FR2645876A1 - Detergent concentrate, process for its preparation and its application in the manufacture of washing powders by the so-called dry mixing process - Google Patents

Abstract

Concentrate based on anionic and nonionic surface-active agents containing, by weight: a) from 1 to 50 % of solid, secondary, linear C13-C18 sodium alkanesulphonates; b) from 40 to 90 % of a mixture of at least two nonionic surface-active agents chosen from the class of alkylphenol or fatty alcohol polyethyleneoxy ethers; c) from 0 to 10 % of a surface-active agent from the class of quaternary ammonium compounds; and d) the remainder up to 100 % with from 0 to 5 % water, process for its preparation and its application in the manufacture of washing powders by the so-called dry mixing process.

Description

 The present invention relates to a detergent concentrate, its preparation process and its application to the manufacture of powdered detergents (hereinafter called "powdered detergents") by the so-called dry mixing process.

 Powder detergents intended for washing clothes are generally mixtures of mineral products such as sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium silicate, sodium carbonate, detergents which are usually a more or less complex mixture of surfactants. anionic or nonionic active agents and / or optional various soaps and adjuvants, such as complexing agents, perfumes, optical brighteners.

 Powder detergents are commonly produced either by the so-called atomization process or by the so-called dry mixing process. The investments necessary to install and manage a manufacturing unit operating according to the dry mixing process are, for low tonnages, less important than those required for a unit of identical capacity using the atomization process but, on the other hand, appearance of the powders obtained according to the dry mixing process for an equal content of surfactants, is more sticky than that presented by the powders resulting from the spraying process.

 During the preparation of powder detergents by the dry mixing process, the surfactants chosen1 are generally sprayed hot on the mixture of mineral products used, around 60 ° C. Surfactants or soaps sensitive to heat are also used, but they are then introduced separately in post-addition.

 These various operations are expensive, they require time and they lead to a significant consumption of energy for storing and spraying the products used at the required temperature. It is also accepted that the detergent properties of a detergent are proportional to the concentration of surfactants but that its flowability, that is to say its ability to flow, is inversely proportional to this concentration. A balance must therefore be found between these two parameters: detergency and flowability.

 Plus, today. is increasingly frequently introduced into powder detergents such as sodium perborate, sodium percarbonate associated with activators such as tetraacetyl glycolurile, tetraacethylenediamine, which, in the presence of water, degrade, losing their properties of laundry.

 There is therefore a need for a substantially anhydrous detergent concentrate, which can be used in the process for the production of powder detergents by the so-called dry mixing process which meets market requirements and does not have the above drawbacks.

The present invention relates to such a detergent concentrate based on anionic and nonionic surfactants with a high concentration of active materials. This concentrate is characterized in that it contains by weight
a) from 1 to 50% of linear, secondary and solid sodium alkanesulfonates, in Ct3-Gie
b) from 40 to 90% of a mixture of at least two nonionic surfactants chosen from the class of poiethylenoxy ethers of fatty alcohol or of alkylphenol
c) from 0 to 10% of a surfactant from the class of quaternary ammoniums
d) the complement up to 100 7. with o å 5 7 of water.

The constituent mentioned under a) is preferably HOSTAPUR SAS 93 which is marketed by
French company HOECHST.

 The constituents mentioned under b) are advantageously chosen from C0-C20 fatty alcohols and C1 * -Clo alkylphenols ethoxylated with from 3 to 32 moles of ethylene oxide. Preferably, the constituents mentioned under b) are a mixture of a fatty alcohol C, * - C ethoxylated with 8 moles of methylene oxide and a fatty alcohol C0-C20, predominantly C11, ethoxylated with 5 moles of ethylene oxide.

 The constituent mentioned under c) is advantageously dimethyldistearylammonium chloride or a water-soluble alkyltrimethylammonium chloride.

 The detergent concentrate according to the present invention contains a maximum of 5% by weight of water and preferably between 0 and 2%.

 According to the invention, the detergent concentrate is obtained by heating for 120 to 180 minutes, at a temperature of 80 to 900C, the mixture of the various constituents mentioned under a) to d). There is thus obtained, after cooling to room temperature, a detergent concentrate in the form of a viscous liquid becoming very fluid at 80-90 C.

 According to the invention, the detergent concentrate can be used for the preparation of powder detergents by the so-called dry mixing process. This is why the present application also relates to the application of the detergent concentrate as defined above, to the manufacture of powder detergents by the so-called dry mixing process.

 The spraying of such a detergent concentrate in a production plant for washing powders by dry mixing is carried out at a temperature between 40 and 900C and at a concentration of 5 to 15% by weight relative to the weight of the detergent. ready to use, do not obstruct and / or clog the spray nozzles.

 The use of the detergent concentrate according to the invention in the formulation of powder detergents leads to products endowed with good detergent and wetting properties, of limited foaming power, of a flowability and of a satisfactory density for a good functioning of the manufacturing units with no fouling trainer and a commercial presentation similar to powder detergents obtained by atomization.

 In addition, the concentrate according to the invention is compatible with the conventional adjuvants used in the formulation of powder detergents.

