Process for producing a specific carbon chain fatty acid soap particle and apparatus therefor

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of soap granule preparation technology. To address the problem that existing technologies often fail to produce soap products, especially high-soap-content products, with good low-temperature solubility, and whose production processes or methods cannot achieve a single-step neutralization process to obtain qualified and directly usable soap granules, this invention provides a specific carbon-chain fatty acid soap granule production method and apparatus. The method includes the following steps: mixing or shearing a carbon-chain fatty acid with no more than 14 carbon atoms with liquid alkali according to a neutralization ratio to obtain a slurry soap; aging the slurry soap; and shearing the slurry soap to obtain soap granules when its temperature drops to no higher than 60°C. This method achieves a qualified and directly usable soap granule product through a single-step neutralization process, making the production process more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. The resulting soap granules have good solubility and can be used for both hand washing and machine washing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of soap granule preparation technology, and in particular to a method and apparatus for producing soap granules of a specific carbon chain fatty acid. Background Technology

[0002] Soap, derived from natural animal and plant oils, has been used as an important detergent for thousands of years, and its safety, gentleness, and eco-friendliness are highly sought after by consumers. Currently, the most common mainstream soap products are high-soap-content products, represented by bar soap, and low-soap-content products, represented by laundry soap powder. High-soap-content detergents, such as bar soap, experience a significant decrease in solubility and detergency in low-temperature water, especially below 20°C. This greatly limits their application scenarios; these products can only be applied topically and cannot be machine washed, thus presenting shortcomings in terms of ease of use and applicability.

[0003] The conventional soap granule production process currently consists of two steps: the production of a slurry-like soap base and the drying of the soap base. First, the production of the slurry-like soap base involves adding a certain amount of process water during the neutralization of fatty acids and liquid alkali. The fatty acid content of the neutralized soap base is generally maintained between 55% and 65%. Second, soap base drying is a crucial step in soap granule production. This process involves vacuum drying the slurry-like soap base (with a fatty acid content of 55%-65%) to remove some of the process water, followed by passing it through a soap granulator to obtain qualified soap granules with a fatty acid content of 70%-85%. Soap base drying requires a significant amount of energy. For example, invention publication CN105754769A discloses "a soap granule and its preparation method, and the laundry soap prepared therefrom." The preparation method includes mixing raw materials such as fatty acids, glycerin, alkali, and MES, spray-drying the resulting mixture, and then preparing soap granules. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To overcome the problem that existing technologies cannot produce qualified and directly usable soap granules by neutralizing soap products, especially those with high soap content, at low temperatures, the present invention provides a specific carbon chain fatty acid soap granule production method. This method can produce qualified and directly usable soap granules by neutralizing them in one step. The production process is more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, and the resulting soap granules have good solubility and can be used for both hand washing and machine washing.

[0005] Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for producing the above-mentioned soap granules, namely an apparatus for producing soap granules of a specific carbon chain fatty acid, which can be used to neutralize and produce soap granules of a specific carbon chain fatty acid in one step with low energy consumption.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A method for producing soap granules of a specific carbon chain fatty acid includes the following steps: S1 mixes fatty acids and liquid alkali in a neutralization ratio to obtain a paste-like soap; S2 involves shearing and aging the paste-like soap. After aging, when the temperature of the paste-like soap drops to less than or equal to 60°C, it is sheared to obtain soap granules. The fatty acid is one or more of saturated or unsaturated carbon chain fatty acids with no more than 14 carbon atoms.

