WO2023057647A1

WO2023057647A1 - Laundry composition

Info

Publication number: WO2023057647A1
Application number: PCT/EP2022/078003
Authority: WO
Inventors: Venkataraghavan Rajanarayana; Apeksha Ramesh
Original assignee: Unilever Ip Holdings B.V.; Unilever Global Ip Limited; Conopco, Inc., D/B/A Unilever
Priority date: 2021-10-08
Filing date: 2022-10-08
Publication date: 2023-04-13

Abstract

The present invention relates to a solid laundry composition. The laundry detergent composition includes LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock without any undue effect on the performance of the composition.

Description

LAUNDRY COMPOSITION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to solid laundry detergent composition. Particularly a solid laundry composition having improved surfactant.

Background of the Invention

Surfactants are the main cleaning ingredient present in a solid laundry composition. Synthetic surfactant currently used are predominantly petroleum derived.

The synthesis of the linear alkyl benzene sulphonate (LAS) surfactant is described in Anionic Surfactants: Organic Chemistry (Surfactant Science Series Vol 56 edited by H. Stache), Marcel Dekker 1995. The chemistry involves production of linear C10/13 olefins which are reacted with benzene to form linear alkyl benzene (LAB) and then sulphonated to give LAS. The olefins can be obtained from CO via Fischer Tropsch synthesis, but today are derived from petroleum.

LAS produced currently is a complex mix of compounds with varying alkyl chain length and isomers. The properties of LAS are determined by the composition of the mixture. This is particularly key when used in laundry composition, as small changes in structure may influence the processing of the laundry composition such as the spraydrying process used for preparing a spray-dried detergent particle for solid laundry composition and also the stability of the laundry composition.

Modern society relies on plastic for a wide range of products, including the packaging of laundry detergent compositions. The recycling of plastic waste is a key issue.

Many plastics cannot be recycled by mechanical means, an alternative is chemical recycling. In chemical recycling the plastic is pyrolyzed to produce pyrolysis oil which is a complex mixture of aromatics, alkanes, cycloalkanes, alkenes, cycloalkenes and oxygenates. An illustration of a typical product mix from pyrolysis oil is described in “Chemical recycling of plastic waste: Bitumen, solvents and polystyrene from pyrolysis oil” in Waste Management 118 (2020) 139-147 by Baene-Gonzalez et al. Agricultural and waste products, such as oils, plant shells and husks may also be used to make pyrolysis oil. Once produced pyrolysis oil may be distilled to give the necessary raw materials to make LAS. It is desired to provide LAS from the plastic waste feedstock which is similar to the current LAS obtained from the petroleum feedstock.

WO 2017/027271 (P&G) discloses methods for producing detergent compounds from waste plastic feedstocks. More specifically, the invention relates to methods for producing detergent intermediates, including alkylbenzenes, paraffins, olefins, oxo alcohols, and surfactant derivatives thereof from waste plastic feedstock.

W02020/178597 (Oxford Sustainable Fuels Ltd) discloses a process for upgrading a pyrolysis oil derived from plastic or rubber.

There is a need for a way to incorporate pyrolysis-based LAS into laundry detergent formulations without dramatically changing the detergent’s properties. Preferably the amount of pyrolysis-based LAS is such that it compensates for the plastic packing used to transport the liquid detergent, by a factor of greater than 1, more preferably great than 10, most preferably greater than 100 times.

Linear alkyl benzene (LAB) is typically manufactured using petroleum feedstock on a large scale by the petroleum industry. LAB is sulphonated with sulfuric and/or sulfonic acid and converted to LAS by smaller industrial plants before being incorporated as LAS acid in detergent compositions. In the composition the LAS acid is neutralized by a counterion such as alkali metal salts or ammoniacal salts to form corresponding alkaline salt of LAS.

The key to LAS’s success in detergent composition is that it is a varied mixture of components. Variety resides in the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl chain as well as the point in the alkyl chain that the alkyl chain is linked to the benzene ring. There also exist isomers of LAS for example the 2-phenyl isomer which appears relevant to the overall performance of LAS in use.

The variety of materials present in a LAS batch also figures in the supply chain. The LAS, (or more correctly LAB) produced is influenced by the feedstock. Different petroleum feedstocks will produce different LAB mixtures. In the consumer products industry this is managed with reference to a specification which covers a range of LAB characteristics. The specification is designed to ensure that no matter the actual nature of any one sample, that it is able to function as required in a detergent formulation. Functioning in a detergent composition, in particular a solid laundry composition is also important, not just for the detergency benefit provided by the LAS but the influence on the performance of other components in the solid laundry detergent composition.

The various components present in a solid laundry composition such as perfume, additional surfactant, fluorescers, builders and polymers are heavily influenced by the nature of LAS and the specification is designed to ensure that these materials are not unduly affected by the varying nature of the LAS.

For this reason, the incorporation of different feedstocks into the supply chain, while desirable, has huge consequences on the performance of LAS and the other components commonly found in solid laundry compositions.

Accordingly, a need still exists for a solid laundry detergent composition having LAS obtained from plastic waste feedstock which provides good detergency performance while not adversely affecting the other components of the solid laundry composition.

Summary of the Invention

It is surprisingly found that LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock can be incorporated without any undue effect on the performance of a solid laundry composition. It was also found that the LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock has a higher wetting ability as compared to the petroleum derived feedstock which provides the LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock with better ability to remove stains and has better cleaning performance. It was also surprisingly observed that a combination of LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock and linear alkyl benzene sulphonate (LAS) obtained from waste plastic feedstock provides for desired foam profile. Hence, the solid composition having both LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock and LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock provides the benefit of reducing the amount of the LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock while maintaining good cleaning performance and sensorial properties (foaming profile).

