Cleaning and liquid contact with solids – Processes – Paints – varnishes – lacquers – or enamels – removal
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-08
2001-05-01
Gupta, Yogendra (Department: 1751)
Cleaning and liquid contact with solids
Processes
Paints, varnishes, lacquers, or enamels, removal
C134S022190
Reexamination Certificate
active
06224685
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a cleaning composition for hard surfaces. More particularly, the invention relates to a novel hard surface cleaning formulation having superior cleaning ability which is free of VOC-containing solvents.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
General purpose household cleaning compositions for hard surfaces such as metal, glass, ceramic, plastic and linoleum surfaces are commercially available in both powdered and liquid form. Powdered cleaning compositions consist mainly of builder or buffering salts such as phosphates, carbonates, and silicates and although such compositions may display good inorganic soil removal, they exhibit inferior cleaning performance on organic soils such as greasy/fatty/oily soils.
Liquid cleaning compositions, on the other hand, have the great advantage that they can be applied to hard surfaces in neat or concentrated form so that a relatively high level of surfactant material is delivered directly to the soil. Moreover, it is a rather more straightforward task to incorporate high concentrations of anionic or nonionic surfactant in a liquid rather than a granular composition. For both of these reasons, therefore, liquid cleaning compositions have the potential to provide superior grease and oily soil removal over powdered cleaning compositions.
Nevertheless, liquid cleaning compositions suffer a number of drawbacks which can limit their consumer acceptability. Thus, they generally contain little or no detergency builder salts and consequently they tend to have poor cleaning performance on particulate soil and also lack effectiveness under varying water hardness levels. In addition, they can suffer problems relating to homogeneity, clarity, and viscosity when used by consumers. Moreover, the higher in-use surfactant concentration necessary for improved grease soil removal causes further problems relating to extensive suds formation requiring frequent rinsing and wiping on behalf of the consumer.
A solution to the above-identified problems has involved the use of saturated and unsaturated terpenes, in combination with a polar solvent, in order to increase the cleaning effectiveness of the hard surface cleaner and control sudsing. A problem associated with the use of terpenes such as, for example, d-limonene, is that their price, as a raw material, tends to fluctuate wildly. Consequently, the cost to manufacture hard surface liquid cleaners containing terpene solvents is financially disadvantageous to both producers and consumers.
Other solvents which are often employed in hard surface cleaning compositions, instead of terpenes, include those derived from aliphatic, aromatic and halogenated hydrocarbons. Their use, however, is undesirable for environmental reasons due to the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOC's) therein.
Consequently, it would be highly desirable to employ a solvent which is both free of volatile organic compounds and is not subject to any significant fluctuations in pricing for the raw material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a terpene-free hard surface cleaning composition containing:
(a) from about 0.2 to about 10% by weight of a nonionic surfactant;
(b) from about 0.5 to about 10% by weight of an anionic surfactant;
(c) from about 5 to about 95% by weight of a primary solvent consisting of a C
6
-C
14
methyl ester;
(d) from about 0.5 to about 10% by weight of a short-chain cosurfactant; and
(e) remainder, water, all weights being based on the total weight of the composition.
The present invention is also directed to a process for cleaning a hard surface involving contacting the hard surface with the above-disclosed cleaning composition over a predetermined length of time.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Other then in the operating examples, or where otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients or reaction conditions used herein are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about”.
Suitable nonionic surfactants which may be employed in the present invention include, but are not limited to, alkyl polyglycosides, polyethylene oxide condensates of alkyl phenol having an alkyl group containing from about 6 to about 12 carbon atoms in either straight or branched-chain configuration, the ethylene oxide being present in amounts equal to from 5 to 25 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alkyl phenol.
Condensation products of primary or secondary alcohols having from 8 to 24 carbon atoms, with from 1 to about 30 moles of alkylene oxide per mole of alcohol may also be employed.
The alkyl polyglycosides which can be used as nonionic surfactants in the composition are generally represented by formula I:
R
1
O(R
2
O)
b
(Z)
a
I
wherein R
1
is a monovalent organic radical having from about 6 to about 30 carbon atoms; R
2
is a divalent alkylene radical having from 2 to 4 carbon atoms; Z is a saccharide residue having 5 or 6 carbon atoms; b is a number having a value from 0 to about 12; a is a number having a value from 1 to about 6. Preferred alkyl polyglycosides which can be used in the compositions according to the invention have the formula I wherein Z is a glucose residue and b is zero. Such alkyl polyglycosides are commercially available, for example, as APG®, GLUCOPON®, or PLANTAREN® surfactants from Henkel Corporation, Ambler, Pa. 19002. Examples of such surfactants include but are not limited to:
1. APG® 225 Surfactant—an alkyl polyglycoside in which the alkyl group contains 8 to 10 carbon atoms and having an average degree of polymerization of 1.7.
2. GLUCOPON® 425 Surfactant—an alkyl polyglycoside in which the alkyl group contains 8 to 16 carbon atoms and having an average degree of polymerization of 1.48.
3. GLUCOPON® 625 Surfactant—an alkyl polyglycoside in which the alkyl group contains 12 to 16 carbon atoms and having an average degree of polymerization of 1.6.
4. APG® 325 Surfactant—an alkyl polyglycoside in which the alkyl group contains 9 to 11 carbon atoms and having an average degree of polymerization of 1.5.
5. GLUCOPON®600 Surfactant—an alkyl polyglycoside in which the alkyl group contains 12 to 16 carbon atoms and having an average degree of polymerization of 1.4.
6. PLANTAREN® 2000 Surfactant—an alkyl polyglycoside in which the alkyl group contains 8 to 16 carbon atoms and having an average degree of polymerization of 1.4.
7. PLANTAREN® 1300 Surfactant—an alkyl polyglycoside in which the alkyl group contains 12 to 16 carbon atoms and having an average degree of polymerization of 1.6.
Other examples include alkyl polyglycoside surfactant compositions which are comprised of mixtures of compounds of formula I wherein Z represents a moiety derived from a reducing saccharide containing 5 or 6 carbon atoms; a is a number having a value from 1 to about 6; b is zero; and R
1
is an alkyl radical having from 8 to 20 carbon atoms. The compositions are characterized in that they have increased surfactant properties and an HLB in the range of about 10 to about 16 and a non-Flory distribution of glycosides, which is comprised of a mixture of an alkyl monoglycoside and a mixture of alkyl polyglycosides having varying degrees of polymerization of 2 and higher in progressively decreasing amounts, in which the amount by weight of polyglycoside having a degree of polymerization of 2, or mixtures thereof with the polyglycoside having a degree of polymerization of 3, predominate in relation to the amount of monoglycoside, said composition having an average degree of polymerization of about 1.8 to about 3. Such compositions, also known as peaked alkyl polyglycosides, can be prepared by separation of the monoglycoside from the original reaction mixture of alkyl monoglycoside and alkyl polyglycosides after removal of the alcohol. This separation may be carried out by molecular distillation and normally results in the removal of about 70-95% by weight of the alkyl monoglycosides. After removal of the alkyl monoglycosides, the relative distribution of the various components, mono- and poly-glyc
Barabash Martin J.
Gross Stephen F.
Hessel J. Frederick
Drach John E.
Gupta Yogendra
Henkel Corporation
Trzaska Steven J.
Webb Gregory E.
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