WO2023002293A1 - Tablet detergent/additive and relative manufacturing method - Google Patents

Tablet detergent/additive and relative manufacturing method Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2023002293A1
WO2023002293A1 PCT/IB2022/056323 IB2022056323W WO2023002293A1 WO 2023002293 A1 WO2023002293 A1 WO 2023002293A1 IB 2022056323 W IB2022056323 W IB 2022056323W WO 2023002293 A1 WO2023002293 A1 WO 2023002293A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
micro
tablet
tablets
detergent
additive
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IB2022/056323
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Laura AVINO
Giampaolo FERRONATO
Maria Garcia
Marco Oliva
Original Assignee
Zobele Holding S.P.A.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
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Publication date
Application filed by Zobele Holding S.P.A. filed Critical Zobele Holding S.P.A.
Publication of WO2023002293A1 publication Critical patent/WO2023002293A1/en

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Classifications

    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C11ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
    • C11DDETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
    • C11D17/00Detergent materials or soaps characterised by their shape or physical properties
    • C11D17/06Powder; Flakes; Free-flowing mixtures; Sheets

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a detergent or additive in the form of tablets and to a method for manufacturing the same.
  • the present invention relates to formulations of tablet detergents or additives having a detersive effect, for washing garments and textile articles in general.
  • detergents or additives for washing textile articles for the sake of brevity hereinafter jointly referred to as "detergents"
  • many compositions and forms of presentation are known, both liquid and solid.
  • solid detergents the powder ones are those mostly used on the market for their ease of manu facturing and low production costs.
  • solid tablet detergents have been provided with the aim of improving the performance of traditional powder detergents and, especially, of avoiding the above indicated draw backs .
  • Various solutions have been proposed to this purpose, all having in common the production of solid detergent tablets suitably sized for the needs of a complete washing cycle. In general, such tablets are made by compressing or compacting a predetermined amount of powder detergent, just enough for a com plete washing cycle. This solution, therefore, solves the afore mentioned drawbacks relating to dosing operations, since the de tergent becomes easier to manage and to insert into the washing drum, and it also is more compact, thus facilitating a more eco nomical storage.
  • W099/20730 discloses a tablet of compressed powder detergent, and a manufacturing process thereof wherein the tablet includes an organic detergent and suitable adjuvants.
  • a first drawback that quickly became apparent with solid tablet detergents is a difficult balance between the dry tablet mechanical resistance, i.e., before use, and their dissolution rate when introduced in the washing water.
  • By increasing the com paction pressure in the tablet manufacturing process in fact, it is possible to raise the density and mechanical resistance of the tablet, but in this way its dissolution rate in washing water parallelly decreases.
  • a lower mechanical re sistance results in a higher brittleness of the tablets which are then likely to shatter during packaging, transportation, and stor age operations, and it is thus not acceptable, as the main ad vantage of solid formulation detergents would be lost.
  • W002/10329-A1 discloses a method of forming a polymeric coating on a detergent tablet containing an alkaline agent. Said method includes applying to the preformed tablet an aqueous solu tion or suspension of a polymer with free acid groups, and then evaporating the water, to achieve the formation of a coating on the tablet.
  • EP1026228 discloses a detergent tablet protected by a coat ing layer including reinforcing fibres which make such tablet resistant to moderate mechanical impacts to which it is subjected during packaging, transportation, and handling at the time of use. Furthermore, the tablet may be coated so that it does not absorb moisture or do it only at an extremely low rate, whereas when contacting washing water the coating material dissolves in alka line conditions or is easily emulsified by surfactants.
  • the problem addressed by the present invention is therefore to provide a formulation of solid detergent which overcomes the powder detergent drawbacks, without however incurring in the draw backs of solid tablet detergents of the known type, and which further preferably maintains the important advantageous feature of the powder detergents of an easy precise dosing of the amount of detergent selected by the user for each individual washing operation, without being bound to the standard amount of detergent contained in a tablet of known type.