The composition remains storage stable, and the performance of the various components present in the solid laundry composition is maintained preferably when the amount of waste plastic feedstock-based LAS described herein are provided within certain levels. According to a first aspect of the present invention disclosed is a solid laundry composition comprising linear alkyl benzene sulphonate (LAS) obtained from petroleum feedstock and linear alkyl benzene sulphonate (LAS) obtained from waste plastic feedstock.

According to a second aspect of the present invention disclosed is a method of preparing a laundry composition according to the first aspect, the method comprising the steps of: i) obtaining a LAS surfactant from a plastic waste feedstock, preferably from a pyrolysis oil prepared from the waste plastic feedstock and a LAS from petroleum feedstock; and, ii) incorporating the LAS surfactant obtained from a plastic waste feedstock into a solid laundry composition.

According to a third aspect of the present invention disclosed is a use of a LAS obtained from a plastic waste feedstock in a solid laundry composition for lowering the amount of the components present in the laundry composition derived from a petroleum feedstock as compared to a traditional laundry composition.

Detailed Description of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention disclosed is a solid laundry composition including linear alkyl benzene sulphonate (LAS) obtained from waste plastic feedstock and LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock.

LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock

Preferably the LAS from the pyrolysis of waste plastic feedstock is made via an alkylation reaction of benzene with an n-olefin, then sulphonation. Preferably alkyl chains obtained from the pyrolysis oil and used to make the LAS has a distillation range of 174°C to 220°C.

Preferably, the weight ratio of (A):(B) is from 2:1 to 1:2, more preferably from 3:2 to 1:2, most preferably 5:4 to 4:5 in the LAS obtained from plastic waste feedstock. Preferably these two isomers represent from 20 wt.% to 70 wt.% of the LAS obtained from plastic waste feedstock, more preferably from 30 wt.% to 40 wt.%. Preferably the LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock includes at least 15 wt.% 2-phenyl isomer, more preferably at least 20 wt.%. Still preferably 2-phenyl isomer is present in an amount ranging from 1 wt.% to 30 wt.% by weight of the LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock. In the above-mentioned structure, the Na counterion may also be replaced by any other counterion known to a person skilled in the art.

During the addition reaction of the alkyl chain to the benzene ring in the production of LAS, non-benzene aromatics-based side products may be produced, for example addition of the alkyl chain to styrene or addition of styrene to benzene. Toluene based products are another example. Preferably LAS adducts with non-benzene aromatics are less than 2 wt.% of the LAS obtainable from waste-plastic feedstock, pyrolysis LAS. Preferably LAS adducts with styrene are less than 1 wt.% of the LAS obtainable from waste-plastic feedstock, the pyrolysis LAS. Styrene monomers may be removed from pyrolysis oil by for example distillation or polymerization and extraction. In a preferred embodiment the benzene required for LAS synthesis is obtained from pyrolysis oil obtained from the waste plastic feedstock and the alkyl chain of LAS is obtained from a biobased source, preferably plant source. The alkyl chain can be obtained from plant oils by metathesis reactions as described in Angewandte Chemie International Edition; 51 (2012), 24. - S. 5802-5808 by Samir Chikkali and Stefan Mecking. The feedstock for the metathesis reaction of the invention includes but is not limited to fatty acids, fatty esters, fats, oils for the formation of mixtures of C to C14 alkenes. Preferably the fatty acid, fatty ester, fat, and/or oil has an iodine value of at least about 15, preferably at least about 50, more preferably at least about 180. The iodine value, which can be determined using the AOAC Official Method of Analysis (1984), Chapter 28.023, is the mass of iodine in grams that is consumed by 100 grams of a chemical substance (see, e.g., Pocklington, Pure & Appl. Chem. 62(12):2339-2343 (1990)). Further, the fatty acid, fatty ester, fat, and/or oil comprises at least about 10 wt.%, preferably at least about 20 wt.% of fatty acids, fatty esters, fats, and/oils that have at least 10 carbon atoms, based on the total weight of the fatty acids, fatty esters, fats, and/or oils.

The alkyl group on the linear alkylbenzene sulfonates each independently have a total of 10, 11, 12, 13, or 14 carbon atoms. Preferably, the LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock comprises alkyl chains with an average chain length from 8 to 14 carbons, 10 to 14, more preferably from 10 to 13 and most preferably from 11 to 12. Preferably, at least 30 wt.% of the LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock comprises alkyl chains with 12 carbons. Preferably, at least 30 wt.% of the LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock comprises alkyl chains with 11 carbons. Preferably less than 5 wt.% of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates obtained from the plastic waste feedstock have alkyl groups with 9 or fewer carbon atoms and alkyl groups that have 15 or more carbon atoms. Preferably the LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock comprises a benzene moiety obtained from waste plastic feedstock and an olefin group obtained from a petroleum feedstock. Preferably the LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock comprises a benzene moiety obtained from waste plastic feedstock and an alkyl group obtained from a plant-based feedstock. Preferably the LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock comprises a benzene moiety obtained from waste plastic feedstock and an alkyl group obtained from waste plastic feedstock.

Preferably, the alkyl chain comprises a mixture of chain lengths but has an average of from 8 to 16, more preferably from 10 to 14 and most preferably from 11 to 12. Alkyl chain length with an average from 11.5 to 11.7 is a particularly preferred range. Preferably the LAS contains more than 80 wt% of the C10, C11 , C12 and C13 alkyl chains. Preferably the weight ratio of C10:C11 is from 1 :2 to 1 :5. Preferably the weight ratio of C10:C12 is from 1 :2 to 1 :5. Preferably the weight ratio of C10:C13 is from 1 :1 to 1 :3.

The alkyl chain can be attached to any position on the benzene ring. The sulphonate group includes a cation M which may be hydrogen or a metal ion, such as an alkali metal (e.g., sodium, lithium, potassium), an alkaline earth metal (e.g., calcium, magnesium), or the like.