[0007] This invention enables the production of qualified soap base with a fatty acid content between 70% and 85% in the neutralization reaction step, allowing the soap granules formed from the neutralization reaction to be used directly, thereby reducing the need for drying equipment. Specifically, this invention mixes saturated or unsaturated carbon chain fatty acids with a carbon number not exceeding 14 and liquid alkali in the ratio required for complete neutralization. A large amount of heat is released during the shearing and mixing process, which further promotes the neutralization reaction between the fatty acids and liquid alkali. The neutralized product is then aged to ensure a complete reaction between the fatty acids and liquid alkali. The resulting slurry soap, after aging, not only further improves the completeness of the soap's neutralization but also solidifies when the temperature drops to less than or equal to 60°C, allowing it to directly form soap granules under shearing, saving subsequent vacuum drying and soap granule forming processes. No additional heating is required for the fatty acids and liquid alkali, and the entire process for preparing specific carbon chain fatty acid soap granules is simple, time-saving, and highly efficient, reducing energy consumption and enhancing the product's market competitiveness. Meanwhile, compared with the mainstream high-soap-content bar soaps on the market, the soap granules obtained by this invention have greatly improved solubility, meeting the requirements for machine washing. This expands the product's application range and improves its ease of use.

[0008] Preferably, S1 involves mixing fatty acids and liquid alkali at 20-50°C in a neutralization ratio by stirring or shearing to obtain a paste-like soap, with the stirring or shearing speed being 2000-3000 r / m.

[0009] The raw materials, initially priced at 20-50℃, can be heated to 90-99℃ during mixing, significantly enhancing the neutralization reaction. At a rotation speed of 2000-3000 rpm, the fatty acids and liquid alkali can react fully. In actual production, the ambient temperature of the raw materials fluctuates between 20-50℃ depending on the season; therefore, the initial temperature of the raw materials is sufficient for the neutralization reaction, allowing direct entry into the neutralization process without additional heating.

[0010] Preferably, the shearing speed in S2 is 1500-3500 r / m, and the aging time of the paste soap is 30-50 min.

[0011] Shearing and aging the paste soap can further allow the carbon chain fatty acids and liquid alkali to react in contact, increasing the degree of neutralization.

[0012] Preferably, the paste soap in step S2 is also subjected to stirring force during shear aging, with a stirring speed of 150-350 r / m.

[0013] The simultaneous application of shear and agitation forces to paste-like soap can enhance the mixing effect during its aging process.

[0014] Preferably, the alkali cation in the liquid alkali in S1 is one or more of alkali metal ions, alkaline earth metal ions, and organic ammonium ions, and the concentration of alkali is 40-50%.

[0015] A production apparatus used in the above-mentioned specific carbon chain fatty acid soap granule production method includes a homogenizing and mixing reaction apparatus with an internal shearing device and a mixing and aging apparatus with an internal flying knife. The inlet of the homogenizing and mixing reaction apparatus is connected to the fatty acid mixing apparatus and the liquid alkali storage apparatus, respectively, and the outlet of the homogenizing and mixing reaction apparatus is connected to the mixing and aging apparatus.

[0016] When this production equipment is in use, carbon chain fatty acids and liquid alkali are mixed in a homogenizing mixing reaction device for a preliminary neutralization reaction, and then enter a mixing aging device for further aging to enhance the degree of neutralization. After aging, the mixture is naturally cooled to form a solid, and then sheared by a flying knife to obtain soap granules.

[0017] Preferably, the flying knife is disposed on the side of the mixing and aging device, and the mixing and aging device is also provided with a bottom stirring device.

[0018] A bottom stirring device is installed at the bottom of the mixing and aging device. During the aging process of the slurry soap, the side blades and the bottom stirring device rotate together to stir the slurry soap from both the side and the bottom, which improves the mixing degree of the components in the slurry soap, increases the probability of contact between unreacted carbon chain fatty acids and unreacted liquid alkali, and allows the neutralization reaction to proceed fully.

[0019] Preferably, the fatty acid mixing device is connected to the homogenizing mixing reaction device via a first pump, and the liquid alkali storage device is connected to the homogenizing mixing reaction device via a second pump.

[0020] Installing a pump helps control the raw material ratio.

[0021] Preferably, the mixing and aging device has an outlet on its side near the bottom, and the outlet is connected to the soap granule storage device.

[0022] Soap granules enter the soap granule storage device through the outlet.

[0023] Preferably, the fatty acid mixing device is equipped with a stirring device.