 The detergent properties of the powder detergents obtained by the so-called dry mixing process and containing the liquid detergent concentrate according to the invention were determined on white cotton fabric according to the WFK protocol: Wàscherer Forschung Institut Krefeld.

According to this protocol, after reflectance under identical conditions, with a commercial ELREPHOMAT apparatus, the light reflectance is compared on samples which are artificially soiled and witnessed. The results are given as a percentage of reflected light compared to the controls. The samples of white cotton fabric, dimensions 10 x 10 cm are soiled by successive applications of two solutions
The first solution consists of
- 84 Z of chalk,
- 8 Z of carbon black,
- 4 n of black iron oxide,
- 2 7. yellow iron oxide,
- 2 7. water.

 The second solution is a 3.4% solution of lanolin in carbon tetrachloride.

 The washing is carried out in a laboratory washing machine type LINITEST with a concentration of detergent powder of il g / l. The hardness of the water used is 23 French hydrotimetric degrees. Several washes are carried out at 40 "C.

 The flowability and foaming power of powder detergents were determined respectively according to DIN 53.916 and ASTM D 1173-53. The wettability of the concentrate is a parameter illustrating the ease with which it dissolves in water. This property is appreciated by simple visual examination.

 The following examples are given by way of illustration and should not constitute a limitation of the invention.

EXAMPLE 1
The mixture is heated with stirring for 120 minutes at 90 ° C., a mixture consisting of
- 30 g of synthetic fatty alcohols in C10-C20, mainly in Cll, ethoxylated with 5 moles of ethylene oxide
- 30 g of synthetic fatty alcohols in Cl-Cls, ethoxylated with 8 moles of ethylene oxide
- 30 g of secondary sodium alkanesulfonates, linear in Cl3-Cl8, in solid form containing 6.5 Z by weight of sodium sulfate
- 0.9 g of dimethyldistearylammonium chloride containing 12 Z by weight of water.

 Then the solution obtained is cooled to room temperature. A viscous, homogeneous and cloudy liquid is thus obtained having at 200C a Brookfield viscosity of 6200 mPa.s (axis 4, speed 60 revolutions / minute) and at 500C a Brookfield viscosity of 185 mPa.s (axis 2, speed 60 revolutions / minute minute) determined with an LVT device.

Example 2
In a powder detergent manufacturing unit, by the so-called dry mixing process, a powder detergent having the following weight composition is prepared.
- 10% of the detergent concentrate prepared according to example i
- 87.8% of mineral products
35% anhydrous sodium tripolyphosphate,
25% of sodium perborate crystallized with 4 molecules of water,
5% powdered sodium silicate (2SiO2.

Na20).

5% anhydrous sodium carbonate,
16.8 anhydrous sodium sulfate, 1% anhydrous magnesium silicate,
- 2.2% of various adjuvants
. 1 Z of carboxymethylcellulose 1500,
. 0.2% optical brightener,
. 0.5% of proteolytic enzymes,
. 0.5% of anhydrous sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate.

This detergent powder has at 10 g / l and at 60 C, a high dissolution rate and a flowability of 3.7 cm (determined according to DIN 53916). At 60 C, at a dose of 10 g / l, it gives good wettability and its detergent properties on cotton fabric and on polyester-cotton fabric (50-50), determined according to the WFK standard are as follows:
- reflectance measured on cotton fabric: 47.8
- reflectance measured on fabric
polyester-cotton: 39.5
Example 3
Example 2 is repeated, replacing the detergent concentrate prepared according to example 1 with the same amount of the detergent concentrate prepared according to example 1 of French patent N 2,531,723.

A powder detergent is thus obtained, the detergent property of which on cotton fabric, determined according to the WFK protocol, at 600 ° C., and at a dose of 10 g / l, under the same application conditions as those used in Example 2, is the next
- reflectance measured on cotton fabric: 46.1-.

 The detergent concentrate according to the present invention therefore has better detergent properties.

 It goes without saying that the present invention has been described for purely explanatory and in no way limitative and that any useful modification may be made without departing from its scope.

Claims (5)

R E V E N D I C A T I O N S  1. Concentrated detergent based on anionic and non-ironic surfactants, characterized in that it contains by weight  a) from 1 to 50% of linear, secondary and solid sodium alkanesulfonates, of C13-C1 @;  b) from 40 to 90% of a mixture of at least two nonionic surfactants chosen from the class of polyethyleneoxy ethers of fatty alcohol or of alkylphenol  c) from O to 10 Z of a surfactant from the class of quaternary ammoniums  d) the complement up to 100% with O 9 5 Z of water.  2. Detergent concentrate according to claim 1, characterized in that the nonionic surfactants are chosen from fatty alcohols in Clo-C20 and alkylphenols in Cl * -Css ethoxylated with from 3 to 32 moles of ethylene oxide .  3. Detergent concentrate according to claim 2, characterized in that the nonionic surfactants are a mixture of a fatty alcohol C14-C15 ethoxylated with 8 moles of ethylene oxide and a fatty alcohol Clo- C20, mainly C11, ethoxylated with 5 moles of ethylene oxide.  4. Concentrate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the surfactant of the class of quaternary ammoniums is dimethyldistearyl ammonium chloride.  5. Application of the detergent concentrate according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in the manufacture of powder detergents by the so-called dry-mixing process.