Acidic Cleaning Composition with Polymer for Surfactant Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hard surface cleaning compositions that reduce detergent surfactant amounts often result in ineffective cleaning and reduced foam volume, which is less preferred by consumers, despite efforts to minimize environmental impact.
Innovation Solution
A hard surface cleaning composition comprising 5 to 60 wt% detergent surfactant, with at least 50% being a combination of alkyl ether sulfate and alkyl benzene sulfonate, 0.5 to 4 wt% polymer comprising acrylic acid, and a pH of 5.5 or lower, which maintains cleaning efficacy and foam volume while minimizing surfactant usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the amount of detergent surfactant is reduced to minimize environmental impact, then environmental friendliness is improved, but cleaning efficacy and foam volume deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical parameters of the cleaning composition by using a specific anionic polymer (polyacrylic acid or its salts) in combination with reduced surfactant amounts. The polymer concentration (0.1-5 wt%) and pH level (3.0-5.5) are optimized to maintain cleaning efficacy while reducing surfactant content, thereby resolving the contradiction between environmental friendliness and cleaning performance
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite cleaning system combining reduced surfactant (5-30 wt%) with anionic polymer (0.1-5 wt%). This composite approach allows the polymer to compensate for the reduced surfactant functionality, maintaining cleaning efficacy and foam volume while minimizing environmental impact through lower surfactant usage
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the amount of detergent surfactant is reduced, then environmental impact is minimized, but foam volume is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention adjusts the pH parameter to 3.0-5.5 and optimizes polymer concentration (0.1-5 wt%) to enhance foam stability and volume. This parameter optimization allows the anionic polymer to compensate for reduced surfactant, maintaining high foam volume despite lower surfactant content and thus resolving the contradiction between environmental impact and foam volume
3Reliability
If increased amounts of detergent surfactant are used to deliver effective cleaning, then cleaning efficacy is improved, but foam volume increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the surfactant concentration to a lower range (5-30 wt%) while adjusting pH (3.0-5.5) and adding anionic polymer (0.1-5 wt%). This parameter optimization achieves effective cleaning with reduced surfactant while controlling foam volume, resolving the contradiction between cleaning efficacy and excessive foam generation
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 and high foam volume with reduced detergent surfactant amounts, matching the efficacy of traditional compositions, while being environmentally friendly.
Implementation Method 1
a hard surface cleaning composition comprising: 5 to 60 wt% of detergent surfactant; 0.5 to 4 wt% of a polymer comprising acrylic acid, the polymer comprising a homopolymer of acrylic acid
Implementation Method 2
5 to 60 wt% of detergent surfactant; wherein at least 50% of the total amount of detergent surfactant is a combination of alkyl ether sulfate (AES) and alkyl benzene sulfonate (ABS)
Implementation Method 3
wherein the composition has pH of 5.5 or lower
Data Source
AI summary
A hard surface cleaning composition comprising: • 5 to 60 wt% of detergent surfactant, • 0.5 to 4 wt% of a polymer comprising acrylic acid, and; • water; wherein the composition is free of silicone and free of metal bleach catalyst; wherein the composition has pH of 5.5 or lower; and wherein at least 50% of the total amount of detergent surfactant is a combination of alkyl ether sulfate and alkylbenzene sulfonate wherein the ratio of alkyl ether sulfate:alkylbenzene sulfonate is at least 1:1. A method for cleaning a hard surface comprising the steps of: a. applying onto a hard surface in neat or diluted form the said composition, b. cleaning the hard surface, and; c. rinsing the hard surface.