  • a first object of the inven tion is therefore to provide a formulation of solid detergent endowed with high mechanical resistance, which formulation there fore is not prone to shattering and consequent formation of frag ments and powders during normal packaging, transportation, sale, and use operations.
  • a second object of the invention is to provide a formulation of solid detergent characterized by a sufficiently high dissolu tion rate to give an optimal detergent concentration , evenly distributed in the washing bath, both in the initial stage and over the entire the washing cycle.
  • a third object of the present invention is to pro vide a formulation of solid detergent that the user may dose at will, according to the specific needs of each individual washing cycle.
  • the powder detergent is formed into micro-tablets having an extremely reduced volume with respect to that of the tablets of the known art; in particular, each micro-tablet pref erably weights less than 1 g.
  • the thus obtained micro-tab- lets detergent formulation shows a markedly increased surface/vol ume ratio and therefore a correspondingly increased dissolution rate. This allows to increase the degree of compaction of the tablets up to a level sufficient to impart excellent mechanical resistance features to the micro-tablets, while maintaining the detergent dissolution rate within the desired values.
  • micro-tablets detergent formulation ac cording to the present invention allows the user to easily dose the detergent in the actual desired amount for each individual washing operation, without the typical drawbacks of powder deter gents. Additionally, it should be noted that the micro-tablets detergent formulation according to the present invention is evenly distributed among the items being washed, once introduced into the washing bath, so that its dissolution inside the washing bath occurs gradually and evenly for the entire desired duration of a washing cycle, thus completely overcoming the drawbacks of the tablet detergents of known type described above.
  • the production process of the micro-tablets detergent for mulation includes the following steps: a.mixing the powder components by means of a horizontal reel mixer with addition of any possible liquid compo nent by spraying; b.transferring the thus obtained powder mixture to the tablet compacting machine; c.dosing the powder mixture inside special seats in a compacting mould and subsequently compressing the same through respective punches; d.extracting the thus obtained micro-tablets from said seats by operating respective counterpunches; e.clearing the micro-tablets from the worktable of the tablet compacting machine towards the packaging area.
  • micro-tablet size was carefully in vestigated to identify the optimal range to ensure the desired dissolution time and mechanical strength in connection with any specific selected formulation.
  • each tablet length, width, and thickness
  • the tablet shape preferably being a cylindrical shape.
  • other geometric shapes such as cubic or prismatic, have also been successfully assessed.
  • the cylindrical shape is preferred for the absence of sharp edges; the circumferential lines connecting the side wall and the base walls of the cylinder are preferably bevelled at an angle from 30° to 60° and/or radiused with a radius from 0,05 mm to 1 mm.
  • the weight of a micro-tablet formed according to the above said specifications ranges from 0,01 to 0,3 g.
  • micro-tablets according to the present invention may be formed from known powder formulations having any different compo- sition depending on the desired washing action.
  • micro-tablets By way of example, some formulations which may be success fully used for making micro-tablets according to the present in vention are provided below. Both the formulations described below derive from similar formulations used for powder detergents, suit ably modified to ensure their processability in the tablet com pacting stage, and a correct release of the active components during the washing cycle. Following accurate tests and function ality, duration and mechanical resistance checks, excipients that guarantee a correct micro-tablet manufacturing process as well as a correct dissolution process during the washing stage was then included in the formulations.
  • micro-tablets according to the present invention manufactured in accordance with the formulations indicated above allows the various active components to show a more extended re lease than the known powder detergents and, at the same time, more even than the known tablet detergents. In this way, said active components are dosed over time, avoiding a full release of the same at the beginning of the washing cycle, and maintaining an even and optimal detergent concentration in the washing bath.

Abstract

Solid tablet detergent/additive for washing garments and textile articles, consisting of micro-tablets having each a weight less than 1 g and preferably ranging from 0,01 to 0,3 g.

