Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-06
2003-03-11
Ogden, Necholus (Department: 1751)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
C510S392000, C510S426000, C510S428000, C510S475000, C510S511000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06531439
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a surfactant combination containing special fatty alkyl sulfates in combination with alkyl benzenesulfonates.
In the domestic washing of laundry, there has been a tendency in recent years for the laundry to be washed at increasingly lower temperatures. The main washing temperatures are between 40 and 60° C. In most homes, the boil wash is no longer practised. On the other hand, however, detergents are expected to develop a uniform and very high cleaning performance at the washing temperatures applied over the entire range of soils occurring in domestic laundry, such as dust and sebum, cosmetics and pigments which mostly emanate from foods, decorative cosmetics (lipstick, makeup, creams, etc.), care products, such as shoe creams, or from general (street) soil. In terms of washing activity, most of the surfactant combinations known from the prior art have a performance maximum at relatively high temperatures. Even the particularly high-performance detersive substances, such as certain anionic surfactants, develop their maximum activity against certain soils, but not against the entire range of soils encountered in domestic laundry. Thus, the alkyl benzenesulfonates, for example, are particularly effective above all against lipstick soils, but have a weakness against dust and sebum.
International patent application WO 95/02390 describes a surfactant system based on alkyl sulfates emanating from natural raw materials which contain a mixture of alkyl chain lengths, the alkyl sulfates having such a weight distribution of the alkyl chain lengths that they contain less than 20% by weight of alkyl chains with 12 carbon atoms, 30 to 80% by weight of alkyl chains with 14 carbon atoms, 30 to 50% by weight of alkyl chains with 16 carbon atoms and less than 10% by weight of alkyl chains with 18 carbon atoms.
However, alkyl sulfates are known to lack uniform activity against all soils at relatively low washing temperatures. Their strength in performance terms is against dustlsebum soils.
Another surfactant system containing special fatty alkyl sulfates is disclosed in International patent application WO 96/21705. The surfactant composition described therein contains (a) an alkyl sulfate surfactant system containing a mixture of alkyl chain lengths, the weight distribution of the alkyl chains being such that less than 20% by weight of the alkyl chains have a chain length of less than 14. The composition contains (b) a nonionic surfactant and (c) a zeolite builder comprising zeolite P with an Si:Al ratio of no greater than 1.33:1 (zeolite MAP) as further components.
GB-A-2 289 687 describes a powder-form detergent with a density of at least 650 g/l containing (a) from 1 to 50% by weight of a surfactant system, (b) from 2 to 25% by weight of a calcium salt and (c) at least 1% by weight of a builder. The surfactant system contains at least 30% by weight of a sulfated surfactant selected from the group of alkyl sulfates, alkyl ethoxysulfates, secondary alkyl sulfates and mixtures thereof. The alkyl sulfates used are, for example, alkyl sulfates containing 14 to 16 carbon atoms in the carbon chain.
The problem addressed by the present invention was to provide a surfactant system which could be used both in powder-form to granular detergents and in liquid detergents and which would develop an improved cleaning performance against a wide range of different soil types. In addition, the surfactant system would contain components which are commercially obtainable at favorable prices and which exhibit ecologically favorable properties.
It has now surprisingly been found that, by using a special combination of anionic surfactants in detergents, it is possible to obtain optimal cleaning performance against various soils for the same concentration of detersive components.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention relates to a surfactant combination for use in detergents containing C
12-18
alkyl sulfates, the percentage of carbon chains with fewer than 14 carbon atoms and the percentage of carbon chains with more than 16 carbon atoms being less than 10% by weight in either case, based on the content of C
12-18
alkyl sulfate, and C
9-13
alkyl benzenesulfonates in a ratio of 1:10 to 10:1.
In one preferred embodiment, the percentage of carbon chains with more than 16 carbon atoms is less than 10% by weight, based on the content of C
12-18
alkyl sulfates.
In another preferred embodiment, the percentage of carbon chains with more than 16 carbon atoms in the C
12-18
alkyl sulfates used is above 10 and below 20% by weight, based on the content of C
12-18
alkyl sulfates.
Particularly good washing results are obtained when the percentage of alkyl sulfates with a chain length of 14 carbon atoms in the C
12-18
alkyl sulfates is from 40 to 80% by weight, based on the C
12-18
alkyl sulfates.
The C
12-18
alkyl sulfates present in the surfactant combination according to the invention are known anionic surfactants which can be obtained by sulfonation of the corresponding alcohols. The required carbon chain cut can be obtained by using the corresponding alcohols with the corresponding chain length distribution prepared synthetically or from natural raw materials or corresponding pure starting compounds.
The C
8-18
alkyl benzenesulfonates are known anionic surfactants which are obtained by sulfonation of the C
8-18
monoolefins containing a terminal or internal double bond with gaseous sulfur trioxide and subsequent alkaline or acidic hydrolysis of the sulfonation products. The C
9-13
alkyl benzenesulfonates are normally used; longer-chain alkyl benzenesulfonates are largely not used.
In one preferred embodiment, the C
12-18
alkyl sulfates and the C
9-13
alkyl benzenesulfonates are preferably used in a ratio of 1:1 to 4:1.
The surfactant combination according to the invention is suitable for use in powder-form or granular detergents and in liquid detergents.
The surfactants may be added to the detergents both individually and in the form of compounds. The compounds are preferably produced by granulation processes, particularly in a fluidized bed.
Accordingly, the present invention also relates to powder-form or granular detergents which contain the surfactant combination according to the invention in combination with other typical ingredients.
The present invention also relates to liquid detergents which contain the surfactant combination according to the invention, a suitable solvent and optionally other typical ingredients.
The powder-form or granular or liquid detergents according to the invention contain the C
12-18
alkyl sulfates from the surfactant combination in a quantity of preferably 1 to 20% by weight, based on the detergent as a whole. The C
9-13
alkyl benzenesulfonates are present in the detergents according to the invention in a quantity of preferably 1 to 20% by weight, based on the detergent as a whole.
The detergents according to the invention may contain other anionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, builders and optionally other substances typically present in detergents as further constituents.
The other anionic surfactants may be selected, for example, from C
8-22
olefin sulfonates, C
8-22
alkanesulfonates, C
8-22
alkenyl sulfates, monoesters and/or diesters of alkyl sulfosuccinic acid (sulfosuccinates), C
6-18
alkyl polyglycol ether sulfates, C
8-22
fatty acid ester sulfonates, C
8-22
alkyl ether sulfates, glycerol ether sulfonates, glycerol ether sulfates, hydroxy mixed ether sulfates, monoglyceride sulfates, sulfoglycerides, amido acids, C
6-18
fatty acid amide ether sulfates, C
6-18
alkyl (ether) carboxylates, fatty acid isethionates, N—C
6-16
-acyl sarcosinates, N—C
6-18
-acyl taurides, C
6-18
alkyl oligoglycoside sulfates, C
6-18
alkyl phosphates, soaps and mixtures thereof. The anionic surfactants may be used in the form of their sodium, potassium or ammonium salts and as soluble salts of organic bases, such as mono-, di- or triethanolamine. The anionic surfactants are preferably present in the
Behler Ansgar
Meine Georg
Mueller-Kirschbaum Thomas
Nickel Dieter
Raths Hans-Christian
Harper Stephen D.
Henkel Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien
Murphy Glenn E. J.
Ogden Necholus
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