Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – Heterogeneous arrangement
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-08
2003-08-26
Boyer, Charles (Department: 1751)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
Heterogeneous arrangement
C510S276000, C510S334000, C510S444000, C510S445000, C510S450000, C510S511000, C510S531000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06610644
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention provides detergent compositions which comprise a component which delivers surfactancy to the wash solution and provides building of the wash solution.
BACKGROUND
In the last decade, detergent manufacturers have developed numerous builder systems as replacement for phosphate builders. The main focus has been to improve existing builder combinations based on silicates and polycarboxylates by varying levels and ratios of the builder components. At present most detergents on the market employ aluminosilicates, amorphous or crystalline silicates, maleic or acrylic acid polymers, citrate and carbonate as builders or dispersants. Some effort has been focused on providing improved builder components such as, for example, described in WO95/06705, WO92/07932 Ep668861-A and WO95/06706, which describe silicates which are mixed with other detergent ingredients, prior to addition to the base detergent, or which are roller compacted.
The focus has also been to develop solid compacted detergents. Whilst these compacted detergents have several advantages in use, they have as a disadvantage that they do not always dispense well from the dispensing drawer or from a dispensing device and they do not always dispense or dissolve well in the wash solution. Therefore, in recent years, much effort has been spent on developing products which dispense or dissolve well, reducing residues on fabrics and in the washing machine. For example, effervescence systems based on citric acid have been suggested or used in solid detergents to provide dispensing or dispersing of the product.
More soluble alternative ingredients have also been suggested. However, often even those ingredients which dissolve satisfactory, such as certain surfactants and builder salts, form gels upon contact with small amounts of water. These gels do not dispense well, which leads to a inefficient delivery of the product to the wash and a reduced cleaning performance. The inventors have found that in particular dense granules comprising high levels of surfactants and dense granules comprising high levels of alumnosilicates and granules comprising high levels of water can cause gelling and dissolution problems. Furthermore, another problem associated with those certain ingredients which have a tendency to gel is that they may have a tendency to cake, resulting in a reduced flowability of the product.
The suggested methods to improve dispensing or dissolution are often expensive and complex. For example, the addition of citric acid in high levels to provide effective effervescence is costly and may be difficult because the citric acid may react with moisture upon storage, resulting in a reduced effervescence and possibly caking of product.
Also, the inventors have found that the use of most dispensing aids known in the art does not always provide both a reduction of residues on fabrics and on the washing machine. The inventors have namely found that often those ingredients which dispense sufficiently, do not dissolve well and have a tendency to deposit and form residues on the fabrics in the wash, such as for example aluminosilicates, which are the most commonly used builders for detergents.
The inventors have now found that these problems can be ameliorated by incorporation in the detergent composition of a component comprising specific amounts of crystalline layered silicate intimately mixed, preferably by agglomeration, with specific amounts of an anionic surfactant and preferably only small amounts of free moisture. The component is mixed with the other detergent components as a separate component. Agglomerates of crystalline layered silicate comprising high levels of water are disclosed in WO92/07932 (Procter & Gamble), which however describes aluminosilicates to be more preferred builder ingredients than crystalline layered silicates. EP425804 discloses particles comprising high levels of aluminosilicate, surfactant and crystalline layered silicates.
However, these agglomerates known in the art are often exactly those ingredients which are found to cause dispensing problems in detergents.
They inventors have found that the specific levels of crystalline layered silicate, anionic surfactant and free moisture are essential to ameliorate these problems. They have found that detergents comprising this component have excellent building, surfactancy and flowability and the required alkalinity and that they also dispense and dissolve well in the washing water, thus resulting in excellent cleaning, reduced gelling and reduced deposition of insolubles on the fabrics and on the washing machine.
Furthermore, they have found that the use of this component allows the use of reduced levels, or elimination from the product, of water insoluble or gelling builders or surfactants.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a detergent composition comprising of from 0.5% to 60% by weight of an agglomerate comprising from 35% to 68% by weight of the agglomerate of a crystalline layered silicate, from 32% to 55% by weight of the agglomerate of an anionic surfactant and comprising less than 10% by weight of the agglomerate of free moisture.
The compositions are preferably solid detergents which preferably have a density of at least 500 g/liter and which preferably do not comprise phosphate builders.
The compositions preferably comprise the builder component at a level of at least 5% or even at least 7% by weight of the composition and preferably at a level such that other optional builders, in particular aluminosilicates, carbonates and polymeric polycarboxylates only need to be used in small amounts or can even be dispensed of.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The Agglomerate
The agglomerate is present in the detergent composition of the invention at a level of from 0.5% to 60%, preferably from 3% to 50%, more preferably from 5% to 45%, even more preferably at a level of at least 7% by weight of the composition.
The agglomerate comprises from 35% to 68% by weight of the agglomerate of a of a crystalline layered silicate, more preferably from 45% to 62% by weight.
The agglomerate comprises from 32% to 55% by weight of the agglomerate of an anionic surfactant, more preferably from 38% to 48%.
The agglomerate comprises less than 10% by weight of the agglomerate of free moisture, preferably less than 5%, or even less than 3% or even less than 2% by weight of the agglomerate. The free moisture content as used herein, can be determined by placing 5 grams of the agglomerate in a petri dish and placing this petri dish in a convection oven at 50° C. for 2 hours, and subsequently measuring the weight loss, due to water evaporation.
Highly preferred may be that the anionic surfactant comprises from 50% to 100% by weight, preferably from 60% or even 75% to 100% of the anionic surfactant of a sulphonate surfactant preferably an alkyl benzene sulphonate surfactant, as described herein.
Preferably, the weight ratio of the crystalline layered silicate to the anionic surfactant in the intimate mixture is from 4:5 to 7:3, more preferably from 1:1 to 2:1, most preferably from 5:4 to 3:2.
The agglomerate may be prepared by any agglomeration process known in the art, involving mixing the components and agglomerating the components, optionally followed by a drying step or a dusting step or a spray-on step. The agglomerate is then preferably mixed with the other detergent ingredients.
The agglomerate may also comprise additional ingredients, for example in amounts of from 0% to 25%, generally no greater than 20% or even 15% by weight of the agglomerate. The precise nature of these additional ingredients, and levels of incorporation thereof will depend on the application of the component or compositions and the physical form of the components and the compositions.
It may be preferred that the agglomerate comprises less than 15% or even less 10% or even 5% by weight of the agglomerate of nonionic ethoxylated alcohol surfactant, preferably less than 15%, or even less than 10% or even less than 5% of any nonionic surfactant.
It may be prefe
Fenney Michael Keith
Urquhart David
Bolam Brian M.
Miller Steven W.
The Procter & Gamble & Company
William Zerby Kim
LandOfFree
Detergent compositions comprising aggolomerates of layered... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Detergent compositions comprising aggolomerates of layered..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Detergent compositions comprising aggolomerates of layered... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3077223