[0024] When there are multiple carbon chain fatty acids, a stirring device is used to mix them evenly.

[0025] Therefore, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: (1) The specific carbon chain fatty acid soap granules produced by the present invention have strong detergency and good low-temperature solubility, and can be used for machine washing; (2) The production method of the specific carbon chain fatty acid soap granules of the present invention does not require heating of the material, nor does it require the use of hot water, vacuum dryer and pressure equipment. It only requires simple mechanical processing, which has significant advantages such as energy saving, green and environmental protection. It solves the problem that the current production process or method cannot neutralize in one step to obtain qualified soap granule products that can be directly used for machine washing, as well as the high energy consumption problems such as vacuum drying, hot water and pressurization required in the production. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the production apparatus of the present invention.

[0027] Among them, 1-homogeneous mixing reaction device, 1.1-shearing device, 2-mixing and aging device, 2.1-flying knife, 2.2-bottom stirring device, 3-fatty acid mixing device, 3.1-stirring device, 4-liquid alkali storage device, 5.1-first pump, 5.2-second pump, 6-soap granule storage device. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0029] Example 1 A device for producing soap granules of a specific carbon chain fatty acid, the structure of which is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the device includes a homogenizing reaction device 1, a mixing and aging device 2, a fatty acid mixing device 3, a liquid alkali storage device 4, and a soap granule storage device 6. The homogenizing reaction device 1 is a homogenizing reaction pump. The fatty acid mixing device 3 is a fatty acid mixing tank, which is equipped with a stirring device 3.1 inside. The fatty acid mixing device 3 is connected to one inlet at the top of the homogenizing reaction device 1 through a first pump 5.1. The liquid alkali storage device 4 is a liquid alkali tank, which is connected to another inlet at the top of the homogenizing reaction device 1 through a second pump 5.2. The homogenizing reaction device 1 is a homogenizing reaction pump, which is equipped with a high-speed gear as a shearing device 1.1 inside. The outlet of the homogenizing reaction device 1 is connected to the mixing and aging device 2. The bottom of the mixing and aging device 2 is equipped with a stirring paddle as a bottom stirring device 2.2. The side of the mixing and aging device 2 is equipped with a flying knife 2.1. An outlet is located below the flying knife 2.1 and is connected to the soap granule storage device 6.

[0030] Example 2 A specific carbon chain fatty acid soap granule is prepared using the production apparatus described in Example 1 by the following steps: (1) Decanoic acid at 25°C and sodium hydroxide solution with a mass concentration of 48% are introduced into the homogeneous mixing reaction device 1 simultaneously through the first pump 5.1 and the second pump 5.2 at the neutralization ratio, that is, the ratio of fatty acid and liquid alkali when they are completely neutralized. (2) In step (1), the decanoic acid and liquid alkali are fully mixed and reacted under the mechanical shearing of the high-speed gear at 2500r / m in the homogenizing mixing reaction device 1 to form a paste soap at a temperature of 96℃. (3) The paste soap in step (2) is further aged for 40 minutes in the mixing and aging device 2 under the mechanical shearing of the bottom stirring at 220 r / m and the side wall flying knife 2.1 at 2900 r / m. After aging, the soap temperature drops to 46℃ and becomes solid. It is directly formed into soap granules under the shearing of the flying knife 2.1 and fed into the soap granule storage device 6.

[0031] Example 3 A specific carbon chain fatty acid soap granule is prepared using the production apparatus described in Example 1 by the following steps: (1) Hexanoic acid at 20°C and sodium hydroxide solution with a mass concentration of 48% are simultaneously introduced into homogeneous mixing reaction device 1 via the first pump 5.1 and the second pump 5.2 according to the neutralization ratio; (2) In step (1), hexanoic acid and liquid alkali are fully mixed and reacted under the mechanical shearing of a high-speed gear at 2000 r / m in the homogenizing mixing reaction device 1 to form a paste-like soap at a temperature of 99℃. (3) The paste soap in step (2) is further aged for 30 minutes in the mixing and aging device 2 under the mechanical shearing of the bottom stirring at 150 r / m and the side wall flying knife 2.1 at 1500 r / m. After aging, the soap temperature drops to 50℃ and becomes solid. It is directly formed into soap granules under the shearing of the flying knife 2.1 and fed into the soap granule storage device 6.