The alkyl group on the linear alkylbenzene sulfonates may include a biobased content, preferably plant source, of at least about 5%, at least about 10%, at least about 20%, at least about 30%, at least about 40%, at least about 50%, at least about 60%, at least about 70%, at least about 80%, at least about 90%, at least about 95%, for example about 100%.

Preferably, the solid laundry composition comprises from 1 wt.% to 40 wt.% LAS, more preferably from 2 to 20% wt. LAS. Preferably the solid laundry composition comprises at least 4 wt.%, still preferably at least 5 wt.%, still preferably at least 10 wt.%, most preferably at least 15 wt.% of LAS, but typically not more than 45 wt.%, still preferably not more than 40 wt.%, still further preferably not more than 35 wt.%, still more preferably not more than 30 wt.% and most preferably not more than 25 wt.%, still more preferably not more than 20 wt.% of LAS based on the weight of the detergent composition.

Preferably, the LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock comprises from 0.001 wt.% to 8 wt.%, preferably from 1 wt.% to 8 wt.% of the total LAS present in the composition. The remaining LAS is from petroleum feedstock or preferably selected from a combination of petroleum and other sources, preferably petroleum feedstock. Solid laundry composition having these levels of LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock maintain similar processing conditions and performance as traditional composition, whereas moving beyond these levels, a change in the processing or formulation of composition may be required. Preferably the LAS includes an alkyl component obtained from a renewable source, more preferably from a plant, algae or yeast. Preferably the level of tetralins is less than 8 wt.%, more preferably less than 0.5 wt.%, still preferably less than 0.1 wt.% in the solid laundry composition. Preferably the level of isoalkylbenzenes is less than 6 wt.% more preferably less than 1 wt.% in the laundry composition. Preferably, the 2-phenyl isomer content is at least 10 wt%. of the total LAS, more preferably at least 15 wt.% and most preferably at least 20 wt.% wt. of the total LAS present in the composition.

LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock

According to a first aspect, the solid laundry detergent composition includes a LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock. The LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock is well known to a person skilled in the art and is used in the traditional solid laundry detergent composition. By LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock it is meant that the LAS is obtained directly from the petroleum supply chain and relates to the industry standard LAS. This excludes LAS which is processed from waste-plastic which involves extracting material from waste products, processing them to form the materials which are fed back into the feedstock to produce LAS. It is acknowledged that literally, wasteplastic feedstock is also ultimately derived from the petroleum supply chain, but has an extra stage in its processing relating its constituent parts being used in different raw materials in a different context, e.g. as packaging materials. It is this extra stage which distinguishes it from what a LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock.

The term LAB and LAS are often used interchangeably. LAB is the material commercially handles whereas the sulphonation step to turn LAB into LAS occurs at the end is often carried out by the end user. Further, in liquid formulations the LAS is neutralised in situ and the weight proportions described herein refer to the protonated form.

Examples of commercially available LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock includes those from Galaxy surfactants.

The alkyl group on the LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock may each independently have a total of 10, 11, 12, 13, or 14 carbon atoms. Preferably, the LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock comprises alkyl chains with an average chain length from 8 to 14 carbons, more preferably from 10 to 13 and most preferably from 11 to 12. Preferably, at least 30 wt.% of the LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock comprises alkyl chains with 12 carbons. Preferably, at least 30 wt.% of the LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock comprises alkyl chains with 11 carbons. Preferably less than 5 wt.% of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates obtained from the petroleum feedstock have alkyl groups with 9 or fewer carbon atoms and alkyl groups that have 15 or more carbon atoms.

Preferably, the alkyl chain comprises a mixture of chain lengths but has an average of from 8 to 16, more preferably from 10 to 14 and most preferably from 11 to 12. Alkyl chain length with an average from 11.5 to 11.7 is a particularly preferred range. Preferably the LAS contains more than 80 wt% of the C , Cn, C12 and C13 alkyl chains. Preferably the weight ratio of Cio:Cn is from 1 :2 to 1 :5. Preferably the weight ratio of C :Ci2 is from 1 :2 to 1 :5. Preferably the weight ratio of C :Ci3 is from 1 :1 to 1 :3.

The term "linear" as used herein, with respect to LAB and/or LAS, indicates that the alkyl portions thereof contain less than 30%, preferably less than 20%, more preferably less than 10% branched alkyl chains.

Typically, LAB and the corresponding LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock contains a distribution of isomers in which the benzene moiety is attached in various positions on the hydrophobic alkyl chain. It is the hydrophobic portion of LAS which attaches to soil. A typical LAB obtained from petroleum feedstock used to form LAS contains a distribution of various LAB isomers, such as 2-phenyl LAB, 3-phenyl LAB, 4-phenyl LAB, etc. Preferably, the weight ratio of structure with formula (A): formula (B) as given above is from 2:1 to 1 :2, more preferably from 3:2 to 1 :2, most preferably 5:4 to 4:5 in the LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock. Preferably these two isomers represent from 20 wt.% to 70 wt.% of the LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock, more preferably from 30 wt.% to 40 wt.%. Preferably 2-phenyl isomer is present in an amount ranging from 1 wt.% to 30 wt.% by weight of the LAS obtained from petroleum. In the above-mentioned structure, the Na counterion may also be replaced by any other counterion known to a person skilled in the art.

Solid laundry composition: A solid laundry composition according to the present disclosure encompasses a variety of spray-dried or granulated forms including, for example powder, particulates; cast and extruded forms including, for example, solids, pellets, blocks, bars, and tablets. It should be understood that the term “solid” refers to the state of the detergent composition under the expected conditions of storage and use of the solid detergent composition. In general, it is expected that the detergent composition will remain a solid when provided at a temperature of up to about 37°C and preferably greater than 50°C.

The composition according to the present invention preferably has a pH from 7.0 to 13, preferably 7.0 to 10.5, still preferably 7.0 to 10.2, still further preferably from 8.5 to 10.2, when measured at 1 wt.% dilution in de-ionised water at 25°C. The composition may preferably include a buffer.

