Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – Heterogeneous arrangement
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-07
2001-05-08
Hardee, John (Department: 1751)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
Heterogeneous arrangement
C510S101000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06228833
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a process for the production of solid perfume-enhanced detergents. More particulaly, the invention relates to a process for the production of perfume-enhanced detergents with bulk densities above 600 g/l by press agglomeration of a substantially water-free premix.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The perfuming of solid detergents is now standard practice in the art. These products are perfumed on the one hand to provide the consumer with a recognizable and “unmistakable” product in conjunction with the structure and color impression; on the other hand, the incorporation of perfumes is intended to ensure that the articles treated with the detergents, more particularly fabrics, are given a long-lasting perfume which is regarded by the consumer as a performance feature of the particular detergent. Normally, those auxiliaries which do not make a direct contribution to the washing or cleaning process are added last to the detergents. This procedure applies in particular to the “aesthetic” components, such as dyes and perfumes. Perfume is mostly incorporated by spraying the solid detergent granules with perfume which is optionally fixed with powder components to the surface of the solid detergent. The disadvantage of this procedure is that the perfumes are not uniformly distributed throughout the detergent and, in addition, can be partly removed during subsequently drying steps. In addition, the perfume impression of the detergents or rather the articles treated with them is often not sufficiently intensive with this method of perfuming and can only be made satisfactory by increasing the amount of perfume used.
The production of detergent granules is widely described in the prior art literature where, besides numerous patent specifications, there are an enormous number of publications concerned with this subject ranging from individual articles in specialist journals to complete works.
Compacted detergents and processes for their production are described, for example, in DE-A-39 26 253 and DE-A-195 19 139 (both Henkel KGaA). These two documents describe the extrusion of water-containing solid mixtures in the presence of added plasticizers and/or lubricants. There is no reference in either document to the use of perfumes. However, since the extrudates produced without perfumes contain water and have to be subsequently dried, any perfuming required can only be carried out by the conventional method of spraying onto the already dried extrudates.
Earlier German patent application 196 38 599.7 (Henkel KGaA) describes a water-free or substantially water-free extrusion process in which subsequent drying steps can be omitted because a substantially water-free premix with a water content of preferably no more than 15% by weight (this water not being present in free form) is extruded. The perfuming of the extrudates obtained is not mentioned in this document either.
In order to solve the problem of the inadequate perfuming of articles treated with detergents, perfume-containing particles, in which the perfume is so to speak “encapsulated”, have been described in the prior art. In particular, complexes of cyclodextrins and perfume are described in the prior art as strong perfumes and fragrances for use in detergents, cf. for example EP 602 139, U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,615 and EP 397 245 (all Procter & Gamble). Microencapsulated perfume oils are also used for this purpose, the perfume preferably being activated in a dryer, cf. EP 376 385 (Procter & Gamble).
The solutions proposed in the cited prior art mainly extend to the perfuming of the treated and dried textiles. If it is desired that the product itself or the freshly washed and still damp laundry should also be olfactorily more noticeable, it has to be additionally sprayed with perfume in the conventional way which, besides the production of the perfume particles, involves another process step.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Now, the problem addressed by the present invention was to provide a process by which it would be possible to produce perfume-enhanced detergents or detergent components which would provide not only dry laundry, but also damp laundry with a stronger perfume and which, as detergents per se, would also perfume much more noticeably than conventionally perfumed detergents.
It has now been found that detergents having the required properties can be obtained by producing a solid perfume-containing premix which is substantially free from water and subjecting this premix to press agglomeration.
The present invention relates to a process for the production of perfume-enhanced detergents or detergent components with bulk densities above 600 g/l, characterized in that a solid and substantially water-free premix containing at least 0.1% by weight of perfume, based on the premix, is prepared from detergent compounds and/raw materials and is subjected to press agglomeration.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the context of the invention, the expression “substantially water-free” is understood to apply to a state in which the content of liquid water, i.e. water which is not present as water of hydration and/or water of constitution, is below 2% by weight, preferably below 1% by weight and, more preferably, even below 0.5% by weight, based on the premix. Accordingly, water can only be introduced into the process for producing the premix in chemically and/or physically bound form or as a constituent of the raw materials or compounds present as solids, but not as a liquid, solution or dispersion. The premix advantageously has a total water content of not more than 15% by weight, i.e. the water is present in chemically and/or physically bound form and not in liquid, free form. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the content of water not bound to zeolite and/or to silicates in the solid premix is no more than 10% by weight and preferably no more than 7% by weight.
Detergents in the context of the invention are understood to be compositions which may be used for washing or cleaning without other ingredients normally having to be added. By contrast, a component for detergents consists of at least 2 constituents normally used in detergents. However, components or so-called compounds are normally only used in admixture with other components, preferably together with other compounds.
The ingredients used in the process according to the invention, except for the nonionic surfactants liquid at temperatures below 45° C./1 bar pressure, may be separately produced compounds and also raw materials which are present in powder or particulate form (fine to coarse particles). The particles may be, for example, beads produced by spray drying or (fluidized-bed) granules, etc. Basically, the composition of the compounds is not crucial to the invention, except for their water content which has to be gauged in such a way that the premix is substantially water-free as defined above and preferably contains no more than 10% by weight of water of hydration and/or water of constitution. In one preferred embodiment, overdried compounds are used in the premix. Such compounds may be obtained, for example, by spray drying, the temperature being controlled in such a way that the tower exit temperatures are above 70° C., for example 85° C. or higher. Solid compounds serving as carriers for liquids, for example liquid nonionic surfactants or silicone oil and/or paraffins, may also be used in the premix. These compounds may contain water within the limits mentioned above, the compounds being free-flowing and remaining free-flowing or at least transportable even at relatively high temperatures of at least 45° C. In a particularly preferred embodiment, however, compounds containing at most 10% by weight and, more particularly, at most 7% by weight of water, based on the premix, are used in the premix. Free water, i.e. water which is not bound in any way to a solid and which is therefore present “in liquid form” is preferably not present at all in the premix because even very small quantities, for example of 0.2 or 0.5
Lahn Wolfgang
Paatz Kathleen
Hardee John
Henkel Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien
Jaeschke Wayne C.
Murphy Glenn E.J.
Ortiz Daniel S.
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