Description

TABLET DETERGENT/ADDITIVE AND RELATIVE MANUFACTURING METHOD
DESCRIPTION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a detergent or additive in the form of tablets and to a method for manufacturing the same. In more detail, the present invention relates to formulations of tablet detergents or additives having a detersive effect, for washing garments and textile articles in general.
STATE OF THE PRIOR ART
In the field of detergents or additives for washing textile articles (for the sake of brevity hereinafter jointly referred to as "detergents"), many compositions and forms of presentation are known, both liquid and solid. Among solid detergents, the powder ones are those mostly used on the market for their ease of manu facturing and low production costs. However, the use of such pow der detergents entails some typical drawbacks including: limiting features in the application of the detersive action and, in par ticular, almost instantaneous release of the active ingredient into the washing environment, due to the high volume/surface ra tio, with a very fast dissolution of the detergent compared to the washing cycle duration; impractical dosing, as the powder is easily dispersible in the environment while being transferred from its packaging to the washing machine; inhalation of fine dust while handling the detergent; possible stratification of any dif ferent detergent component during storage and transportation, re sulting in possible uneven washing conditions; susceptibility to packing due to ambient moisture, both inside the detergent pack aging and in the loading drawer of the washing machine throughout the different washing steps, resulting in the formation of unused detergent residues.
More recently, solid tablet detergents have been provided with the aim of improving the performance of traditional powder detergents and, especially, of avoiding the above indicated draw backs . Various solutions have been proposed to this purpose, all having in common the production of solid detergent tablets suitably sized for the needs of a complete washing cycle. In general, such tablets are made by compressing or compacting a predetermined amount of powder detergent, just enough for a com plete washing cycle. This solution, therefore, solves the afore mentioned drawbacks relating to dosing operations, since the de tergent becomes easier to manage and to insert into the washing drum, and it also is more compact, thus facilitating a more eco nomical storage.
For example, W099/20730 discloses a tablet of compressed powder detergent, and a manufacturing process thereof wherein the tablet includes an organic detergent and suitable adjuvants.
A first drawback that quickly became apparent with solid tablet detergents is a difficult balance between the dry tablet mechanical resistance, i.e., before use, and their dissolution rate when introduced in the washing water. By increasing the com paction pressure in the tablet manufacturing process, in fact, it is possible to raise the density and mechanical resistance of the tablet, but in this way its dissolution rate in washing water parallelly decreases. On the other hand, a lower mechanical re sistance results in a higher brittleness of the tablets which are then likely to shatter during packaging, transportation, and stor age operations, and it is thus not acceptable, as the main ad vantage of solid formulation detergents would be lost. On the other hand, a low dissolution rate resulting from an increased compaction of the tablets would limit the amount of available detergent in the first step of the washing cycle, leading to a worse cleaning outcome, also considering that the distribution of the detergent is localized in a single point of the washing bath, i.e., where the tablet in each case is positioned.
To improve the dissolution rate of the tablets, without in curring in the afore-mentioned shattering issues, it was also proposed to apply on a preformed tablet a layer of water-soluble coating material, which improves its resistance to abrasion and accidental breakage without making use of a higher compaction pressure.
W002/10329-A1 discloses a method of forming a polymeric coating on a detergent tablet containing an alkaline agent. Said method includes applying to the preformed tablet an aqueous solu tion or suspension of a polymer with free acid groups, and then evaporating the water, to achieve the formation of a coating on the tablet.
EP1026228 discloses a detergent tablet protected by a coat ing layer including reinforcing fibres which make such tablet resistant to moderate mechanical impacts to which it is subjected during packaging, transportation, and handling at the time of use. Furthermore, the tablet may be coated so that it does not absorb moisture or do it only at an extremely low rate, whereas when contacting washing water the coating material dissolves in alka line conditions or is easily emulsified by surfactants.
However, the afore-mentioned solutions obviously entail ad ditional manufacturing costs and therefore have not received pos itive feedback from the market, where solid detergents are in fact still mostly marketed in powder form.As a matter of fact, although known solid tablets provide a theoretical improvement of some drawbacks of the aforementioned powder detergents, they still entail significant drawbacks as regards the effectiveness of the washing operation, since so far it has not been possible to achieve optimal dissolution times after the tablets contact the washing water unless by using tablets provided with a low mechanical re sistance and thus an increased friability in the dry state.
Consequently, there is still in the market an unsatisfied need for solid detergents having suitable strength to support handling and transportation without suffering from abrasion or breakage due to mechanical impacts and showing on the other hand an optimal dissolution rate to ensure that active components be present in each step of the washing cycle, and that therefore a satisfactory washing process can be achieved.
The problem addressed by the present invention is therefore to provide a formulation of solid detergent which overcomes the powder detergent drawbacks, without however incurring in the draw backs of solid tablet detergents of the known type, and which further preferably maintains the important advantageous feature of the powder detergents of an easy precise dosing of the amount of detergent selected by the user for each individual washing operation, without being bound to the standard amount of detergent contained in a tablet of known type.