[0032] Example 4 A specific carbon chain fatty acid soap granule is prepared using the production apparatus described in Example 1 by the following steps: (1) A mixed acid composed of decanoic acid and dodecanoic acid in a mass ratio of 2:1 and a sodium hydroxide solution with a mass concentration of 48% are simultaneously introduced into the homogeneous mixing reaction device 1 through the first pump 5.1 and the second pump 5.2 at 40℃. (2) The mixed acid and liquid alkali in step (1) are fully mixed and reacted under the mechanical shearing of a high-speed gear at 3000r / m in the homogenizing mixing reaction device 1 to form a paste soap at a temperature of 90℃. (3) The paste soap in step (2) is further aged for 50 minutes in the mixing and aging device 2 under the mechanical shearing of the bottom stirring at 350 r / m and the side wall flying knife 2.1 at 3500 r / m. After aging, the soap temperature drops to 40℃ and becomes solid. It is directly formed into soap granules under the shearing of the flying knife 2.1 and fed into the soap granule storage device 6.

[0033] Example 5 A specific carbon chain fatty acid soap granule is prepared using the production apparatus described in Example 1 by the following steps: (1) Octyl acid at 23°C and sodium hydroxide solution with a mass concentration of 48% are simultaneously introduced into homogeneous mixing reaction device 1 via the first pump 5.1 and the second pump 5.2 in a neutralization ratio; (2) In step (1), the octanoic acid and liquid alkali are fully mixed and reacted under the mechanical shearing of the high-speed gear at 2600r / m in the homogenizing mixing reaction device 1 to form a paste soap at a temperature of 97℃. (3) The paste soap in step (2) is further aged for 42 minutes in the mixing and aging device 2 under the mechanical shearing of the bottom stirring at 210 r / m and the side wall flying knife 2.1 at 2700 r / m. After aging, the soap temperature drops to 43℃ and becomes solid. It is directly formed into soap granules under the shearing of the flying knife 2.1 and fed into the soap granule storage device 6.

[0034] Example 6 A specific carbon chain fatty acid soap granule is prepared using the production apparatus described in Example 1 by the following steps: (1) Dodecanoic acid at 40°C and sodium hydroxide solution with a mass concentration of 48% are simultaneously introduced into homogeneous mixing reaction device 1 via the first pump 5.1 and the second pump 5.2 according to the neutralization ratio; (2) In step (1), the dodecanoic acid and liquid alkali are fully mixed and reacted under the mechanical shearing of the high-speed gear at 3000r / m in the homogeneous mixing reaction device 1 to form a paste soap at a temperature of 91℃. (3) The paste soap in step (2) is further aged for 50 minutes in the mixing and aging device 2 under the mechanical shearing of the bottom stirring at 350 r / m and the side wall flying knife 2.1 at 3500 r / m. After aging, the soap temperature drops to 50℃ and becomes solid. It is directly formed into soap granules under the shearing of the flying knife 2.1. The soap granules are fed into the soap granule storage device 6.

[0035] Example 7 A specific carbon chain fatty acid soap granule is prepared using the production apparatus described in Example 1 by the following steps: (1) A mixed acid composed of hexanoic acid and tetradecanoic acid in a mass ratio of 4:1 and a sodium hydroxide solution with a mass concentration of 48% are simultaneously introduced into the homogeneous mixing reaction device 1 through the first pump 5.1 and the second pump 5.2 at 50℃. (2) The mixed acid and liquid alkali in step (1) are fully mixed and reacted under the mechanical shearing of a high-speed gear at 3000r / m in the homogenizing mixing reaction device 1 to form a paste soap at a temperature of 90℃. (3) The paste soap in step (2) is further aged for 50 minutes in the mixing and aging device 2 under the mechanical shearing of the bottom stirring at 350 r / m and the side wall flying knife 2.1 at 3500 r / m. After aging, the soap temperature drops to 60℃ and becomes solid. It is directly formed into soap granules under the shearing of the flying knife 2.1. The soap granules are fed into the soap granule storage device 6.