The solid composition according to the present invention may be made via a variety of conventional methods known in the art and includes but is not limited to the mixing of ingredients, including dry-mixing, compaction such as agglomerating, extrusion, tabletting, or spray-drying of the various compounds comprised in the detergent component, or mixtures of these techniques, whereby the components herein also can be made by for example compaction, including extrusion and agglomerating, or spraydrying. The detergent composition may be made by any of the conventional processes, especially preferred is the technique of slurry making and spray drying.

The compositions herein can take a variety of physical solid forms including forms such as powder, granule, ribbon, noodle, paste, tablet, flake, pastille and bar, and preferably the composition is in the form of powder, granules or a tablet, still preferably the composition is in the form of a powder. The composition may be in the form of a unit dose formulation, delayed delivery formulation, detergent contained on or in a porous substrate or nonwoven sheet, and other suitable forms that may be apparent to one skilled in the art in view of the teachings herein. The composition according to the present invention may preferably be in a form selected from powder, pellets, granules, tablet, bar or flake.

The solid laundry detergent composition according to the present invention is preferably free flowing. The solid detergent composition preferably includes but is not limited to powder, granular, particulate, agglomerates, noodles, flakes, tablets, bar, woven sheet, non-woven sheet or other solid forms known in the art and combinations thereof. Preferably the solid laundry detergent composition is selected from a spray- dried laundry detergent composition, an agglomerated solid laundry detergent composition preferably prepared by a non-tower process.

Preferably the composition is used for laundering fabrics in a machine or using a manual-washing method. Preferably the composition is in the form of a spray-dried powder or particulate free-flowing form.

Preferably the solid laundry composition is prepared by a spray-drying process. The spray-drying is carried out using any of the conventional spray drying system known in the art. Preferably in the spray drying system the aqueous slurry having LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock and LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock is transferred through a pipe system to a pump system consisting of one or more pump and then further to a spray nozzle through which the slurry is released under pressure into a drying tower.

A typical spray-drying process involves the step of transferring the aqueous slurry through a pipe system leading to a first pump and then through a second pump and from a second pump to a plurality of spray nozzles. The first pump is typically a low- pressure pump, such as a pump that can generate a pressure of from 1x10⁵ Nov² to 1x10⁶ Nm^-2, which ensures proper flooding of the second pump. Typically, the second pump is a high-pressure pump, such as a pump that can generate a pressure ranging from 2x10⁶Nnr² to 2x10⁷Nm^-2. Optionally, the aqueous slurry may be transferred through bolt catchers, magnetic filters, lump breakers, disintegrators such as the Ritz Mill, during the transfer of the aqueous slurry through the pipe system downstream the pump system or the mixer in which the aqueous slurry is formed. The disintegrator is preferably positioned between the pumps. The flow rate of the aqueous slurry along the pipes is typically in the range from 800 Kg/hour to more than 75,000 Kg/hour.

Optionally, the spray drying system may include a deaeration system. The deaeration system is preferably a vacuum assisted de-aerator, which is preferably fed by a transfer pump. The deaeration system remove air bubbles formed during the slurry preparation, thus increasing the bulk density of the spray-dried powder. De-aeration of the slurry may also be carried out by other mechanical means or chemical de-aeration means using antifoams or de-foamers. Optionally, air injection system may be provided along the pipe system. The air injection system may be provided before or after the pump system. The air injection includes air flow and pressure controls, static mixer, pulsation dampener and compressor set which can aerate the slurry to get a lower bulk density for the spray- dried powder. The gas injected into the slurry may be nitrogen, carbon dioxide, or simply atmospheric air introduced under a pressure higher than the pressure of the aqueous slurry maintained in the pipe system. A typical spray drying system can optionally include both the de-aeration system and air injection system to optimize the desired bulk density of the spray-dried powder.

Typical spray drying tower for detergent applications are counter-current spray drying tower. To obtain the desired moisture content and the particle size distribution the inlet hot air or hot steam temperature introduced into the spray drying tower is the range from 250°C to 500°C depending on the evaporation capacity and sizing of the tower. Preferably the tower exhaust air temperature can range from 60°C to 200°C, more preferably 80°C to 200°C, still more preferably 80°C to 100°C depending on the loading of the tower. The aqueous slurry introduced into the spray nozzle of the spray drying tower is preferably at a temperature ranging from 60°C to 95°C. The spray drying tower may be a co-current spray drying tower, but they are less common. The spray-dried powder existing the tower is maintained at a temperature less than 150°C, still preferably less than 100°C. The spray-drying is preferably conducted in the spray drying zone under a negative pressure of at least 50 Nov², still preferably the negative pressure is from 50 Nov² to 600 Nm^-2. Preferably, the vacuum conditions are achieved by controlling the speed setting of the dampener of either or both the inlet and the outlet air fan.

The spray-dried powder collected at the bottom of the tower may be subjected to cooling and conditioning by using an air lift or other similar process known to a person skilled in the art for cooling and conditioning spray-dried particle. The spray-dried powder collected from the bottom of the spray-drying tower is preferably mixed with a flow aid chosen from zeolite or similar fine mineral particles selected from the group consisting of dolomite, calcite or mixtures thereof, just before being air-lifted. Preferably, the spray-dried powder is subject to particle size classification to remove oversize material (> 2 mm typically) to provide a spray dried detergent particle which is free flowing. Preferably the fine material (< 100 microns typically) is elutriated with the exhaust air in the spray drying tower and captured and recycled back into the system via the dry cyclone, wet cyclone or bag filter system.

The compositions preferably have a density of more than 350 grams/litre, more preferably more than 450 grams/litre or even more than 570 grams/litre.

The solid laundry composition according to the present invention preferably has from 0 wt.% to 8 wt.% zeolite builder. Preferably the amount of zeolite builder is less than 5 wt.%, still preferably less than 3 wt.%, more preferably less than 2 wt.% by weight in the detergent composition and most preferably the detergent composition is substantially free of zeolite builder.

