Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – Heterogeneous arrangement
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-15
2003-07-22
Douyon, Lorna M. (Department: 1751)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
Heterogeneous arrangement
C510S442000, C510S444000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06596683
ABSTRACT:
FIELD
The present invention relates to a process for preparing a detergent composition having improved solubility and improved physical properties.
BACKGROUND
There is a current trend for commercially available granular detergent compositions that have higher bulk densities as well as higher active ingredient content. Such granular detergent compositions offer greater convenience to the consumer and reduce the amount of packaging materials which will ultimately be disposed of.
In view of manufacturing of the compositions, a main concern over the years is to provide granular detergent compositions that exhibit good solubility in various wash water conditions, particularly in cold water, as well as good physical properties such as preferable bulk density and improved flowability. Recently, this concern has become important in the field with the proliferation of higher density “compact” detergents, e.g., granular detergent compositions having bulk densities of 600 g/l or higher. Poor solubility of granular detergent compositions may cause, for example, clumps of granules that appear as solid white masses remaining in the washing machine and/or on washed clothes. In particular, such clumps of granules tend to occur in cold wash water conditions and/or when the order of addition to the washing machine is laundry detergent first, clothes second, and water last.
Various approaches to improving the solubility of detergent compositions have previously been taken by detergent manufacturers. One approach is to spray nonionic surfactant over the surfaces of spray-dried detergent beads. The nonionic surfactant is used as a binder between spray-dried detergent beads and Zeolite generally used for coating the detergent beads. As Zeolite is dried particles, Zeolite tends to use for separating detergent particles as well as provides good solubility of detergent composition. See, U.S. Pat. No. 5,565,422, Del Greco et al., issued Oct. 27, 1996, disclosing a process for making a granular detergent composition comprising the step of spraying a nonionic surfactant onto spray-dried detergent granules. Such detergent provides improved solubility and flowability.
However, such particles of granular detergent compositions, each of which is coated by nonionic surfactants, tend to stick together, resulting in the formation of large particles. The stickiness of nonionic surfactant may be caused by premature dissolution. For example, when the granular detergent compositions coated by nonionic surfactants are exposed to humidity or contacted with water, the nonionic surfactants start to dissolve first, changing their form to that of a gel-like substance, and finally becoming sticky. The sticky, gel-like formation of the nonionic surfactants on the surface of granular detergent particles tends to perform masking/covering of the detergent particles to prevent dissolution of detergent particles, particularly to prevent the dissolution of detergent slurry located inside of the granular particles. In addition, the stickiness tends to proceed agglomeration of the particles, resulting in increased caking of the granular detergent composition during the remainder of processing, after preparing granules, and in storage.
It would therefore be desirable to improve gel solubility of granular detergent compositions, e.g., prevent gel forming during processing and in storage, as well as maintaining physical properties such as good free flowability and providing low density granules.
Based on the foregoing, there is a need for a process which provides a granular detergent composition having improved solubility and improved physical properties. None of the existing art provides all of the advantages and benefits of the present invention.
SUMMARY
The present invention is directed to process for making a granular detergent composition comprising the steps of:
(a) granulating a detersive material comprising a detergent surfactant and a builder; and
(b) coating an inorganic aqueous solution on the granules to substantially coat the granules.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood from a reading of the following description, and appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the invention, it is believed that the present invention will be better understood from the following description.
All percentages, ratios, and levels of ingredients referred to herein are based on the actually total amount of the composition, unless otherwise indicated.
All measurements referred to herein are made at 25° C. unless otherwise specified.
All publications, patent applications, and issued patents mentioned herein are hereby incorporated in their entirety by reference. Citation of any reference is not an admission regarding any determination as to its availability as prior art to the claimed invention.
Herein, “comprising” means that other steps and other ingredients which do not affect the end result can be added. This term encompasses the terms “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of.”
Herein, “mixtures” is meant to include a simple combination of materials and any compounds that may result from their combination.
Herein, “cold water” means water which has at a temperature of below 30° C.
Herein, “density” means bulk density unless specifically stated otherwise.
All ingredients such as detersive surfactants and builders useful herein may be categorized or described by their benefit or their postulated mode of action. However, it is to be understood that the ingredients useful herein can, in some instances, provide more than one benefit or operate via more than one mode of action. Therefore, classifications herein are made for the sake of convenience and are not intended to limit an ingredient to the particularly stated application or applications listed.
The present invention is directed to a process for preparing a granular detergent composition comprising the steps of: granulating a detersive material comprising a detergent surfactant and a builder; and coating an inorganic aqueous solution on the granules to substantially coat the granules.
The granular detergent composition prepared by the process of the present invention provides improved solubility of detergent compositions, e.g., by coating of the aqueous inorganic that prevents gel-like formation of particulate granules in the remainder of processing, after preparing granules, and in storage. The improved solubility can be detected by evidence of increased solubility of the surfactants in the washing solution, by the decreased amount of granular detergent left on laundered clothes, and/or by substantially no caking in the stored package.
The composition prepared by the process herein can also provide good physical properties such as free flowability and high density to the granules. Improved free flowability can provide no caking and no lumps in product so as to be easy to use, e.g., to scoop and measure the detergent. The composition prepared by the present invention can provide increased bulk density, particularly increasing 50 to 70 g/l more (the range of conventional compact detergent is about 600 to 800 g/l), resulting in producing more a compact detergent product to the consumer. The composition which is more compact but has no caking and good solubility can make use of the detergent easier for the consumers.
It is believed that surfactants, particularly nonionic surfactants, contained in detersive materials, which change the form to gel when exposed to humidity or when contacted with water, tend to permeate coming out of the granules. In addition, the surfactant which coats the detergent beads may perform as well (binding detergent particles by gelled surfactants). The surfactant turned to gel-like formation makes each particulate stick together to form large agglomerates. Furthermore, such gelled surfactants may mask the each particulate, e.g., substantially cover the detersive material, resulting in preventing dissolut
Ebihara Fukuji
Gobayashi Tatsuo
Kazuta Takashi
Bolam Brian M.
Douyon Lorna M.
Miller Steven W.
The Procter & Gamble & Company
William Zerby Kim
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