[0036] Example 8 A specific carbon chain fatty acid soap granule is prepared using the production apparatus described in Example 1 by the following steps: (1) Decanoic acid at 25°C and sodium hydroxide solution with a mass concentration of 48% are simultaneously introduced into homogeneous mixing reaction device 1 via the first pump 5.1 and the second pump 5.2 according to the neutralization ratio; (2) In step (1), the decanoic acid and liquid alkali are fully mixed and reacted under the mechanical shearing of the high-speed gear at 2500r / m in the homogenizing mixing reaction device 1 to form a paste soap at a temperature of 96℃. (3) The paste soap in step (2) is further aged for 40 minutes under the mechanical shearing of the 2900r / m side wall flying knife 2.1 in the mixing and aging device 2. After aging, the soap temperature drops to 46℃ and becomes solid. It is directly formed into soap granules under the shearing of the flying knife 2.1 and fed into the soap granule storage device 6.

[0037] Comparative Example 1 Commercially available laundry soap.

[0038] Comparative Example 2 A long-chain fatty acid soap granule is prepared using the production apparatus described in Example 1 by the following steps: (1) At 40℃, palmitic acid (C 16 H 32 O2) and stearic acid (C 18 H 36 O2) A mixed acid composed of 2:1 by mass and a sodium hydroxide solution with a mass concentration of 48% were simultaneously introduced into the homogenizing and mixing reaction device 1 via the first pump 5.1 and the second pump 5.2, respectively, according to the neutralization ratio. (2) The mixed acid and liquid alkali in step (1) are fully mixed and reacted under the mechanical shearing of a high-speed gear at 3000r / m in the homogenizing mixing reaction device 1 to form a paste soap at a temperature of 95℃. (3) The paste soap in step (2) is further aged for 50 minutes in the mixing and aging device 2 under the mechanical shearing of the bottom stirring at 350 r / m and the side wall flying knife 2.1 at 3500 r / m. After aging, the soap temperature drops to 40℃ and becomes solid. It is directly formed into soap granules under the shearing of the flying knife 2.1 and fed into the soap granule storage device 6.

[0039] The dry sodium soap content of Examples 2-8 and Comparative Examples 1-2 was tested according to the method specified in QB / T 2486-2008 Laundry Soap.

[0040] The test results are detailed in Table 1: Table 1. Soap content of Examples 2-8 and Comparative Examples 1-2 Example 2 78.8 Example 3 79.6 Example 4 78.0 Example 5 79.5 Example 6 77.9 Example 7 77.8 Example 8 66.7 Comparative Example 1 75.3 Comparative Example 2 37.5 The above dry sodium soap test results show that the soap content of the fatty acid soap granules produced by this invention is significantly higher than that of commercially available laundry soap. In Example 8, the aging process did not use a bottom stirring device, resulting in a lower reaction rate during aging compared to Example 7, thus leading to a lower dry sodium soap content. Comparative Example 2 used long-chain fatty acids as raw materials, where the neutralization rate was lower than that of carbon-chain fatty acids with no more than 14 carbon atoms, resulting in a lower dry sodium soap content.

[0041] The dissolution time of Examples 2-8 and Comparative Examples 1-2 was tested under the following conditions: 250 ppm hard water, water temperature 10℃, 0.8 g sample dissolved in 400 g water, magnetic stirring at 200 rpm.