In the context of this problem, a first object of the inven tion is therefore to provide a formulation of solid detergent endowed with high mechanical resistance, which formulation there fore is not prone to shattering and consequent formation of frag ments and powders during normal packaging, transportation, sale, and use operations.
A second object of the invention is to provide a formulation of solid detergent characterized by a sufficiently high dissolu tion rate to give an optimal detergent concentration , evenly distributed in the washing bath, both in the initial stage and over the entire the washing cycle.
Finally, a third object of the present invention is to pro vide a formulation of solid detergent that the user may dose at will, according to the specific needs of each individual washing cycle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This problem is solved, and these objects achieved by means of a tablet solid detergent having the features defined in claim 1. Other preferred features of the tablet solid detergent of the present invention are defined in the secondary claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
According to the present invention, to solve the problem highlighted above by a simple and immediately applicable manufac turing method, the powder detergent is formed into micro-tablets having an extremely reduced volume with respect to that of the tablets of the known art; in particular, each micro-tablet pref erably weights less than 1 g.
Thanks to this simple feature, the thus obtained micro-tab- lets detergent formulation shows a markedly increased surface/vol ume ratio and therefore a correspondingly increased dissolution rate. This allows to increase the degree of compaction of the tablets up to a level sufficient to impart excellent mechanical resistance features to the micro-tablets, while maintaining the detergent dissolution rate within the desired values.
Additionally, the micro-tablets detergent formulation ac cording to the present invention allows the user to easily dose the detergent in the actual desired amount for each individual washing operation, without the typical drawbacks of powder deter gents. Additionally, it should be noted that the micro-tablets detergent formulation according to the present invention is evenly distributed among the items being washed, once introduced into the washing bath, so that its dissolution inside the washing bath occurs gradually and evenly for the entire desired duration of a washing cycle, thus completely overcoming the drawbacks of the tablet detergents of known type described above.
The production process of the micro-tablets detergent for mulation according to the present invention includes the following steps: a.mixing the powder components by means of a horizontal reel mixer with addition of any possible liquid compo nent by spraying; b.transferring the thus obtained powder mixture to the tablet compacting machine; c.dosing the powder mixture inside special seats in a compacting mould and subsequently compressing the same through respective punches; d.extracting the thus obtained micro-tablets from said seats by operating respective counterpunches; e.clearing the micro-tablets from the worktable of the tablet compacting machine towards the packaging area.
As mentioned above, the micro-tablet size was carefully in vestigated to identify the optimal range to ensure the desired dissolution time and mechanical strength in connection with any specific selected formulation.
The most satisfactory results were achieved with any of the three dimensions of each tablet (length, width, and thickness) ranging from 2,5 to 7 mm, the tablet shape preferably being a cylindrical shape. However, other geometric shapes, such as cubic or prismatic, have also been successfully assessed.
The cylindrical shape is preferred for the absence of sharp edges; the circumferential lines connecting the side wall and the base walls of the cylinder are preferably bevelled at an angle from 30° to 60° and/or radiused with a radius from 0,05 mm to 1 mm. The weight of a micro-tablet formed according to the above said specifications ranges from 0,01 to 0,3 g.
The micro-tablets according to the present invention may be formed from known powder formulations having any different compo- sition depending on the desired washing action.
FORMULATION EXAMPLES
By way of example, some formulations which may be success fully used for making micro-tablets according to the present in vention are provided below. Both the formulations described below derive from similar formulations used for powder detergents, suit ably modified to ensure their processability in the tablet com pacting stage, and a correct release of the active components during the washing cycle. Following accurate tests and function ality, duration and mechanical resistance checks, excipients that guarantee a correct micro-tablet manufacturing process as well as a correct dissolution process during the washing stage was then included in the formulations.
Formulation 1
Detergent combining the actions of active oxygen and enzymes
Figure imgf000007_0001
Figure imgf000008_0001
Formulation 2
Detergent with active oxygen action only
Figure imgf000008_0002
Using the micro-tablets according to the present invention manufactured in accordance with the formulations indicated above allows the various active components to show a more extended re lease than the known powder detergents and, at the same time, more even than the known tablet detergents. In this way, said active components are dosed over time, avoiding a full release of the same at the beginning of the washing cycle, and maintaining an even and optimal detergent concentration in the washing bath.
However, it is understood that the invention should not be considered as limited to the specific arrangements illustrated above, which are only exemplary embodiments thereof, but that different variants are possible, all within the reach of a person skilled in the art, without thereby departing from the scope of protection of the invention itself, which is only defined by the following claims.

