter of solution. To demonstrate the cleaning performance, the one by H.-J. Lehmann in "Fette, Seifen, Anstrichmittel", 74 (1972), 163, described plate test. It worked with water hardness of 3 ° d (30 mg CaO / liter) and 16 ° d (160 mg CaO / liter) at 50 ° C and with beef tallow (2 g / plate); the soiled plates were rinsed after 24 hours of storage at room temperature using a rotating dish brush. The cleaning performance of the compounds according to the invention was superior to that of the comparative mixtures in all cases.

Claims

1. Aqueous, flowable and pumpable surfactant mixture containing an alkyl glycoside and a synthetic nonionic surfactant, characterized in that it consists essentially of

30 to 70% by weight of water,

15 to 50% by weight of an alkyl glycoside of the formula I,

in which R ^{1 is} an alkyl radical having 8 to 22 carbon atoms, G is a glycose unit and n is a number between 1 and 10, and 3 to 25% by weight of an ethoxylated amide of the formula II,

R2-C0-NH- (CH ₂ CH ₂ 0) pH (II)

in which R2 is an alkyl radical having 7 to 21 carbon atoms and p is a number between 3 and 11.

2. Surfactant mixture according to claim 1, characterized in that it contains 35 to 55 wt .-% water, 25 to 45 wt .-% alkyl glycoside according to formula I and 5 to 20 wt .-% ethoxylated amide according to formula II.

3. surfactant mixture according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it additionally

10 to 20% by weight, in particular 12 to 18% by weight, of an alkyl sulfate of the formula III,

4. surfactant mixture according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized gekennzeich¬ net that the alkyl glycoside of formula (I) has a degree of oligomerization n below 1.5, preferably from 1.2 to 1.4.

5. Surfactant mixture according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized gekennzeich¬ net that the alkyl glycoside of formula (I) is an alkyl glucoside.

6. surfactant mixture according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized gekennzeich¬ net that the ethoxylated amide of formula (II) has an alkyl radical R ² having 12 to 16 carbon atoms.

7. surfactant mixture according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized gekennzeich¬ net that the ethoxylated amide of formula (II) has an N-ethoxylation degree p of 5 to 9.

8. surfactant mixture according to one of claims 3 to 7, characterized gekennzeich¬ net that the alkyl sulfate of formula (III) has an alkyl radical R3 having 12 to 16 carbon atoms.

9. Use of the surfactant mixture: "> g according to one of claims 1 to 8 as a storage-stable, letable pumpable premix for the production of liquid detergents or cleaning agents.