The solid laundry detergent composition according to the present invention preferably has from 0 wt.% to 4 wt.% phosphate builder. Preferably the amount of phosphate builder is less than 3 wt.%, still preferably less than 2 wt.%, more preferably less than 1 wt.% by weight in the detergent composition and most preferably the detergent composition is substantially free of phosphate builder.

The term “substantially free” means that the indicated component is at the very minimum, not deliberately added to the composition to form part of it, or, more typically, is not present at analytically detectable levels. It is meant to include compositions whereby the indicated material is present only as an impurity in one of the other materials deliberately included.

Other laundry active ingredients

The solid laundry composition may include one or more of the following ingredients selected from additional surfactant, polymers, enzymes, builder, sequestrant, optical brighteners, perfumes, bleach, bleach activators, antifoams, shading or hueing dyes, pH buffering agents, perfume carriers, hydrotropes, cleaning polymers, care polymers, anti-redeposition agents, soil-release agents, anti-shrinking agents, anti-wrinkle agents, dyes, colorants and visual cues.

Additional surfactant:

The additional surfactant includes anionic surfactant other than LAS, cationic surfactant, amphoteric surfactant, zwitterionic surfactant, further nonionic surfactant or combinations thereof. Examples of further anionic surfactant are given in "Surface Active Agents and Detergents" (Vol. I and II by Schwartz, Perry and Berch).

Suitable anionic surfactants include those selected from the group consisting of alkyl sulfates, alkyl sulfonates, alkylaryl sulfonates, alkyl sulfosuccinates, alkyl ether sulfosuccinates, alkyl sulfosuccinamates, alkyl amidosulfosuccinates, alkyl carboxylates, alkyl amido ether carboxylates, alkyl succinates, fatty acyl sarcosinates, fatty acyl amino acids, fatty acyl taurates, fatty alkyl sulfoacetates, alkyl phosphates, and mixtures of two or more thereof. Non-limiting examples of the preferred anionic surfactant includes linear alkyl benzene sulphonate, primary alkyl sulfate, methyl ester sulphonate or combinations thereof.

Nonlimiting examples of anionic surfactants useful herein include: Cw to C20 primary, branched chain and random alkyl sulfates (AS); mid-chain branched alkyl sulfates as discussed in US 6,020,303 and US 6,060,443; mid-chain branched alkyl alkoxy sulfates as discussed in US 6,008, 181 and US 6,020,303; modified alkylbenzene sulfonate (MLAS) as discussed in WO 99/05243, WO 99/05242 and WO 99/05244; methyl ester sulfonate (MES); and alpha-olefin sulfonate (AOS).

Conventional primary alkyl sulfate surfactants have the general formula: R"OSO3'M⁺ wherein R" is typically a Cs to C20 alkyl (linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated) group, which may be straight chain or branched chain, and M is a water-solubilizing cation. In specific embodiments, R" is a C10 to C15 alkyl group, and M is alkali metal, more specifically R" is C12 to C14 alkyl and M is sodium. Examples include sodium lauryl sulphate, ammonium lauryl sulphate and sodium coco sulphate.

Specific, non-limiting examples of anionic surfactants useful herein include: a) Cw to C20 primary, branched-chain and random alkyl sulfates (AS); b) Cw to Cw secondary (2,3)-alkyl sulfates having following formulae:

wherein M is hydrogen or a cation which provides charge neutrality, and all M units, whether associated with a surfactant or adjunct ingredient, can either be a hydrogen atom or a cation depending upon the form isolated by the artisan or the relative pH of the system wherein the compound is used, with non-limiting examples of preferred cations including sodium, potassium, ammonium, and mixtures thereof, and x is an integer of at least about 7, preferably at least about 9, and y is an integer of at least 8, preferably at least about 9; c) C to Cis alkyl alkoxy sulfates (AES) wherein preferably z is from 1 to 30; d) C to Cw alkyl alkoxy carboxylates preferably comprising 1 to 5 ethoxy units; f) mid-chain branched alkyl sulfates as discussed in U.S. Patent Nos. 6,020,303 and 6,060,443; e) mid-chain branched alkyl alkoxy sulfates as discussed in U.S. Patent Nos. 6,008,181 and 6,020,303; f) modified alkylbenzene sulfonate (MLAS) as discussed in WO 99/05243, WO 99/05242, WO 99/05244, WO 99/05082, WO 99/05084, WO 99/05241 , WO 99/07656, WO 00/23549, and WO 00/23548. ; g) methyl ester sulfonate (MES); and h) alphaolefin sulfonate (AOS). The additional anionic surfactant may be liner, branched or combinations thereof.

Anionic surfactants may exist in an acid form and the acid form may be neutralized to form a surfactant salt. Typical agents for neutralization include a metal counter ion base such as a hydroxide, e.g., NaOH or KOH. Further agents for neutralizing anionic surfactants include ammonia, amines, or alkanolamines. Suitable non-limiting examples include monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine, and other linear or branched alkanolamines known in the art, for example, 2-amino-1-propanol, 1- aminopropanol, monoisopropanolamine, or 1-amino-3-propanol.

Preferably the anionic surfactant is a non-soap anionic surfactant. The term “soap” is used herein in its popular sense, i.e. , the alkali metal or alkanol ammonium salts of aliphatic, alkanes, or alkene monocarboxylic acids.

Preferably the anionic surfactant includes 0 wt.% to 20 wt.% alkyl sulfates, preferably 0 wt.% to 15 wt.% alkyl sulfates, preferably 0 wt.% to 10 wt.% alkyl sulfates, preferably PAS. The anionic surfactant may also include from 0 wt.% to 10 wt.% MES, preferably 0 wt.% to 5 wt.% MES.