[0042] The test results are detailed in Table 2: Table 2 Dissolution times of Examples 2-8 and Comparative Examples 1-2 Example 2 2 minutes and 52 seconds Example 3 2 minutes and 39 seconds Example 4 3 minutes and 24 seconds Example 5 3 minutes and 13 seconds Example 6 3 minutes and 54 seconds Example 7 4 minutes and 3 seconds Example 8 13 minutes and 38 seconds Comparative Example 1 >50 minutes Comparative Example 2 >50 minutes The above dissolution time data shows that, at low temperatures, the dissolution performance of the fatty acid soap granules produced by this invention is significantly better than that of commercially available laundry soaps. The specific carbon chain fatty acid soap granules produced by this invention can meet the requirements of machine washing.

[0043] The detergency of Examples 2-8 and Comparative Examples 1-2 at 30℃ and 10℃ was tested according to the "Test Method for Detergent Detergency" specified in GB / T 13174-2008. The test results are shown in Tables 3 and 4. Table 3. Detergent power (30°C) of Examples 2-8 and Comparative Examples 1-2 Table 4. Detergent power (10°C) of Examples 2-8 and Comparative Examples 1-2 As can be seen from the detergency test results of Examples 2-8 and the comparative examples above, the detergency performance of the present invention can reach the level of commercially available laundry soap in Comparative Example 1. Especially at low temperatures, the detergency performance of the present invention is more outstanding and can meet the normal machine washing requirements. Comparative Example 2 did not react completely under the process conditions of the present invention, resulting in its worst detergency.

Claims

1. A method for producing soap granules of a specific carbon chain fatty acid, characterized in that the steps include: as follows: S1 In a homogenizing reaction apparatus equipped with an internal shearing device, fatty acids at 20-50°C and liquid alkali are mixed in a neutralization ratio to obtain a paste-like soap; the concentration of alkali in the liquid alkali is 40-50%. S2 In a mixing and aging device equipped with a bottom stirring device and a flying knife on the side, the paste soap is further aged under stirring and shearing. After aging, when the temperature of the paste soap drops to less than or equal to 60°C, soap granules are obtained by shearing. The fatty acid is one or more of saturated or unsaturated carbon chain fatty acids with no more than 14 carbon atoms.

2. The method for producing soap granules of a specific carbon chain fatty acid according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fatty acid is a mixture of decanoic acid and dodecanoic acid, or a mixture of hexanoic acid and tetradecanoic acid.

3. The method for producing soap granules of a specific carbon chain fatty acid according to claim 1, characterized in that, S1 involves mixing fatty acids and liquid alkali at 20-50℃ in a neutralization ratio by stirring or shearing to obtain a paste-like soap, with the stirring or shearing speed being 2000-3000 r / m.

4. The method for producing soap granules of a specific carbon chain fatty acid according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shearing speed in S2 is 1500-3500 r / m, and the aging time of the paste soap is 30-50 min.

5. A method for producing soap granules of a specific carbon chain fatty acid according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that, The stirring speed in S2 is 150-350 r / m.

6. A method for producing soap granules of a specific carbon chain fatty acid according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that, The alkali cation in the liquid alkali of S1 is one or more of alkali metal ions, alkaline earth metal ions, and organic ammonium ions.

7. The method for producing soap granules of a specific carbon chain fatty acid according to claim 1, characterized in that, The production equipment structure is as follows: it includes a homogenizing and mixing reaction device with an internal shearing device, and a mixing and aging device with a bottom stirring device and a flying knife on the side; the inlet of the homogenizing and mixing reaction device is connected to the fatty acid mixing device and the liquid alkali storage device respectively, and the outlet of the homogenizing and mixing reaction device is connected to the mixing and aging device.

8. The method for producing soap granules of a specific carbon chain fatty acid according to claim 7, characterized in that, The fatty acid mixing device is connected to the homogenizing and mixing reaction device via a first pump, and the liquid alkali storage device is connected to the homogenizing and mixing reaction device via a second pump.

9. The method for producing soap granules of a specific carbon chain fatty acid according to claim 7, characterized in that, The mixing and aging device has an outlet on its side near the bottom, which is connected to the soap granule storage device.

10. The method for producing soap granules of a specific carbon chain fatty acid according to claim 7, characterized in that, The fatty acid mixing device is equipped with a stirring device.

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