Acidic Cleaning Composition Using Alkyl Polyglucoside and Citric Acid
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing natural cleaning compositions face challenges in achieving effective cleaning performance with a limited number of ingredients, often requiring multiple surfactants, solvents, and builders, which is not feasible with synthetic alternatives.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning composition comprising greater than 2% alkyl polyglucoside, 0.5 to 10% 2-hydroxycarboxylic acid, and 0.05 to 2.0% lemon oil or d-limonene, with optional dyes, colorants, and preservatives, but no additional surfactants, builders, solvents, or disinfectants, maintaining a pH between 2 and 3.5.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple surfactants, solvents, and builders are used to achieve adequate consumer performance, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the number of ingredients and formulation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple cleaning functions into a single ingredient system. Specifically, it uses 2-hydroxycarboxylic acids (which provide both cleaning and corrosion inhibition), alkyl polyglucosides (which serve as both surfactant and thickening agent), and lemon oil/d-limonene (which provides fragrance and additional cleaning power). This merging of functions reduces the total number of ingredients while maintaining effective cleaning performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs ingredients that perform multiple functions simultaneously. For example, the 2-hydroxycarboxylic acid serves as both a cleaning agent and a corrosion inhibitor, while the alkyl polyglucoside acts as both a surfactant and a viscosity modifier. This multi-functionality allows the formulation to achieve adequate consumer performance with fewer ingredients, directly resolving the contradiction between cleaning effectiveness and formulation complexity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If natural ingredients are used to meet consumer demand for renewable resources, then environmental safety is improved, but cleaning performance may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the concentration parameters of natural ingredients to achieve both environmental safety and effective cleaning performance. It specifies precise ranges: 2-hydroxycarboxylic acid at 0.5 to 10%, alkyl polyglucoside at greater than 2%, and lemon oil or d-limonene at 0.05 to 2.0%. By carefully controlling these parameters, the formulation achieves adequate consumer performance while maintaining natural ingredient composition, thus resolving the contradiction between environmental safety and cleaning performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite natural ingredient system that combines 2-hydroxycarboxylic acids, alkyl polyglucosides, and lemon oil/d-limonene. This composite approach leverages the synergistic effects of different natural ingredients to achieve cleaning performance that would be difficult to obtain with any single natural ingredient alone, while still maintaining environmental safety and renewable resource usage.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composition achieves effective cleaning performance with a minimal number of natural ingredients, enhancing consumer satisfaction while avoiding environmental concerns associated with synthetic additives.
Implementation Method 1
greater than 2% alkyl polyglucoside
Implementation Method 2
0.5 to 10% 2-hydroxycarboxylic acid; wherein the pH is between 2 and 3.5
Implementation Method 3
a fragrance containing 0.05 to 2.0% lemon oil or d-limonene
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning composition with a limited number of natural ingredients contains alkyl polyglucoside, a 2-hydroxylcarboxylic acid, and a fragrance containing lemon oil or d-limonene. The cleaning composition optionally has a small amount of dye, colorant, and preservative. The cleaning composition can be used to clean hard surfaces and cleans as well or better than commercial compositions containing synthetically derived cleaning agents.