The detergent composition of the present invention includes from 2 wt.% to 50 wt.% of an anionic surfactant, more preferably from 2 wt.% to 40 wt.% of an anionic surfactant. Preferably the detergent composition comprises at least 4 wt.%, still preferably at least 5 wt.%, still preferably at least 10 wt.%, most preferably at least 15 wt.% of the anionic surfactant, but typically not more than 45 wt.%, still preferably not more than 40 wt.%, still further preferably not more than 35 wt.%, still more preferably not more than 30 wt.% and most preferably not more than 20 wt.% of an anionic surfactant based on the weight of the detergent composition.

The additional anionic surfactant is preferably alkyl sulphate, alkyl ether sulphate or combinations thereof. Still preferably the solid laundry composition according to the present invention includes from 0.1 wt.% to 20 wt.% of the alkyl ether sulphate or alkyl ether carboxylate surfactant and preferably 1 wt.% to 20 wt.% of alkyl sulphate surfactants. Preferably the alkyl ether sulphate surfactant has an average EO group ranging from 1 to 10, still preferably 1 to 7 and most preferably 1 to 3.

Nonionic surfactants for use in the invention are typically polyoxyalkylene compounds, i.e. the reaction product of alkylene oxides (such as ethylene oxide or propylene oxide or mixtures thereof) with starter molecules having a hydrophobic group and a reactive hydrogen atom which is reactive with the alkylene oxide. Such starter molecules include alcohols, acids, amides or alkyl phenols. Where the starter molecule is an alcohol, the reaction product is known as an alcohol alkoxylate. The polyoxyalkylene compounds can have a variety of block and heteric (random) structures. For example, they can comprise a single block of alkylene oxide, or they can be diblock alkoxylates or triblock alkoxylates. Within the block structures, the blocks can be all ethylene oxide or all propylene oxide, or the blocks can contain a heteric mixture of alkylene oxides. Examples of such materials include Cs to C22 alkyl phenol ethoxylates with an average of from 5 to 25 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alkyl phenol; and aliphatic alcohol ethoxylates such as Cs to Cis primary or secondary linear or branched alcohol ethoxylates with an average of from 2 to 40 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol.

A preferred class of nonionic surfactant for use in the invention includes aliphatic Cs to Cis, more preferably C12 to C15 primary linear alcohol ethoxylates with an average of from 3 to 20, more preferably from 5 to 10 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol. A further class of surfactants include the alkyl poly glycosides and rhamnolipids. Mixtures of any of the above-described nonionic surfactant may also be used. Preferably the composition includes from 0 to 10 wt.%, still preferably from 0 to 5 wt.% nonionic surfactant. Preferably the laundry detergent composition includes a combination of LAS along with non-ionic surfactant and still preferably LAS, nonionic surfactant and additional anionic surfactant selected from alkyl ether sulphate, alkyl sulphate surfactants.

Builders:

The solid laundry composition preferably includes a builder. The term "builder" as used herein means all materials which tend to remove polyvalent metal ions (usually calcium and/or magnesium) from a solution either by ion exchange, or complexation and/or sequestration, or suspension or precipitation. The builder is preferably a precipitation builder.

Disclosed detergent composition includes from 1 wt.% to 40 wt.% carbonate builders. The carbonate builder is an alkali metal carbonates, bicarbonate, sesquicarbonate or mixtures thereof. The carbonate builder is preferably an alkali metal carbonate.

Preferred alkali carbonates are sodium and/or potassium carbonate of which sodium carbonate is particularly preferred. It is further preferred that sodium carbonate makes up at least 75 wt.%, more preferably at least 85 wt.% and even more preferably at least 90 wt.% of the total weight of the carbonate salt.

Preferably the detergent composition comprises at least 0.8 wt.%, still preferably at least 1 wt.%, still preferably at least 2 wt.%, most preferably at least 5 wt.% of the carbonate salt, but typically not more than 15 wt.%, still preferably not more than 13 wt.%, most preferably not more than 10 wt.% of carbonate builder based on the weight of the detergent composition.

In addition to the carbonate builder the laundry composition of the present invention may preferably include a further non-carbonate inorganic salt. The preferred inorganic non-carbonate salts may be selected from the group consisting of silicates, silica, zeolites, phosphates or mixtures thereof.

Suitable silicates include the water-soluble sodium silicates with an SiCh: Na2O ratio of from 1.0 to 2.8, with ratios of from 1.6 to 2.4 being preferred, and 2.0 ratio being most preferred. The silicates may be in the form of either the anhydrous salt or a hydrated salt. Sodium silicate with an SiCh: Na2O ratio of 2.0 is the most preferred silicate. Yet other non-carbonate builder may be organic builders which includes but are not limited to as succinates, carboxylates, malonates, polycarboxylates, citric acid or a salt thereof.

Preferably the composition of the present invention is substantially free of zeolite salt and phosphate builder. By substantially free it is meant that there is no deliberately added phosphate or zeolite in the composition.

Inorganic compounds:

The composition preferably includes inorganic compound which is preferably a calcium-based compound, more preferably the calcium-based compound is selected from calcium carbonate, calcium magnesium carbonate, calcite, dolomite or mixtures thereof. Other preferred inorganic compound in the laundry composition includes magnesium and aluminium silicates, calcium and magnesium oxides. Preferably the laundry composition includes calcite commercially available as Forcal™ II.

Polymers:

The laundry composition of the present invention may preferably include polymers which provide cleaning or care benefits. The cleaning polymer includes but is not limited to soil release polymer, carboxylate polymers, antiredeposition polymers, cellulosic polymers, care polymers, amphiphilic alkoxylated grease cleaning polymers, clay soil cleaning polymers, soil suspending polymers or mixtures thereof. Preferably the amount of polymer in the solid laundry composition ranges from 0.05 to 10 wt.%.