Claims

1) Solid tablet detergent/additive for washing garments and textile articles, characterized in that it consists of micro tablets having a weight less than 1 g each.
2) Solid tablet detergent/additive as in claim 1, wherein said micro-tablets have a weight from 0,01 to 0,3 g each.
3) Solid tablet detergent/additive as in claims 1 or 2, wherein said micro-tablets have a cylindrical shape whose diameter and height range from 2,5 to 7 mm.
4) Solid tablet detergent/additive as in claim 3, wherein the circumferential lines connecting the side wall and the base walls of said cylinder are bevelled at an angle ranging from 30° to 60° and/or radiused with a radius ranging from 0,05 mm to 1 mm.
5) Method for manufacturing a solid micro-tablet deter gent/additive as in any one of the preceding claims, including the following steps: a.mixing the powder components by means of a horizontal reel mixer with addition of any possible liquid compo nent by spraying; b.transferring the powder mixture obtained in step a. to the tablet compacting machine; c.dosing the powder mixture inside special seats in a compacting mould and subsequently compressing the same through respective punches; d.extracting the thus obtained micro-tablets from said seats by operating respective counterpunches; e.clearing the micro-tablets from the worktable of the tablet compacting machine towards the packaging area.
PCT/IB2022/056323 2021-07-23 2022-07-08 Tablet detergent/additive and relative manufacturing method WO2023002293A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT102021000019688 2021-07-23
IT102021000019688A IT202100019688A1 (en) 2021-07-23 2021-07-23 DETERGENT/ADDITIVE IN TABLETS AND RELATED MANUFACTURING METHOD

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Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0639637A1 (en) * 1993-08-17 1995-02-22 The Procter & Gamble Company Detergent compositions comprising percarbonate bleaching agents
CA2318000A1 (en) * 1999-09-10 2001-03-10 Henkel Kommanditgesellschaft Auf Aktien Detergent component with finely divided solids
US7115548B1 (en) * 1999-01-18 2006-10-03 Kao Corporation High-density detergent composition
US20070249512A1 (en) * 2006-04-20 2007-10-25 Mort Paul R Solid particulate laundry detergent composition comprising perfume particle
US20100120651A1 (en) * 2005-07-11 2010-05-13 Genencor International, Inc. Enzyme fabric care tablets for consumers and methods
US9512388B2 (en) * 2015-02-18 2016-12-06 Henkel Ag & Co. Kgaa Solid state detergent in a transparent container

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE69806406T3 (en) 1997-10-22 2011-05-05 Unilever N.V. TABLETIC DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS
ATE257856T1 (en) 1999-02-03 2004-01-15 Procter & Gamble COATED CLEANING AGENT IN TABLET FORM
ATE288472T1 (en) 2000-07-31 2005-02-15 Mcbride Robert Ltd COATING OF TABLETS

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0639637A1 (en) * 1993-08-17 1995-02-22 The Procter & Gamble Company Detergent compositions comprising percarbonate bleaching agents
US7115548B1 (en) * 1999-01-18 2006-10-03 Kao Corporation High-density detergent composition
CA2318000A1 (en) * 1999-09-10 2001-03-10 Henkel Kommanditgesellschaft Auf Aktien Detergent component with finely divided solids
US20100120651A1 (en) * 2005-07-11 2010-05-13 Genencor International, Inc. Enzyme fabric care tablets for consumers and methods
US20070249512A1 (en) * 2006-04-20 2007-10-25 Mort Paul R Solid particulate laundry detergent composition comprising perfume particle
US9512388B2 (en) * 2015-02-18 2016-12-06 Henkel Ag & Co. Kgaa Solid state detergent in a transparent container

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