Anti-redeposition polymers are designed to suspend or disperse soil. Typically, antiredeposition polymers are polyethylene glycol polymers, polycarboxylate polymers, polyethyleneimine polymers or mixtures thereof. Such polymers are available from BASF under the trade name Sokalan®CP5 (neutralised form) and Sokalan®CP45 (acidic form). Preferably the amount of anti-redeposition polymer in the solid laundry composition ranges from 0.05 to 8 wt.%.

Soil release polymers are designed to modify the surface of the fabric to facilitate the ease of removal of soil. Suitable soil release polymers are sold by Clariant under the TexCare® series of polymers, e.g. TexCare® SRN240, TexCare® SRN100, TexCare® SRN170, TexCare® SRN300, TexCare® SRN325, TexCare® SRA100 and TexCare® SRA300. Other suitable soil release polymers are sold by Rhodia under the Repel-o- Tex® series of polymers, e.g. Repel-o-Tex® SF2, Repel-o-Tex® SRP6 and Repel-o- Tex® Crystal. A preferred polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyester soil release polymer, both end-capped and non-end-capped sulphonated PET/POET polymers, both end-capped and non-end-capped unsulphonated PET/POET polymers or combinations thereof. Preferably the amount of soil release polymer in the solid laundry composition ranges from 0.05 to 8 wt.%.

Sequestrant:

The laundry compositions may also preferably comprise a sequestrant component. Examples include the alkali metal citrates, succinates, malonates, carboxymethyl succinates, carboxylates, polycarboxylates and polyacetyl carboxylates. Specific examples include sodium, potassium and lithium salts of oxydisuccinic acid, mellitic acid, benzene polycarboxylic acids, and citric acid. Other examples are DEQUEST™, organic phosphonate type sequestering agents sold by Monsanto and alkanehydroxy phosphonates.

Preferably the sequestrants includes Dequest(R) 2066 (Diethylenetriamine penta(methylene phosphonic acid or Heptasodium DTPMP), HEDP (1 - hydroxyethylidene -1 ,1 ,-diphosphonic acid) or combinations thereof. Preferably the amount of sequestrant in the solid laundry composition ranges from 0.03 wt.% to 5 wt.%.

Shading dyes or hueing agent:

Shading dye can be used to improve the performance of the compositions. Preferred dyes are violet or blue. It is believed that the deposition on fabrics of a low level of a dye of these shades, masks yellowing of fabrics. A further advantage of shading dyes is that they can be used to mask any yellow tint in the composition itself. Shading dyes are well known in the art of laundry solid formulation.

Suitable and preferred classes of dyes include direct dyes, acid dyes, hydrophobic dyes, basic dyes, reactive dyes and dye conjugates. Preferred examples are Disperse Violet 28, Direct violet 9, Direct violet 66, Direct violet 99, Solvent 13, Acid Violet 50, anthraquinone dyes covalently bound to ethoxylate or propoxylated polyethylene imine as described in WO2011/047987 and WO2012/119859 alkoxylated mono-azo thiophenes and any combinations thereof. The shading dye is preferably present is present in the composition in range from 0.0001 to 0.1 wt %. Depending upon the nature of the shading dye there are preferred ranges depending upon the efficacy of the shading dye which is dependent on class and particular efficacy within any particular class.

Optical brighteners:

It may be advantageous to include fluorescer in the compositions. Usually, these fluorescent agents are supplied and used in the form of their alkali metal salts, for example, the sodium salts. The total amount of the fluorescent agent or agents used in the composition is generally from 0.005 to 2 wt %, more preferably 0.01 to 0.5 wt % the composition.

Preferred classes of fluorescer are: Di-styryl biphenyl compounds, e.g. Tinopal ® CBS- X, Di-amine stilbene di-sulphonic acid compounds, e.g. Tinopal DMS pure Xtra, Tinopal 5BMGX, and Blankophor ® HRH, and Pyrazoline compounds, e.g. Blankophor SN. Preferred fluorescers are: sodium 2 (4-styryl-3-sulfophenyl)-2H-napthol[1,2-d]triazole, disodium 4,4'-bis{[(4-anilino-6-(N methyl-N-2 hydroxyethyl) amino 1 ,3,5-triazin-2- yl)]amino}stilbene-2-2' disulfonate, disodium 4,4'-bis{[(4-anilino-6-morpholino-1 ,3,5- triazin-2-yl)]amino} stilbene-2-2' disulfonate, and disodium 4,4'-bis(2- sulfoslyryl)biphenyl. Most preferably the fluoescer is a di-styryl biphenyl compound, preferably sodium 2,2'-([1 ,1'-biphenyl]-4,4'-diylbis(ethene-2,1-diyl))dibenzenesulfonate (CAS-No 27344-41-8).

Preferably the composition is substantially free of optical brighteners and fluorescers. Preferably the composition has 0 wt.% optical brighteners and fluorescers.

Bleach and Bleach activators:

It may be advantageous to include bleach in the compositions. The bleach includes sodium percarbonate or any other hydrogen peroxide precursor. The bleach is preferably a peroxide. Most preferably, the bleach is a percarbonate. Further preferred, the bleach is a coated percarbonate. If present, preferred amounts of bleach are from 1.0 to 25 wt.%, more preferably at from 2.0 to 20 wt. %, even more preferably from 5 to 15 wt.%. The composition preferably also includes a bleach activator such as peroxyacid bleach precursors. The bleach activators include sodium tetraacetylethylenediamine (TAED). The composition may include an acyl hydrazine bleach catalyst. Visual Cues:

Advantageously the laundry composition includes visual cues. The compositions may comprise visual cues of solid material that is not dissolved in the composition. Preferred visual cues are lamellar cues formed from polymer film and possibly comprising functional ingredients. Enzymes and bleach catalysts are examples of such ingredients. Also perfume, particularly microencapsulated perfume may be included in visual cues. Visual cues generally are of a color contrasting to the colour of the remaining laundry composition.

Perfume:

Perfume is well known in the art and are preferably incorporated into laundry compositions described herein at level of 0.1 wt.% to 5 wt%. The perfume may be selected from encapsulated perfume, microcapsules, perfume oil or mixtures thereof.

Enzymes:

A composition of the invention may comprise an effective amount of one or more enzyme selected from the group comprising, pectate lyase, protease, amylase, cellulase, lipase, mannanase and mixtures thereof. The enzymes are preferably present with corresponding enzyme stabilizers. Commercially available enzymes from Novozyme and Dupont are preferred.

Water content:

Preferably the solid laundry composition includes from 0.1 wt.% to 4.5 wt.% water, still preferably from 0.1 wt.% to 3.5 wt.% water. pH:

The laundry composition of the present invention may have a pH at 1% in deionized water of greater than about 6, alternatively greater than 7.

Method of preparing a solid laundry composition

According to a second aspect of the present invention disclosed is a method of preparing a solid laundry composition, wherein the method includes the steps of: i) obtaining a LAS surfactant from a plastic waste feedstock, preferably from a pyrolysis oil prepared from the waste plastic feedstock and LAS obtained from a petroleum feedstock; and, ii) incorporating the LAS surfactant obtained from a plastic waste feedstock and LAS obtained from a petroleum feedstock into a solid laundry composition.

The surfactant may be preferably incorporated into the solid laundry composition at any suitable stage in the process of preparing the solid laundry composition. Preferably when the solid laundry composition is a spray-dried composition the surfactant is preferably added into the aqueous slurry. On the other hand, when the solid laundry composition is prepared using a non-tower route, the surfactant may be blended into the carbonate builder or other laundry ingredient and converted to a premix before incorporating into the solid laundry composition.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is a use of LAS obtained from a plastic waste feedstock in a solid laundry composition for providing improved biodegradability.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is a use LAS obtained from a plastic waste feedstock in a solid laundry composition for providing for providing excellent detersive properties. Such improved detersive properties may result in improved removal of hydrophobic soils from clothing.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

2 different spray-dried solid laundry detergent composition (Ex 1 and Ex 2) according to the present invention were prepared having LAS obtained from plastic waste feedstock at an amount which constituted 5 wt.% of the total LAS present and the remaining LAS present in the composition is from a petroleum feedstock.

Table 1

Example 2

Another example of a solid laundry composition according to the present invention was prepared by a non-tower route. Here the LAS obtained from plastic waste feedstock at an amount which constituted 5 wt.% of the total LAS present and LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock which constituted the remaining LAS present was mixed along with carrier ingredients in the composition such as sodium carbonate, sodium sulphate in a mixer to form an agglomerate. The composition of the solid detergent composition is provided in table 2 below.

Table 2

Example 3

The foaming characteristics of LAS obtained from the plastic waste plastic feedstock (4 and 5) and LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock (Ex C) were evaluated. The foam levels were recorded at regular intervals as provided in Table 3.

Table 3

The data in table 3 shows that LAS obtained directly from petroleum feedstock (Ex C) has higher foaming and last longer as compared to the LAS obtained from wasteplastic feedstock (Ex 4 and Ex 5). The foaming in Ex 4 and Ex 5 is lower and which did not last as long.

Example 4 The surface tension of the LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock and the LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock were evaluated and the results recorded are provided in table 4 below.

Table 4

The data shows that LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock (Ex 4 and Ex 5) has a much lower surface tension at lower concentrations. This means that the surface tension changes during the wash cycle more for LAS obtained from petroleum source than for LAS obtained from waste-plastic feedstock. This means that LAS obtained from waste-plastic feedstock (Ex 4 and Ex 5) performs better than LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock (Ex C and Ex D) during the wash.

Claims

1 A solid laundry composition comprising linear alkyl benzene sulphonate (LAS) obtained from waste plastic feedstock and LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock.

2 A composition according to claim 1 wherein the LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock comprises from 0.001 wt.% to 8% wt. of the total LAS.

3 A composition according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the composition comprises from 1 wt.% to 40 wt.% LAS.

4 A composition according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock comprises an alkyl chain with an average alkyl chain length ranging from 8 to 14 carbon atoms, preferably from 10 to 14 carbon atoms.

5 A composition according to any one of the preceding claims wherein at least 30 wt.% of the LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock comprises alkyl chain with 12 carbons.

6 A composition according to any preceding claim wherein from 1 wt.% to 30 wt.% of the LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock comprises 2-phenyl isomer.

7 A composition according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the LAS comprises an alkyl component obtained from a renewable source, more preferably from a plant, algae or yeast.

8 A composition according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock comprises a benzene moiety obtained from waste plastic feedstock and an alkyl group obtained from a petroleum feedstock.

9 A composition according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the LAS obtained from waste plastic feedstock comprises a benzene moiety obtained from waste plastic feedstock and an alkyl group obtained from a plant-based feedstock.

10 A composition according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the composition is in a form selected from the group consisting of a spray-dried powder, extruded granule, pellet, flakes, agglomerates, or mixtures thereof.

11 A composition according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the composition comprises additional anionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of alkyl sulphate surfactant, alkyl sulphonate surfactant, alkyl ether sulphate surfactant, alkyl ether carboxylate surfactant or mixtures thereof.

12 A composition according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the composition comprises a carbonate builder, preferably an alkali metal carbonate builder, preferably sodium carbonate.

13 A composition according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the composition comprises from 0.5 wt.% to 4.5 wt.% water.

14 A composition according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the composition comprises a laundry active agent selected from the group consisting of perfume, shading dye, fluorescers, cleaning polymers, care polymers, bleach, bleach activators, visual cues, or mixtures thereof.

15 Use of a LAS obtained from a plastic waste feedstock in a solid laundry composition having LAS obtained from petroleum feedstock for lowering the amount of the components present in the laundry composition derived from a petroleum feedstock as compared to a traditional laundry composition.